On 15 May, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, reaffirmed its commitment to the iGen Forum – Fórum Organizações para a Igualdade, as part of the event “Allies in Change – Commitments to Equality”, held at the Sotto Mayor Palace in Lisbon.
As a partner in the initiative since 2017, Técnico is once again joining forces with the iGen Forum with the goal of “strengthening its organisational culture of social responsibility” and integrating, into its institutional strategy, “principles of equality between women and men in the workplace and in employment”. The School will join two new working groups dedicated to developing equality initiatives and the iGen Training Academy.
Técnico was represented at the roundtable discussion “Building positive alliances between women and men in organisational leadership”, featuring Arlindo Oliveira, a professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and president of the Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores (INESC), and his daughter, Ana Sofia Oliveira, a Técnico alumna (Engineering Physics) and currently a data scientist at Banco Santander Totta.
During the discussion on the role of alliances and education in promoting equality, Arlindo Oliveira highlighted the importance of creating environments that encourage free choices based on personal interests. “The best advice has always been to do the things you love most”, he said, adding, half-jokingly, “and naturally go into engineering”.
Ana Sofia Oliveira recalled the encouragement she received from an early age to “experiment and develop skills often associated with traditionally male-dominated fields”. “I was always encouraged to ask questions”, she noted, adding that, throughout her academic and professional journey, she never felt discrimination.
The event brought together 112 participants and featured 13 speakers, having received support from eight member organisations and two public entities from the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity, and Social Security. The initiative included a ceremony for the accession and renewal of commitments by member organisations of the iGen Forum, resulting in 60 renewals and the addition of eight new members.
Created to promote gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in organisations, the iGen Forum “brings together public and private entities to share best practices and build more inclusive organisational cultures.”
