To remain competitive in technological growth and innovation, many companies are looking to recruit and retain women for fast-growing tech roles. And although we are witnessing an increase in gender diversity and a more gender-balanced structure in the tech world, there is still much progress to be made.
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) connects content owners, service and software application providers and the assessor community with a centralised programme and platform for communicating, assessing, and reporting content security preparedness and processes. It’s also an organisation that has made great progress in its diversity structure and global reach.
According to a study by Deloitte Global, the number of women in tech leadership roles has been at 33 per cent in recent years. Despite the growing numbers, the tech industry is still insular and hasn’t always been viewed as particularly female-friendly. In addition, pandemic-related caregiving responsibilities have undoubtedly created recent dips. Although the technology industry is seeing an increase in gender diversity and a more gender-balanced structure, there is still much progress to be made.
TPN’s management team comprises a mission-driven group of women representing technical disciplines that touch on all aspects of the content creation process. Their passion is evident in their mutual commitment to raising awareness about content security preparedness, uniting the industry to avoid leaks, breaches, and hacks of its most prized asset, the content. TPN’s EMEA membership also currently sits at 31 per cent, reflecting a well-balanced global initiative led by globally experienced women.
The team is led by TPN president, Terri Davies, who has spent the last year transforming the TPN content security programme to be more transparent, inclusive, and accessible to companies regardless of their size or financial income.
“I’m always ready to create change and make a difference and often find myself outside of my comfort zone, which has helped me develop my inner strength and ability to handle adversity,” she says. “One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my career is to not doubt myself and be confident in my decisions by trusting my instincts and experience. In collaboration with Crystal, Kari, Melody and Gina, we’ve created a culture of trust, respect, and motivation, supporting each other’s determination toward the same goal of helping to keep content safe.”
Crystal Pham, vice president, operations and product management, uses her expertise in vendor risk management to support the continued development of the TPN model. “I like to look at content security challenges as guidelines – I’m a problem solver at heart, and within each challenge, I see an opportunity,” she explains. “It also means listening closely to feedback from our members and the industry at large. I feel as if TPN is truly offering businesses tangible benefits to their content security strategies and making a noticeable impact overall.”
Membership services director Kari Grubin’s experience in media and entertainment spans more than 20 years of technology and post production expertise. Her career and knowledge have brought her into consultative roles with industry standards boards, building and selling a post-production business, and collaborating in roles within the cybersecurity market. In her role, Grubin is working to grow and support the global TPN community network. “We have a shared responsibility to secure content, and at TPN, we’re creating a meaningful impact with our collective common goals to mitigate risk for our members across all areas of the content chain,” she explains.
With a career spanning both the content owner and service provider sides of the media business, Melody Giambastini, TPN’s programme manager, has worked across the global localisation industry in multiple roles, and her passion for community and lifelong learning truly exemplifies the spirit of TPN.
Asked what advice she might offer to women entering the tech field, Giambastini says: “Being open to unexpected opportunities creates a sense of freedom that can lead to interesting and refreshing prospects in your career. Never stop learning, empower those around you, and find work that means something to you.”
Rounding out the female-led team at TPN is operations administrator Gina Gajewski, who supports the overall objectives of the group. With a background in information science, her role navigates across many parts of the TPN programme in a number of administrative and information management activities.
As a result of its environment, TPN has gained velocity and delivered an enhanced programme and platform, serving the entire media and entertainment industry in compliance with the MPA’s Best Practices for content security, and across cloud, work-from-home, and on-premise workflows.
As the team at TPN often says, “It’s all about progress over perfection, constantly moving forward and doing the right thing for the overall industry.”
