Neelam Must Shine

I am sure she will not remember it, but I first met Neelam Dhawan in her
Hindustan Computers office in Nehru Place. The year was 1989, and we were doing
an article on the new features that were available in PC ATs in comparison to PC
XTs. Along with the article we had to carry a comparative price chart of the
leading vendors, and every time I asked Hindustan Computers for the information,
I was told that Neelam Dhawan will give it. One day I just walked into their
office and said I was not leaving till I have met Neelam Dhawan.

I was completely taken aback when a smart, young and yet, unassuming lady
just walked up to me and introduced herself as Neelam. She said she was sorry
for the delay but that she was not aware of this. Without any further delay she
just took a piece of paper and jotted down the details, and I filed my story.
She even gave me her direct number and said if there were any clarifications, I
could call her without hesitation.

Almost twenty years have passed since then. Hindustan Computers became HCL,
and Indian IT became a multi-billion dollar industry. In between, some very big
milestones were crossed. I would term Neelams appointment as the head of HP
India, the countrys fourth largest IT company, as a milestone that will change
the face of Indian IT.

Ibrahim Ahmad

As the new captain of a mega-entity that clocked revenue of nearly Rs 12,000
crore in 2006-07, Neelam will surely be an inspiration for thousands of women
workers who form a part of the Indian IT industry. Today, almost 20% of the
industry workforce constitutes of women, and I am sure Neelam will provide
confidence to many of them to take bigger targets and even bigger roles, and aim
for leadership positions. We do not find many women at senior positions across
the industry, but Neelams achievement will surely change the picture in the
next few years.

With Indian companies such as Wipro, TCS, and Infosys strengthening and
consolidating their position in the domestic market, it is going to be pretty
tough. But I am confident that Neelam, with her experience and knowledge of the
industry, will do a great job as a leader. This is likely to change the mindset
of board members as well as headhunters, many of whom still believe that the job
is for men when it comes to looking for CEO material.

Will Neelam succeed in her new role? I bet she will. If nothing else, she has
to prove a point to the world. And more than that, for an industry where senior
level talent is a huge crunch, it is critical that she succeeds. I am sure
nobody wants a smile on the face of those who believe that women cannot succeed
at the top. The industry needs to make sure she does.