Charu Srinivasan
Vice President Engineering, Azure Core and Cloud + AI India Site Leader
Microsoft India Development Centre (IDC), Hyderabad
Charu Srinivasan is the site leader for the growing Cloud + AI organisation at
Microsoft and the leader in Azure core leading compute and cloud native technologies.
She is known for her engineering excellence, innovation and organisational leadership.
Igrew up in India in many cit- women leaders and mentoring senior my field. It is possible that we have self-
ies, Bombay, Delhi, Coimbatore, engineering talent. I was among the doubts, but it is then that we need to
Jamnagar, Ooty to name a few. I feel founding members of Microsoft WISE acknowledge inner fears and silence the
a huge sense of gratitude to all the Mentoring Programme, where tech inner critic. It is important for all of us to
people in my life–my parents, family, leaders at Microsoft volunteer to men- know that each one’s career journey is a
colleagues, managers, mentors and tor women in computer science and function of her choices and constraints,
allies for helping me shape my career software engineering. and we need to own our choices. Often
and supporting me as I made my own a career is a marathon and not a sprint;
choices. I was inspired to pursue com- Barriers can take many forms– so do stop and smell the roses.
puter science when I attended a BASIC cultural, societal or personal.
programming lab during Std. XI. In the What is important is the response Women pursuing STEM careers face
1990s, it was uncommon for unmarried one brings to these detractors. roadblocks around societal expecta-
women to pursue advanced studies in tions, especially around childcare and
a foreign country, but my parents sup- I was challenged to find my leadership eldercare. These expectations are more
ported me to opt for that. My mentors expression a number of times. I had to pronounced as they navigate marriage,
were the lifeblood of my support sys- silence my inner critic and develop a maternity and motherhood. Providing
tem and encouraged me to take risks sense of conviction and self-belief. The mentoring opportunities to women
that led me to grow my own confidence goals sometimes seemed unsurmount- during these tough times will be a great
and abilities. I developed a reputation able; however, by being single-minded enabler.
for execution excellence and ability to and focused, I was able to deliver suc-
innovate and take ideas to the market. cess. Barriers can take many forms— Investing in STEM teachers through
Industry recognition showed up along cultural, societal or personal. What is funding and skilling support can further
the way. important is the response one brings to strengthen STEM education. STEM
these detractors. I focused on my ability teachers need to be proficient in inter-
I have driven innovations in numerous to create deep technical impact with my disciplinary teaching and application to
areas in the distributed systems, spe- contributions and set all barriers aside. everyday problem solving and critical
cifically database replication, server thinking.
virtualisation, data protection, disaster Women aspiring for technical career
recovery, migration, modernisation and paths need to focus on three pivotal There is also a need to create an envi-
hybrid management. areas. The first is innovation and thought
leadership—the ability to demonstrate ronment and culture to enable women
One of my key contributions has been passion to solve problems and influ-
to own the technical road map for Azure ence others, to recognise and respond to grow into technical leadership roles.
Site Recovery, a native disaster recov- to technology shifts, knowing where
ery as a service (DRaaS). I have led mul- the puck may land and act accordingly. We should be willing to think through
tiple initiatives that focused on building The second is pride in craftsmanship—
innovation excellence, empowering understand the business need and inclusive hiring approaches so that we
identify the right problem, persistently
Silence your inner critic and develop build domain expertise and relentlessly can attract diverse talent.
a sense of conviction and self-belief. focus on execution. The last is about
manufacturing success, which is about Academic Profile
Often a career is a marathon and not a building products with the highest qual-
sprint; so do stop and smell the roses. ity and focusing on market adoption BE Computer Science & Engineering,
and customer success. Anna University
We all have self-doubts; we need to
acknowledge inner fears and silence Passion for technology and people is MS Computer Science, University
the inner critic. at the core of growing into a leader in of California, Santa Barbara
Membership
Board Member, Confederation of
Indian Industry National Committee
on Technology
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 101
Debjani Nag, PhD
Principal Scientist, Coal & Coke Making Research Group
Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur
Debjani Nag is a coke and coal research expert. She has developed
polymers to reduce coal blend costs in iron making. She is now working on
developing catalysts to mitigate CO2 levels in the iron and steel industry.
Iwas born and brought up in Kolkata. From marks and grades, try to be a super woman. Regardless
My parents always inspired me to STEM teaching must shift of which STEM field you take up, do
work on something meaningful. My emphasis to learning, student-led your best to develop deep knowledge
uncle, who was in the teaching profes- projects and special STEM clubs in it. Develop sound networking skills
sion, always motivated me to take up a as they help you connect with the right
STEM field as a career option. My col- for girl students. kind of people in the industry.
leagues, peers, seniors always inspired
me to move forward and progress pro- in the steel industry of India. I have From marks and grades, STEM teach-
fessionally. I would always notice hard- honed my expertise and skills in coal ing must shift emphasis to learning,
working and creative people around and coke research for the last 14 student-led projects and special
me and strived to inculcate the same years. I have published my work in 30 STEM clubs for girl students.
traits within me. reputed national and international
journals and have filed 25 patents and Certain initiatives need to be taken
I worked as a trainee engineer at the patent cooperation treaties in which
Nuclear Power Corporation of India nine have been granted. at the policy level by the government
Limited—my first job. In my initial days
of joining, there was a problem of My work has helped the company to and the private sector to attract
acceptance of a woman in the shop have better understanding of coal
floor by elder colleagues. However, the characterisation and coke making. I more women into STEM careers.
