BUSINESS

One of the world’s top CHROs joins the Inspirefest Dublin line-up


21 Mar 2016

Ellyn Shook, Accenture

Ellyn Shook, CHRO, Accenture

Year two of Inspirefest, an international sci-tech event, is shaping up nicely with more great names added to the programme for Dublin this summer.

Named in Forbes as one of the top 10 CHROs worldwide, Ellyn Shook is Accenture’s chief leadership and human resources officer, overseeing the people programmes that empower Accenture’s 373,000-strong global workforce. Speaking onstage at Inspirefest this summer, her insights on building, leading and inspiring diverse teams in the digital age will be invaluable to those organisations looking to crack the code.

Shook is a longtime vocal advocate for inclusion and diversity at Accenture, which has won numerous awards for its diversity efforts. In February, it became the first of the big consultancy firms to release the demographics of its US workforce by gender, ethnicity, persons with disabilities and veterans. Today, more than 40pc of Accenture’s executives in Ireland are women, well ahead of the industry average, and Shook said plans were afoot to improve these results even further.

Shook is a member of Accenture’s global management committee and serves on the board of trustees at Harvey Mudd College and the Women’s Leadership Board of the Women and Public Policy Programme at Harvard’s Kennedy School. She is also a member of Women in America, the Ellevate Women’s Network, Women’s Forum of New York and the Talent Innovation Center.

“We are deeply committed to diversity both within Accenture and beyond our doors, so it’s important for us to participate in Inspirefest,” said Shook, as Accenture is also a headline sponsor for the 2016 event.

“We have a saying that ‘equal makes us greater than’. Our diversity makes us smarter and more innovative – to solve today’s complex problems,” she added.

“Human beings are at the heart of the digital revolution and Inspirefest is the premier event that spotlights science and technology, with an important emphasis on women and minorities. The calibre of speakers is unmatched and we look forward to being part of the conversation.”

“We are just thrilled that Ellyn will travel to Dublin for Inspirefest,” said Ann O’Dea, founder of Inspirefest. “The work that Ellyn and her team are doing in the areas of diversity and inclusion really set a benchmark for those organisations striving to excel in these areas, so her insights should be hugely valuable to the leaders attending.”

Re/code executive editor Kara Swisher and columnist Nellie Bowes return in 2016 as guest chairs at Inspirefest.

Check out the full line-up of international leaders on the event website.

Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Join us again from 30 June to 2 July 2016 for fresh perspectives on leadership, innovation and diversity. Book your tickets now.