International Women’s Day is here and the world is celebrating this special day. We all know the importance of women in our lives. Today, women are no longer deprived of their growth opportunities being a women as they used to be in the early days. Women power has emerged strongly in the past few years and has marked their presence across the sectors. On this special day, we have short-listed below reactions of India's leading tech leaders. Check out these inspiring quotes
“More Than 33% Of Our Workforce Comprises of Women with A 50:50 Leadership Ratio”
“We, at Hero Vired, believe that diversity emanates from our thoughts and actions. This has made it even more critical for us to invest in Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) when hiring faculty, leaders, learners, and other actors in the learning ecosystem. We have a focused approach for the betterment of women in STEM and women of Vired. We have extended scholarships for up to 50% for women with outstanding professional experience, academic performance, and interest in our domains. This endeavour has cascaded through our hiring and team structure. More than 33% of our workforce comprises of women with a 50:50 leadership ratio. Because of its ability to overcome geographical and social boundaries to impart knowledge and learning, EdTech has the unique potential to act as a catalyst for D&I in the economy. We encourage our employees to be result-oriented and conduct regular leadership workshops for women employees. Our bi-annual appraisal cycle keeps employees motivated to perform their best and feel appreciated and rewarded for their work.” - Akshay Munjal, Founder and CEO, Hero Vired.
“We Still Have A Long Way To Go Before Reaching True Gender Parity In The Workplace”
“The emergence of strong role models and success stories from the likes of Debjani Ghosh and Roshni Nadar Malhotra is encouraging, and it shows that progress has been made towards gender parity in India’s tech industry. But we still have a long way to go before reaching true gender parity in the workplace. Finding role models and building inclusive support systems are key to help accelerate progress on closing this gap.
Growing up, there was a lack of role models in STEM who are women, but I’m thankful to have had the privilege of knowing and working with a few in my life. These individuals helped me to understand what imposter syndrome is, how I should deal and overcome it. My family and friends were another critical element as they were always present to support my decisions instead of criticizing or passing judgements on “not so typical” professional decisions. For instance, I have taken career breaks to enable my husband’s ambitions and he too had done the same. As younger women aspire to grow in the tech industry and at the same time maintain a balance in their lives, defining your core values and centering decisions around them will be essential. My advice is to stay curious, cultivate and invest in strong relationships that uplift you. I also can’t stress the importance of believing in yourself - everyone has the capacity to push boundaries and self-doubts and be the best versions of themselves.” - Aditi Jain, Senior Director and HRBP, APJ, Twilio.
“We Believe That Diversity of Talent is The Key to Our Success”
“At Tata Communications, we believe that diversity of talent is the key to our success. People of different genders, backgrounds, skills, and perspectives enable us to anticipate and respond to changes in our industry with agility and address our customers’ evolving needs more effectively.”
“One of the key approaches to breaking bias is through constant education on being aware, and regular listening opportunities with employees. We do regular pulse surveys which provides a safe channel for employees to share the improvements they’d like to see in the workplace, policies and practices. In addition, we also run an annual survey where we seek feedback on all possible dimensions of working from the employees, and the results are viewed holistically, and action plans are put in place to introduce relevant changes. Our Global Part Time Work policy, Work from Home Policy and Caregiving Policy in conjunction with LEAP (Life Event Assistance Program) are result of some of the feedback received from the listening channels, which today help employees balance their personal needs and professional responsibilities at the same time.”
“Technology can also aid in eliminating a few biases in the processes. For example, at Tata Communications, we have deployed an AI-based solution that masks the gender of the applicant and that enables the hiring manager to shortlist profiles purely based on merit.” - Ina Bajwa, Sr. Director, Human Resources, Tata Communications
“At 75F, We Ensure A Successful Career Advancement Of Every Woman That Has Associated With Us”
“Considered as the most crucial social foundations, women, when empowered, bring positive changes to the table. Despite advances in technology and the popularity of feminism, women still do not hold an equal status in society. Women in this sector still struggle with underrepresentation as it is largely dominated by men. Gender inequality and a lack of professional prospects for women in the tech domain are particularly prevalent in the developing countries.”