scenario changed with time. This was a have worked on polymer development
rather strange experience than a tough for different applications in iron mak- These include free education of girl
experience, as I never thought of gen- ing, which helps the company reduce
dered roles at professional workplaces. the coal blend cost. child (disadvantaged and marginal-
Other than this, I am privileged that
I have had no experience of gender bias I have worked on the utilisation of ized sections of the society) up to
that hampered my work and growth as non-coking coal that has national
a women engineer. importance as it opens the avenue for at least graduation, more scholar-
utilisation of Indian non-coking coal in
I am fortunate to have been work- metallurgical coke-making. At present, ship schemes for young competent
ing with the best and leading groups I am working on catalyst development
to mitigate CO2, which is important girl students, continuous effort on
Do not try to be a super woman. for future strategy of the Indian steel
industry. sensitization to break gender stereo-
Do not always feel guilty if you
are unable to do proper optimis- I would advise women to give cent types thinking in family and society
ation.Regardless of which STEM per cent to their role. Be empathetic
field you take up, do your best to and helpful. Do not always feel guilty as large.
develop deep knowledge in it. if you are not able to do proper opti-
misation. The most important, do not Academic Profile
BTech Chemical Engineering, Science
College, University of Calcutta
MS Chemical Engineering, IIT
Bombay
PhD in Chemical Engineering, IIT &
Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
Awards
Winner of Tata Innovista, 2020
Best Project Award in process
category, R&D, Tata Steel, 2013, 2019
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 102
Geetika Goel
Technology Head, Hero Vired, New Delhi
Geetika Goel is a seasoned IT professional with 20 years
of experience in building extensive technology-focused
organisations in diverse domains.
Born in Lucknow, I am based in husband sat with me to do a SWOT after maternity, women start feel-
Bengaluru now. As a young stu- analysis, a bulleted list of my aspira- ing guilty about everything, such as
dent, I had a natural interest in tions, and then helped me identify being unable to give enough time at
math, and my parents encouraged the right kind of opportunities to look home, to the baby, husband, in-laws,
me to explore the subject further for for. This gave me the confidence to etc. Since we don’t like anybody to be
my higher studies. I am intrinsically take a jump into the start-up world. able to point fingers at us, we start
inclined towards solving problems. I had the most valuable support sys- putting in extra efforts at the office.
What I liked the most about program- tem of family and friends indeed. This takes a huge toll on our bodies
ming were the algorithms and data- and minds. Women need to embrace
bases. Hence, it was an easy shift for I try to instill the work-life balance without feeling
me to enter the software world. ‘put yourself in the guilty on either front.
customer’s shoes’
My family and friends have always sup- adage in my team members. STEM is among the most doable and
ported me in my professional journey.
I would like to mention a special inci- I handle technology for my company exciting jobs in the world; but needs
dent though. I had taken a break from and help cultivate efficiency at work.
my work as I had to tend to my second Automation is close to my heart. I try a lot of hands-on experience. All we
child, who was a six-month-old infant. to instill the ‘put yourself in the cus-
At a party, I bumped into one of my tomer’s shoes’ adage in my team mem- need to do is to learn technology and
ex-bosses, a close friend. The moment bers. As long as we have a genuine
she found out that I was not working to interest in improving the experience practice it. STEM educators must allow
take care of my kids, she immediately for our customers, we will be on the
offered me a flexible work option with right path. Be fearless, get in there and students to excel in the areas they like
her. That is indeed how I started the go all out. Dream big, and work hard to
second stint of my career, a one that achieve it. as technology courses often have man-
I cherish deeply. Thus, I feel women
must support other women in profes- I have hands-on and in-depth under- datory training in many disciplines.
sional space. standing of technology with an abil-
ity to recruit, mentor and grow other That needs to change. For example,
Another incident that I remember is technology professionals. I have pre-
when I felt somewhat stagnated or viously worked for reputed organi- a person who is strong in engineering
maybe needed some novelty in my sations like Lowe’s India, Infosys and
work. One of my close friends and my Jigsaw. The number of opportunities design may not be as comfortable with
and the variety of work that can be
All we need to do is to learn done in the software field is enor- the theoretical side of engineering. To
technology and practice it. mous. I have had the opportunity to
work on both mainframes and modern promote women in professional space,
Women need to embrace work-life systems, and the journey itself has
balance. been exciting. I wish everyone should policies must aim at bringing in good
be able to experience and enjoy the
Women must support other women excitement. practices for women’s safety at work
in professional space.
Being a woman professional is dif- and making flexibility a norm for both
Be fearless, get in there and go all ferent. After marriage, especially
out. men and women from young nuclear
families.
Academic Profile
BSc Mathematics, Lucknow
University
MSc Mathematics, IIT Kanpur
Awards
Artificial Intelligence Analyst 2019
Mastery Award, IBM
Best Mentor Award conferred
by Infosys chairman
NR Narayana Murthy
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 103
Hem Shruti Bhardwaj
Application Manager, PROVision, Applied Materials (AMAT)
Hem Shruti Bhardwaj is trained in metallurgical engineering
and materials science. She has rich experience in supporting
many semiconductor fabrication units worldwide.
Iwas born and brought up in Odisha’s materials science and engineering from also did help prepare me to handle
steel city Rourkela and residing now ASM India, the India chapter of ASM such tough situations.
in Bengaluru. My family has always International, which conducts training
inspired me to work hard to achieve the programmes and workshops in diverse Be very vocal about your sugges-
goals that I set in life and to strive for sectors. tions and needs and never shy away
excellence in whatever I do. from speaking about your accom-
Be very vocal about plishments. Work hard and develop
However, more than anyone, it was your suggestions and needs. a strong academic profile; always be
the city that I grew up in, my everyday Never shy away from speaking open to learning new things and tak-
surroundings and my community that about your accomplishments. ing on challenging roles.
inspired me to take up engineering as
my career. Rourkela is known for engi- I joined AMAT four years ago as an I feel to encourage women in STEM,
neers contributing to the growth and application engineer, supporting many more exposure to those subjects
building of the country. semiconductor fabrication units world- from early on would be helpful. Young
wide. I was a product specialist for the girls need a lot of guidance on career
My master’s journey at the Indian Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing opportunities available in STEM fields.
Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay Company Limited (TSMC) based in
and my thesis professor Amartya that country for a year before moving This can be achieved through mento-
Mukhopadhyay have been highly on to become a manager of a team of ring sessions by STEM achievers on
influential in my professional growth. seven engineers. leadership skills, countering stereo-
I experienced high quality research, types, etc.
exchange of ideas, collaboration I’ve led successful penetration
with great minds and openness of projects of the new beam metrol- In my opinion, making processes more
thoughts during my tenure there as ogy platform of Applied Materials
a student and it benefits me to this (PROVision) at important semicon- experimental can increase the com-
day. ductor customer sites like TSMC and
Micron, contributing to its increased prehension and learning growth of stu-
I won a silver award for the distin- market share.
guished master’s research in the area of dents—both girls and boys. Creative
One of the biggest challenges I faced
Always be open to learning new initially as a woman was a lack of con- thinking and approach should always
things and taking on challenging fidence and not being able to speak
roles. up with the fear of being rejected or be encouraged.
opposed. Getting to know, observe
Observe and learn from strong and learn from my strong female col- Academic Profile
female colleagues and mentors. leagues, mentors and relatives was
quite significant in overcoming these BE Metallurgical & Materials
Work hard and develop a strong challenges. Engineering (Silver Medalist), NIT
academic profile. Rourkela
The kind of open, equal and inclusive
Young girls need a lot of guidance platforms that NITs and IITs provide MTech Materials Science, IIT Bombay
on career opportunities available (Silver Medalist)
in STEM fields.
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 104
Kakul Paul
Vice President, Analytics
Accenture, Bengaluru
Istarted my career with Glaxosmith Kakul Paul has more than 17 years of experience
kline Consumer Healthcare’s market- in providing consultative strategic guidance to
ing department. Lured by the start-up some of the top Fortune 500 clients.
environment, I joined the trending
analytics bandwagon. I was part of his response surprised me. He said Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi had
two successful start-ups. The first was we were in it together and the com- rightly pointed out: “Women don’t help
Marketics, one of the early successful pany will make it work for me. The women enough in workplace.”
analytics start-ups in India that was leadership and the team, in turn,
eventually acquired by Mumbai-based extended support on all counts to Women must strive to be strong on
WNS. The other was Marketelligent. help me make a comeback. Overall, concepts and acquire new skills. While
I set up its consumer product goods I have been lucky to have worked the overlaying technology is evolving, a
and consumer analytics function from with inspiring leaders and have had strong hold of the underlying concepts
scratch. It was later acquired by Santa awesome mentors. I owe a lot to my will keep one relevant as the base con-
Clara, California-based Brillio. CEO and I hope I am able to deliver cepts remain the same. But the most
likewise and help support returning important point is one must have a zeal
I completed my secondary high school mothers as they make a comeback. and hunger to understand the business
from Jamshedpur, which was the hot- This is one of the top reasons why we impact she is driving.
bed for engineers, given the presence see a significant dropout of women in
of TISCO and TELCO there. My father, leadership roles. To increase retention of women in
a retired Army officer, was a STEM stu- STEM, policies must encourage return-
dent himself and a strong propagator STEM education must emphasise ing mothers who find it challenging to
of concepts-based learning. His teach- more on an industry-driven, case- adapt to the rigour of work. Flexible
ing methods inspired me to pick this study approach and outcome-based working hours can help them. We need
field as an academic specialisation, and to vouch for a level-paying salary, and
eventually as a career. learning over rote learning. enforce a similar pay structure for
women.
An incident that touched and encour- One of the areas where I had to invest
aged me the most was related to significantly was building clients’ trust I feel STEM education must emphasise
embracing motherhood. Life changed and faith, making them believe that they
a hundred-fold after my son was born. can count on a woman leader to deliver more on an industry-driven, case-study
I was debating on whether to take a for them. The trend is fast changing
career break, as a new-born and a as we are witnessing an increase in approach and outcome-based learn-
start-up team, both were demanding. successful women leaders who have
I was sceptical whether I could do jus- gone above and beyond. Networking ing over rote learning. At the college
tice managing both roles together. is an important leadership skill as it
helps connect with the right people, level, we need to drive more industry
After a lot of trepidation and worry, seek diverse points of views and valu-
I finally mustered the courage to relay able career advice, and teaches new partnerships—sponsor projects and
my decisions to my CEO. However, lessons. We women typically shy away
from that, and this must change. It is encourage webinars and lectures by
To increase retention of women vital to find at least one passion outside
in STEM, policies must encourage of work and family to keep yourself SME and industry experts.
returning mothers who find it chal- young and alive.
lenging to adapt to work rigour. Academic Profile
Prioritisation is important. Whether
We women typically shy away long-term, short-term or point in time, BTech, IIT Varanasi
from networking, a key leadership setting the right priorities is all that
skill, and this must change. will keep us going. Be a mentor your- MBA, IIM Ahmedabad
self, encourage and guide your coterie.
It is vital to find at least one pas- Awards
sion outside of work and family to
keep yourself young and alive. Best Customer Experience Award
for consumer goods industry,
Customer Engagement Summit 2017
Best Analytics Services in sales
analytics, Big Data Analytics &
Insights Summit 2016
Women Role Model Award, Brillio 2015
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 105
Lipika Sahoo, PhD
Founder-CEO, Lifeintelect Consultancy Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
Lipika Sahoo has 21 years of experience in academia and
industry in technology, innovation and intellectual property
issues. She is a registered Indian patent and trademark agent.
