People and the talent, dedication, and enthusiasm they bring are the critical factors behind a company’s long-term growth and success. When it comes to gender equality, companies with a gender-balanced sales team consistently outperform those with a gender imbalance.
So, what does gender equality in sales teams look like in the tech industry? We spoke with Céline Zuberek, Director of Commercial Sales ASEAN, SAARC, and GCR at Datadog, and Emma Rickerby, Director of Digital GTM & Sales Asia Pacific at Adobe, to explore the benefits of gender-balanced teams and their insights on fostering gender diversity in sales.
Why Gender Diversity Matters in Sales
Céline
“In my experience, working in a diverse sales team is more likely to reflect the makeup of our own customers’ organisations and the way the world is evolving. As a collective, I believe that embracing gender-balance has helped our sales organisation to nurture solid relationships with an equally diverse customer base.”
Emma
“The best teams are made up of diverse talent. All of our differences come together to create better results, whether this means improved staff development, decreased turnover, increased productivity or more. We have so much to gain from shaking up the status quo but this requires changing the way we, as employees and employers, approach the issue.”
The Benefits of Gender Equality in Sales Teams
Céline
“I’d start with performance. Studies indicate that gender-balanced sales teams are more likely to outperform those which are not and I agree. Second, diverse teams create a more positive and inclusive culture which helps attract and retain more top talent (and improve morale!) Third, diversity means a wider candidate pool. Companies that do not embrace diversity miss out on great talent.”
Emma
“There’s no mistaking this – companies with a diverse workforce not only perform better but retain an engaged employee base. At Adobe, we have access to a wider skill set and more creativity, with lots of ideas bubbling up that impact our bottom line. In short, we can hire better talent simply because of our bigger selection pool.”
Barriers to Achieving Gender Equality in Sales Teams & How to Overcome Them
Céline
“Do we need to compromise on skill sets to achieve more balance in the team? No, we don’t. Companies must invest in candidates from different industry sectors to bring transferable skill sets in. Amplify these efforts with a robust onboarding program. Add on mentorship, coaching and strong role models and you have a program destined for success.”
Emma
“Biases, pay parity and the lack of diversity within leadership teams are some of the biggest challenges to creating sufficient diversity within the company. When sourcing talent, there are a few best practices that I think work really well. Create job descriptions that resonate. Ensure that diversity is reflected in the hiring interview panel. Be mindful about where you source your candidates. When consistent effort is put into growing and developing diverse leadership teams, you then arm yourself with strong role models and mentors for your next-gen leaders.”
Driving Industry-Wide Change for Gender Equality in Sales
Céline
“Could more be done at the industry level to promote gender diversity in tech sales and gender diverse sales teams? Perhaps, a couple of ideas come to mind. First, open up the pool of candidates that can be considered for a sales role. Second, invest in candidates from other industries who show themselves as having transferable sales skills. Arm them with the tech know-how and product training they need.
Create diversity goals when hiring and host gender diversity-led focus groups. Give candidates an opportunity to interact with both male and female tech sales professionals within the company. Then, showcase your diverse sales workforce. Use social media, your website and other marketing channels to amplify your messages. Provide your teams with the opportunity to share journeys that other candidates can relate to.”
Emma
“At this level, I believe there is still more that can be done to raise awareness, garner support and lead education and training efforts. Industry bodies are well placed to shed light on and market-map areas where female talent is lacking. They can conduct annualised studies that examine and go some way towards addressing the issue and lack of gender balanced sales teams.
In general, it’s possible that diversity fatigue can set in at companies and targets can get rolled back. But it is important that companies move beyond tokenism and remain invested long enough to reap the rewards. It is an investment for the long-haul.”
Conclusion: A Commitment to Gender Equality in Sales
Achieving gender equality in sales teams isn’t just about meeting quotas—it’s about fostering inclusive, high-performing teams that drive business success. By embracing gender diversity in sales, companies can build stronger, more innovative, and more competitive sales organisations.
To sustain progress, businesses must move beyond token efforts and commit to meaningful, long-term change. The benefits of gender-balanced teams are clear: improved performance, increased creativity, and access to top-tier talent. The question is—how will your company take action?