Kuala Lumpur, 30 March 2023 – In efforts to collectively grow women's participation and leadership in tech, CARSOME, Southeast Asia’s largest integrated car e-commerce platform, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft to adopt its Code; Without Barriers initiative for one year. Under the program, women employees across CARSOME’s operations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore will be able to access initiatives that include upskilling courses, participation in hackathons or skills challenges, and mentorship programs in the areas of Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Technology.

CARSOME Group President & Chief Financial Officer, Juliet Zhu said: “CARSOME is strongly positioned to support and accelerate women's representation in the tech and automotive sectors leveraging our positioning as Southeast Asia’s largest integrated e-commerce platform. Towards this end, I am pleased to announce that CARSOME will digitally upskill 30% of our women employees by 2026 in our offices across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, especially in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Data and Technology.”

“Promoting diversity and equity in tech and innovation-centric areas will not only benefit our employees and the organization, it also supports the transition towards equitable digital first societies. There is strong demand for skilled tech talent across the region and our collaboration with Microsoft through the Code; Without Barriers program will enable women in CARSOME to access a range of upskilling programs to enhance employability and participate more equitably in the growth of these industries.” 

Director, Developers and Digital Natives at Microsoft Asia Pacific, Annie Mathew said: “Code; Without Barriers was incubated in APAC, and it’s the first program to bring together a coalition of developers, industries, businesses, and allies to literally do just that…break barriers for women in tech! We’re excited to have CARSOME join us to empower a new generation of women in technology across Southeast Asia, as we together, drive a more inclusive digital economy in Asia Pacific.” 

A World Economic Forum study across several global markets found that only 26% of professionals in data and AI are women and only 12% are cloud computing professionals. Recent studies have also shown that despite a strong record among Southeast Asian technology companies to hire women, the region is still nowhere close to reaching true parity in the number of women who work in tech compared with other industries.
To close this gender gap, the collaboration between CARSOME and Microsoft aims to strengthen enablers that are key to providing women with access to innovation and technology-related opportunities. Key areas will include enhancing employability for women, creating a more equal workforce, and establishing a strong ecosystem and community of women leaders in artificial intelligence and technology to accelerate national digital transformation and innovation. This collaboration also cements CARSOME’s ambition to help drive more equitable growth, especially in the frontier markets it is present in.

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