This is a guest blog post written by Avanade alum, Vikki Leach.

Yes, men dominate the technology industry. But, there are thousands of incredible women working for technology companies all over the world. We need to hear more from them.  We need to seek them out and learn from them.  See them as role models and get them to share their stories, encouraging more women and girls in IT. And, we need to support and train younger women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields.

That’s why Avanade plays a key role in sponsoring the Pink Cloud, held in Rome, Italy from 22–24 April, to celebrate the "Girls in IT" week by ITU (International Telecommunication Union).  I’m delighted to be taking part in the Pink Cloud 2014 for a second year running.

The Pink Cloud is an initiative that aims to train and support young women and promote STEM courses for young women to provide them with more job IT opportunities. The event is supported by international organizations such as United Nations Women, ITU and Unesco as well as local Institutional Referents such as Ministry of Education, Ministry of Equal Opportunities and Ministry of Work. The event is organized by Microsoft as part of its Social Citizenship Program and Avanade is one of the active sponsors of this initiative.

This year, Avanade has been asked again to speak during the conference and take part in other great opportunities throughout the week. I’m really looking forward to going, and can’t wait to tweet and blog when I’m out there! Follow me on Twitter at @v_leach for real-time updates.