“According to recent research by AnitaB.org in 2020, women make up 28.8 percent of the IT workforce, while Deloitte predicts global technology firms will have a 33 percent overall female presence in their workforces by 2022. We have a large number of female entrepreneurs and top-level female executives all around the world who have demonstrated that women can be just as successful as men. This International Women's Day gives us another opportunity to honour the great achievements of women all around the world, as well as the constant and unrelenting pursuit of gender equality.”
“At 75F, we ensure a successful career advancement of every woman that has associated with us. We are proud of them and we look forward to having more women representation in our teams in the near future. We also help them upskill according to current trends and markets for a positive progression in their career path. This would help us encourage professional women and their talents, to create a culture known for providing them with equal opportunity and respect." - Subhashini Ponappa, Head HR & Administration, 75F, APAC region.
“We Ensure Women Empowerment by Investing in Training, Mentoring, and Promotion into Senior-Level Positions”
"On this women’s day, we express our gratitude towards women across the globe. Today women have proactively started taking an active role to demonstrate their abilities in different spheres throughout the world. It is incredibly empowering to be a part of an organization that recognises our strengths at the grass-roots level, and gives us the space to bring forth our own ideas and flourish. We have around 30% women of the total workforce associated with us, and we ensure that they are upskilled to the newest technology and trends so that they excel in their jobs wherever they go. At Snapbizz, we ensure women empowerment and growth by investing in training, mentoring, equality programs, and promotion into senior-level positions, which is essential to retain them for the long term. I am proud to be part of a company that is generating a large number of women entrepreneurs and strengthening the existing ones to adopt digital technologies and prosper in the community." - Bhavana Israni, Company Secretary and Head-Legal, Snapbizz.
"Indian Women Are Playing An Increasingly Crucial Role In Businesses Today”
"Indian women are playing an increasingly crucial role in businesses today. Women are educated, skilled and ambitious enough to have perfected the art of balancing their personal and professional lives. It is still a fact that career - oriented women face a number of barriers while discovering their potential and identity, but it is safe to say that the climate is more conducive now, than it was 15 or 20 years ago. All over the world, women are coming forward and working their way to reclaim their power and authority in every field, and Indian women, an inspiration to all, are second to none in this respect. It is an honor to be a part of this formidable force, and gives us great joy to wish everyone a wonderful Women's Day." - Ruchi Jain (Head of IT) and Anisha Jain (Head of Creative), Strawfit.
“We Are Striving to Empower Women to Maintain a Healthy Work Life Balance”
"The Indian IT industry has made significant progress in recent years, in terms of empowering women and reducing the gender gap. For FY 2017–2018, the IT and ITES sector employed 34% women, according to the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, which is higher than the 20.5% average level of female participation in the formal economy in 2011. While this is a positive step forward, we still have a long way to go in this journey. The pandemic has shown how women, faced with a novel set of challenges, have managed to balance work and family obligations while working from home as well as upskilling at the same time. The new wave of women will bring exciting times ahead for the IT industry, with a new take on leadership and innovation. As women, our fight to break the gender bias is a continuum. We, at Fujitsu Consulting India, are striving to empower women to maintain a healthy work life balance, encouraging them to upskill, and are providing constant support right from hiring to onboarding and beyond, in our endeavor to bridge the gender gap making the workplace equally enabled." -Dhanya Ros Mathew, Head of Service Delivery for the Oceania Region, Fujitsu Consulting India
“Equity More Than Equality Is A Much-Needed Order Of The Day”
“Gender diversity, unfortunately, is woefully low and even more so at senior leadership levels. Technology-led bias coupled with remote work is only compounding the problem of unconscious gender bias, further aggravating the diversity challenge for enterprises costing them billions of dollars via lower productivity and attrition. Equity more than equality is a much-needed order of the day, and enterprises must invest in enabling this change right from the recruitment process to equitable performance management, enterprise culture and building a healthy leadership pool” - Srividya Kannan, Founder, Director, Avaali Solutions Pvt Ltd.
