To create technologies that capture the full range of human experience, it’s crucial that all sorts of different people are involved in creating and evolving that technology. Many tech companies and their representatives attend conferences like the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference to seek out prospective female employees to equal out their male/female ratio, as well as find people who would be a good fit within the organization’s culture of diversity.

“It is totally the key for Cisco, and for every single technology company out there, to be out there and finding the diverse opinion,” said Shubha Govil (pictured, right), director of product management, DevNet, at Cisco Systems Inc.

Govil spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick, pictured, left), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference in San Francisco. They discussed how events such as Catalyst can showcase talent, as well as thoughts around technology disruption. (* Disclosure below.)

Going hands-on with Cisco technologies

The percentage of women in the computer networking industry is not as much as Cisco would like to see, according to Govil. That’s one of the main reasons the company is involved with Girls in Tech and other organizations that promote diversity. As part of Cisco’s DevNet team, Govil is always looking for people who are ready to go “hands on” with technology, building new and innovative solutions on top of Cisco application programming interfaces. Catalyst is a great place for tech companies to search for talent, as it holds events like coding camps, where perspective employees can see them “in action” with the technologies, Govil added.

“The best part about the Girls in Tech events is that they’re a lot more hands-on [in the] training that they are doing, in terms of as part of Cisco’s DevNet environment,” Govil stated.

The continuous technology disruption that’s embedded in culture right now is a reflection of how culture is changing, she explained. There is an influx of people coming into tech from all over the world, helping to change and evolve that technology. It’s important to bring in the right people to tech companies who can capture that change, Govil stated, and events like Catalyst allow her to meet people from different places who have fresh, new perspectives.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference. Neither Girls in Tech, the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE