Women in AI must not just join the future, but help define how it is built

International Women’s Day often brings familiar language around empowerment, inclusion, and representation. But this year, a deeper thread runs through the voices of women leaders across technology. As artificial intelligence moves from hype to infrastructure, from experimentation to deployment, the real question is no longer whether women are part of the story. It is whether they are helping write it.

That distinction matters. AI is not just another wave of enterprise technology. It is already beginning to shape how organisations hire, govern, automate, secure, and serve. In such a moment, women’s participation cannot remain limited to presence alone. It must extend to influence, authorship, and decision-making power.

Across industries, from enterprise software and observability to storage, cybersecurity, talent strategy, and digital transformation, the leaders featured here return to a common idea: when women lead in AI and technology, the outcome is not only fairer, but smarter, more responsible, and more durable. Their perspectives also make one thing clear. Progress will not come from symbolism. It will come from access, sponsorship, skilling, visible leadership, and systems that allow women to build, shape, and lead the next era of technology.

Why Women Must Help Shape the AI Era

Sindhu Gangadharan of SAP Labs India places the debate where it belongs: at the heart of AI’s design, governance, and future direction. Her message is both timely and foundational. As AI scales across industries, women must not remain on the margins of technological change. They must help define its architecture and its impact.

“The rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping how we live, work and solve some of the world’s most complex challenges. As AI moves from experimentation to real-world deployment across industries, it is critical that women play a central role in shaping how these technologies are designed, built and governed. The future of AI must be inclusive by design, and that begins with ensuring diverse voices are part of the innovation process.

Women bring valuable perspectives to AI development, particularly in areas such as ethical design, responsible innovation and human-centric technology. Across research labs, startups, enterprises and policymaking forums, women are already contributing to advances in AI, data science and intelligent systems that are transforming sectors from healthcare and mobility to public services.

At the same time, the scale of the AI opportunity demands sustained efforts to strengthen the talent pipeline. Industry, academia and governments must work together to expand access to STEM education, foster AI fluency and create environments where women can build, lead and innovate.

As we enter an AI-first era, women must not only participate in this technological transformation but help define its direction. When women lead in AI, the technology becomes more responsible, more inclusive and ultimately more impactful for society.”
— Sindhu Gangadharan, MD, SAP Labs India; Head – Customer Innovation Services, SAP; Chairperson, Nasscom

Give to Gain and the Power of Shared Lift

The theme of “Give To Gain” finds one of its strongest articulations in Virginia Galarón’s reflections. Her argument widens the conversation beyond representation and into reciprocity, support, and collective advancement. In her framing, giving is not loss. It is multiplication. It is how opportunity scales.

“The IWD 2026 Give To Gain Campaign encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration. Give To Gain emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Giving is not a subtraction, it's intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise.

Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women's advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.”
— Virginia Galarón, Customer Advocate Director at New Relic

She extends that theme into the Indian technology context, where the paradox is stark. India produces women in STEM at scale, yet loses momentum sharply as careers move upward. Her commentary is especially strong because it links advancement not just to policy, but to purpose, voice, and impact.

“International Women’s Day is a strong reminder that progress in India’s technology landscape is built on mutual support and shared investment in one another’s success. Women now constitute 43% of STEM graduates in India, one of the highest in the world. Yet, there’s the potential is lost in the transition to the workforce, where women’s representation in executive roles falls to 4-8%.

The ‘give to gain’ mindset is essential to plugging this gap. When we invest in one another through time, mentorship, advocacy, education or simply visibility, we create more opportunity for everyone. When women thrive, industries grow stronger, innovation accelerates and communities become more resilient.

In technology, one of the most powerful ways we can give is through impact. The work we do must solve real problems for customers, teams and the broader industry. In my day-to-day work, I see firsthand how careers flourish when professionals shift from completing tasks to creating sustained value. When we give our curiosity, our attention, and our commitment to understanding why the work matters, we build the route that allows women to move from entry-level roles to the C-suite, where they currently hold only 14% of positions. That mindset not only strengthens organisations, it creates pathways for others to follow.

For women in tech, clarity of purpose is a gift you can give yourself. Every project has an intended outcome. Understanding that outcome early allows you to prioritise effectively, influence decisions, and deliver results that truly matter. When you anchor your work in purpose, you build confidence and credibility that compound over time.

