04 May - 04 May 2023

The HERd Conference 2023

International

Abstract red and orange background with smooth, irregular shapes and wavy white lines on the left and right edges, reminiscent of the vibrant energy at the HERd Conference.

The tech space, Spryker included, has been no stranger to change in the past year. What role does empathy play in helping us to navigate this change? And how can empathy help us to make tech a more inclusive space, for everyone?

For the second year running, our Women@Spryker community is hosting a very special event – and everyone is invited!

What is it all about?

The HERd Conference 2023 is a virtual event to raise awareness and foster curiosity around the topics of change, growth, and empathy.

This event is open for all Sprykees (of all genders!), our customers, and partners.

This conference will continue the conversation we started last year about how Spryker, and our wider herd community, can help to create positive change towards equality and inclusion in the tech industry at large.

This event is raising money for Girls Who Code. Scroll down to learn more!

If you enjoyed the recording, please consider making a donation; by contributing the cost of a ticket, you’ll be helping to ensure the next generation of technologists!

Donate here!

When did the event take place?

Thursday 4th May, 14:00 – 18:00 CET

What was on the agenda?:

  • Keynote #1 – Elevating Empathy
  • Keynote #2 – Technical? Non-Technical? Both!
  • Spryker Herd Panel Discussion
  • After-Party Networking

Keynote Speaker, Shola Kaye

Shola Kaye is the author of two books and an award-winning international speaker on Communication, Inclusive Leadership, and Empathy at Work, including TedX. She’s passionate about helping organizations create an atmosphere of belonging for their people. When a workplace is fully inclusive and welcoming, amazing things happen. People are transformed into leaders. Teams and groups perform better. Everyone gains. Shola’s work has appeared in a variety of industry journals, she’s a LinkedIn Learning instructor, and her clients include The United Nations and Deloitte.

“When individuals have the confidence and tools to share their brilliance, amazing things happen.”

 

Shola Kaye

Keynote #1 – Elevating Empathy 

Creating a workplace where everyone feels that they belong is more important than ever before, but how do you build supportive, cohesive environments within your organization?

You’ll walk away with the tools and the inspiration to become a more compassionate and effective leader, manager, or individual contributor. You’ll understand the vital components of empathy, how to be compassionate whilst avoiding burnout, and why skills like emotional intelligence are in high demand.

Get the Keynote takeaways on the blog

Women@Spryker

Keynote Host, Andrea Goulet

Andrea Goulet is on a mission to integrate empathy into the tech industry. As a sought-after keynote speaker, she is best known for making empathy accessible to analytical skeptics who code. Andrea is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Corgibytes, where she has spent more than a decade creating a corporate culture based on using empathy to effectively modernize complex legacy systems. Through her online courses, Andrea has taught over 50,000 students how to turn “soft” skills, like empathy and communication, into software skills. Andrea’s current projects include Heartware, a niche training company she co-founded; Empathy-Driven Software Development, her forthcoming book; and Empathy in Tech, an online community where code and compassion connect.

“We don’t code for the compiler. We code for people. All code is communication and empathy is a technical skill.”

Andrea Goulet

Keynote #2 – Technical? Non-Technical? Both! 

As humans, we love to categorize the world around us. It helps us make sense of complexity and make quick decisions. But these identity boxes can become confining. They limit our ideas of what we are capable of and can lead to rivalries that get in the way of collaboration, creativity, and innovation. In this inspirational talk, Andrea Goulet, a noted expert on empathy and communication in the software industry, will focus on one false binary that runs rampant in tech companies — the “soft skill” / ”hard skill” divide. She’ll share her personal journey and provide concrete ideas for helping you break free from five frustration factors: social conditioning, perfectionism, confidence gaps, fixed mindset, and imposter syndrome. Whether you call yourself “good with machines” or “good with people,” this is one talk you won’t want to miss.

Watch the Keynote Replay here!

Women@Spryker

Fundraising for Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization that aims to close the gender gap in technology and empower young women to pursue careers in computer science and other STEM fields. Founded in 2012, Girls Who Code has reached over 500 million people through its programs and initiatives. The organization offers a range of programs, from after-school clubs to summer immersion camps, to help girls gain the skills, confidence, and community they need to succeed in tech. Girls Who Code also works to advocate for policies that support gender equality in the tech industry and beyond. Through its efforts, Girls Who Code is helping to create a more diverse and inclusive future for the technology industry.

Tackling diversity at the education level is a crucial part of creating change and making tech a more inclusive space in the future. We’re fundraising for Girls Who Code at the HERd Conference 2023 by asking attendees to donate the cost of a ticket to the organization if they enjoy the event.

Girls Who Code
  • The HERd Conference 2023 Agenda
    04.05.2022
    • 14:00 - 14:15
      women at spryker logo
      Welcome
      Enjoy a short introduction from Women@Spryker
    • 14:15 - 15:15
      Shola Kaye small
      Keynote #1 - Elevating Empathy
      • Shola Kaye, Keynote Speaker
      Learn about empathy and why it's so important in the workplace.
    • 15:15 - 15:35
      Coffee small
      Coffee Break
    • 15:35 - 16:05
      women at spryker logo
      Spryker Herd Panel Discussion - Change
      Moderated by our Women@Spryker, this panel discussion will cover topic of change and how that impacts diversity and inclusion in the workplace from our Sprykees, partners and customers.
    • 16:05 - 16:35
      Andrea goulet small
      Keynote #2 - Technical? Non-Technical? Both!
      • Andrea Goulet, Keynote Speaker
      Andrea Goulet, a noted expert on empathy and communication in the software industry, will focus on one false binary that runs rampant in tech companies — the “soft skill” / ”hard skill” divide.
    • 16:35 - 16:55
      Coffee small
      Coffee Break
    • 16:55 - 17:25
      women at spryker logo
      Spryker Herd Panel Discussion - Empathy
      Moderated by our Women@Spryker, this panel discussion will cover the topic of empathy from our Sprykees, partners and customers.
    • 17:25 - 17:30
      women at spryker logo
      Closing
    • 17:30 - Onwards
      Group of people socializing at an indoor gathering, casually conversing and holding drinks, reminiscent of the engaging atmosphere at a HERd Conference.
      After-Party Networking
      Mingle with other members of our Spryker herd and get to know one another or discuss what you've heard in the keynotes and panel discussions.