As a Dutch woman with a Moroccan-Riffian-Belgian background, I know what it feels like to be excluded, also in IT. What it's like to not only have to fight for your place, but to prove again and again that you are entitled to it in the first place. These are not abstract stories; this is the daily reality of too many people, also within our own organizations.

That reality does not stop at the doors of our office. Last week's events – from painful political reactions to moments in which discrimination and polarization shape the debate – show how deep the challenge runs. The question is not only whether we offer equal opportunities, but whether we dare to ask the fundamental question: how do we ensure that everyone feels safe, recognized and respected in our society and in the workplace?

CIO at the helm
This painful context makes our leadership even more relevant. As CIOs, we are at the helm of change, not only technologically, but also culturally. Every choice we make – from equal pay to the technology we use – determines whether we strengthen inclusion or unintentionally fuel exclusion. It is up to us to be a force for justice, especially when things get uncomfortable.

Equal Pay Day reminds us how deeply inequality is ingrained. How can we as leaders believe in innovation if we cannot even achieve equal pay? How can we claim to use technology for progress when some people still have to work twice as hard to get half as much recognition?

It's not just about wages. It's about who is heard in meetings, who gets opportunities and who doesn't. It's about how technology, data and systems in our hands can be a force for equality – or the opposite. Every time we do not intervene in injustice, we choose to maintain the system.

Values
As CIOs, we have the power, but also the obligation, to look beyond our dashboards and roadmaps. Because technology is never neutral. The algorithms we build, the systems we implement, and the data we analyze all embody our values. If we do not critically examine those values, we risk reinforcing the same exclusionary mechanisms we say we are fighting.

I want to hold up a mirror to us CIOs. How often do we make choices that serve ourselves or our organizations, while others are left behind? How often do we talk about diversity but not act? How often do we ask people to “move along” with change, while not recognizing what they have to give up along the way?

Leadership
Inclusion and equality are not HR issues. They are our responsibility. It's not just about policy, but about leadership. True leadership means standing up against injustice, even when it makes us uncomfortable. It means involving people in innovation without asking them to leave themselves at home. It means building teams where all voices count, not just those of the people who are already heard.

We are the ones who determine the course. We choose whether technology becomes a tool for empowerment or a mirror of old systems. Our work is not about systems and processes – it is about people.

So my question to you, as CIO: are you using your position to really make a difference? Or will you remain silent while others fight to be heard?

The future requires not only innovation, but courage too. Let's show it.

Meryem El-Bouyahyaoui
Board member CIO Platform Nederland
Portfolio Diversity and Inclusion