Women in Identity doubles membership, expands board of directors

Non-profit Women in Identity (WiD) announced a new milestone in its journey towards a more inclusive digital identity ecosystem.

The organization said it has now more than doubled its membership since its founding in 2019 and to foster its growth further has also expanded its board of directors.

Trustees Christine Bassarab, Kay Chopard, Kimberly Sutherland, Louise Maynard-Atem, and Melissa Carvalho were all added to the WiD board.

WiD also welcomed Kate Oldham as its new Executive Director and Laura Barrowcliff as board liaison. The non-profit’s co-founder Emma Lindley will continue to serve as Chair.

“I would like to thank the current Board members Pam Dingle and Colette D’Alessandro for their time and commitment,” Lindley says, commenting on the news.

“I am looking forward to working with our newest Board members who are an incredibly talented group of leaders who will take us forward and support our plans for growth.”

According to the group, difficulty proving identity and using identity systems particularly affects members of specific groups.

These include women, ethnic minorities, older and younger people, LGBTQ+ communities, people with disabilities, and those with low income.

To tackle these issues, WiD just finished developing the first part of its research into inclusion in identity product development.

The project currently focuses on digital identity in financial services and looks at establishing a practical and pragmatic guide to the development of more diverse and inclusive digital identity solutions.

“There has never been a more important time to do the work we do in the identity industry,” Lindley concludes.

The milestone comes months after Maynard-Atem spoke in a webinar about the challenges in the adoption of widespread digital ID applications.

Article Topics

best practices  |  biometrics  |  Board of Directors  |  digital identity  |  Women in Identity