Femina hosts inaugural edition of Women in Tech; creates a platform to inspire and build an equitable future in the tech industry
~ Femina xEconomic Times hosted this one-day event held on 24th February 2021 that featured the powerful gamechangers of tech industry ~
Inspiring the next generation for change and celebrating the women who have broken the glass ceiling and are inspiring many more along the way, Femina X Economic Times, hosted the inaugural/ first edition of Women in Tech featuring leaders who have battled the stereotype to take up the mantle from men in the business.
Commenting on the first edition of the initiative, Mr. Deepak Lamba, CEO of Worldwide Media, said, “Femina, for the past six decades, has always been at the forefront of driving change for Indian women and empowering them. Femina understands that we, and I mean each one of us, irrespective of gender, have the power to make a difference. We are inspired by women in technology, who are changing the very course of history, of individual lives and of the world at large, with or without a corner office. We raise a toast to these women at the helm for what they have achieved along the way.”
The one-day virtual event saw the coming together of female figureheads like Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani(Minister of Women and Child Development, Minister of Textiles, Government of India), Dr Neeta Verma (Director General, NIC, GOI), SheenamOhrie – (Vice President, Dell Digital Services online, Dell Technologies), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw – (Executive Chairperson, Biocon), Rekha M Menon (Chairperson and Senior Managing Director, Accenture in India),Deepali Naair(Chief Marketing Officer, IBM – India and South Asia),Julie Linn Teigland(CEO and Managing Partner, EY – EMEI), Cathy Hackl – (Futurist & CEO, Futures Intelligence Group)among many others.
The event began with an interaction featuring Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development, Minister of Textiles, Government of India andNayantara Rai, Chief of Bureau – Delhi, ET Now on the topic ’A Step Towards an Equitable Society’. Speaking about bringing a change, Smt. Smriti Iranishared, “As PM Narendra Modi says that change must begin at home. Since childhood, we must inculcate equal roles and responsibilities whether it is related to tech or becoming a caretaker. Even today, subjects such as engineering, cloud computing, machine learning, AI have been given a masculine colour. And it is time we transform. It is through initiatives such as this that we will be able to raise actionable awareness and promote more inclusivity in the sector.”
The event also saw, Dr Neeta Verma, Director General, NIC, Government of India speak about ‘’Shaping a sustainable Future with Digital’’. She spoke about the importance of Digital India Program which was formed in 2015, with a focus on the power of technology and how it is an important tool in our everyday life. Sharing her views, she said, ‘’There is of course a lot of potential among women who take up technological roles, however they lack the correct vision. The need of the hour is to give them opportunities. The upcoming technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) will give hope to all the sectors of the society especially women to enhance their skill and grow as the country grows.
The event focused on the challenges and the next steps for involving more and more women in this sector. Not just that, it also celebrated the women leaders in tech by giving them a platform to discuss, address and engage in various panel discussions, keynote speeches and success stories.
Femina X Economic Times, #WomenInTech also acknowledged and lauded the efforts of women leaders who have disrupted the tech sector with their dedication, commitment, and will to drive change. Of the many, the initiative applauded Annie Mathew, Chief Information Officer, Mother Dairy; Aruna Rao, Strategic Technologies Advisor, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman & CEO, Salesforce India; Deepali Naair, Chief Marketing Officer, IBM India & South Asia; DivyaGokulnath, Co- Founder and Teacher, BYJU’S; FalguniNayar, Founder and CEO, Nykaa; Geetu Bhatnagar,Senior Director – Head of Marketing, Oracle India; Harmeen Mehta, CIO & Head Cloud and Security Business, Bharti Airtel; Roshni Das, Marketing Director, Intel India Technology for leaving no stone unturned in proving their managerial and leadership prowess.
