Choose to Challenge: How YouAppi Challenges Stereotypes in Honor of Women’s History Month
What a better way to recap our month long tribute to Women’s history, than to take a moment of introspection. We sat down with Karen Bardugo, who has first hand knowledge of the process and values at YouAppi, to discuss YouAppi’s hiring practices, the structure of our teams, and our place in mobile as advocates for women in business. The theme of this year’s Women’s History Month is #ChooseToChallenge. As a company, YouAppi chooses to challenge the stereotypes that hold women back. You can’t spell CHALLENGE without CHANGE.
Does YouAppi have a strong woman presence? And if so, what is the breakdown like within teams?
As a whole, 45% of the individuals within YouAppi are women. Within our teams, the percentage of women is as follows: 23% in Leadership, 25% in Engineering, 33% in Sales, 50% in Finance, 88% in Account Management, and 100% in Marketing. These percentages show a strong women presence within YouAppi with high representation in each team.
How does having more women in leadership strengthen YouAppi’s place in mobile?
Having 23% of our leadership team being women greatly strengthens YouAppi’s place in mobile as a progressive company that values equal opportunities. Having women in leadership helps us advocate for the women in our company to make sure they are able to advance within their roles and have the same opportunity to reach new heights.
How has YouAppi built a platform that has helped women succeed and break the glass ceiling?
Having a strong woman presence and representation within each team gives women a touchpoint in every single aspect of how YouAppi is run. Teams that have historically been male-dominated such as finance, sales, and engineering, are at least 25% made up of women and at most currently 50% made up of women. This is especially significant being that Mobile AdTech is a historically male-dominated industry. Thus we empower women in technology through our hiring practices which are focused on giving women a voice and a chance to advance within the mobile industry by reaching their full potential.
What advice would you give to any woman reading this who aspires to enter the mobile industry?
Breaking the glass ceiling and advancing as a woman in a historically male-dominated industry will never be easy. But without such challenges, we wouldn’t hold the same strength we currently do. It is our job to pass this challenge on to other wonderful women, and to support each other as we rise above previous expectations. Such determination and resilience is how we will continue to grow in any industry, and create an environment where opportunities are equal and women have a voice.
