26 April 2012, Sydney: To celebrate International Girls in ICT Day on Thursday 26 April, members of the Global Telecom Women’s Network (GTWN) will meet in Sydney to discuss how to attract young women into the ICT sector. Kate McKenzie, Group Managing Director, Telstra Innovation, Products and Marketing said that as the numbers of young people, and in particular young women, choosing to study science related disciplines continues to decline, the industry faces a potential skills shortage. “This is an issue which is now getting increasing attention around the world and it is also an issue which Telstra is giving a high priority through its diversity and inclusion program.”

GTWN members will work to establish a project steering group made up of industry leaders who are interested in, or already engaged in addressing this challenge. Confirmed attendees for the day include senior Telstra executive women, Michelle Tea, Services Director, Microsoft and Hilda Clune, CIO, PricewaterhouseCoopers.