Julie M . Albright , PhD , iMasons Board Member and Executive Sponsor of iMasons Education Initiatives , on accelerating the flow of talent into the digital infrastructure industry

Julie M . Albright , PhD , iMasons Board Member and Executive Sponsor of iMasons Education Initiatives , on accelerating the flow of talent into the digital infrastructure industry

When members of the iMasons Advisory Council are asked , “ What keeps you up at night ?” the top responses always include how to source the talent needed to meet their planned growth and increasing the diversity of the people in the industry . The people who built the physical and logical foundation of the internet are “ greying out ”, nearing retirement , and they are concerned about this loss of experience as the industry faces unprecedented growth . While these leaders are mostly white men , they recognise that the readiest source of talent to succeed them is women and people of other underrepresented groups . Increasing diversity is not only a practical way to ease the talent shortage , this diversity of experience and perspective is vital as we build the infrastructure to serve a global population . Plus , employment in the sector is another way that digital infrastructure can accelerate sustainable development worldwide - we can hire a diverse workforce to serve diverse communities .