Meet Delphine Donné: Breaking Barriers in Tech with Passion and Inclusion

It seems that, more often than not, women who work in tech don’t start there. They accidentally end up in tech; it’s an offshoot of a different path. That’s how Delphine Donné, the VP / General manager for Logitech Personal Workspace Solutions, came into technology. She started in international business but ended up in a tech company at the age of 24. Since then, she’s found a passion she wants to stick with.

Donné is a bit of a unicorn in the tech world. The number of women working in tech fields seems to be decreasing rather than increasing, according to a study done by Accenture. The study found that the number of women in tech careers today is about 32 percent, compared to 35 percent in 1984. And yet, Donné has managed to make a successful career in technology, slowly rising through the ranks at different companies until she landed at Logitech.

The Importance of Finding a Culture of Inclusion

Accenture’s study points to several factors, including the fact that women leave tech roles at about a 45 percent higher rate than men do. It suggests this is because the perceived culture of inclusion that companies claim to have built may not be a realistic view of what it’s like in the trenches. Donné is one of the lucky few who has found a culture of inclusion that is what it appears to be.

“I always have had multiple guardian angels in my career. You know, the role of supporters, sponsors, and mentors is huge across your career. I’ve had quite a few different jobs, but for each part of this journey, I’ve had really important key leaders that have believed in me moving beyond the potential I thought I had,” Donné said. “They saw things bigger in me, and they gave me the confidence to jump in the water when they offered me opportunities for which I felt maybe I was not fully qualified. They gave me the opportunity to learn and grow.”

Part of Donné’s current success is due to the fact her company, Logitech, buys into the idea of a ‘culture of inclusion.’ That’s highlighted by the fact that Logitech has a woman CEO, and Donné says the company is about “50/50” for the leadership team. Donné’s own team reflects that. “My team is actually about 50 percent women,” she said. “I’ve realized this diversity of thinking is really helping me to be more creative, come up with better solutions, and any really encourage this inclusive mindset and this collaborative spirit and speak up spirit. So, the more I realized the benefit of it, the more I actually developed it by design and integrated it in my strategies.”

Inclusion Starts With the Consumer

Even for Donné, the power of inclusion wasn’t immediately obvious. Over time, however, she began to realize the benefits of looking at the world from a different perspective. “When I started to see the benefits, I really pushed the entire team to think about diversity and inclusion in the consumers we reach, which means how you design the product, how you market the products. And then if you go back all the way to the beginning of an idea, do we have a team, inclusive or diversified enough to create the best outcome?,” she explained.

“Then you realize maybe you have too many men in your team or enough women to work on this project. So suddenly, I encouraged everyone to bring more women in the conversation because it helps us overcome our biases. Then, when you learn from others, you get a different perspective. It helps you to elevate, grow, and get even better,” Donné said. “So it’s been a journey, but I can tell you all the women I work with play a really big role in my day-to-day life, and some amazing men I work with day to day.”

Diversity isn’t just women in tech for Donné. She thinks much larger. “The diversity of this team—I have half and half young and older people, and we have more than 30 nationalities on the team based around the world—so that constant diversity is making you stronger. For me now, it’s a stimulation, and it’s what energizes me every day.”

But Must Also Be Nurtured

As the sliding statistics seem to point out, having more women in tech requires that companies nurture a culture that’s inclusive not only to women but also to BIPOC and LGBTQUI+. “At Logitech, first, its diversity, inclusion, and equity are really integrated into our purpose and values. We have also sponsorship, mentorship programs in the company,” said Donné.

“In terms of what I try to do for my department, there are multiple areas, as well. First, just making sure we look at the growth of the diversity and inclusion in our team, in our sales to customers and the performance, and we track this progress, and we celebrate the progress, but we also try to give more opportunities to people from moving from one part [of the company] to the other. We have a culture of speak up, so people can reach out to me at any time, come talk about their career. I try to participate more and more in industry events to talk about my own experiences.”

Passion Translates to Action, Translates to Movement

Ultimately, Donné says the key to having a successful career in tech is to be patient. “It’s more important to be perseverant than impatient. Because sometimes in impatience you tend to be too lack perspective. Take the time to understand different views really see the bigger picture and lay out a stronger plan or not burn bridges. And that’s what’s important.”

There’s more to it, though. While being patient with yourself and those around you is a key to moving forward (however slowly), you also need an element of passion. “When you love what you do, you are fascinated by the business and the people you work with, and there is a mutual respect in what you do. Opportunities tend to come to you very quickly. If you’re too focused on the title or promotion, you tend to not show your best self. So you have to speak up about your ambition. You have to speak up about what you’d like to do. Otherwise, people won’t know. But most important is your passion for the growth of the business or whatever activity, and that generally brings a lot of positive opportunities.”