Entain Launches Global Initiatives to Support Women In Tech
New Partnerships with Girls Who Code and the Tech Girls Movement Foundation
Entain, the leading global sports betting and gaming entertainment operator, marks International Women’s Day today with a series of international initiatives to support girls and young women interested in building careers in technology, and continue the revolutionise the way we socialise, work and play.
Girls Who Code, an international non-profit organisation working to close the gender gap in technology, is to receive US$250K from the Entain Foundation, its not-for-profit affiliate, to support its global programmes to bring young women into the technology industry, most notably in the UK, US, Canada and India. Entain is proud to be one of Girls Who Codes’ most significant global partners.
The Entain Foundation is also providing Aus. $50K funding to the Tech Girls Movement Foundation in Australia, which challenges gender perceptions that limit girls’ participation in STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics) through community and industry collaborations, providing mentorship by women who already have successful technology careers to young women looking for guidance on career choices.
The new initiatives follow recent senior female appointments to the leadership team at Entain, including that of new chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen and two new non-executive board directors, Stella David and Vicky Jarman, taking female representation of Entain’s Board to 40%. Almost half of Entain’s workforce is female, including over 30% in technology roles.
Jette Nygaard-Andersen, CEO, Entain, comments:
“I’m proud to be leading a global technology company which is making real strides in promoting women’s careers, not just in the West, but also developing markets like India where creating opportunities for young women is especially important.
“One of the biggest impediments to career choices around the world continues to be cultural, based on preconceived notions of what society and young women themselves believe they can do. That is why we are focusing on initiatives to support their education and build stronger pathways into technology-related careers.”
Speaking about the partnership, Dr. Tarika Barrett, incoming CEO of Girls Who Code, said:
"Passionate, ambitious and diverse young women are the key to transforming the world and the technical workforce. This International Women's Day, we're excited to partner with the Entain Foundation to support young women around the world on their journey into the technical workforce. Our work together will help spur the creation of a fairer and more equitable workforce, helping more women of all backgrounds rise to the top and achieve their goals of working in tech."
This funding will help Girls Who Code continue to expand its global pipeline of programmes to spark girls’ interest in technology. This pipeline includes free coding clubs, at home modules, virtual mentoring, panels and workshops as well as career fairs and other. Through these programmes, Girls Who Code has reached more than 300,000 young women globally and has more than 80,000 college-aged alumni, who are majoring in Computer Science and related fields at 15 times the US average.
Speaking about the contribution, Founder & CEO of Tech Girls Movement, Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen OAM said:
“We strongly believe that the challenges of the future are best addressed through youth-focused initiatives. The profile, affiliations and notable gains of Techgirls thus far have created a momentum that places us in the best position for continued achievement of these crucial objectives. Our flagship programme, the Techgirls competition, is held annually and invites teams of schoolgirls to solve real-world problems through technology, linking them to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“The financial contribution from Entain Foundation will directly impact our ability to reach girls interested in technology across Australia, particularly in regional and remote areas.”
The news coincided with a panel event held for global employees of Entain to mark International Women’s Day, following this year’s theme of ‘Choose to Challenge’, celebrating the achievements of women and challenging gender bias and inequality. Entain CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen opened the event and led a panel also including Simon O’Halloran, Chief People Officer, and Sophie Hawley, Entain’s Inclusion Manager.
ENDS
Media Contacts:
Tessa Curtis, Head of Media Relations [email protected]
Jay Dossetter, Head of ESG and Press Office [email protected]
Gemma White, FINN Partners [email protected]
US
FINN Partners:
John Acunto - [email protected]/ ph. 551-482-8642
Max DeFilippis –[email protected] / ph. 201-390-5718
Princeton Strategic Communications
David Klucsik – [email protected] / ph. 609-516-6764
Australia
Karl deKroo, Corporate Communications [email protected]
About Entain
Entain plc (LSE: ENT) (Formerly GVC Holdings plc) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the world’s largest sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands. Sports Brands include bet.pt, bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds and Sportingbet; Gaming Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all of its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis.
The Group’s unique technology platform also powers BetMGM, the joint-venture it operates with MGM Resorts to capitalise on the rapidly regulating US sports betting and iGaming market. Entain is tax resident in the UK with licenses in more than 20 countries, across five continents. The Group’s commitment to delivering sustainability and growth is recognised through its membership of the FTSE4Good and DJSI ESG indices, which identify companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards.www.entaingroup.com
About the Entain Foundation
The Entain Foundation is a not-or-profit Trust which coordinates Entain’s support of the Group’s sustainability initiatives, objectives and donations around the world. Through the Foundation Entain has committed to donating £100m over the next five years focusing on four key areas; responsible betting and gaming, sports integrity and gambling regulation research, education and treatment; Grass roots, women’s and disability sport; diversity in tech; and projects with a clear link communities in which Entain operates.
For more details:
https://entaingroup.com/entain-foundation/ and https://entainfoundation-us.com/
About Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. With their programs, they are leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st-century opportunities. Girls Who Code has reached 300,000 girls to date through its programs and 500 million people through campaigns, advocacy work, and New York Times best-selling series. To join the movement or learn more, visit girlswhocode.com. Follow the organization on social media @GirlsWhoCode.
About Tech Girls Movement Foundation
The Tech Girls Movement Foundation was founded in Queensland, Australia in 2014 with the aim of actively challenging gender perceptions which limit girls’ participation in STEM through school-based early intervention programs for girls aged 7-17. Techgirls now works with schools across Australia and New Zealand and, since its inception, 10 000 girls in over 500 schools have participated in its programs. For more information visit www.techgirlsmovement.org/