10 Indian Girls are Taking the World of Technology by Storm

The technology sector is booming today. While the sector initially came across as male-dominated, times are changing now. A large number of girls are taking up careers in the technological sector. There are also many courses available for girls to upgrade their skills in Information technology.

Let’s check out these 10 Indian girls who have taken the world of technology by storm:

1. Padma Priya Gaggara

   Padma Priya Gaggara is the principal group engineer manager at Microsoft. Her core expertise is in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

   She has been working at Microsoft for over 12 years now. She has handled some major projects while also training new employees.

   Over the span of her career over the last 18 years, she has worked for Outlook, Hotmail, eCommerce, tech, health, and travel, among others.

   Padma Priya did her graduation in BTech in Computer Science from JNTU in Hyderabad. She then did her master's from the University of Arizona. Since her school days, Padma loved mathematics. Her love for Maths in school guided her towards a career in technology.

   She believes that exposing girls to subjects like Maths, Science and Analytics at an early age will be beneficial. It can help girls choose a career path in the technological sector.

   Technology keeps evolving, and we all need to keep up with it. She, too, learned about the latest technologies on the job and has kept herself updated.

2. Jaya Jagadish

   Jaya Jagadish is the corporate vice president of design engineering at AMD. Jaya is also a mom who has juggled her work--life balance very well.

   A girl from Bangalore, she did her Bachelors in Bangalore. She then got married and moved to the US, where she decided to pursue her master's in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1994.

   She was, in fact, pregnant during her degree and gave birth to her daughter during the last semester.

   Talking about achieving this work-life balance, she says, "Yes, it was hard to manage. But I had made a decision. My passion for technology was enough to surpass any challenge."

   When she returned to India in 2005, Jaya joined AMD India's development centre in Bengaluru. She today manages a team of 500 employees.

   She is constantly working for women inclusion in the tech industry. She has also introduced several programmes at AMD for women to easily return to work post a maternity break and offers career support systems to all women employees.

   She also runs a mentorship programme for women at her firm to build their leadership and management skills. We definitely need more women like Jaya empowering the next generation of women in tech!

3. Debjani Ghosh

   Debjani Ghosh is the President of the National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM) since April 2018. She is the first-ever woman president of NASSCOM .

   She is a veteran in the tech industry. She strongly believes there should be an equal number of women working in corporate India.

   "Gender diversity is imperative for the success of any business and not just a woman-centric conversation," she says. "As we rapidly pace towards automation, cultivation of technological skills coupled with soft skills will give women an edge over machines," she adds.

   She has a strong message for women working in all professions, "It's time for women to stop second-guessing ourselves and start believing that we are the best at what we do. If you don't, no one else will believe it."

4. Ashni Dwarkadas

   Ashni Dwarkadas, a girl from Mumbai, is an entrepreneur and a young mom. She is the co-founder of two ventures, Hackberry and Koffeeplace.

   Hackberry is an education portal for coding for kids. Koffeeplace is an online portal for women professionals looking to return to their careers after a break.

   She completed her MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in the USA. A coder herself, she recognized the potential of coding.

   She co-founded Hackberry, a coding workshop for 5- to 15-year-olds that teaches coding through games and activities. "Coding involves analytical thinking, design and entrepreneurship, and connects kids to teach in a positive way, to create and innovate

5. Deepa Madhavan

   Deepa from Chennai is the Director, Enterprise Data Services at PayPal. She has a rich experience of over two decades in the industry.

   She has previously worked at Deloitte in the Bay Area, USA. She has previous experience in industries such as telecom, technology and green energy. She has a leadership persona that differentiates her.

   She has an outstanding ability to quickly understand the problem statement and then strategize, design, and execute a strategy with innovative solutions.

   Deepa is a mentor to many women in the industry and within the company. She is a role model for many women for having a successful career.

   She works for 'Recharge'---a programme that brings women back to work. She herself took a break to raise her three children. "I know the struggle because I traversed the same journey," she says.

   Such initiatives help women transition back to work. She also promotes initiatives like 'Girls in Tech' and 'Unity', a group for women at PayPal that helps women network, build leadership skills and find mentorship.

6. Harmeen Mehta

   Harmeen is the Global Chief Information Officer and Head of Digital at Bharti Airtel Limited. She has had an impressive career trajectory.

   With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she has handled many leadership roles. Under her leadership, Airtel has won several awards.

   She has received multiple awards for her leadership positions. One such award is the 2018 MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award.

   She has been recognized as one of the top 10 women in the telecom industry globally.

   She has lived in 11 countries and worked in over 30 countries until now. Isn't it impressive? She is an inspiring example that any Indian girl can become a leader globally!

7. Dr Neena Pahuja

   A key personality in the tech industry, Dr. Neena Pahuja is the Director-General at Ernet India. It comes under the Department of Electronics & IT, Government of India.

   She has been an instrumental figure with work experience of over 33 years. She has worked in different business verticals in various capacities. Starting from software development to consulting, her areas of expertise are vast.

   She is currently involved in National policies, new research areas and newer technologies to support the connected India initiative.

   She has worked in industries including Education, Healthcare, BPO, Steel, Auto Manufacturing, Insurance and Construction. We definitely need more women representation at the policy level. She is truly an inspiration to many young girls.

8. Rekha Menon

   **Rekha Menon is the Chairman and Senior Managing Director of Accenture India, one of the biggest IT firms in the country. **

   She is a strong pillar of the tech industry in India. She is the vice president of NASSCOM.

   She works for the innovation of technology and how it can be used for socio-economic progress.

   Before Accenture, she founded two technology companies and a non-profit organization.

   She says, "Women leaders can be powerful agents of change, inspiring others as role models". She actively gives back to the society even today. She is a firm believer of women achieving what they want and reaching new heights.

9. Sudha Murty

   Sudha Murty is one of the oldest pioneers of the industry. Frombeing the first female engineer at TELCO , she has played multiple roles.

   She started her career in computer science and engineering . She has also been the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, a professor, an author and a philanthropist. She has also been awarded the Padma Shri from the Government of India.

   In one of her interviews, she recalls being the only girl in the batch in her engineering course. She mentions that times have evolved.

   More girls should take up careers in this industry and explore their potential to the fullest.

10. Sindhu Gangadharan

    Sindhu is a Managing Director of SAP LABS India. SAP is a recognized prestigious company in the tech industry having offices globally.

    Sindhu and her husband, both employees of SAP worked in the German office for a few years. Both her kids were born there. She has managed her work-life balance really well while excelling at her career.

    They relocated to India, and she has taken over LABS. She mentions her parents and her elder brother have been her inspiration to take up a career in the tech industry. She also thanks her mentors at SAP, who have helped shape her career. She believes in giving back. She helps many young women in their professional careers.

    She said, "Our programme called Ace provides customized development opportunities for women who want to be experts in their technology area and has had a big impact in grooming them into tech leaders."

    These women are a great source of inspiration to anyone wanting to carve their own career path in the field of information and technology.

    One thing that is common between all these women is their command over the subject and expertise.

    If one wants to excel in this field, then there is merit in constantly upgrading oneself. There are many free online courses available for girls to upgrade their skills and better their career prospects. Click on the link to access these courses for free.