Featured Sponsor – CTA

By Karen Chupka

Karen_Chupka_PR_2k12Being a part of Women in Consumer Technology means joining a network of accomplished women dedicated to advancing the consumer technology industry. This group offers women the opportunity to explore their potential for career development and growth within a network of accomplished and caring professionals. It is a privilege to represent the industry within the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ and as part of this wonderful organization.

Last year our own Glenda MacMullin, COO/CFO, CTA, was honored with the Women in Consumer Technology Legacy Award during its annual reception held during CES in Las Vegas. And when I received the award in 2010, I was honored to join a class of such hard-working, accomplished professionals in the ever-evolving field of tech.

As CES approaches its 50th Anniversary in 2017 it’s exciting to look back and see how far we’ve come as both an industry and a show – and also where we’re going. CES has experienced tremendous growth from its first show in 1967 which featured 117 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees to today where we welcome more than 170K attendees, including some 50K from outside the United States. Our exhibitor base has grown more than 30 fold as the definition of the technology sector continues to expand to now include categories like automotive, wearables, health, wellness and more. We’ll have more than 3,800 exhibitors covering more than 2.4 million net square feet of exhibit space in 2017.

It’s been incredible to see this growth first-hand over the last 25 years and I’m so proud of our staff that has kept the show evolving to meet the needs of the industry. In my early years few women were involved in CTA at the leadership level, but our team is now comprised of many dedicated, hard-working women, full of creative prowess leading the way. Out of the thirty-one companywide promotions in April 2016, 81 percent were women and 29 women currently hold Director level or above positions.

CTA prides itself on having so many highly-qualified women holding high level positions in our organization and supports the potential for women to achieve their goals within the industry and at our organization.  In 2003 we welcomed our first female chair Kathy Gornik (THIEL Audio) and we now have numerous accomplished women active at CTA as members of our Board of Industry Leaders including Ximena Hartsock (Phone2Action), Denise Gibson (Ice Mobility), Mara Lewis (Roar) and Bridget Karlin (Intel Corporation), and executive board member Sally Washlow (Cobra Electronics Corporation).

Thank you, Women in Consumer Technology, for inspiring women to continue to grow and advance the industry and hold leadership roles that shape the career advancement of women everywhere.