Framing DEI Futures with Aishwarya Kansakar | TechDiversity 10-Year Anniversary Look Back Series
In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the TechDiversity Awards, we’re reconnecting with the extraordinary people who’ve helped shape this movement from day one — our past winners.
Join Jen Murray, Marketing Director at TechDiversity Foundation, as she sits down with Aishwarya Kansakar — the 2024 TechDiversity Award recipient in Education, 2025 Young Australian of the Year (Victoria), award-winning automation engineer, founder, and DEI powerhouse.
Why This Look Back Sparked Something Deeper, By Jen Murray
As a marketer, I get to tell some pretty incredible stories. But as a mother, this particular one hit differently. Reconnecting with one of our 2024 TechDiversity Award winners—a program that co-teaches STEM to children as young as three through imagination and play—was more than just inspiring. It was profound.
Let that sink in: Three-year-olds, not just listening but actively engaging in concepts like robotics, lean manufacturing, and engineering safety. How? Because the people behind this initiative are nothing short of brilliant. The co-teaching model, developed in partnership with Monash University and led by world-renowned STEM educators and industry professionals, has already reached 40,000 girls across Australia. It’s mind-blowing.
This is grassroots innovation at its finest. But even more importantly, it tackles a critical issue that our TechReflects study continues to highlight: the influence gap. While women are present in tech, they are often overrepresented in enabling functions like HR, marketing, and sales—but underrepresented in leadership roles where real decisions are made. Programs like this are flipping that script before it even starts, giving young girls permission to dream big in tech from day one.
We need more initiatives like this. We need more women in the boardroom, not just the briefing room.
At TechDiversity, we believe every past winner is a powerful chapter in our collective story. If you’re a past winner and we haven’t yet reached out, please contact me. Let’s chat. Let’s tell your story.
Because this year isn’t just any year. We’re celebrating 10 years of the TechDiversity Awards. And what better way to honour that legacy than to amplify the voices and innovations that are framing the future of DEI in technology?
Tickets are on sale now. Bring your team. Be part of something that’s not just a moment—it’s a movement.
#FramingDEIFutures #TechDiversity10 #WomenInTech #STEMEducation #RepresentationMatters