Iwas born in Baripada in Mayurbhanj managing a chapter of more than 60 busi- jobs. Women comprise 50 per cent
district of Odisha and completed ness owners. I have been recognised and of our work force and must have
my education till master’s degree in awarded by Great Companies an online equal opportunity in nation building.
the state. For the last 24 years, I have business magazine featuring global sto- Encouraging options to restart career
been residing in Bengaluru, my place of ries of entrepreneurs, for being one of or studies after a pause will be helpful.
work. I was always interested in learn- the top women entrepreneurs of 2020. Considering women take a major share
ing by exploring new fields. Intellectual of responsibilities in a family—bring up
property rights (IPR) is an area where However, my decision to start this children, taking care of elders—we must
the work involves technological, legal entrepreneurial journey and setting provide flexible options to them wher-
and financial aspects in addition to up the business in the first place was ever possible.
strategy and consulting. My company tough. My husband is my greatest sup-
helps firms, entrepreneurs and the gov- port and helped me sail through this More practical applications of our
ernment. My work itself is a source of arduous journey. I am grateful to my
inspiration for me. parents, kids and friends for constant education and industry-academia
encouragement and motivation.
My team is building an ecosystem collaboration must be promoted in
where we are helping scientists, inno- People management skills
vators, government organisations and are very important, more higher education. It would be helpful
business owners protect their ideas by particularly if you are in
enabling generation of valuable intel- to students if they have early expo-
lectual property, be it an invention, a the services business.
design, a product, an idea or business sure to industry and understanding of
process. We also support our clients in I was a first-generation entrepreneur,
taking these IP forward through tech- and therefore, had to learn from my skills required to excel in the industry
nology transfer. own experiences and keep going. For
any leadership role, people manage- and academia. Mentorship for women
I have served as president and vice ment skills are quite important, particu-
president of Business Networking larly if you are in the services business. in STEM is another important aspect
International-GEMS chapter, Bengaluru, Sometimes you may have to take tough
decisions. It is fine as long as you are that we need to emphasise on. I am
Women comprise 50 per cent focused on your goals. Women who
of our work force and must have wish to craft a career in IPR must be sure with a few of these changes,
equal opportunity in nation in a constant learning mode and keep
building. adding new skills. our STEM students are poised to
Industry -academia collabora- Compared to others, STEM careers reach greater heights, solving newer
tion must be promoted in higher have a longer route to attaining financial
education. independence and are considered less problems and taking India to the next
lucrative in terms of money. Therefore,
Mentorship for women in STEM is efforts must be made to make STEM level.
another important aspect that we careers equivalent to other well-paying
need to emphasise on. Academic Profile
MSc, Sambalpur University, Odisha
PhD, IISc, Bengaluru
PG Diploma in IPR, National
Law School of India University,
Bengaluru
PG Certificate in Business
Management, Xavier Institute
of Management, Bhubaneswar
Advanced certification from
World Intellectual Property
Organisation
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 106
Meenakshi Malik, PhD
Senior Manager (Regulatory Affairs)
Siemens Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Vadodara
Meenakshi Malik is a professional with extensive experience in
the areas of global regulatory affairs in biosimilars/combinations,
medical devices/in-vitro diagnostics.
Iwas born in Shamli in western Uttar drugs manufactured in India by getting inclined towards industrial require-
Pradesh and studied in various parts them registered in India and various ments so that students are well versed
of India during my academic career. global markets. with job requirements. This will help
students to face fewer challenges on
I was always supported by my family Always believe in yourself and the job front.
and professional mentors. My PhD do not let any hurdle pull you
supervisor guided me in every sphere In addition, students do not have
of my life, which helped me reach my against your dreams.
current professional stage. to spend more time and money
There were times when I faced
I am now working as a regulatory affairs obstacles in this journey. Owing to doing separate training and getting
professional and am responsible for socio-cultural norms set by the society
looking into regulatory requirements for women and young girls, the main skilled. Special scholarships should
for molecular in-vitro diagnostics at challenge for me was to get married
Siemens Healthineers at Vadodara, after my master’s degree rather than be announced for women so that
Gujarat. pursuing a PhD.
they can pursue their research incli-
Prior to this, I was working for Biocon I made efforts to take a stand for
Biologics Ltd. in Bengaluru as Global myself and eventually completed my nations.
Regulatory Lead. PhD.
Academic Profile
I have engaged in the generation of Another challenge that I faced during
microbial hosts for development and my professional career was common BSc Industrial Microbiology,
production of therapeutic drugs in the biases against women that every Kurukshetra University
biopharmaceutical industry. woman faces in multiple ways.
MSc Biotechnology, Chaudhary
I played an integral role in getting in My advice to the next-gen women Charan Singh University, Meerut
vitro medical devices and biological who wish to be in leadership roles is
to always believe in themselves and PhD in Biotechnology,Thapar
Have patience and be determined not to let any hurdle pull them against University, Patiala
towards your goal, and success their dreams. Have patience and be
will be yours. determined towards your goal, and Awards & Fellowships
success will be yours.
Academic curricula should be Biopacer Award for contribution
more inclined towards industrial To attract more women into STEM toward Insulin Business Unit (2017),
requirements. careers, ‘work from home’ policies Siemens
should be implemented wherever
To attract more women into possible so that women can contrib- Bio Achiever Award for outstanding
STEM careers, ‘work from home’ ute towards their work from any- performance (2016), Siemens
policies should be implemented where as per their convenience.
and special scholarships should Senior Research Fellowship, CSIR
be announced for women so that There are certain shortcomings in how
they can pursue their research STEM is being taught now. For this,
inclinations. academic curricula should be more
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 107
Monica Joseph
Senior Manager, Software, Applied Materials India Pvt. Ltd., Chennai
Ex-Member Technical Staff, HCL Technologies
Monica Joseph is a software engineering leader with over 22 years of experience
in delivering manufacturing execution systems (MES) for customer business
requirements, primarily for semiconductor foundries (fabs).
