SubOptic Association Announces Diversity Fund
SubOptic Association and WFN Strategies Press Release
March 11, 2019
SubOptic Association and WFN Strategies Press ReleaseNew Initiative for SubOptic 2019 – Supported by WFN Strategies
SubOptic, supported by WFN Strategies are pleased to announce a Diversity Fund aimed to attract a more varied background and spur renewal in the submarine telecoms community.
The fund is created to encourage people of any age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, and sexual orientation to enter the industry and contribute to the critical role that submarine telecoms plays in developing a more connected world.
“We believe that bringing more diversity to the conference and our sector will help spur new ideas and keep this a vibrant industry for its second hundred and fifty years,” said Yves Ruggeri, SubOptic President.
The fund, which will award up to five stipends, constitutes a total of $5,000 every three-year conference cycle.
It will help defray costs of conference attendance either for a deserving author or delegate. The fund may also be used to support participation in other SubOptic learning or research activities between conferences.
“The selected people are individuals who show potential to have a significant and lasting impact in the industry,” said Wayne Nielsen, Managing Director of WFN Strategies. “They bring new ideas to the industry yet require financial support to enable their participation at SubOptic conferences.
In addition to the fund, SubOptic has formed a Professional Opportunities, Diversity and Inclusion working group. Chaired by Amy Marks, of XSite Modular, the group’s mission is tasked to “foster innovation and attract diverse talent within the Submarine Cable industry through the advancement and promotion of cultural and ethnic equality, respecting and valuing differences, including (but not limited to) age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation and under-represented countries/markets.”
The SubOptic Association thanks WFN Strategies for their kind support in funding conference fees for recipients.
For further details on eligibility and applications please contact the SubOptic Secretariat.
The SubOptic Trade Association (suboptic.org) is a non-profit international body, open to membership from all in the industry, whose purpose is to promote the interests of organizations involved in submarine telecommunications cable technology, installation, operations and activities, by providing an open, inclusive forum for the discussion of ideas, the exchange of non-competitive information, the advancement of good practices and the raising of awareness of issues relevant to the industry. By becoming a SubOptic Association member you’ll join over 60 leading member organizations collectively working to make our vision of a continuously active and effective global subsea trade body a practical reality.
About WFN Strategies:
WFN Strategies (wfnstrategies.com) is an ISO 9001:2015 certified designer and implementer of submarine fiber cable systems for commercial, governmental and oil & gas companies throughout the world. WFN Strategies designs, engineers and implements submarine optical cable systems for commercial, governmental and oil and gas clients, which have utilized repeatered and unrepeatered technologies, and have been transoceanic, regional, or festoon in scope. WFN Strategies has been involved with all aspects of implementing telecommunications systems and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) from feasibility studies through capital budgeting to engineering, purchasing, and installation to commissioning and testing.
