BERLIN — Industry veteran Urte Zahn said on Tuesday that the European deeptech sector must prioritize inclusivity to maintain long-term innovation. Zahn, who has spent 20 years working within the technology industry, noted that current hiring practices often fail to place women in significant decision-making roles. The sector currently lacks diverse perspectives in its leadership ranks, according to her recent public statement.
European deeptech firms must address these gaps to ensure that their technical development remains sustainable through 2025 and beyond. Zahn stated that the industry has relied on 3 core buzzwords—disruption, transformation, and the future—to describe its progress. She argued that these terms often obscure the 1 specific challenge of building inclusive technologies that reflect society as a whole.
The need for varied insights is becoming more urgent as the European market expands, Zahn said in her statement. She identified 2 primary areas where female representation remains low: technical engineering roles and executive leadership positions. The industry must implement concrete efforts to include women in these 2 categories to foster genuine innovation, according to the veteran executive.
Established companies and emerging startups must both contribute to these changes, Zahn said. She noted that women are currently underrepresented across the entire deeptech sector, which hinders the growth of 100 percent of the industry. The filing or statement provided no specific data on the current percentage of women in these roles, nor did it disclose the 0 specific diversity targets for the next fiscal year.
Stakeholders in European deeptech must prioritize these changes before the end of the 2024 calendar year, Zahn said. She emphasized that the inclusion of women and other underrepresented groups is necessary to drive innovation. The industry has not yet released a formal plan or a 1-page document detailing how it intends to measure these future gains in workforce diversity.