Iwas born in Tuticorin and brought the world of MES, which is complex but voice. Be yourself and be open to learn-
up in various places. This offered me interesting. The impact and importance ing. Apply the learning from the right set
sound exposure to different cultures, of MES in fabs around the world keep of leaders (men and women) to grow
languages and education syllabi. And me interested in continuously improv- and develop your style.
studying in a regional engineering col- ing and making an impact with my con-
lege continued my exposure to diversity. tribution. Equal treatment at Applied If you are passionate about a career in
Materials with no gender bias had a pos- software applications, take it up. We
During my school days, there was nei- itive impact and contributed to growth. also touch and influence the lives of
ther career counselling nor self-analysis people around us. Having connectivity
done to identify the field of interest. Software engineering is not a with people during the COVID-19 lock-
Though m y focus was on medicine, I got masculine field. Mind power down and working remotely was possi-
into the Regional Engineering College, knows no gender. Do not hesitate to ble because of digitalisation. Software
Trichy, and realised it was a natural explore and learn; make your mark. engineering is not a masculine field.
progression. I had the freedom and full Mind power knows no gender. Do not
parental support to move in this direc- I have expertise in a broad range of tech- hesitate to explore and learn and make
tion. The college environment got me nical skills that are required to trans- your mark. There is a need for wom-
interested in software. form products to make use of emerging en’s representation in technology and
technology. This, coupled with a clear innovation.
The next big step was a software job insight into ever-evolving business
opening in the semiconductor domain, requirements and challenges, has set I feel STEM career awareness is less
the field relevant to my educational my path. I have complete engineering among rural first-generation women.
background. Sticking with software ownership for multiple products. This Hence, girls should have exposure at
development for the semiconductor involves supervising and leading the the school level and teachers must be
industry was completely a personal engineering team that develops solu- trained. A STEM career should be an
choice. tions, collaborating for product releases achievable goal for students from gov-
with marketing, partnering with peers ernment schools and adequate schol-
The decision to be part of the semicon- across geographical locations, project arships must be provided. This must be
ductor industry had its challenges in management, coaching people in differ- part of the national development plan.
the early 2000s. My base location was ent functional teams, and continuously
Chennai and semiconductor companies improving process and automation. The dropout rate of women in STEM is
were in Bangalore and I could not relo-
cate. Brooks Automation (later acquired The number of hours of presence in the higher when compared to other fields.
by Applied Materials) opened the oppor- office does not translate into productiv-
tunity in Chennai. It introduced me to ity. It is how effectively you make use of Policies like six months of maternity
your working hours. Establishing work
As a woman, being in a leader- hours took time and with the right sup- leave, openings for women after a
ship role gives you a better oppor- port from the management, I was able to
tunity to have a voice. take care of this backed by a decent sup- break, kids care at places close to the
port system at home. Women must allo-
There is a need for women’s rep- cate time for learning that is required for office are helping. A hybrid or remote
resentation in technology and professional growth. Compared to male
innovation. counterparts, investing time for career work culture could reduce dropouts
growth must be a more conscious effort.
Women’s mentorship programmes in future. Growth needs continuous
to encourage women to grow in As a woman, being in a leadership role
STEM careers are needed. gives you a better opportunity to have a learning and refining skills. Women’s
mentorship programmes to encourage
women to grow in STEM careers are
needed.
Academic Profile
BE Instrumentation & Control
Engineering, NIT, Trichy
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 108
Monideepa Mukherjee, PhD
Principal Scientist, Materials Welding & Joining Research Group
Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur
Monideepa Mukherjee is a metallurgical engineer leading the R&D
activities in product development, materials welding and joining
and additive manufacturing at Tata Steel.
Iwas born and brought up in Ranchi, 23 international and national journals, Policies to attract more women into
Jharkhand. My parents were working 11 academic conferences, and a book STEM careers must focus on pro-
professionals and had earned a lot of chapter. I have filed ten patents, out of moting conscious efforts to prevent
love and respect from their colleagues which five have been granted. Some of stereotypical public messaging that
for their knowledge and dedication in these inventions have helped my com- promote gender disparity. The private
their respective work areas. My par- pany to produce ‘hot-rolled advanced sector must focus on improving poli-
ents were, therefore, a constant source high-strength steel’ grades for automo- cies towards making workplace safer
of inspiration, and as a young student, I tive applications at a lower cost. The for women, especially manufactur-
secretly wished to earn the same kind higher strength of these grades has ing sector shop floors. Provisions for
of respect for my work in my profes- enabled usage of thinner gauges and structured institutional support for
sional life. consequent reduction in the weight care of young children can be a huge
of the auto components without com- support. Overall, a long-pending mind-
My teachers at school and college pro- promising on safety and functional set change in families and society at
fessors encouraged me at every step requirements, leading to increased large is required.
to work hard with honesty and dedica- fuel efficiency and reduction in carbon
tion and for creating an atmosphere of footprint. STEM education needs a paradigm
healthy competition. I received tremen-
dous encouragement, guidance and Give your best to whatever you shift with increase in practical train-
support from my college professors, do and be truthful and honest,
thesis supervisors, senior colleagues ing, lab work and do-it-yourself proj-
and external collaborators. They would no matter what happens.
show a lot of faith in me and would con- ects so that the theoretical aspects
stantly push me to go a step further I never faced any tough experiences
and made me take charge of my profes- or barriers women generally faced in of science are better understood and
sional growth. their professional journey. I feel the
most important aspect is to give your appreciated. School teachers should
On the work front, I have had a best to whatever you do and be truthful
decent growth as a professional. and honest, no matter what happens. be encouraged to use visual aid and
I have been able to publish my work in As a leader, one must be open-minded
and have an empathetic attitude. Be technology to explain different theo-
As a leader one must be open- approachable when your team and
minded and have an empathetic juniors need you; it is another leader- retical aspects instead of only deliver-
attitude. ship trait one must inculcate.
ing lectures.
