Women Making a Difference at Twilio

Women Making a Difference at Twilio

We celebrate Women's History Month globally to recognize the great strides and vital contributions of women. When we reflect on these achievements, it's essential to acknowledge that women have faced immeasurable challenges and injustices throughout history. Yet, they continue to overcome adversity, break down barriers, and change the world.  

This year, Women's History Month and International Women's Day theme is "ChooseToChallenge", to encourage individuals to call out gender bias and inequalities. The International Women's Day organization says, "a challenged world is an alert world," and we couldn't agree more – because where there is a challenge, there is an opportunity for change.

Celebrating Women’s History Month

At Twilio, we give women a platform to promote and drive cultural change by bringing thoughtful programming, content, and events that celebrate women and address real issues that impact women in the workplace and beyond.  

Here’s a recap of events that happened at Twilio throughout March:  

• We kicked off a fireside chat with our Chief Diversity Officer, Lybra Clemons, and Ashley Maria, Director of the Social Impact documentary Pioneers in Skirts. Pioneers in Skirts is a compelling narrative with personal stories that help make the gender parity in the workplace topic relatable and understandable. The film promotes strategies for overcoming bias, moving past barriers, and serving as a fueling station for advocates working to achieve a more gender-equal world—a must-watch.
• We created a special TwilioQuest Tuesdays virtual game. For every player that accumulated 100 points, Twilio donated to Girls Who Code and the Malala Fund, two organizations focused on the social, cultural, and economic advancement of women.
• Sara Varni, Chief Marketing Officer at Twilio, hosted a discussion with Elena Gomez, Chief Financial Officer at Zendesk. Elena shared her career journey and personal experiences, lessons learned, and advice to guide the next generation of women leaders at Twilio.
• We launched a thought-provoking podcast series pilot episode entitled, A Seat at the Table: Black Women in Tech. During the podcast, Black women in leadership roles at Twilio discussed the importance of celebrating and supporting women in the workplace, navigating spaces when you're the only one in the room, finding community through Employee Resource Groups, showing up as your authentic self, and so much more.

Shining a light on Women at Twilio  

We asked the women at Twilio to nominate other women who lead by example and empower those around them. We want to recognize these women for their efforts that do not go unnoticed even amidst the ongoing challenges of the global pandemic. Their impact continues to make a difference in our business and our people's lives, and we’re excited to highlight our very own change-makers.

Jenny Jennings

Commercial Contracts Specialist

San Francisco, CA

Jenny is fierce, intelligent, and always willing to roll up her sleeves to help. On top of that, she is juggling full-time work, being a mom, and pursuing a law degree.

Franciane Teófilo

Senior Business Operations Manager

São Paulo, Brazil

Franciane is one of the most inspiring women in the São Paulo office. She’s the bridge between Brazil and the US and is always concerned about her colleagues. You can see that reflected in her attitude, energy, and effort toward her work.

Suprita Makh

Twilio.org, Impact Program Manager

San francisco, California  

Suprita faced many challenges in 2020 as she worked around the clock and across multiple business units to ensure the Twilio Impact Fund supported nonprofits in communities that needed it most. Her efforts did not go unnoticed, and we’re lucky to have her talents and expertise on the team.

Marissa Rivera

Employee Experience Events Manager

Miami, Florida

Marissa led the EPIC virtual Year-End Celebration with flawless execution. She thinks innovatively about how to tackle problems and projects. There is often no prescribed manual in culture and employee experience work, so lots of creativity and exploration is required, and she always gets the job done.

Zakiya Nashid

Recruitment Content Marketing Specialist

New York, NY

Zakiya helps to highlight our Employee Resource Group’s incredible work to external audiences in a way that wasn't possible before. She uses her creativity and Employer Brand expertise to create exciting and engaging content that's varied in its nature – but always top quality.

She’s a Twilio Rockstar and inclusion champion.

Bronwyn Lait

Director, Team Lead, Field Marketing EMEA

London

Bronwyn is a passionate member of the Women's ERG.  She's an incredibly supportive colleague and friend and acts as a cheerleader and confidant for many women in EMEA.  For International Women's Day, Bronwyn felt it was incredibly important to have virtual events happening within the EMEA time zone. She coordinated (and hosted!) both a #ChooseToChallenge panel and a 'Cheers moments' happy hour for the EMEA Women's ERG.

Internet of Things Developer Community Engagement Manager

Irvine, CA

Christine excels at helping people look closely at details while encouraging team members to be involved. Her IoT expertise is invaluable to Twilio, resulting in such popular initiatives as the robot vacuum battle. SIGNAL TV numbers are better than ever, and Christine contributed significantly to that success. She wants to see her colleagues succeed and cares about inclusion and psychological safety.

Felicia Jackson

Growth Strategic Account Executive

Atlanta, GA

Felicia is a very active and effective Impact Leader who promotes volunteering and giving at the ATL office. She's a massive contributor to the 12 Weeks of Get Out The Vote initiative and a member of the first Employee Resource Group grant committee. She's always volunteering in her spare time to support underserved youth in her local community.

Be the Change

An old African proverb reads, "if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together." There's strength and power when we all come together. When we fight for the advancement of women's rights, we're fighting for human rights.

It's our collective responsibility to continue telling women's stories that honor the past, celebrate the present, and further the vision for a brighter future for all women beyond Women's History Month.  

Discover how we aim to create an inclusive environment where all employees feel like they belong.

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