We-Ace conducted its annual virtual career fair for diverse hiring with more than 500 job openings from 15+ organisations. Over 13,000+ job seekers participated in this years Ignite. Reputable employers like Beam Suntory, PWC, Brillio, PayU, Invesco, Nasdaq, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, and Ford, some of whom continued their participation from the previous two years, demonstrated their dedication to hiring women first and treating them equally, thus supporting more gender-balanced workplaces.
Ignite 2022 powered by We Ace – India’s Largest Virtual Career Fair for Diverse Hiring
These positions spanned a wide range of sectors, including IT, ITeS, BFSI, FinTech, Finance, and HealthCare, and were available in a variety of fields, including technology, marketing, HR, supply chain, and finance..
The event, which is one-of-its-kind career development fair, provides specifically tailored experiences for both job seekers and employers. Ignite gives job applicants a fun and interesting way to look through hundreds of jobs, connect with recruiters on the spot, and simultaneously gain access to Indias best organisations. Employers are provided with a pool of specialised, pre-screened, and sorted applicants, ensuring quality and reducing turnaround times for quicker and easier placements.
Nitin Sabharwal, Talent Acquisition Head at Beam Suntory appreciated the event by saying, “Beam Suntory inspires human connections and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has long been at the core of our values and ways of working. We believe that diversity of thought enables better decision- making and we have well-defined local and global goals to increase the representation of women in the workplace.
Currently, in India, women make up 26% of our workforce, a significant jump from just 8% in 2019 beginning. Globally, we endeavour to have 50% of our leadership positions filled by women by 2030 and have set up multiple programs to support women in their development. Our partnership with We-Ace, a leading global networking community of women, furthers our commitment to DEI by empowering women to ace their careers with various mentoring, upskilling, networking and employment opportunities.”
Admiring Nasdaq’s long-term association with Ignite was Bhavya Shriyan, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist. She said, “It’s now been the 3rd time in a row Nasdaq has been participating in Ignite. It has definitely boosted conversations and steps towards DEI across industries, and we are proud to be in this journey with We-Ace throughout.”
Apart from applying for jobs and engaging directly with hiring managers, the participating candidates also had the opportunity to attend specially curated workshops and panel discussions to help them pick up new skills and understand career and HR trends on the day of the event.
During a discussion amongst leaders from PwC India, Amanjit Makesh, Managing Director emphasised on the positive impacts of enabling and retaining the diverse talent an organisation can have. She said, “We need to keep doors open with our teams, and have that line of conversation. I would tell my peers that prioritising retaining and developing the talent a company has, is crucial.” Clearly highlighting PwC’s supportive and sustainable work culture.
Over 2000 live interactions occurred during the daylong virtual fair. The hiring process through Ignite 2022 will continue for a few more weeks as the employers, along with We-Ace’s recruiting support, will carefully shortlist and select candidates for different roles in their organisation.
This year, Ignite opened on November 10th 2022 for job applications and concluded with over 10,000 job applications received through the virtual platform with a significantly diverse representation of professionals from different backgrounds. 70% had prior work experience, while 30% were freshers. 45% candidates were Junior to Mid-level professionals with 2-8 years of experience. The participation from senior professional women with 9+ years of experience was close to 13%. The fair also saw 12% returnee women attend and explore job opportunities.
On We-Ace’s success, Anuranjita Kumar, Co-founder and CEO of the organisation said, “Just looking at the numbers we have achieved over the last 2 years. We have done over 50,000 hours of training and mentoring. We have placed over 1000 women in key decision making roles. We have over 200,000 subscribers on our platform. And this month, we actually go global. We -Ace as a platform is generated and built in India, but we are ready to take the world by storm!”
About We-Ace
We-Ace is a platform focused on increasing women participation in the workforce. We-Ace partners with organisations and works with communities of women at workplaces, colleges and schools to ensure that women talent transitions into a capable workforce. The platform aims to be a change agent for more gender-balanced workplaces with a mission to bring a pivotal change in individual mindsets and at workplaces that enable women to be the best versions of themselves.