Be approachable when your team My advice for women who wish to take
and juniors need you. up a R&D career in steel industry is to Academic Profile
keep yourself up to date with the lat-
Keep yourself up to date with the est developments in the field. Building BTech Metallurgical & Materials
latest developments in the field. collaborations with leading research Engineering, IIT Kharagpur
organisations to enhance expertise
Building collaborations with and proficiency in your field is equally MTech Metallurgical and Materials
leading research organisations is important. Engineering, IIT Kanpur
important.
PhD, IIT Kharagpur & Shinshu
University, Japan
Awards
Dr M Visvesvaraya Gold Medal
Award, 2011 by the Institute of
Engineers (India)
Best Project Award for development
and commercialisation of high-
strength hot-rolled steel grades at
Tata Steel )
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 109
Mridula Prakash
Senior Manager, Technical Architect Team
L&T Technology Services Ltd., Mysuru
Mridula Prakash has over 14 years of experience in the electronics industry, largely
dedicated to embedded software. She drives the technology road map to provide and develop
IPs, solutions, platforms and frameworks to address the latest technology advancements.
Technology did not seem like a clients. This allowed me to have a learn, you will have scope to progress
career option during my early larger context and contribute a lot in your career. Don’t set limits for your-
years. When I graduated from more in the early design phases. It self; be truly limitless.
high school, I decided to pursue helped me to quickly lead large devel-
STEM simply because I saw it as the opment teams. I am most proud of the The tech industry is thriving and so
most challenging path. When I pur- fact that I developed a growth mindset dynamic that you can always find a
sued electronics, I immersed myself in and acquired the skill of learning fast place to grow your knowledge, exper-
the world of semiconductors and the on the job. tise, responsibility and impact. I’ve
inner workings of chips, which made seen it so many times in interviews and
me choose a more technical career. I Do not let anybody else steer meetings, where women don’t speak
got excited about how technology can you away in a different direction up and feel insecure about their own
change the world and it ignited my from the fields and ideas you are abilities. So my advice is to appreciate
passion to solve real-world problems it is more important to speak up rather
for a better tomorrow. passionate about. than silently resign.
My mother always encouraged me to I started seeing obstacles as challenges In STEM, it is important to develop your
continue my education and follow a to grow my skills and confidence. 4C’s—communication, collaboration,
career that I would enjoy. My engineer Luckily, early on in my career, I was sur- creativity and critical thinking. It is also
father always maintained an impres- rounded by very supportive managers important to connect disciplines and
sive work-life-family balance, which and peers. A few instances in my life relate to them and keep it engaging. We
inspired me without bothering what have taught me that it’s important to have to realise that STEM education is
gender stereotypes are pervasive in learn how to win in any environment. directly proportional to innovation,
the society. The point is, good work does speak for invention and creative problem solving
itself, but often some inherent biases for future.
During my early years as an embed- in society do hold you back, and you
ded engineer, I enjoyed my work but have to push yourself doubly hard to Young girls must be familiarised with
found myself getting frustrated when- just stay your ground.
ever I was unable to get a full picture. new technologies at school, espe-
I started finding ways to understand I’ve helped our clients achieve their
products targeted at customers and goals and provide confidence in our cially in rural areas, and given space
started directly interacting with services. One of the initiatives I’m
proud of is the ‘Sustainability Initiative’, to experiment. From an early age,
See obstacles as challenges to which I spearheaded in my organisa-
grow your skills and confidence. tion and set in motion. I am happy to young girls should be given an inside
have laid the initial stepping stone
Don’t set limits for yourself; be for my organisation for transitioning view of the industry and exposed to
truly limitless. toward a sustainable future.
varied career opportunities that exist
Young girls should be given If you enjoy technical roles, developer
an inside view of the industry roles, sales roles, or any role that you within the STEM courses. Affordable
and exposed to varied career wish to take up, there is no reason you
opportunities. cannot progress into leadership posi- education, especially in STEM-related
tions. Do not let anybody else steer
Develop a growth mindset and you away in a different direction from courses, should be encouraged by the
acquire the skill of learning fast the fields and ideas you are passionate
on the job about. If you work hard and continue to government.
Academic Profile
BE Electronics & Communication,
VTU
Global Advanced Management
Programme, ISB-Kellogg School of
Management
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 110
Dr Pooja Mukul
Technical Director, Jaipur Foot Organisation
Founder & Director, Enable Foundation
Dr Pooja Mukul is a rehabilitation physician and social entrepreneur. She
works for people with locomotor challenges. Her area of expertise is designing
high-performance, user-appropriate and affordable assistive devices.
Born in Alwar, Rajasthan, I did Bureau of Indian Standards certifica- Elite institutions like the IITs, AIIMS
my schooling at Sophia School, tion. In partnership with D-Rev, a not- and IISc were founded to be centres
Ajmer. My medical education for-profit based in San Francisco, the of innovation. The purpose is defeated
was completed at Sawai Man Singh ReMotion Prosthetic Knee was designed when they choose to take the com-
Medical College, Jaipur. My decision and commercially launched in the United petitive exam-cracking achievers from
to pursue medicine did not stem from States and India. coaching centres for whom rote learn-
some childhood dream to be a doctor. ing is second nature and creativity alien.
