PLYMOUTH ? Chief Information Officers for the Detroit Three automakers told more than 500 people attending a Michigan Council of Women in Technology symposium said that while the number of women helping to develop automotive technology is growing, much more could be done to increase the female ranks.

?At General Motors, our technology staff is 27- to 28-percent women,? said Randy Mott, GM Vice President and Chief Information Officer. ?This event is about saying there needs to be a higher degree of selection of women going into IT. The message is getting out. Now we need more visible. Visibility is helping us. We?re being more proactive in terms of the opportunity.?

Mott spoke at the MCWT?s Executives in Technology Leadership Exchange on April 22 at the St. John?s Inn. Besides the CIO?s for Ford Motor Co., Chrysler Group and General Motors, senior technology leaders for The Boeing Co., Walmart, State of Michigan, IBM and Cisco also spoke. GM, Ford and Chrysler sponsored the event.

?IT is growing fast, especially in Michigan,? said Maru Flores, MCWT president. ?It?s events like these that keep the MCWT mission of growing and inspiring women in technology at the cutting edge, and create the awareness of how diversity fuels innovation and competitiveness.?

The panelists discussed how succeeding in today?s IT field often means having a diverse workforce with an ability to drive business value through innovative technology solutions.

Keynote speaker Bridget A. Van Kralingen, IBM?s senior vice president of global business services, believes today?s IT leaders must tackle the rapidly changing technology landscape and accelerate business deliverables by applying fresh strategies.

Van Kralingen discussed how today?s IT functions require teams to tackle challenges in new ways, often using a different approach and skillset than what was used even five years ago. She also spoke to attendees about increasing diversity to better position a company for success, highlighting it is more important than ever to attract and retain more women.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, women with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs earned 33 percent more pay than those in non-STEM jobs.

InformationWeek editor-in-chief Laurianne McLaughlin moderated a panel of CIOs from The Boeing Co., Walmart, the State of Michigan and a senior vice president from Cisco.

“It is great to see organizations like MCWT bringing women together to learn from one another, move their careers forward, and inspire the next generations of IT leaders,? says McLaughlin. “Talent development and retention is a top worry for IT leaders today and the panelists at the event shared great advice on that front for attendees.”

According to the Michigan Department of Technology Management and Budget, IT jobs increased 5 percent over the last two years and will outpace most Michigan industries in job expansion.

MCWT supports Michigan?s female IT workforce, students, corporate partners, schools and the overall community with networking, learning, mentoring, and technology experiences for professionals and students. Its nonprofit Foundation provides programs and funds supporting the education and orientation of young women throughout school and fostering women in various stages of their professional lives.

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