Women of Xylem Series
For our industry to thrive and evolve, we need strong, diverse teams leading it. We need to represent the diverse communities we serve and encourage great people from all backgrounds to get excited about joining us. This series features women across Xylem in various stages of their careers. Through it, we hope to pull the curtain back on who does what at our organization and inspire the next generation of female leaders.
In our third post of the series, we are doing a special feature on the Xylem women who participated in the Reach21 panel, “Resilience Personified: A Dialogue About What Sustains Us.”
Xylem Reach brought together 1,000+ utilities, partners and Xylem employees. From New Orleans to Stará Turá and countless cities and countries in-between, we connected around the issues that matter most like water conservation, grid resiliency, technology and the challenges ahead.
The women featured in this post were on a Reach panel to discuss the demands of career, family and community… and how these issues are magnified during a pandemic.
- Amy Ross, Executive Office Manager & Executive Assistant
- Laura Bednasz, Vice President, Product Management
- Sivan Zamir, Senior Director, Xylem Innovation Labs
Check out this video to hear from Amy, Laura and Sivan as they share advice for women making their mark in the workplace!
Amy Ross, Executive Office Manager & Executive Assistant
Q: How long have you worked at Xylem and what is your current role?
A: I’ve worked at Xylem for seven and half years. I manage daily corporate office operations and provide administrative support to the Measurement & Control Solutions (M&CS) executive team, I also serve as the M&CS Watermark Ambassador.
Q: What was one of your favorite parts about Xylem Reach21?
A: I really enjoyed working with colleagues at our Watermark event on Sunday morning. We were able to help the City of New Orleans clean up areas that were impacted by Hurricane Ida. I also loved networking with customers, distributors, and employees I haven’t seen in person in two years!
Q: How are you advancing diversity in the workplace?
A: I advocate for and establish initiatives throughout the organization, such as our Reverse Mentoring program which launched earlier this month. I am involved in several Employee Network Groups (ENG) at Xylem and serve as co-chair and sit on the steering committee for multiple groups. At Xylem, we utilize the ENGs to provide a forum for employees to share their experiences in a safe space while advocating diversity of thought.
Q: What has been your favorite Xylem Women’s Network (XWN) event and why?
A: My favorite XWN event was our Diversity & Inclusion series on racial equity with Dr. Mary Hemphill. The series included four informational Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) videos followed by Q&A sessions and culminated in a 90-minute workshop on DEI. The series was engaging, thought-provoking and it opened dialogue amongst colleagues of all backgrounds to better understand the inequity that exists for underrepresented groups. Lots of great learning!
Laura Bednasz, Vice President, Product Management
Q: How long have you worked at Xylem and what is your current role?
A: I’ve been with Xylem for seven years. In my current role, I lead the Sensus product management organization for our smart metering portfolio including hardware, software and services.
Q: Was there a particular topic you enjoyed discussing during the panel at Reach?
A: Ahead of the panel, I reflected a lot about what resilience means in developing and supporting teams through times of change. I enjoyed hearing my fellow panelists share their personal perspectives on what resilience means to them, but I loved when the audience joined in the conversation. Hearing all the amazing women and allies share how we can make sure that we are building up other women in the workplace and sharing their personal stories was inspiring.
Q: How are you advancing diversity in the workplace?
A: I’m part of the Xylem Women’s Network and I am an advocate for seeking diversity in hiring.
Q: What has been your favorite Xylem Women’s Network event and why?
A: The International Women’s Day events were incredible! Sometimes it’s easy to get focused on the task of our jobs – this event put real leadership support behind celebrating women and diverse perspectives.
Sivan Zamir, Senior Director, Xylem Innovation Labs
Q: How long have you worked at Xylem and what is your current role?
A: I joined Xylem earlier this year. As Senior Director of Xylem Innovation Labs, I create partnerships with technology companies and startups to drive growth through innovation with the next generation of technologies solving water.
Q: What do you hope people took away from your panel at Reach?
A: I hope people were able to see that there is no one right way to build your career, to balance your work and personal life, and that we are all human. I was more than happy to share my own lived experiences, and really enjoyed connecting with other women around Xylem and our partner network to learn from them, as well.
Q: How are you advancing diversity in the workplace?
A: There are so many ways to advance diversity in the workplace. Excellent ways of being a champion include making sure that, as a manager, you insist on interviewing diverse slates of candidates and then, once on your team, it’s critical to help people track forward in their careers. I’m also an alumni mentor for my alma mater, serve as an adviser to Xylem’s Ignite student technology incubator program, and volunteer, whenever I can, to participate in events promoting women in the water industry.
Q: What has been your favorite Xylem Women’s Network event and why?
A: The panel at Reach21 was my first Xylem Women’s Network event, but hopefully the first of many. I’m honored to have been invited to participate.
The RTP Chapter of the Xylem Women’s Network fosters an environment of belonging, education, and support by building a culture of growth and opportunity for women in the organization and beyond, through diversity of thought and experience that will create continued opportunities in leadership and enhance Xylem’s competitive advantage.
Learn more about the Xylem Women’s Network and our commitment to creating an open dialogue to raise awareness and identify ways to advance diversity and inclusion here.
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The next Xylem Reach Conference will be in Washington, D.C. on October 9-12, 2022. Sign up here to be the first to know when registration opens. See you in Washington, D.C!
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