There’s a nationwide labor shortage, which largely stemmed in 2021 when more than 47 million workers quit their jobs. Many of those job quitters say they left in search of an improved work-life balance, more flexibility and higher pay. And many cited a quest for stronger company culture as a reason to move on. Enter: the Women and Drones awards for the best drone companies for female employees in 2022.
The Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies, which is an awards program put together by the Women and Drones organization, recognized eight companies around the world as honorees in its “Top Companies for Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies.”
For people seeking a new job with stronger company culture, these eight companies might be the ones to consider. The honorees that were named the best drone companies for female employees this year are:
- Airspeeder – Australia
- CAE Inc – Canada
- Hydroplane Ltd. – United States
- Kenya Flying Labs – Kenya
- NASA Aeronautics Research Institute – United States
- She Maps – Australia
- Swoop Aero – Australia
- WingXpand – United States
Read more about the individual companies here.
Companies, agencies and organizations that won were selected for being “in the global emerging aviation industries that has a culture where women can thrive.” To be eligible for the award, companies were nominated by at least one current employee and had to have been in business a minimum of four years. Nominees were evaluated based on criteria including:
- Gender diversity
- Flexibility in hours and work requirements to accommodate family and life balance
- Competitive compensation and benefits
- Training
- Continued professional development
- Career advancement opportunities.
The final honorees were determined by a panel of four judges, including Terreco Aviation CEO Lousie Jupp and Pentium CEO Chantal Khan.
“The professional opportunities offered in the dynamic and fast-growing uncrewed aviation space provide an exciting career path, which we want to see open to people from all backgrounds, particularly women,” says Lori DeMatteis, Chief Revenue Officer, MatrixSpace and honorary global ambassador for the awards, in a prepared statement. “These companies offer an important mix of professional growth as well as the critical work/life balance so many individuals require…(and are) impressive examples of how this industry can lead the way in positive career opportunities.”
Lack of diversity among drone companies has been cited as a challenge in the drone industry. A 2021 diversity-focused survey from Women and Drones, which was conducted online and sent sent to people working in a variety of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) businesses and sectors across the U.S., found that almost 75% of respondents said they felt moderate to extreme concern about the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the drone industry in general.
An even higher 80% of respondents expressed concern — ranging from moderate to extreme — about the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their own drone-related business or organization. And 81% of survey respondents expressed moderate to extreme interest in increasing DEI in their companies.
Abut the Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Awards
The awards for the best drone companies for female employees are part of the broader, annual Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Awards (formerly known as the Women to Watch Awards) that doles out awards in a range of categories. New to this year’s awards is a Hall of Fame for women who have made an outsized impact in the drone industry.
Coincidentally, one of the Hall of Fame inductees, Anita Sengupta, will be making two trips to the stage at the awards ceremoy. Her company, Hydroplane, is one of the top companies for women.
All of the awards will be given at the live Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Awards at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.
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