CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards - Leigh Schvartz, managing director for Fsas discusses ‘building a workplace where everyone can succeed.’

What prompted you to enter the CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards this year?

Fsas Technologies launched in February 2026, and although we remain part of the Fujitsu Group, we have established our own culture and foundations as a smaller, focused organisation. Entering the awards gave us an opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved in a relatively short time and recognise the people who have helped shape our business from the outset.

Without giving too much away, we believe a great workplace is built through meaningful action rather than ambition alone. From equal pay and diverse representation to mentoring, early-career development and inclusive colleague networks, we are proud of the progress already embedded within our organisation.

What would winning mean to your people and your customers and partners?

Winning would be a powerful recognition of the culture our people are creating together. It would celebrate colleagues who contribute to our inclusive workplace, support one another's development, and ensure that different voices and experiences are represented.

For customers and partners, it would provide further confidence that they are working with an organisation whose values are reflected in its everyday decisions. An inclusive, supported and engaged workforce brings greater diversity of thought, stronger collaboration and fresh perspectives to the challenges facing our industry.

Most importantly, the award would encourage us to keep raising the bar. It would not represent the completion of our journey, but recognition that we have created strong foundations on which to build.

What is your company's proudest achievement over the past year?

One of our proudest achievements is establishing a workplace where women represent 40.8% of our workforce and where the gender pay gap has already been eliminated. Women are paid slightly more than their male counterparts on average and form the majority within several areas of the business, including our channel team.

We are equally proud to have removed diversity pay gaps during our first year of operation. We voluntarily publish diversity of pay-gap information alongside gender metrics, helping us remain transparent, accountable and focused on continuous improvement.

What has been the biggest challenges, and how have you overcome them?

As a newly launched business, one of our key challenges has been establishing a distinct culture while creating visible opportunities for women and underrepresented colleagues to progress into senior and traditionally male-dominated roles.

Our people have helped address this through programmes that combine development, mentoring, and community. Our Early Careers programme supports individuals from work placements and Level 3 apprenticeships through degree-level study. Meanwhile, the TOP development programme identifies and accelerates future leaders, with 52% of its cohort over the past three years comprising women and people from diverse backgrounds.

Networks such as FuturHer also connect and develop women and allies, while InspireHer sessions enable colleagues to learn from senior leaders, expand their networks and share career experiences.

What lessons has the industry learned, and what still needs to change?

The industry has learned that diversity and inclusion must be measurable, visible, and embedded in daily working life. Representation matters, but it must be supported by equitable pay, accessible development opportunities, mentoring, and clear routes into leadership.

There is still more to do. The technology sector must continue creating pathways into senior and technical roles for groups that remain underrepresented. It must also engage in talent earlier. Through initiatives such as our AI Ethics Champions Programme, students gain practical experience of bias, fairness, transparency and accountability in AI, helping prepare a more representative generation for the industry's future.

The most effective change happens when inclusion becomes part of how an organisation develops talent, builds partnerships, and conducts business every day.