Cracking the code: These Indian women aced the game of technology in 2023

The latest report by AIM Research titled ‘Women in Tech 2023 (India)’ reveals that women employees account for 29% of India’s total pool of tech workers and merely 8% are in tech leadership roles across sectors. 

Additionally, according to Skillsoft’s 2023 Women in Tech Report, which highlights the top challenges and areas of opportunity for women working in technology, 35% of women techies note that men outnumber them at ratios greater than 4:1 within their organisations. About 45% of women surveyed feel that they are not given equal opportunities.

Several factors lead to a difficult environment for women in technology, including the existence of a male-dominated leadership, challenges in effectively managing both home and work responsibilities, insufficient networking skills, the absence of robust mentorship programmes, and other such issues.

Despite these barriers, many women in leadership positions in technology have successfully overcome challenges and reached top positions in their respective areas of expertise. They are not just breaking the glass ceiling but also inspiring other women to climb the tech ladder.

Here are the top women in tech stories of this year.

Isha Oke, Meta

As Meta's Data Science Lead, Isha Oke oversees identifying future investments in Reels ranking/monetisation, evaluates launch tradeoffs, defines metrics, and manages product success through complex A/B testing setups.

In her current role, she also creates mentorship programmes and guides new hires and colleagues transitioning to data science at Meta.

Before that, she worked for Microsoft, engaging in diverse data science roles—from data engineering to making strategic product recommendations. During her years at Microsoft, she got two patents approved.

As a woman in technology, she feels fortunate to have female mentors at different times of her career.

“One of the female leaders taught me how emotional vulnerability and empathy can help build stronger relationships with mentees. By emotional vulnerability, it means it is okay to be extremely transparent and honest about your strengths and your weaknesses. And it’s also okay as a leader to acknowledge where you're lacking, and where you can do better,” she tells HerStory.

Rajalakshmi Sakthivel, Car Audio, Automotive Division, HARMAN

Rajalakshmi Sakthivel is Senior Director at HARMAN International (India), a global leader in car audio technology and an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. At HARMAN, her role is to put together the car audio group, which has grown from an initial team of 10 to over 300 people today.

“I was given a senior director position as a global leader for platform software. In addition to this, I was also given a site leader responsibility for the car audio team. This involved consistent practices and implementation of policies and procedures across different functions within car audio,” she tells HerStory

She completed her BE in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Vinayaka Mission Krupananda Engineering College in Salem in 1996. However, it took her some time to get her first break in ADS Exports as an R&D Engineer.

Despite not “getting into the creamy layer” of companies, she excelled in her career, holding key positions at companies like APTIV and Delphi Automotive Systems. Sakthivel played a significant role in the launch of the Tata Nano and has been instrumental in building the car audio group at HARMAN.

Meerah Rajavel, Palo Alto Networks

In a career spanning almost three decades, Meerah Rajavel has worked in IT majors like Cisco, McAfee, and Forcepoint, and now is the Chief Information Officer at Palo Alto Networks.

In the current role, Rajavel is responsible for overseeing all aspects of technology. This includes managing a team that builds products for customers, addressing issues related to running global offices, and handling customer queries about applications. 

Additionally, her team plays a crucial role in providing business and technology infrastructure capabilities essential for the company’s functioning. She manages a team of 1,000 in Palo Alto, overseeing all technology crucial for the company’s enterprise operations and success.

She tells HerStory, “It’s okay to fall if you know how to get up. But practice on getting up, and not falling. Again, if you are not falling, you are playing safe.”

Gayathri Vaidyanathan, Lowe’s India

After seven years of career break, Gayathri Vaidyanathan bounced back as she joined Lowe’s India in 2020. From restarting her career as an intern at Target, she is currently the Director of Software Engineering. 

In this role, she heads the Sourcing (Customer Promise) Engineering division, which is responsible for ensuring the brand’s fulfilment promise to customers is met. This involves tracking products’ availability across every channel for any given customer based on a zip code, tentative duration of fulfilment, and the most optimised location where the order can be fulfilled.

Prior to the break she worked at Lucent for 10 years where she worked on cutting-edge projects in the telecom industry.

“When life events happen, there is also the question of prioritisation and time management. Sometimes, you don’t have to choose one over the other, but you could learn to prioritise. There will be days when work takes precedence, and on others, when family is important. Women should be able to make these choices without feeling guilty and be able to advocate for what they want,” she says.

Priyanka Swain, Tally Solutions.

Priyanka Swain joined Tally Solutions leading engineering initiatives in 2016. As the Director of Engineering, Swain leads the centre of excellence for the client vertical. She is globally responsible for driving Tally’s releases and various product innovations. 

In her day-to-day role, she oversees designs, people management, managing delivery, excellence and process creation. She also manages multiple organisational-level initiatives like the Tally Alumni Chapter, the engineering internship programme and more.

She got her passion for STEM from her engineer father. Before this, she worked for Infosys for 15 years where she worked on various banking and international projects. 

Advocating for bringing more women into tech, she says, “There should be a support network specific for women because most of them are normally very reticent to talk about themselves or their work and there is a need for continuous mentorship. I think the absence of this network and family responsibilities are leading women to move into non-challenging domains.”

Deepa Vijayaraghavan, PayPal

Fifteen years ago when Deepa Vijayaraghavan joined PayPal as a Program Manager, she was deeply involved in engineering. However, a leader recognised her potential and suggested a transition to programme management. 

Despite the challenges of being a new mother, Vijayaraghavan embraced the shift, pursuing self-education with certifications in PMO, an MBA, and a PMP qualification. 

She slowly progressed to roles like PMO manager and across roles in portfolio management. 

Recently she joined the office of the CTO's team, where she leads APAC planning, operations, and innovations. She connects APAC and North American teams, collaborating with engineers on significant projects and transformations.

She is also the Co-founder of Shevolve, a mentorship programme that empowers and guides women to achieve their goals in the tech sector. The programme has over 20,000 members.

Vijayaraghavan advises young women, “Stay relevant and competitive by investing in your knowledge and skills. Build a strong support system, seek out mentors and sponsors, and actively create networks that provide guidance and empowerment. As women in tech, we have the power to change the narrative and make our mark in the industry.”

Kirti Kama, Mastercard

Kirti Kama joined Mastercard in 2015, initially working in development and engineering within the warehouse. Currently, as the Senior Vice President, Technology at Mastercard, Kama is responsible for the infrastructure and technical operations of Mastercard in the Asia-Pacific, across data centres, networks, and platform services.

Earlier, she worked for Clover Technologies, Tech Mahindra, and Amdocs in diverse roles, transitioning from programming to database management, assisting the sales team, and more.

Kama believes in instilling confidence among other women. She passionately sponsors Mastercard's Girls4Tech, which is Mastercard’s programme that aims to encourage and inspire young girls about STEM education and careers through a simple and gamified learning program. 

She believes that women need role models for guidance and support. 

“Having a mentor to talk to is also important because sometimes your personal side may need more attention than the professional side or vice versa. You need guidance on the balance you need to move forward,” she says.