Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), on Tuesday, received a prestigious award from Anita Borg Institute for encouraging women in technical positions. Intel’s director of interaction and experience research, Genevieve Bell, was among the three women awarded for their technical contributions. Anita Borg Institute is a Palo Alto-based non-profit organization that encourages the advancement of women in computer technology industry.
Citing the importance of women role models in the technology industry, Telle Whitney, the chief executive officer of the institute said there are just far too few women in the industry. Whitney said about 20 companies and 60 women were in the race for the awards. The institute praised Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) for its “voluntary turnover rate” which is just 2 percent over the last three years, one of the lowest among large corporations. Whitney said the Santa Clara-based chipmaker works hard to retain women employees with technical expertise.
“Intel has had a commitment to foster diversity for many years, and has developed a portfolio of strong programs and best practices to attract, develop and promote technical women,” Anita Borg Institute said in a statement. Intel has Women Principal Engineers and Fellows Forum, and Command Presence Workshop to help mid-level women increase their effectiveness.
The institute also admired Intel for its constant experiments with innovative practices and programs aimed at leveraging the full potential of a diverse workforce.
Kim Warren-Martin, the global women’s initiative manager at Intel said she is excited to win the prestigious award. She thinks diversity boosts innovation and creativity at the workplace. Over 28 percent of Intel’s 100,000 employees are women. Genevieve Bell was unavailable for comment. The institute recognized her for her leadership. Bell is an anthropologist who leads a team studying new consumer computing experiences.
The institute said Bell, in her current and prior roles, has changed the way Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) envisions and plans its products so that they are based on people’s needs instead of the silicon capabilities.
One of the two other women honored was an International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) research staff member emeritus. The other lady was Vicki Hanson, an inclusive technologies professor at Scotland’s University of Dundee.
