Meet the WIICTA winner: Dicker Data

Dicker Data (represented by ​Vladimir Mitnovetski) wins D&I Champion (Company - Vendor / Distributor) Award.

As company winner of the Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA) Diversity and Inclusion Champion (Vendor/Distributor) award in 2021, Dicker Data has long strived to create both a gender diverse board and general management team.

The commitment to diversity also extends into encouraging young talent and promoting cultural and linguistic inclusion among its team. Dicker Data is now committed to raising the bar of upcoming leadership talent across Australia's IT industry. Dicker Data COO Vladimir Mitnovetski explains how.

What D&I strategies or programs has the company adopted?

We’ve landed where we have today not by having rigid policies around D&I, but rather, through hiring the best people for each position as the need arises. As we continue to grow, though, it is important to instil these values in all of the people who work for us to avoid biases.

To help with that we do now have a Diversity Policy which is publicly available on our website. The policy provides an outline on how new board members are elected and the company’s commitment to diversity across all levels of the organisation.

D&I has always been at the heart of the company, dating way back to our origination in 1978. For example, back the 1980’s Dicker Data was a majority female workforce made up of mothers who were returning to the workforce after having children. They were offered flexible work agreements and were paid for the hours they worked, enabling them to return to work and the company to benefit from committed, loyal staff, some of whom are still with the company today.

Credit: ARN / IDG

What sparked the company to launch these?

Dicker Data had a gender, age and ethnically diverse workforce well before mainstream focus shifted onto the practices. What initially sparked the open-minded approach to D&I was that it made good business sense. The proof of that is in our results.

How important is D&I to your company culture?

Each person in our organisation brings a diverse set of experiences and new ideas. It’s this diversity that continues to power our growth. We embrace people from all walks of life and provide them with an environment where they’re empowered to grow and have a tangible impact on the future of our company. D&I is incredibly important to our organisation.

What are some of your strategies to further enhance this in the months ahead?

We conduct regular reviews to identify and address any gender pay gaps that may arise within our business. We encourage our managers to ensure their teams are diverse. We will continue to hire the best people for each role based on their experience, skillset and passion for our industry, offering an equal opportunity to all.