NRI sponsors non

NRI sponsors non-profit aimed at increasing women in technology industry

NRI has signed on as a gold sponsor of social impact organisation HerTechPath, which works to inspire young women to explore potential careers in STEM.

Established a decade ago in Adelaide by Eva Balan-Vnuk, a doctorate-holder who presently serves as chief digital officer for SA Power Networks, HerTechPath is now expanding nationally in its efforts to boost female participation in the IT industry.

For NRI, its new gold sponsorship of HerTechPath extends the support provided by its quality engineering wing Planit to the non-profit since 2022, which has helped to deliver free school workshops and allow students to engage with visible role models.

“Planit has laid a strong foundation with HerTechPath, and NRI coming on board as a gold partner gives us a practical and meaningful way to amplify that impact across our wider business and help more young women see a future for themselves in technology,” said NRI’s Australia chief executive Kaylene O’Brien. “That’s the kind of impact we’re proud to support.”

In addition to its schools program, which has reached more than 8,000 secondary students through its conferences and workshops, HerTechPath also provides teaching resources, hosts networking events, supports professional development and education opportunities, and oversees a mentoring program for early career professionals from experienced women working in the tech sector.

The new partnership with NRI will see HerTechPath’s endeavours expanded through greater scale, resources, and employee involvement across Australia, with a focus on three key areas, including the core mission of engaging young women earlier to challenge stereotypes and broaden their understanding of careers in technology as being accessible, creative, and rewarding.

Additionally, NRI employees will be granted a greater opportunity to join in on classroom events as volunteer facilitators and panellists to share their experiences and perspectives on what working in the tech industry is really like, while the firm will build on what it says is Planit’s longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusive hiring and extend that focus across the wider business.

“Diversity is fundamental to how we innovate, solve complex challenges, and deliver better outcomes for our clients,” O’Brien said. “But building a more diverse technology pipeline starts much earlier. Representation matters not only in the workplace, but well before it, when young people are beginning to imagine where their careers might eventually take them.”

NRI joins commercial law firm Cowell Clarke and defence giant BAE Systems as a HerTechPath gold sponsor, while tech consultancies Datacom, Canon Business Services, CyberCX, DXC, and Synechron feature among the organisation’s silver and bronze supporters. Geoff Rohrsheim, the co-founder of Synechron acquisitions Chamonix IT and Exposé, is a director on the board.