Having been academically inclined in It is a privilege to be a doctor. It is a
school, studying science was a choice. decision you make with your heart Teaching is not the preferred career
I would have picked mathematics over before you put your mind to it. Is it choice for the brightest minds. Amar
biology in high school, but Sophia, did Bose taught at MIT; how many IIT grad-
not offer mathematics; so by default, I easy? No. Worth it? Absolutely. uates do we have teaching at IITs? This
chose biology, which led me to med- needs to change.
icine. My zeal to practice medicine I too was often confronted with the
developed when I started working dilemma of choosing between profes- In India we have the highest proportion
with Dr P K Sethi, the orthopedic sur- sional goals and personal responsibil-
geon who designed the ’Jaipur Foot’. ities. During the early years, children of female graduates in STEM (43 per
I learnt all I know, both medicine and and family took precedence. There
the right work ethics, while being his were times when quitting seemed inev- cent), but the lowest number pursuing
protégé. itable, but my surgeon husband, backed
me up all through. The barriers I faced careers in STEM (14 per cent).The high
My patients are those who have either were a consequence of gender-specific
lost their limbs or are paralysed. We sociocultural expectations and I am dropout rate is a definite consequence
design and fit artificial limbs and assis- fortunate to have never faced any bias,
tive braces. After the treatment, they discrimination or disrespect from my of assigned stereotypical gender roles
walk out of the clinic. In collaboration male colleagues.
with Stanford University, we developed and expectations as also of the system
a Polycentric Prosthetic Jaipur Knee You will have to make difficult choices;
Joint. The ‘Jaipur Knee’ was featured in your professional decisions will be and policies. Policies need to accom-
Time magazine’s 23 November, 2009, influenced by the demands inherent
issue as one of the 50 best inventions to being a woman. Rise above those. If modate career breaks that women
of the world for that year. you are guilt-ridden both at the work-
place and the home for not giving your have to take perforce, enhance re-en-
As part of a DST project, we stan- best, you will end up doing just that.
dardised the Jaipur Foot. leading to Do not underestimate your abilities try options and develop infrastructure
and self-sabotage your prospects. You
Your professional decisions will be must believe that you deserve equal at the workplace that assists women
influenced by the demands inherent opportunities as anyone else. Don’t
to being a woman. Rise above those. wait to be successful at some future with childcare. We need a change in the
point. Have a successful relationship
Do not underestimate your abilities with the present. It is a privilege to be socio-cultural construct of gender that
and self-sabotage your prospects. a doctor. It is a decision you make with
your heart before you put your mind to shapes the thought process of both
You must believe that you deserve it. Is it easy? No. Worth it? Absolutely.
equal opportunities as anyone else. men and women in our society.
We need imaginative, innovative stu-
Don’t wait to be successful at some dents, quality teachers and better Academic Profile
future point. Have a successful rela- infrastructure.
tionship with the present. MD Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation,
Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur
Awards
Dr PK Sethi Innovation Award 2010,
Indian Orthopedic Association
US-India Science & Technology
Endowment Fund Award for Healthcare
Wellcome Trust Grant for Affordable
Healthcare in India
Awarded for ‘Innovative Practices’ at
the Zero Project 2018, UN International
Centre, Vienna
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 111
Pradnya Desai
Managing Director, Accenture India
Pradnya Desai is an expert in the domain of technology architecture. She has
deep transformation experience to drive change across global delivery IT services
and is directly responsible for more than 2,100 professionals in this space.
My mechanical engineer father forefront of the digital revolution. ideas. If we don’t do this, we will be lost
inspired me to choose the Despite being a tech service provider, in the crowd. Second, never underesti-
same field. When it was time my team invests in automated plat- mate the power of networking. Take all
for me to go to university, technology, forms—moving from manual and auto- opportunities to step out of your com-
electronics and computers were the mated testing to a quality engineering fort zone and go beyond your immedi-
buzzwords, and that inspired me to mindset. In 2017, I led a large scale off- ate network. Women often undermine
get my degree in electronics engineer- shore project with over 1,000 employ- the foundation years; be determined
ing with specialisation in robotics and ees. This was the first account then to in ensuring that the learning contin-
telecommunications. have achieved a gender-balance status. ues, finding gaps and filling them. We
We received the highest sponsorship all need help and support; therefore,
I started my career in a Netherlands- that led 80 senior women from our cli- if you can, find a mentor. The guidance
based product company as a product ent organisation to mentor Accenture’s that you receive from an unbiased per-
consultant. My first project was an women. I am also the Transformation son can be invaluable.
implementation for a global aerospace and Automation Lead for Europe, over-
company with enterprise architecture seeing 5,200 employees—a $125-million I have worked in campus recruitment
and integration on the forefront. It was annual revenue responsibility.
my first onsite opportunity and a great over the years and have realised that
start to my career with an open-world While ambition is a great fuel
integration at a time when cloud and to progress in career, it must be all students should be enabled with
data platforms as concepts were still backed by a structure and a plan.
at a nascent stage. I, consequently, experiences, assets and resources
spent the next three years front ending While ambition is a great fuel to prog-
projects across multiple industries for ress, it must be backed by a structure to enhance their learning. What I do
integration platforms as a product con- and a plan. I use a technique called
sultant. Soon I realised my true calling ‘passive learning’, which allows me to observe is the lack of visual cues for
was in the space of design, product and learn through observation. It allows
platform development. That role led to me to absorb and learn multiple ideas our students—a visual display of what
the technology architecture space and together, ensuring that I can cope up
that’s how I joined Accenture in 2004. with the ever-changing, fast-moving they can become if they pursue STEM.
technology world.
My biggest focus area is changing the We need to offer them a vision, which
mindset of our people to be at the I find that women, as they grow in their
careers, often lose sight of the impor- includes many options other than the
Women tend to overlook the tance of continuous learning, which can
importance of building their brand hold you back in a tech career. This is guy in a spacesuit or a lab coat. The
value. something that I didn’t let myself lose
focus on. If there were phases where application of science is quite weak in
Find yourself a mentor; the guid- I felt out of touch, I took the time to
ance that you receive from an retrain myself and stay relevant. most educational institutions, where
unbiased person can be invaluable.
