More Women on Board
Yes walking into a boardroom and being the only woman can be
intimidating; this status has to be challenged and should be on
merit. A broader system of STEM network mentors and
professionals who support and expose children to an
eco-system, where they can pursue a career of their choice
enabling them to make a difference for themselves and society
at large.Looking forward at the prospects for the Generation Z of
Women in Technology, the picture is encouraging and the
achievements by these women leaders, have definitely set some
milestones which will encourage young girls to embrace STEM
and will also be pivotal for companies to think inclusively in Tech
industry. As technology enters every Indian household today,
these women leaders across the globe are a signal that the “Tide
is Turning” and are putting an end to misogynistic social view. It
is important we recognize these remarkable women in Tech who
are leading the path and paving the way for others behind them.As a working-woman one encounters stereotypes and
gender bias is far more deeply rooted in the environment around
us at home, at work and the society in general. Tackling bias
unconscious or not, is a great start to address the problem.
Women need to be more vocal about their ambitions and raise
their hands up for the right roles, if they aspire to progress. As
I researched deeper, every article mentions the need to change
our beliefs at a conscious level.
Anshu Shatma Raja is a strategic leader with 20 years of
experience in premiere investment banks and technology firms,
with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Computer science from
Bangalore University and an Executive General Management
Program from Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore. Her
career stayed on track by her discipline and interest in C++ where
she moved to US to an exposure of enterprise grade software.
She has occupied positions in organizations like AIG, Vodafone,
Goldman Sach in developing product, solutions and leading
global programs. Being born and raised in a joint family
attributes her social and management skills to them, as most
women are teachers, they were raised to be free thinkers and
having a point of view was never discouraged, hence being
financially independent was a natural instinct. She has been
recognized as top 10 influential data science leaders in 2017, by
Analytics India Magazine for setting up a high performance unit
for AIG in India. She is passionate about guiding women
returning to technical careers after a break, and mentors young
women who aspire to have technical careers.
Weed-Unconscious
Bias-A Challenger
She recommends“Multiple channels and initiatives need to be
taken by corporate to attract, retain and promote more women
into the workforce, also mentoring programs for women will
help them discover and demonstrate their career
intentionality”.Her early experience at Wallstreet and projects around the
financial market gave her invaluable experiences. Fast forward
today, she manages a large cross geography team, which runs
business critical software for one of the largest global banking
network. She also sits on the advisory council of Wiley, a global
leader in technical publication and has Co-authored a white
paper along with Manipal Global Education, a leading education
provider in India to develop custom education programs to skill
and re-skill young talent towards digital technologies.Anshu Sharma Raja
Managing Director
Retail Banking Technology-Standard Chartered Bank"I think it's very important to get more women into computing. My slogan is:
Computing is too important to be left to men ."
- Karen Spärck Jones