At the 2018 Connected Women of Influence Awards annual event, ESET took home the keystone “Champion of Women” award.
The award recognizes a company or organization that provides internal programs and initiatives that are unique, cutting edge and specifically designed to support the advancement and acceleration of women in the workplace.
ESET Vice President of Human Resources Celeste Blodgett accepted the award on behalf of the company. Blodgett has been a stalwart champion of the women-focused programs at ESET over the course of her 11 years with the organization.
[PHOTO: ESET Vice President of Human Resources Celeste Blodgett (left) accepted the "Champion of Women" award on behalf of ESET on March 21, 2018. Pictured with ESET COO Palo Luka (right).]
“On behalf of ESET, I am grateful to accept this award,” said Blodgett onstage at the event. “We are very fortunate to work at a company that supports women in the STEM field.”
ESET has been a longtime and strong supporter of the advancement of women in STEAM/STEM, including technology and cybersecurity, both internally and externally in the community. In an industry where less than 11 percent are women, ESET has created a number of programs and initiatives to help empower women to enter into the field and thrive once there.
One of the programs ESET has committed to over the years is “Women of the Workplace” (WOW), a group that meets monthly at ESET to support women employees and provide mentorship to help with advancement in their careers. Also, the annual ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship, now in its third year (and accepting applications through April 1, 2018), awards scholarship funds to students seeking a career in cybersecurity. ESET has also supported the San Diego Police Foundation’s (SDPF) “Women in Blue” events and has allocated resources to both men and women in law enforcement, as well as the SDPF’s SafetyNet program which helps keep kids safe online. ESET has headed up the Cyber Bootcamp program for many years and is proud to see girls now attending the annual program in staggering numbers. Also, Girls Inc. was the recent beneficiary of a $20,000 award from ESET; Girls Inc.'s programs help young girls gain confidence, and break through barriers in order to attain higher-education and exposure to technical fields.
In a recent ESET employee survey, employees scored ESET as “Valuing Diversity” as one of the categories where ESET performs best.
The programs mentioned above are just some of the initiatives ESET has championed in its pursuit of creating a more inclusive workforce and industry. ESET believes diversity is key for the success of any great company and community.
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About the Connected Women of Influence Awards: As a celebration of Women’s History Month, the Women of Influence Awards recognize women who lead the way in business, industry and enterprise, along with the organizations and individuals that champion women leaders.
About Connected Women of Influence: Connected Women of Influence (CWI) is the leading, invitation-only association in which b2b women owners, executives and professionals connect, collaborate and cultivate a vast network of high-level affiliations, resources and professional relationships.
About ESET: For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint and mobile security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give consumers and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003. For more information, visit www.eset.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Media Contact:
Anna Keeve
ESET North America
Anna.Keeve@eset.com