Intertech LGBT+ Diversity Forum (or Intertech for short) is a grassroots network for LGBT+ professionals and allies in the technology sector. We work with tech professionals and organisations to build more diverse and inclusive working environments.
Our mission is to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity by educating and raising awareness about the importance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) in the technology sector. We have 3 objectives to achieve this:

Support LGBT+ individuals with personal development through networking, workshops and mentorship

Support organisations by accelerating LGBT+ Employee Networks through sharing best practice and pooling resources

Engage with our industry to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues through raising profiles and connecting other LGBT+ communities with each other
Today we have a thriving organisation of over 2000 members who meet regularly both at Intertech events and outside of them.
The beating heart of Intertech is the welcoming and inclusive community that helps and supports each other.
In 2012, major technologies companies like Google, Microsoft, Linkedin and Facebook were forging ahead with DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives in the LGBT+ space. The internal LGBT+ ERG (Employee Resource Group) leaders wanted to make an impact that was beyond just their respective companies and so, Intertech was born. In the beginning, the mailing list was an easy way to share LGBT+ events with like minded people in the tech industry. This quickly snowballed to hackathons and Pride marches which both continues to today.
In 2016, Intertech pivoted to a three pronged approach when creating events, representing the heartbeat and rhythm of the intertech calendar:
- Monthly Socials – Easy to organise and self-funded, this created a regular cadence for socials that meant more opportunities for the community to get together and meet each other
- Intertech Events – These sponsored events provide an evening of learning, networking and fun. Whether its deep diving into how Deliveroo improved their routing or watching a debate on hot LGBT+ topics, these events provided topic discussion, lively debate and refreshments under one roof!
- Big Events – This includes Hackathons and Prides which take waaay more effort to organise than a standard events, but overall have huge impact to our community.
The COVID-19 Pandemic dealt Intertech (as well as other community groups) a big blow. With in-person events banned, Intertech experienced a brief hiatus (Zoom events were tried but it just wasn’t the same).
Fast forward to 2023, and Intertech is back in action. With a re-energised committee, Intertech are back and ready to continue working with our industry to make sure LGBT+ tech professionals to make our events bigger and better than ever. We have 2 major things we want to accomplish for 2023/24:
- To bring back our cadence of events and bring the community back together
- To revisit our fundamental assumptions and work with our members to better understand how we can be more impactful for everyone
We want to use this new energy to build Intertech 3.0, that is more focussed on how we bring community value to our members, sponsors and industry.