Torill Standal Eliassen, Managing Director and board member of twoday, has been awarded as one of Norway's 50 leading tech women.
- I am deeply grateful for this recognition, especially as I get to share it with so many inspiring role models in the industry, says Torill Standal Eliassen.
The purpose of the award is to increase the proportion of women working in technology and leadership roles in Norway.
-Even though the list refers to several talented individuals who leave clear marks through their work, we have too few female technologists in Norway. We need role models who can pave the way for others, and that's exactly who we're celebrating today, says Øystein Søreide, jury leader and CEO of Abelia.
Women opt out of technology
The proportion of highly educated women in Norway has reached historic highs. 60 percent of those pursuing higher education today are women. However, the proportion of women studying technology remains low. A report from the Economic Analysis of Society shows that Norway will need 40,000 people with IT education by 2030.
-We need to better understand why women choose every other industry except ours, but we know that role models like Torill are important in paving the way for others to choose technology, says Kristin Rotevatn Nyberg, CEO of twoday.
Eliassen has highlighted issues such as study placements and measures to ensure a more diverse applicant pool for technology studies in podcasts, media, and social media. She has had nearly 500,000 views on her LinkedIn posts in just the past year.
-Diversity in perspectives is necessary when shaping the groundbreaking technological solutions of the future. We lose valuable expertise when we fail to attract women to the industry, says Eliassen.
Since taking over as Managing Director of twoday in Ålesund and Ørsta in 2021, she has implemented Equality Check, a program that reviews the company's equality, achieved 50/50 gender balance in leadership positions, and established a collaboration agreement with the Specialist Company for increased work inclusion.
Torill is putting technology on the agenda
Eliassen leads the largest technology community on the west coast in Norway, where she is a key driver in putting technology on the agenda.
She is one of the founders of NeXTdigital, a non-profit competence network in Sunnmøre dedicated to innovation through applied technology in collaboration between different companies and industries. She is also a mentor in the talent development program Talent Sunnmøre and the entrepreneurship program Næringsteft.
-Local resources drive sustainable growth and innovation. I believe it will be the key to Norway's transition. We must cultivate talent and innovation, also here at the north western coast of Norway, says Eliassen.
As a board member of the think tank GoforIT, which focuses on the intersection of technology and sustainability, Torill has been a key player in developing expertise, policy, and research in the field. In collaboration with the industry and ICT Norway, she has been one of the representatives advocating the importance of Norway taking a clear position in artificial intelligence.
About twoday
twoday is a full-service technology company, focusing on digital transformation, tailored software development, data driven decision making, AI & automation, CRM solutions and business applications to both the private and public sector. With 2,700 experts across the Nordics and Lithuania, twoday is a leading partner in helping its 8,000 customers succeed in their digital transformation.