Technology is an industry that has always been dominated by men. But women are slowly taking strides in the industry and making their presence felt. A Deloitte report predicts that there is more than 33% female workforce in the technology field, which is supposed to grow. Today, we will talk about the leading women in technology and how they have marked their way into the innovative sector.
Diane Jurgens, EVP & CIO - The Walt Disney Company
Diane is one of the change-makers and te chnologists with more than 30+ years of experience in business and technology leadership roles. She has led teams in more than 25 countries across the world. Diane is currently serving as EVP, Enterprise Technology & CIO in The Walt Disney Company since October 2020. She was even recognized as one of the Top 5 Technology Influencers (2018) for her role as a CTO with BHP, a multinational mining company. Diane Jurgens has led delivery, technology, operations, data security, digital strategy, data privacy, and cyber security programs. She was recognized for her performance and was awarded Global Tech Scene Award in 2020 by Tech Wire Asia.
Jill Niland, CTO - ServiceMaster Companies
Jill is currently serving the role of CTO at ServiceMaster Companies and looking after the operations of nine brands for the company. They have been dealing with needs-based services for nearly a century, and the company sale is more than US$3.5 billion annually. She takes care of business intelligence, process improvement, and automation . Her main services include healthcare, real estate, asset management, mortgage banking, and utility industries. She served for more than 23 years at PwC, where she led the Automated Managed Services platform. She was responsible for the overall strategizing and technological development of the platform. Jill is one of the leading ladies in the technology field that you must follow for more knowledge and tips.
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
Susan Diane Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube , who has been involved in the tech industry for more than 20 years. She was even appointed as Google's first marketing manager in 1999 and became CEO of YouTube in 2014. Susan was featured on the 2022 America's Self-Made Women list, and her net worth is more than US$765 million. She was Google's sixteenth employee and looked after the entire operations, including AdSense, Analytics, Google Books, and Google Images. Susan also worked in the marketing department at Intel and was ranked 18th in the Power Women list 2021 by Forbes.
Mary Beth Westmoreland, VP Technology – Amazon
Mary Beth Westmorland is a technology leader who has led some of the leading organizations and made her unique contributions. She is currently serving as Vice President, Technology at Amazon. In her previous role, she worked as Chief Technological Officer at Blackbaud, one of the US's leading cloud computing software companies. She completed more than 12 years with Blackbaud and led various senior roles besides being CTO.
Mary is one of the leading females who is serving as VP at one of the e-commerce giants in the world. She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and Physics, which increased her interest and led her to explore the tech field. She even won the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech Award from National Diversity Council in 2020. Mary is also serving as the board member of the non-profit Charleston Women in Tech and has been featured in the top 50 women in the tech field by various organizations across the country.
Upasana Taku, Co-Founder of MobiKwik
Upasana Taku is the chairperson and co-founder of MobiKwik, one of the first women to lead a payments startup. She initiated and co-founded the app to transform the digital payments landscape in India. Upasana has more than 17 years of experience in the payments and Fintech departments. She has worked with some of the leading Fintech organizations, including PayPal and HSBC. Upasana is passionate about creating an impact and firmly believes that the Indian Fintech market is set to grow. MobiKwik has been in the industry for more than 12 years and is one of the key players providing Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services. She even co-founded Zaakpay, which is a payment processor for some of the leading e-commerce platforms. It is a subsidiary of MobiKwik and has made the task of facilitating payments easier for e-commerce companies in India.
Lakecia Gunter, VP, and GM, IoT Global Channel Sales – Microsoft
Lakecia Gunter is one of the leading women technologists serving as Vice President and General Manager of IoT Global Channel Sales at Microsoft. She has more than 15 years of experience in leadership roles. From revenue generation to technology adoption and acceleration, she has been looking after the overall operations at Microsoft. Besides this, Lakecia even completed 12 years of working with Intel Corporation, where she served the role of VP of the Programmable Solutions Group and GM of Ecosystem Development and Operations. She is an award-winning, nationally recognized engineer who has been featured in the 26 Most Powerful Engineers list by Business Insider. She even received the Society of Women Engineers' Prism Award in 2015 for her immense contribution to the field. Lakecia also has a dedicated podcast channel, Roar with Lakecia Gunter, which you can listen to, to learn more about her personal and professional life.
Pooja Rahman, Senior VP & Chief Risk Officer - Protective Life
Pooja Rahman is currently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Protective Life Insurance. She joined the organization in 2021 and has been responsible for the enterprise risk management system. Rahman holds more than twenty years of industry experience in risk management, finance, technology, and legal aspects. She has major experience in the financial services industry and even served as the head of the financial risk in New York Life. Rahman takes a strategic approach to determine the financial risks and find out the ideal way to resolve them. She even serves on the board of Easterseals and paves her way with new and innovative technological solutions. Her values and passion have helped the organization emerge and lead on the path of digital transformation.
Susanne Moore, EVP & COO – NaphCare
Susanne Moore is a nurse and attorney by profession who also envisions bringing changes in the healthcare sector. Moore is currently serving as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Naphcare, which aims at providing comprehensive 24/7 healthcare services. She even serves as Chief Legal Officer for KultureCity, a non-profit that partners with some of the leading companies to conduct events. Moore also co-founded NeuraBoot, an interactive mindset training mobile application showcasing her love for innovative technology.
Women in technology face multiple challenges. However, these ladies have proved that gender barriers cannot impact the growth of an individual.
