Amazon is hosting its first-ever virtual career enrichment summit specifically designed to bring together Black, Latinx, and Native American Professionals.
Anyone who is a regular #LatinaGeeks reader knows that our mission has always been to allow Latinas in STEM and TECH to express themselves freely and embrace who they are. So, when Amazon recently announced its two-day summit called “Represent the Future, Success is Inclusive”— we knew we wanted to learn more about this unique opportunity. We spoke to Elizabeth Nieto, Head of Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Amazon about the summit and the company’s commitment to the Latinx community.
QUESTION: Hello Elizabeth. We’re excited to talk to you today. Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and your role at Amazon?
ANSWER: Thank you for having me. I joined Amazon in 2019, and my team is responsible for driving the strategic vision around diversity, equity, and inclusion at Amazon. This includes building processes and programs to attract, develop, and retain the best talent from all backgrounds for Amazon globally.
QUESTION: Amazing. What can you tell me about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team’s efforts at Amazon?
ANSWER: Our DE&I team around the world work to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are scaled globally. We create and implement programs and processes– big and small. From our ongoing collaboration and support of internal affinity groups, like Latinos@Amazon, to external recruiting efforts like the upcoming two-day “Represent the Future, Success is Inclusive” career enrichment summit for BLNA professionals, we strongly believe in using mechanisms, not good intentions, to drive improvements.
QUESTION: What I love is that you are doing more than just talking the talk. Amazon is walking the walk by hosting the upcoming “Represent the Future” summit. Can you talk a little about that? What it is and why it is important?
ANSWER: We are very excited about this! “Represent the Future, Success is
Inclusive” is our first-ever virtual career enrichment summit specifically designed to bring together Black, Latinx, and Native American professionals from all backgrounds and levels of experience. The free summit is Oct 21 -21 and will provide participants with an inside look at Amazon’s global business ecosystem, a customer-obsessed culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the role innovation, invention, and intrapreneurship play in building the future. My colleagues will share authentic stories of what it’s like to work at Amazon, from the Black, Latinx, and Native American perspective. Recruiters and hiring managers will also share insights about the application and interview process. In fact, one of the panels I am really looking forward to is “Representation Matters: Your Story Raises the Bar.” Panelists, including Luli Chaluleu, Global Director of Talent Acquisitions, Operations, will provide practical tips on building the resume and brand that tells your authentic story. It’s going to be amazing.
QUESTION: You mentioned Latinos@ is an Amazon affinity group. Can you tell us more about that?
ANSWER: We have 12 affinity groups at Amazon positively impacting our
company and ensuring these groups are engaged employees at every level of the organization. Latinos@ was formed in 2012 and with a vision for Amazon to be the best (and preferred) employer in the world where Latinos have the most successful long-term careers. There are chapters across the US, as well as in Barcelona, Madrid, London, Luxembourg, and Tokyo! Just recently Latinos@ finished a month-long celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, recognizing the contributions of Hispanic Americans to American society and culture, and honoring our Central American neighbors who celebrated their independence days in September.
QUESTION: Elizabeth, this has been great. We are excited for you!
ANSWER: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share details about the “Represent the Future” summit. I encourage everyone to visit www.amazonrepresents.com to register and learn more.