Your voice is also a contribution. There will be moments when you are the only woman in the room. That can feel daunting, but it is also powerful. Being the only one means you bring a perspective that is not yet represented. Diverse thinking is essential to solving complex challenges, and your insight may be the catalyst that changes the direction of a conversation or a strategy. By speaking up, you are not just advancing your own career. You are expanding what leadership looks like for others.

IWD is ultimately an opportunity for us to recognise that advancement is collective. When we advocate and create space for others, we strengthen the entire ecosystem. When we choose to keep learning, have the confidence to speak up and take the time to build trust, we open doors not only for ourselves but for others as well.”
— Virginia Galarón, Customer Advocate Director at New Relic

Opportunity, Access, and the Leadership Pipeline

Anjali Sharma of Fulcrum Digital brings the focus to organisational responsibility. Her point is direct: when companies invest in mentorship, learning access, inclusive leadership, and equitable growth pathways, the returns are not abstract. They show up in innovation, resilience, and business performance.

“International Women’s Day 2026 reminds us that progress is a collective journey, built on the contributions we choose to make. The theme ‘Give To Gain’ highlights a powerful truth: when organizations invest in mentorship, inclusive leadership, access to learning, and equitable growth pathways for women, the returns are immense, including increased innovation, resilience, and business performance.

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, opportunity stands as the true differentiator. As we enter the era of Artificial Intelligence, our commitment must include intentionally upskilling women to lead and master these emerging technologies.

At Fulcrum Digital, we embrace inclusion as a business accelerator, not just a compliance necessity. Our focus on continuous learning and leadership development ensures that women not only participate in transformation but lead it across global markets. When women are empowered to contribute fully, organizations gain invaluable perspectives, heightened agility, and sustainable growth.”
— Anjali Sharma, Vice President HR and Global Head of Learning & Development, Fulcrum Digital

Jill Macmurchy of Commvault sharpens the point further. For her, inclusion is not about good intentions. It is about access. Access to networks, decisions, stretch roles, and the high-stakes experiences that shape careers. That is where leadership either becomes real or remains rhetorical.

“For decades, the conversation around gender equality has focused on barriers. This year’s IWD theme, ‘Give To Gain’, calls for something more concrete, a shift toward what deliberate generosity at scale can unlock across industries and institutions.

Leadership accountability in DE&I is no longer a matter of intent but a matter of action. Giving, in its most productive form, is the transfer of access. Access to networks. Access to decision-making tables. Access to high-stakes assignments that build careers and shape outcomes. When leaders do it consistently and intentionally, organizations stop losing talent to systems that were never designed to retain it.

The technology sector carries a distinct responsibility. Representation gaps at senior and technical levels persist, and disrupting that pattern demands more than just intent. It requires leaders who sponsor talent boldly, advocate publicly, and measure their own success by the progress of those they elevate.

DE&I cannot function as a parallel programme running alongside the core business. Organizations that embed it into their talent strategy, succession planning, and leadership evaluation will see the return. At Commvault, our DEI approach focuses on incorporating diverse, inclusive, and equitable practices throughout the organization to deliver our commitment of cultivating a culture of innovation and belonging.

The ‘Give To Gain’ principle reflects a broader truth about how resilient organizations are built. Equity is not a milestone to be reached, but a discipline to be practiced, which is then sustained through consistent, intentional action at every level of leadership.”
— Jill Macmurchy, Chief Customer Officer, APAC, Commvault

Engineering Depth, Trust, and Core Innovation

One of the most important correctives in the women-in-tech conversation comes from Roshana Atmaram of WD. Too often, women are discussed in relation to participation, culture, or support functions, while the harder engineering core remains underexamined. Her quote brings women directly into firmware, storage, AI infrastructure, and intellectual property, where global roadmaps are actually shaped.

“Innovation thrives when diverse talent comes together, takes ownership, and is empowered to push the boundaries of what's possible. In core engineering domains like firmware and storage, women engineers play a critical role in solving complex, system-level challenges that power AI and platforms at scale. My focus has been on building a strong centre of competence in India, where engineering excellence, mentorship, and original thinking come together, so our women engineers are not just participating, but helping to shape global technology roadmaps and contributing to core intellectual property with confidence and impact. This is also why this year's ‘give to gain’ motto deeply resonates with me. At WD, we are fostering a culture where we strive to give opportunity, mentorship, and trust to gain innovation, leadership and transformation.”
— Roshana Atmaram, Sr. Director – FW Engineering, WD

That emphasis on trust is important. Opportunity is not only about opening doors. It is also about giving women technically demanding mandates, ownership over critical systems, and the confidence that their work belongs at the centre of product and platform strategy.

