Goldman Sachs was the biggest sponsor of a Harvard event last weekend aimed at women interested in computer science. But the Wall Street bank’s conference swag at the event was found off-putting by at least one attendee.
The conference, Women Engineers Code, or WECode, which was organized by an undergraduate student group at Harvard, featured stacks of cosmetic mirrors with the Goldman Sachs logo, a photograph posted to Instagram shows. The Instagram user also said that the bank brought nail files to the event.
“Not sure if this is #sexyfeminism or gender stereotyping,†wrote the Instagram user, who uses the handle yuqz.
In addition to the mirrors and nail files, Goldman Sachs provided T-shirts and key chains to hold headphone cords, according to a person briefed on the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue. The event’s organizers encouraged Goldman to bring goodies that would appeal to a female audience, this person said.
“We are strong supporters of efforts to recruit and retain women in technology. We apologize if the gifts gave anyone offense,†a Goldman Sachs spokeswoman said in a statement.
An email and Facebook messages to the organizers of the event were not immediately returned on Tuesday.
Goldman did have a major presence at the conference and was its “platinum†sponsor. One of its partners, Marie Louise Kirk, gave a speech on Saturday. For another educational program, the bank teamed with the nonprofit group Girls Who Code.
Google, another sponsor of the conference, also put its name on some swag, a photo on Instagram shows. The item in question? Socks.
