In an industry in which 80% of executives are men and 20% are women, according to the most recent report of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there are few technology firms that can claim resounding success in meeting diversity goals.

Yet, there has been progress in some corners of the technology world, and an example can be found at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. HPE’s “Living Progress Report” showed that women comprised 32% of its global workforce, with 24% in management positions. HPE’s board composition has 46% representation by women.

“Diversity inclusion is not something that we wish for at HPE. It’s something that we action and we work towards,” said Marissa Freeman (pictured, letf), chief brand officer of HPE. “It’s a journey. We aren’t there yet, but we are on a path.”

Freeman spoke with John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the HPE Discover Virtual Experience event. She was joined by Rashmi Kumar (pictured, right), senior vice president and chief information officer of HPE, and they discussed the firm’s initiatives for women, HPE’s mission to help the community and customers, business continuity, and the company’s culture. (* Disclosure below.)

Contributions from women

HPE’s initiatives include Women Leaders in Technology, which was established in conjunction with the company’s annual Discover event, a virtual experience this year due to COVID-19.

“Women Leaders in Technology was established by HPE to connect with customers at our annual conference who share our common belief in inclusion and diversity,” Kumar said. “Our goal is to unite influential leaders from around the world with a charter to increase, attract and retain diverse talent, showcasing great contributions made by women. Our leadership is very passionate about making sure we get the right level of engagement, both from women and men.”

The theme of this year’s Discover event is “HPE is here to help,” according to Freeman, a timely message during a period of significant disruption in the global pandemic. This encompasses both community response and working with HPE’s vast customer base to maintain business continuity.

“Part of running the brand is understanding culture and what’s around the corner,” Freeman said. “Our company does that by nature anyway because we are a technology company and we have to think about where our customers are going, where they’re heading. As your workplace changes, as you go through the recovery, as you return to work, as you continue your digital transformation, HPE is here to help with actionable, instantaneous solutions.”

Powering hospitals and schools

HPE applied its customer solutions to tackle resiliency, whether that involved keeping a data center up and running or helping to support local communities.

“With our edge Aruba solution, we were in the middle of powering up the makeshift hospitals,” Kumar said. “We provided Wi-Fi in parking lots for schools so students could complete their courses. HPE has end-to-end solutions around these technologies which create resiliency for our customers.”

HPE’s response reflects a company culture that goes back decades, when founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard created a value set that ultimately became known as the “HP Way.”

“Innovation is critical to us, being bold, being inclusive,” Freeman said. “These are our values, but they are not just words on a page. We have a mission and a purpose, and that is to advance the way people live and work.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the HPE Discover Virtual Experience event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the HPE Discover Virtual Experience. Neither Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE