Women’s History Month: Your Voice Matters

Even though Women's History Month (WHM) and International Women’s Day (IWD) ended in March, Five9 encourages you to continue the celebration, education, and allyship. This year’s WHM theme was "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories," and for IWD it was #EmbraceEquity. As a tribute to these celebrations, Five9’s employee resource group, Women in Tech, and the Philippines office in Manila planned several events. With the help of the Social Marketing team, we were also able to spotlight employees and bring awareness to the company’s activations. 

Women in Tech hosted an eStaff Panel on International Women's Day, featuring CEO, Mike Burkland; CMO, Genefa Murphy; Chief People Officer, Tricia Yankovich; EVP of Strategy & Operations, James Doran; EVP of Product Engineering, Panos Kozanian; Chief Legal and Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary, Kimberly Lytikainen; and EVP of Product Management, Callan Schebella. In this panel, topics of gender inequality in the workplace, work-life balance, and much more were thoroughly discussed, as well as action plans on how Five9 addresses and will continue to evolve on these issues. Our office in Manila, Philippines also hosted an event, which focused on providing a space for a wellness talk about women's health (Ovarian and Breast Cancer), and a networking session where WIT members met for the first time. Attendees played Pinoy Henyo (Guess The Word game) and had a simple breakfast together as they discussed how they can fully embrace equity and rally for an equal world within their local groups and community. 

Our marketing team also hosted a virtual event titled, "Woman Who Changed the World!" Confetti lead an educational and engaging event about women around the world and how they have shaped history. 

Not only did we come together to learn, have fun, and immerse ourselves in the origins of this celebratory month, but the Social Marketing team was proud to have highlighted some of our Five9 women employees throughout the month on our social platforms, which include: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Take a look at what our employees had to say as they reflected on these questions: 

• Who is your favorite/most inspirational woman in print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and/or social media and how have they influenced you? 

• How will you continue to tell your story?

"I will continue to tell my story by keeping my mind open to new experiences, my heart open to others’ truths, and my eyes open to the issues I am passionate about. I will remain a constant help to other women, and be a voice that encourages and uplifts."  

– Stephanie Wisdom, Dir., Customer and Content Marketing

"My favorite inspirational woman is Gabby Reece. She has helped me understand the benefits of self-care, eating a more balanced diet, and mindfulness, but most importantly, the passion for becoming an advocate for empowering women and positive body image."  

– Stacey Cole, Sr. Dir., Partner Marketing 

"I continue to tell my story through mentoring and education. I read stories and watch movies about women who make a difference with my grandchildren. I encourage girls to draw outside the lines and explore...I encourage women colleagues to take more risks, stand up for themselves, and recognize their resiliency and strengths."  

– Debra Radford, Sr. Dir., Arch & Port Management 

"My favorite inspirational woman is Taylor Swift. I loved her when I was young because the young me found herself in the lyrics of her songs. I love her more now because of how she rose in a world filled with adversity despite the challenges."  

– Jhanine Gonzales, Technical Support Engineer 

"Sudha Murthy is a women of multiple talents and always engaged in services to the people. Yet her simplicity is amazing."  

– Shilpa Gupta, Database Administrator 

"One of my favorites is SCOTUS Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She is remarkable as the very first female Supreme Court Justice and showed that women can handle one of the most demanding, highly scrutinized roles in the world."  

– Kimberly Lytikainen, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary 

We hope this inspires you to continue to learn, educate, and keep telling your story because your voice MATTERS. To learn more, visit womenshistorymonth.gov and internationalwomensday.com.