Google’s recent appointment of Preeti Lobana as head of its Indian operations highlights a positive trend of increasing female leadership in India's tech sector. Prominent figures like Arundhati Bhattacharya and Sandhya Devanathan are reshaping gender representation. Despite progress, women still hold only 14.5% of top roles in Global Capability Centers. The Female Work Participation Rate in tech rose by 9.1% from 2022 to 2023, but around 51% of women exit the workforce by age 30-35, indicating a need for supportive environments to sustain female leadership.
Last week, Google made headlines by appointing Preeti Lobana as the head of its Indian operations, reflecting a positive shift towards gender diversity in the technology sector. This move is part of a broader trend where women are increasingly stepping into leadership roles at major tech companies across the country. Notable figures like Arundhati Bhattacharya, who recently took charge of Salesforce's Asean region, and Sandhya Devanathan, leading Meta's India business, are helping to reshape the narrative around gender representation in the industry.
The ascent of women to prominent positions in global tech firms has accelerated in recent years, following the impactful appointments of leaders such as Irina Ghose at Microsoft India, Sindhu Gangadharan at SAP Labs India, Jaya Jagadish at AMD, and Prativa Mohapatra at Adobe India. These appointments signify a progressive shift towards inclusivity in an industry that has long been perceived as male-dominated.
Bhattacharya’s transition from a successful banking career—where she served as the chairman of India’s largest state bank, SBI—to a tech leadership role illustrates the expanding horizons for women in this field. Other prominent leaders include Daisy Chittilapilly, who presides over Cisco's India and SAARC operations, and Swapna Bapat, managing director and vice president at Palo Alto Networks.
Harish Bijoor, a business and brand-strategy expert, emphasizes the significance of this trend, stating, “Global companies want to make a statement about attracting the best talent while also making no bones about having a woman at the top positions.” This evolving landscape stands in contrast to the Indian IT sector, where women still represent a minority in senior leadership roles.
The growth of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India has also played a crucial role in promoting female leadership. Currently, around 25% of women in tech are employed in GCCs, a figure projected to rise to 27% by 2027, according to industry data.
However, Kumar Rajagopalan, vice president at staffing firm Dexian, points out that there is still work to be done. "Where India falls short of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives of the West is when it comes to creating an ecosystem around the leader," he notes. He highlights the importance of fostering a supportive environment to ensure that women leaders can make confident decisions without facing resistance.
Teamlease, a recruitment firm, reports that the Female Work Participation Rate (FWPR) in technology has risen by 9.1% between 2022 and 2023, with expectations of steady growth in the coming years. Munira Loliwala, VP at Teamlease Digital, underscores the need for "intersectional representation and transformational leadership" to further enhance this progress.
Despite the increasing number of women leaders, they still hold only about 14.5% of top roles in GCCs, with even fewer in Indian IT giants. Notably, aside from Roshni Nadar-Malhotra at HCL Technologies, major firms like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra have yet to appoint female CEOs.
However, the representation of women at the executive level in IT services is more encouraging, standing at 8% compared to 6.7% in GCCs. As India's demand for offshoring talent grows, more STEM graduates are expected to join the workforce, contributing to increased female representation in tech.
To fully harness this potential, it is essential to address the challenge that sees approximately 51% of working women in tech leaving their jobs by the age of 30-35. By creating a more inclusive and supportive environment, the industry can ensure that women leaders not only rise but thrive in their roles.
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