Two Amazon employees – Jacqui Chin and Ramat Tejani – have been recognised in this years’ HERoes Women Role Model Lists among the Top 100 Executives and Top 100 Future Leaders respectively.
Two Audible employees based in the US – Jennifer Lee, Head of Technical Innovation, and Anna Erni, Chief People Officer – were also recognised this year among the HERoes Women Role Model Lists.
The HERoes Women Role Model Lists recognise those who are leading by example and driving change to increase diversity in the workplace.
A panel of judges rate nominees on factors such as the influence of their business role, their impact on inclusion inside and outside the workplace, and their business achievements.
We are delighted to see Amazon employees recognised this year – here’s a closer look at their achievements and how they’re working to bring about positive change.
Jacqui Chin, Director, Alexa Shopping
Jacqui leads global teams for Alexa Shopping, creating experiences to help customers shop by voice and touch. In this role, Jacqui draws on years of experience leading Amazon EU Consumables programmes such as Subscribe & Save and UK retail categories including Baby and Beer, Wine & Spirits.
She is the founder and leader of Women@ Amazon in the UK and has provided thousands of employees with resources to progress across all levels of business. She has steered the delivery of Amazon’s Flexible Working Guidelines implemented across six countries, the development of Amazon mentoring schemes such as matchUp, and supported training programs such as Amazon Amplify to enable inclusive conversations.
Winner of the Worldpay Everywoman in Retail Ambassador Award, Jacqui has also co-chaired the International Women’s Day Leadership Forum and facilitated multiple forums, including those with the Institute of Coding and as part of the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) campaign for gender balance.
Jacqui said: “I’m thrilled to be included in this years’ list of honours amongst other incredible women who are championing diversity and inclusion. To have employees named in each of the Executive and Future Leaders lists is a testament to the work we’re delivering across Amazon’s business and our wider programmes for diversity and inclusion.”
“We all have a real responsibility to ensure that the current and next generation of women in business are able to thrive. I feel honoured to represent all of my colleagues at Amazon who continue to maintain and grow our workplace culture, where women from all backgrounds can excel.”
Ramat Tejani, Programme Lead, AWS GetIT, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Ramat leads AWS GetIT, an AWS skills and gender diversity programme which aims to empower female talent and build confidence and leadership skills, and to encourage more young people, especially girls, to consider a career in technology.
AWS GetIT, managed day-to-day by Ramat, includes a competition that challenges 12 to 13-year olds to come up with an innovative app idea to solve a specific problem for their community or school, plus a targeted programme of public speaking training, designed to build the skills needed for female employees in AWS to reach the highest levels of management while becoming diversity advocates for the organisation.
“AWS GetIT is a real-world way for us to show young people, at a crucial moment when they’re making education choices, that there’s room for everyone in this industry,” Ramat explained last year.
“If you’re not used to seeing anyone like you in these positions, it’s hard to imagine yourself doing them. But that’s exactly the mind-set, and the reality, we’re trying to change. It’s not about who can shout the loudest. It’s about being heard in your own way.”
Ramat also sits on the board of the Amazon Black Employee Network (BEN) in the UK, where she is responsible for developing and executing strategies to support the professional development of BEN UK members in areas such as employability and realising their potential.
Beyond AWS, Ramat has coached almost 100 women in the last two years, utilising her mentoring and confidence coaching skills through The Inspiraton Box, a personal development platform. She is also part of The Mentor Circle, which was set up during the pandemic to combat widening inequality in the UK for young people.
Find out more about diversity at Amazon.
