Not a tribute, but a mirror and a megaphone

It didn’t make the headline because they were women. It made the headline because they got the job done. And that’s the shift we’re seeing—slow, sometimes uneven, but unmistakably real.

This isn’t just a military metaphor. It mirrors the moment we are in—a defining one for India’s digital growth story. As we build a future-ready, digitised India, women’s participation in tech leadership isn’t just desirable—it’s necessary. Government-backed initiatives like Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (DISHA), STREE (Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women), and Startup India’s women-centric funding programs are creating critical pipelines to bring more women into the fold—as entrepreneurs, engineers, and ecosystem enablers.

In this third edition of Dataquest’s Women in Tech special, we’ve chosen to do things differently. In the past, we spotlighted 40 Powerhouse Women and profiled IT Mavericks. This time, we go beyond titles. We’re capturing journeys—from coders to C-suite, and from first-job jitters to boardroom boldness. Because in tech, every story matters.

Take Arundhati Bhattacharya, Padma Shri awardee and now CEO of Salesforce South Asia; or Nuvoco Vistas’ Manisha Kelkar, Chief Human Resources Officer, or Agnes Garaba, Chief People Officer at UiPath, blending empathy and automation to redefine HR in the age of AI. There’s also Shantha Maheshwari, Markets Lead at EY Global Delivery Services; Srividhya Srinivasan, Co-founder at Amagi, building global tech from Indian soil; and Hardika Shah, Founder-CEO of Kinara Capital, enabling financial inclusion through fintech. Their paths aren’t linear. Their leadership doesn’t mimic the past. They’re setting new standards, charting bold directions, and transforming what it means to lead in today’s tech-driven world.

And yet, challenges remain. McKinsey’s 2024 report shows 28% of women still encounter microaggressions at work—those subtle put-downs that erode confidence. Many women are still handed roles during a crisis, with little room for error and disproportionate scrutiny. Others are rewriting leadership altogether—ditching the “ladder” for bridges, tunnels, and revolutions, and unapologetic authenticity, as echoed by the many women leaders we’ve featured and spoken to.

Globally, fewer than a third of C-suite roles in tech are held by women. But India is sending a strong counter-signal—HP Inc., HPE, Dell Technologies India, HCL Technologies, and Kinara Capital are all steered by women at the helm. These aren’t one-offs. These are markers of momentum.

This edition of Dataquest isn’t a tribute. It’s a mirror and a megaphone. It’s about amplification—not validation. It’s about hearing voices that are not just part of the story—but are finally writing it.

Read on for more from Nithya Rajagopalan of LinkedIn India, Jaya Vaidhyanathan of BCT Digital, Soumya Mishra of Haleon Asia, Heather Dawe of UST UK, and other remarkable women shaping the face of tech in India—and beyond.

Because when women lead with intention—not imitation—they don’t just change systems.

They redesign the room. Let’s begin.