7 Female Leaders Who Broke New Ground In The Indian Tech World

The number of female leaders in prominent Indian technology firms is still low! Let's have a look at 7 female leaders in the Indian technology landscape.

The number of female leaders in prominent Indian technology firms is still low, and makes the presence of role models so important. Let’s have a look at 7 female leaders in the Indian technology landscape.

Aarthi Subramanian, Chief Digital Officer, Tata Sons 

Formerly the Executive Director of TCS, Aarthi Subramanian was appointed as the Chief Digital Officer of Tata Sons. She has over two decades of experience in the industry where she started her journey with TCS. She has worked across various countries around the world and her role now is to drive the adoption of digital technology across Tata group companies, though she continues to have some responsibilities at TCS.

Aruna Jayanthi, Global BPO Head, Capgemini

Formerly the CEO of Capgemini India till Jan 2016, Aruna Jayanthi was promoted to a new role as the global BPO head of the firm. Aruna Jayanthi has received several laurels, including being featured in many ‘most powerful women’ lists in influential magazines. In an interview to the Hindu Business Line, she says, “I think technology is the easiest industry for women. Look at an IT company, there’s no room for gender. People are judged on merit and how professional they are, and that’s it. Technology is the biggest equaliser.”

Kirthiga Reddy, Managing Director, Facebook India

The MD of Facebook India, and soon to be working in the main headquarters of the firm in America, Kirthiga Reddy is known as an excellent business woman and considered an asset to Facebook. She was one of the first employees of Facebook in India and has a huge role in establishing its roots in the country. Sharing her journey in The Hindu, she says, “Above all, it’s all been about our mission: Give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. We have only just begun.”

Kumud Srinivasan, Former President, Intel India

Now relocating to the US after the end of her tenure in India, Kumud Srinivasan will be succeeded by Nivruti Rai. She has been with Intel for over 25 years. She believes in talking about the situation of women in the industry, and especially the lack of them in higher positions. She says to YourStory, “I think making it easier for women to balance the demands of personal lives in different phases calls for participation not just from the industry but also the government and the academia. One thing that we haven’t done enough of is to bring men into the dialogue. Nobody is talking about the need to actually educate men so that is where the academia will play a big role. In order to bring the men in we need to create an environment which is a little more inclusive. That is the direction in which I would love to see this whole movement go.”

Neelam Dhawan, Vice President, and General Manager, Hewlett-Packard India

Formerly the MD at Microsoft India, Neelam Dhawan has been in the IT industry for more than two decades. She worked with a variety of firms, including Microsoft, before joining HP. With her background in marketing, Dhawan never imagined that she would end up in the IT sector beginning her journey with HCL.

Vanitha Narayanan, Chairman, IBM India Pvt Ltd

Formerly the MD of the firm, Vanitha Narayanan is now elevated as the Chairman. With around three decades of experience in IBM, She has posed onto a variety of roles in the firm and is a major contributor to expanding the firm’s reach throughout the country. The Huffington Post covered her work saying, “When it comes to policies to promote gender diversity, Narayanan says it is important to factor in the realities of parenting for both men and women. ‘Only the woman can give birth, but the child can be raised by both parents. So we need to make sure the policies are available holistically to both so each family can decide what is best for them.'”-

Daisy Chittilapilly, Managing Director, Partner Organisation, Cisco India and SAARC

With an experience of 20 years in the technology industry, and 11 years in Cisco, Daisy is the main driving force behind some major IT decisions in Cisco India. She was one of the very few women in her field when she started at Wipro but has come a long way since then. “At workplace you have to be passionate what you do, to stand apart from others. This will be the stepping stone for you.”-  said Chittilapilly to DQ channels.

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With such brilliant women working, it is not a wonder that the IT industry has progressed so rapidly in the past years in India. The future for women in the industry looks brighter as all the women concerned have worked hard to break the glass ceiling and call out stereotypes against women. More power to them!

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Parul Sharma

New Delhi, India I like to read, write, and talk. A feminist through and through, with a soft spot for chocolate. read more...

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