SRAM and Women in Sports Tech (WiST) are announcing their partnership to promote and increase opportunities and representation of women in cycling, including electronics, app development, and engineering.
"We are thrilled to partner with SRAM, a technology leader whose brands include an array of the best cycling componentry on the planet. Our partnership will enable us to work with an iconic brand that combines technology and sport, promotes the need for more diversity in cycling, and encourages women to consider exciting careers in the cycling space," said Marilou McFarlane, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of WiST.
"At SRAM, we aim to be the world's most exciting cycling component brand. Alongside that ideal, we are focused on growing our opportunities for women, attracting more women to work with us, and providing an environment that is welcoming, positive, and full of opportunity. Moreover, while 27% of SRAM's employees are women, diversity continues to be one of our greatest strengths, as we continue towards the goal of building an even more inclusive company. Our focus in working with WiST is to continue to expand our talent pipeline and offer even more opportunities for women at SRAM and throughout the cycling industry," said Angela Williams, who leads the HR Talent & Inclusion Initiatives. Williams added, “Applicants do not need to be cycling enthusiasts to find a home and success here at SRAM.”
"SRAM is focused on ensuring that our workplaces are welcoming to a wide range of people, where team members have a strong sense of belonging and that our culture and practices support team members as they contribute their knowledge, experiences, and skills to help expand the potential of cycling," said Eileen Mulry, SRAM’s VP of Human Resources.
"Historically, we have sponsored the top women's teams at the sport's highest level to a much greater proportion than men. Female athletes continually inspire us and hopefully serve as a beacon to draw more women into the sport and this industry. Additionally, most of our women's teams are very involved in our product development and more often the first to adopt new technologies," said Martin Killeen, HR Talent Acquisition Manager.
About SRAM
SRAM® is a manufacturer of innovative bicycle components founded in Chicago, Illinois, in September of 1987, with the invention of its first product, Grip Shift®. Throughout its 37-year history, SRAM has focused on innovative product development in all cycling disciplines. SRAM has also acquired some of cycling's most exciting brands, including RockShox®, Zipp®, Quarq®, TIME®, and most recently adding Hammerhead® and Velocio®. With 4000-plus employees, offices, and manufacturing in 16 countries, SRAM is the world's second-largest manufacturer of bike parts.
About WiST
Women in Sports Tech (WiST) is a nonprofit organization that drives transformative growth opportunities for women in sports tech and innovation, at all stages of their career, from the classroom to the boardroom. WiST develops and delivers innovative programs, original content and a global community that provide tangible value for women and employers alike.
Its flagship initiative, the WiST Fellowship program, provides internship experiences and grants for highly motivated college and graduate school students to pursue summer projects in sports technology. Additional WiST programs include the WiST Next Gen Resource Hub “Discover Sports Tech” for high school students, the original content series WiST Presents, and the WiST NETWORK career hub, the single source for diverse hiring in the sports tech industry.
WiST is supported by donations from numerous corporations and organizations, including AEG Worldwide, Catapult Sports, Comcast NBCU, DICK’S Game Changer, FEVO, IBM Sports, NBA, Nike, Oracle, PointsBet, Stats Perform, Shorewind Capital, SRAM, Strava, Titleist, and more. WiST has “provided an array of diverse panelists for learning experiences at Hashtag Sports, CES, SIGA, SXSW, the Stanford GSB Sports Innovation Conference, and more. For more information, please visit womeninsportstech.org.
