Over the years IFS has proudly promoted women throughout the business and our achievements in creating a diverse workplace where everyone can thrive.
Earlier this year we shared that the percentage of women in technical roles at IFS exceeds the Deloitte benchmark by 9%. Our Sustainability Report published in April announced that we increased the number of female managers to 31.91%, compared to the previous year of 28.26%. These are both numbers we are incredibly proud to share, but creating meaningful change requires more than just numbers.
We are taking intentional and consistent action to build equity and create opportunities for everyone at IFS to succeed. This blog will cover the specific steps we have taken towards creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.
At IFS, we make our female leaders feel valued, trusted and empowered. We recently interviewed Marie Andersson, VP of Manufacturing, whose 20+ year career at IFS exemplifies a commitment to creating an inclusive culture. Marie acknowledges the challenges of being in a male-dominated industry like Manufacturing, often being the only woman in the room. As a leader, she continues to be an advocate for positive change, sharing, “we must keep challenging outdated norms to ensure our workplace is welcoming for everyone.”
We have made it a priority to educate our leaders, encouraging them to embrace diversity and challenge the status quo. By establishing a diversity toolkit, candidate shortlist targets and using decoded job descriptions, we have taken significant steps toward breaking down barriers. These initiatives have been instrumental in increasing the number of female managers at IFS.
So, what motivates our leaders like Marie to stay at IFS and contribute to driving change? “I see others looking up to me as a role model, and that’s a responsibility I take very seriously,” she explained. IFS run mentoring programs across our global operations, in Europe alone, there are currently 39 mentees enrolled. One of those mentees, Juliana Nonemacher, a recent Graduate at IFS, previously worked in Marie’s team and now views her as a mentor. “Having Marie as my manager has been both inspirational and empowering. She not only showed me that I could succeed in the software industry, but also gave me the confidence to pursue my career development with passion,” Juliana explained.
These stories highlight our commitment to fostering equity and inclusivity across IFS. Through initiatives such as mentoring programs and leadership development, we aim to make tangible progress toward greater representation in the technology industry. While we are encouraged by milestones such as women making up 42% of our Executive Board compared to the 29% reported in McKinsey’s 2024 ‘Women in the Workplace’ report, we know there is more work to do. At IFS, we remain focused on driving meaningful change and building an environment where equity and inclusivity thrive.
Want to find out more?
Read our blog from Ed Perez on How to promote diversity in your IT hiring.
Want to join a company that makes an impact? Careers at IFS
Follow us on social media for the latest blog posts, and industry and IFS news!