Seasoned Marketing & Communications leader, Sandrine boasts 30+ years in international memory marketing. Starting at Toshiba Electronics Europe, she traversed diverse roles across B2B & B2C marketing, sales development, and project management. In 2018, she was promoted to Head of Marcom at Toshiba Memory (now KIOXIA), spearheading the successful EMEA launch of the new brand.

Her pride? Building and mentoring a talented team to implement digital branding strategies, driving brand awareness and business growth across EMEA. Recognized leadership with a knack for managing projects and teams efficiently, her efforts have significantly contributed to KIOXIA's brand recognition.

Currently leading a diverse team of five, Sandrine champions KIOXIA's values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Based on your experience, what can companies do to help inspire inclusion in the tech industry?

Actively recruit and promote women from diverse background for jobs with high skills and responsibilities. This will encourage more women to apply for high-impact roles and advance their careers within our industry. Additionally, companies should actively promote diversity and acceptance by organizing training sessions for all employees, including managers and executives that address unconscious bias, promote inclusive behavior and celebrate diversity. Finally, it should be part of the company policy that all employees have equal access to career advancement opportunities, training programs and leadership positions.

What advice do you have for those who want to be male ally and aren’t sure how to start?

Be open-minded, patient and persistent in your efforts to create a more equitable workplace. Recognize that it is an ongoing process which requires engagement from all sides. Encourage diverse, mixed-gender project teams that can provide female leaders with valuable opportunities to hone their skills and gain visibility. Collaboration is key, but ensure these projects are not framed solely as a way for women to "learn" to get recognition. Instead, prioritize genuine collaboration and shared success.

Tanja is a supply chain management guru, with more than 34 years' experience in the international semiconductor industry. Following a three-year apprenticeship, she worked in positions of increasing responsibility for companies in Germany and the UK.

She joined Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH in 2001. In her current role at KIOXIA (formerly Toshiba Memory) Tanja manages a diverse team of 24, which includes ten women, and is responsible for five sub-departments: Customer Service, Logistics, Export Control, Business Process Management and Product Conformity Compliance for KIOXIA's NAND memory and SSD product business areas. The smooth supply chain handling and customer satisfaction levels at KIOXIA are a testament to her extensive leadership experience and ability to inspire diverse teams.

Based on your experience, what can companies do to help inspire inclusion in the tech industry?

Companies can inspire by treating males and females more equally, focusing on similarities and considering the strengths of females, males and others. I feel that there are still prejudices within our industry that females may not be able to understand technology as well as male colleagues. From my experience, this is not the case. Employers should offer better training and education opportunities and listen more to the views and visions of female colleagues. This is true for all diverse group members within a company.

What advice do you have for those who want to be male allies and aren’t sure how to start?

Just go for it! Find one female colleague to ally with and start. Just remember it is important to be positive and open-minded as well as patient while listening carefully to what the person has to say.

Alina is General Administration Manager at KIOXIA Europe GmbH, responsible for overseeing office and safety management in the European subsidiary. Her varied remit involves among others mid- and long-term planning to ensure smooth operations within and across departments.

Joining Toshiba (later KIOXIA Europe GmbH) in 2016, Alina started out in Customer Service looking after distribution customers and progressed through Finance and Administration to General Administration. She applies this unique and valuable insight into different aspects of KIOXIA's business in her current position, simplifying and improving complex interdepartmental processes.

Based on your experience, what can companies do to help inspire inclusion in the tech industry?

Employers can provide equal opportunities for career advancement, offer training or development programs. Implementing measures that support a healthy work-life balance can also encourage and sustain a more inclusive workforce.

What advice do you have for those who want to be male allies and aren’t sure how to start?

There are three key approaches I believe that male allies can engage in. Listen actively to women's experiences and perspectives in the workplace. Take feedback seriously and seek to understand women's viewpoints without being defensive or judgmental. Finally, reflect on your attitudes, behaviors and biases and being willing to challenge and change them if these contribute to gender inequality.

With almost 20 years of experience, Annita is a human resources champion. She joined KIOXIA as a Senior HR Specialist in 2022 and achieved promotion to HR Manager within months, fulfilling a role that ranges from payroll and personnel planning to HR managerial responsibilities. Acting as an invaluable and impartial interface between the leadership team and employees, Annita is a mentor and mediator to both. She is a strong advocate for building positive and trusting relationships, working with all parties to identify how the company can empower employees to deliver their very best. Annita also oversees the implementation of training or employee workshops and events that support the company's values, mission and strategy.

In your experience, what can companies do to promote integration in the technology sector?

Simple actions include offering a space for people to get to know each other, or sharing women and disability quotas internally. Encouraging employee discussions about different religious affiliations and other groups can also raise awareness about diverse backgrounds. Another suggestion would be to consider updating company policies, maybe promoting parental leave for men or creating a female talent pool to assist integration.