AI First Must Also Mean Values First

Aparna Balasubramanian of GoTo moves the conversation into another crucial zone: the quality of progress itself. In an AI-first world, acceleration without stewardship can become risk. Her perspective introduces a more mature view of innovation, one where leadership must combine technical ambition with accountability, security, and values.

“As technology evolves, the AI-first era redefines how industries operate, compete, and grow. No longer confined to IT, AI now shapes strategy and resilience across the business ecosystem. Yet acceleration must be matched with intention; progress without strong security commitments and accountability for our shared resources is not transformation, it is risk.

At GoTo, we are building an inclusive environment where empathetic leadership and diverse perspectives drive the next wave of enterprise solutions. True innovation demands more than technical depth; it requires a culture where talent, stewardship, and collaboration create meaningful impact. It is about influence, ensuring diverse thinkers are architecting scalable systems, advancing AI-led automation, and strengthening cybersecurity.

This International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our commitment to keeping talent at the centre of progress, because the future we engineer will be defined not only by models, but by the values and inclusive leadership behind them.”
— Aparna Balasubramanian, Senior Director of Software Engineering, GoTo

Building the Pipeline Before the Future Arrives

Jaya Virwani of EY GDS returns to one of the most enduring questions in this discussion: pipeline. If women are to lead AI, digital programmes, and the next phase of enterprise technology, that outcome must be built deliberately, not assumed. Her emphasis on focused hiring, mentorship, STEM strengthening, and AI literacy gives that idea institutional depth.

“As AI and emerging technologies rapidly reshape industries, women leaders are helping guide this transformation with empathy, clarity and a deep sense of responsibility. At EY GDS, we are increasing the number of women in technology roles and strengthening the STEM pipeline through focused hiring, learning pathways and mentorship. We are also investing heavily in AI literacy for all our people so they can participate confidently in the digital future. Our approach to inclusion is broad and intersectional, but we apply a strong gender lens because real and sustainable progress needs deliberate action. In the coming years, I believe we will see more women shaping responsible AI, leading digital programs and influencing how technology evolves to serve society fairly. When women thrive in tech, innovation moves forward for everyone.”
— Jaya Virwani, Chief Wellbeing Officer and DE&I Leader, EY GDS

Merit, Mentorship, and Meaningful Leadership

Gayathri Subramanian of LeadSquared closes the loop by focusing on organisational mechanics. Representation is not enough if evaluation, progression, and visibility remain opaque. Her framing is practical and powerful: real change requires transparent systems, structured growth pathways, and sponsorship that moves women into leadership as companies scale.

“International Women’s Day is a reminder that progress in the workplace is not just about increasing participation, but about enabling women to step into meaningful leadership roles. Real change happens when organizations move beyond intent and build transparent systems for hiring, performance evaluation, and career progression so that talent is recognized purely on merit and impact. At LeadSquared, we are focused on creating structured growth pathways and stronger mentorship and sponsorship opportunities to ensure that women have the visibility and support needed to grow into leadership roles as the company scales. In a fast-changing, AI-driven business environment, organizations that build inclusive and merit-based workplaces will be far better positioned to drive innovation, resilience, and long-term value.”
— Gayathri Subramanian, VP – People and Culture (HR), LeadSquared

The Future Will Be Built by Those Allowed to Shape It

Taken together, these voices offer something more useful than ceremonial optimism. They offer a blueprint. One that sees women not as a diversity metric, but as builders of the AI era itself. They speak of ethics and infrastructure, voice and visibility, engineering and empathy, learning and access, merit and accountability.

International Women’s Day, then, is not merely a moment to recognise women in technology. It is a moment to ask harder questions about who gets to design the systems now reshaping business and society. If AI is going to define the next chapter of enterprise transformation, then the people defining AI will, in turn, define the quality of that future.

And that future will be stronger, wiser, and more human if women are not simply invited into it, but trusted to shape it.