When looking at IT-sector employees from a gender equality perspective, men dominate the workforce worldwide. However, the Dutch organization Equals has set out to change this and has woven an amazing nest in the heart of Amsterdam where women in tech can bring their ideas to life.
Equals’ architect, Sanne Andree Wiltens, and CEO, Dieuwke van Buren, discussed how such an organization was created and how OCCO contributed to it.
Only 8 percent of founders of Amsterdam’s startups are women; 8 percent of all investments made in the city went to women-led startups, and only 18 percent of people working in the Dutch tech industry are women.
Equals’ goal is to improve this situation in the market because, as their name suggests (Equals – “equal” in English), their members want to increase the representation of women in the technology world.
Talented Women Under One Roof
Interestingly, the founder of the organization, Ricardo van Loenen, is a man, but he shares the belief that there should be more women working in the technology sector. The club-like space opened in the heart of Amsterdam aims to bring together a professional community under one roof and strive for greater workforce equality and diversity. The company is particularly dedicated to supporting women in their career growth and development.
The organization’s office is referred to as a club-like space, where all members can come together to professionally develop themselves, build new relationships, participate in events, have coffee, or simply carry out their daily work tasks.
The building consists of several different rooms designed for meetings and events. These rooms are multifunctional and can be rearranged according to the situation.
“As I am a mother myself, the whole project is very dear to my heart,” said architect Sanne Andree Wiltens. “When planning the space, we also considered mothers with young children so that they would have good opportunities to dedicate themselves to their careers. The office includes a cozy play area and a separate area for nursing mothers,” Wiltens described.
“In the interior design, we looked for ways to inspire and bring women together, and we used only female designers’ creations,” noted Dieuwke van Buren, the CEO of Equals. “At times, it was challenging to find a suitable selection from the works of female designers only, but we did our best to achieve that goal.”
According to van Buren, when creating a feminine and women-empowering environment, OCCO was a great help. “They offered us several furniture options and connected us with brands we didn’t even know about before,” said van Buren. OCCO also helped them stay within budget and recommended designers that would align with the atmosphere of Equals.
In the end, both architect Wiltens and Equals’ CEO van Buren were very satisfied with the result, and in the future, there are expected to be many events and workshops at the Amsterdam club-like space that will help the organization achieve gender equality in the Dutch technology sector.
