Malala Yousafzai, an international advocate for women’s equality and education and the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said seeing the mountains of Salt Lake City reminded her of her hometown of Mingora, Pakistan.
That’s what Yousafzai does when he talks to students, parents, and world leaders. She said she tries to connect with people and their stories to find common elements between herself and others.
Speaking at the Qualtrics X4 Experience Management Summit keynote at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Yousafzai said: “Then make sure to discuss what both of you are concerned about and how you can address it.”
Entitled “Bridging Inequality: The Power of Developing Female Leaders,” the talk was one of the highlights of the second day of the three-day conference, and explored the idea of “making business more human.” I devoted myself.
Qualtrics, co-founded by Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, partners with companies like NBA, American Express, Coca-Cola, Google and Spotify to collect and store customer and employee experience data A software company. .
We asked Mani Pandher, VP of Marketing and moderator at Qualtrics, and Yousafzai, a woman of South Asian descent, what lessons boardroom leaders can use to inspire their organizations. rice field.
Yousafazi noted that young people, in particular, are much more optimistic about the world, even if they are frustrated by inaction against injustice. She said she hopes she can work to improve the country.
Education, she said, is a way to help meet these objectives.
“When we invest in education, we add $30 trillion to the global economy,” she said. She seems to be referring to a 2018 study by the World Bank that said the world could lose $30 trillion in income and productivity if countries don’t keep girls from completing their education. increase.
“This is what I remind business leaders: Investing in girls’ education is not only important for girls, or their families and communities, but it is also important for the economy. It is important for sustainability,” she said. said.
Yousafazi shared her world-renowned story of how Pakistani women and girls fought for their right to education. Her public advocacy during her teenage years resulted in retribution. In 2012, when she was 15, a Taliban gunman shot her in the head. She won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 17 years old.
In his speech, Yousafzai said how important his father’s support was during his journey.
“That’s when I realized that my voice mattered, regardless of age, gender, or background,” she said. [that] time. It is actually parents, teachers, elders and mentors who can influence you to find confidence and belief in yourself. “
The United Nations theme for International Women’s Day this year is DigitalALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality. Pandher said this when asked about her partnership with Apple to support the Malala Foundation, an international nonprofit organization co-founded by Yousafzai and her father to advocate for girls’ education. .
Yousafazi said Apple is using technology to help activists in nine countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, so they can come together and learn from each other.
“Technology was pivotal in their advocacy and it helped them make it more impactful,” she said. She said she produces content that connects activists around the world. (The production company also supports the Academy Award-nominated short documentary Stranger at the Gate, and Yousafzai said in an interview that she will be attending the Oscars in Los Angeles this Sunday. increase.)
Pandher and Yousafazi also spoke about the emergence of artificial intelligence in the world of technology and business and the statistics of women in that field. Her 22% of AI workers are female, and the AI system shows a gender bias of up to 45%.
Statistics on women in Utah are also lacking. In her 2022 snapshot of Utah State University’s Utah Women & Leadership Project, Salt Lake City ranks as her second best city in the nation for her STEM professional opportunities. However, her 21% of STEM workers in Utah are women, below her 27% national average.
Yousafzai said that in order to accelerate STEM education and create more STEM jobs for women, it is important to talk about gender and diversity inclusivity, and how the tools created will all work together. He said it was important to see if it was helping people with
“If you want a tool that works for everyone, you have to make sure everyone is involved in its creation,” she said. “If these were made by men for a certain age group or a certain skin color, maybe only they should use it, but that’s not the reality of the world.
Yousafazi concluded his keynote by sharing the message conference leaders should take with them when creating products.
“Always stop and think about how you are affecting the world around you,” she said. Make sure it benefits and serves everyone fairly and equally.”
X4 leaders have an opportunity to bring fairness and equity to the world, she said.
“Today we celebrate, talk more about it, and remember what more needs to be done,” she said. “But starting tomorrow, I’ll be back to work.”
