The pace of digital innovation is disrupting every facet of tech and creating exponential opportunities for businesses to compete in the new cloud arena. But despite the benefits of modernization and vast possibilities seen in the market at large, progress on the front of diversity and inclusion is stagnating.

“We’re not seeing … women in leadership roles as much as we’d expect,” said Tracy Ring (pictured), vice president at Deloitte Consulting LLP. “We’re not seeing the retention of women in those roles. Supporting, attracting and keeping women in those roles is really critical.”

Ring recently spoke with John Furrier (@furrier) and James Kobielus (@jameskobielus), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, at the Informatica World event in Las Vegas. (* Disclosure below.)

Deloitte has worked to level tech’s gender disparity for the past two decades through initiatives designed to support women in leadership roles. Now armed with the transformative potential of the data revolution, Ring is leading the charge toward equality and expanding opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

This week, theCUBE spotlights Tracy Ring in its Women in Tech feature.

Diversity builds better tech

Although many have long worked to achieve gender parity in tech, Ring credits the recent proliferation and subsequent democratization of data to the latest push for industry inclusion. “We’ve put data in the cloud in everyone’s hands,” she said. “Technology is out there more every single day.”

As a result of this mass influx of information, a greater diversity of input has entered the sphere of analysis. Diversity is now more important than ever for proper evaluation and implementation of the potential findings from this new data, according to Ring. “We can build better technology that’s more future-proofed based on having a diverse crowd listening and … build something that’s far more compelling,” she said.

With so many new roles and opportunities becoming available in the industry, the challenge Ring and others championing gender equality face is the uphill battle of integrating women into these positions and supporting efforts that work toward their retention. “The chief data officers of tomorrow could be so many different current roles right now,” she said. “How do we attract women into this cohort, support them … and provide them the forum to network, connect with others, [and] understand different career paths?”

Deloitte is answering that call by uncovering the issues surrounding tech diversity and providing that support for women in the industry. In its report “Smashing IT’s Glass Ceiling — Perspectives From Leading Women CIOs,” Deloitte found women held only 5 percent of U.S. chief executive officer positions and 27 percent of information technology managerial roles. According to one study referenced in the report, the industry is 100 years away from gender parity at current advancement rates.

Deloitte is combatting those dismal statistics by encouraging women to pursue careers in data and tech through a number of equality initiatives. The company’s Chief Information Officer Program offers career assistance through development programs and lab experience and works directly with industry leaders to discover and overcome diversity issues. The Deloitte Women’s Leadership Launch invites first-year, female MBA and master’s students to apply for a program that gives participants the chance to network with both peers and industry alumni and gain insight from a community of mentors committed to the success of up-and-coming female leaders.

In addition to the work of building a new generation of women technologists, Ring is committed to revitalizing the alienating company cultures and networking opportunities currently available within the industry. “It’s about encouraging and fostering a new way of networking,” she said. “I think creating an opportunity for a different type of everything in the way that we operate is important.”

Finding a voice through data

Ring’s commitment to progress through data comes from the belief that it can truly be the industry’s cultural equalizer. The VP told a story of a mentor who found her value and furthered her career opportunities through data work. “My voice at the table came from data,” she said, quoting her mentor. “It came from my ability to see patterns and … and make connections … in a way that my colleagues weren’t doing.”

For those new to the field and facing challenges, Ring advises tapping “sleeper networks,” former coworkers and professional peers that have slipped by the wayside but may hold valuable opportunities and recommendations for the future: “Reactivating your sleeper networks, having the courage to keep people apprised, using social media … using all of the technology to your advantage,” she said.

Ring sees this model as the template for both bringing solutions to end users and propelling individuals in their personal workplace journeys. “Use everything at your bevy to bring the best value to your business end users, and … [use] data as the impetus to solidify everything,” she said.

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

Photo: SiliconANGLE