Defining Support for Women in the Drone Industry with Randall Warnas

Industries are becoming aware that gaining gender equality it isn’t about playing a numbers game—how many women you have employed—but rather about developing a supportive framework that will attract and keep women in the field by providing paths that can lead to growth and success. But what does it mean to support women in this space, and what does that support actually look like?

This is the next installment in a multi-part series that focuses on discussing concrete ways industry leaders and individuals can support, inspire, and attract more women to the industry and help them be successful in diverse roles.

When we talk about women in drones the assumption is that it is a platform by women and for women. Commercial UAV News wants to challenge that assumption and bring everyone in the industry together to make real progress toward gender equality. In order to do this, we need to bring forward thinking men with creative ideas into the mix. One of the men in the industry that has been making strides toward elevating the gender conversation is Randall Warnas, Global sUAS Segment Leader at FLIR. He was recently featured in Woman and Drones, hosted an all women leadership forum on the Facebook group Unmanned Underground, jumps at any opportunity to speak at K-12 schools and universities, and has helped aspiring professionals enter the industry.

We spoke with Warnas to get his practical insights on the challenges of gender dynamics, the importance of being intentional when addressing diversity issues, how we can get everyone involved in the conversation, and much more.

Watch the full interview below:

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Danielle Gagne

Danielle Gagne was the Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News. She continues to be dedicated to providing commercial drone professionals with exclusive insights and content from experts in the field, keeping the industry informed and up to date on everything related to drones.

Danielle originally came to Commercial UAV News from an editorial background in higher education publishing where she edited books on every topic from financial risk management to nanotechnology and morphing wing technology. During that time, she reported and conveyed the business needs and expectations between all points of her organization and the technology team, working closely with IT development. She found these aspects of her previous career invaluable to understanding and conveying the convergence of technology, business, public perception, and regulation in the drone industry as editorial analyst.