Launching iGIANT® Advisory Councils

February 1, 2018 was a monumental day for the iGIANT®! The 40th iGIANT roundtable was held, and for the first time, it took place as an internal corporate event. Microsoft, the recipient of the 2018 iGIANT Champion Award, hosted this roundtable in a conference room overlooking the atrium of their spacious research facility in Redmond, Washington.

A powerful event, it provided a safe, confidential space for employees from several Microsoft divisions to gather and share, through a gender/sex lens, their issues, challenges and solutions related to personal experiences to workplace gender equity to design elements. This premier event has led to invitations from other companies to host internal roundtables.

The purpose of a a roundtable is to foster a common dialog about best practices for gender/sex-specifc design elements and to encourage participants to serve as ambassadors for innovation. iGIANT makes it simple to host roundtables by providing a tool kit which includes the template for invitations and agendas. Roundtables can last from 1-3 hours and are always enlightening and inspiring.

iGIANT is now launching the Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) and the Design Advisory Council (CAC). CAC members are representatives from the health, IT, transportation and retail sectors. All members will be listed on the iGIANT website, and will be invited to attend iGIANT events and to serve on a panel to develop metrics for an iGIANT Seal of Approval for design elements. Additionally, iGIANT will lead internal corporate roundtables for CAC members.

To assist the CAC, are DAC members who are leading experts in science, technology, engineering and design. The DAC will also advise and review submissions for iGIANT challenge competitions and prizes.

These new councils will transform the way we live our lives by improving the safety and quality of life, including work performance, for men and women. We encourage diverse participation and welcome all members who want to help the world see through a gender/sex lens!