Studies confirm that diversity at the work-place is critical and inclusive companies deliver superior performance, hire great talent and retain workers better than companies which are not. Despite this, gender imbalance in the corporate sector remains a major concern as women continue to be significantly under-represented, especially in leadership roles across sectors, including technology.

To discuss the importance of hiring more women in the tech sector, understanding their unique leadership styles, ways to influence others, building confidence, forming strong teams and gaining leadership positions in organizations, Dell Tech Forum and CNBC TV18 hosted a webinar themed ‘Empowering Women in Technology’.

Moderated by Senior Journalist, Paromita Chatterjee, the panel comprised women leaders who have demonstrated their ability to succeed in the technology world and in the corporate sector. They included Srikripa Srinivasan, VP, Performance Analytics Group, Dell Technologies; Kavitha Tumuluri, Cloud Services, Blue Yonder; Deepa Seshadri, Partner, Deloitte India and Rucha Nanavati, SVP & CIO, Mahindra Group.

The virtual discussion commenced with Deepa Seshadri highlighting the key challenges that women in the technology sector face. “While there are a lot of women who join the technology sector, they keep dropping out at every level as you go higher. We call it the ‘funnel effect’. Another challenge is that in the current times, women are not very inclined towards joining the technology sector. We need to cultivate interest in girls at a young age and encourage them to join STEM (Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics) programs,” she said. She also underlined the need to ensure gender inclusive work environments, quoting a 2021 study by her company, which confirmed that if women work in an inclusive environment and have leaders that promote inclusivity, they tend to stay in their jobs much longer.

Agreeing with Deepa Seshadri, Kavitha Tumuluri highlighted other challenges, like constantly having to be in an ‘always on’ mode due to the long hours, frenzied activity at the workplace and having to accommodate different time zones. “That was a challenge for me initially but the way to overcome it is to build a great team and empower them so that you can make time for yourself,” she recommended. Another concern she pointed out was how everyone is intimidated by the need to keep up with new technology, which changes rapidly and drastically as older technologies get obsolete.

Endorsing the need for working women to ensure “me time”, Srikripa Srinivasan remarked, “It’s just written on our foreheads that we’re available 24X7. Between keeping US hours and APAC time and managing teams in India, where is the scope for ‘me time’?” She explained how at Dell, people are always reminded that whether they are men or women, they should ask for help when they need it. “When you share that you have a situation, the support will be forthcoming. The rest of your team will figure out how to keep things going,” she added. She also emphasized the importance of having support structures in place at work and at home because at both places unpredictable situations could arise, and sometimes, simultaneously.

Coming from a corporate group that has been recognized by Bloomberg for gender equality, Rucha Nanavati shared her experience as a woman in the workplace. She acknowledged that workplaces have changed a lot during her journey from being a fresher to her current position in a leadership role. She observed that it is extremely important for the work environment to be inclusive, accommodating and encourage speaking-up. She advised, “Speak up if you believe something is wrong or if you need help or if you want mentorship.” She also recommended building alliances as the way to move forward. “Women are very good at breaking down silos. Understand your strengths, build alliances and move forward,” she said. She recounted how the Mahindra Group has been making a conscious effort to include women in leadership roles and at every level.

The women on the panel went on to discuss how breaking perceptions was the first step towards enhancing gender diversity. They shared insights on the need for general equality leaders and women overcoming self-doubt; playing the ‘women card’ by understanding inherent strengths – like creating collaborations, resolving conflicts, being compassionate while being tough, amongst others – and bringing all these abilities to the workplace. They also explored unconscious biases that women face and those that they carry themselves and how women in smaller enterprises could be empowered even though such companies may not necessarily have the gender diverse approach of larger corporations.

Before the session concluded, the panel fielded a host of questions from the audience and offered their advice to other women who were in the workplace, planning to reenter after a career break or complete freshers. They suggested that women who wanted to succeed in their careers must never hesitate to ask for help when needed, shed any guilt that they may be piling on themselves, never be intimidated, build alliances, speak up and change their own mindset to empower themselves. They also emphasized the importance of upskilling as a means of staying relevant and a route to come back into the workforce well-prepared after a career break.

The message that the women leaders on the panel left participants with is that the opportunities are endless for women who are prepared to be life-long learners and shed their unconscious biases. Women should stay focused, be confident about what they want to do, learn to say no and get their vision right. Most importantly, they must be the change they want to see.

To watch the entire webinar, click

This is a partnered post.

First Published:Oct 7, 2021 3:00 PM IST