For women who want to be leaders, it is there is a stronger focus on theory and
Never underestimate the power of essential to define your brand. Women
networking. Take all opportunities tend to overlook the importance of concepts. We need to bring in technol-
to step out of your comfort zone. building their brand value. They shy
away from discussing their achieve- ogy-related specialisations earlier in
We need to bring in technology- ments, expressing their points of view
related specialisations earlier in and sharing their experiences and educational institutions, rather than at
educational institutions.
higher levels.
Academic Profile
BE Electrical, Electronics & Commu
nications, University of Mumbai
Achievements
One of the 120 globally-certified
Master Technology Architects in
Accenture
India’s first MD to be recognised
by Accenture as an Architect
Jury Member at European Testing
Awards, 2020
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 112
Pranati Sahoo, PhD
Senior Technical Engineer, Consumer Electronics, 3M India
Ex-Scientist, Axiom
Ex-Research Associate, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
(IGCAR), Kalpakkam
Pranati Sahoo is a material science engineer. She applies her learning to solve real-world
technological problems by synthesising novel materials with path-breaking applications.
Ihail from Rourkela, Odisha’s steel city. someone else thought they could. I with excellence that challenges you
Growing up there fueled my curiosity have been lucky to have people who intellectually. This is especially import-
in science and technology. have inspired me and shaped my career: ant for women.
my family, which helped me dream; my
My academic journey started with a teachers and my current professional Giving women equal opportunities to
Master’s course in chemical sciences mentors, who have supported me pursue and thrive in STEM careers
where I was exposed to environmental through ups and downs, showing me should be the focus of the government
and sustainable chemistry and inter- how to hone my leadership skills. and the private sector. This will allow
acted with prolific environmentalists women to narrow the gender pay gap,
and chemists. I interned at IGCAR. A lot of people have gone further thus enhancing women’s economic
The experience was a turning point in than they thought they could because security. Improving the hiring system,
my life, which answered my question retention and growth and implement-
of ‘What next?’. By working closely on someone else thought they could. ing inclusive work are other important
cutting-edge innovations, I realised that enablers.
research was my forte. Luckily, I was I believe failure is a great mentor. I have
able to secure a global outreach schol- learnt from experience that failure is a There are gaps in our education,
arship and admission in MS (Chemistry) detour, not a dead end. To anyone who
in an American university. There, I was would like to venture into science and especially in the way STEM subjects
exposed to experimental science, and technology, I would advise them to be
could synthesise novel materials. different with her thought process that are taught. Despite having top-notch
she owns. You will be valued for your
Later, my PhD experience added a thought leadership. talent and capability, the exam- to
whole new dimension to my perspective.
I was involved in making new materials A challenge only becomes an obstacle score-focused education model is lim-
called ‘thermoelectric materials’, which when you bow to it. Self-doubt often
can turn waste heat to electricity. I was struck me. I always questioned if I was iting students when it comes to inno-
working on making them from scratch on the right track, if I am good enough
to characterise and them to understand or if I’m being heard. In the male-domi- vation, problem solving and creativity.
their efficiency to meet the need. These nated scientific community, it is difficult
materials have a wide spectrum of appli- to be heard and there is a chance of Educational institutions need to focus
cations, from tiny wearables for soldiers being lost in the crowd. What helped
to automobiles to space crafts, all of me was communication, which pre- on creating awareness about the lat-
which need energy to thrive. vented me from being pigeon-holed.
est trends in the fields of science and
A lot of people have gone further Be strategic. It would help you
than they thought they could because immensely to sort through the clutter technology as part of STEM curricula in
and find the best way out. It is a distinct
Failure is a great mentor. way of thinking, having a big-picture schools and institutes of higher educa-
perspective allows you to see patterns
Be a learner, not just a knower. where others simply see complexity. Be tion to equip and build a future ready
a learner, not just a knower.
A challenge only becomes an workforce.
obstacle when you bow to it. I would encourage all budding science
enthusiasts to be passionate about Academic Profile
Be different with your thought innovation. Do not feel afraid of trying
process; you will be valued for new things, learning from scratch, failing MSc Environmental Chemistry, NIT
your thought leadership. and bouncing back. Surround yourself Rourkela
MS Material Chemistry, Advanced
Material Science Institute, University of
New Orleans, Los Angeles
PhD in Material Science & Engineering,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, US
Achievement & Memberships
Nominated as Best Graduate for
research accomplishments: TEG
materials, University of Michigan
Member of Society of Women Engineers,
Society of Automotive Engineers
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 113
Preeti Menon
Senior Vice President, Happiest Minds Technologies.
Former Technical Director at AOL India
Preeti Menon has an experience of 26 years in the technology industry, leading
large teams and delivering multi-million dollar projects. Her expertise lies
in managing end to end delivery of products for IDCs as well as projects for
independent software vendors (ISVs).
My father was the one who sug- processes and mechanisms to track In my opinion, women must aim for
gested I take up this field and and improve product delivery, resulting leadership positions, be confident,
urged me to join NIIT, while in customer delight. This has led to sig- resilient and possess humility. This field
I had plans of pursuing my higher edu- nificant growth and improved margins keeps changing, so believe in continu-
cation in physics. I started my NIIT in the business. Our online delivery ous learning and enjoy it. You need to
course along with my final year of scorecard tracks key attributes and strongly believe that you are as good
under-graduation. metrics helping us take the right action as anybody else in this field. To attract
to provide quality deliverables within more women into STEM careers, a lot
There have been multiple instances and the agreed timelines. of steps can be initiated at the policy
people who have made a huge differ- level. Creating 30-minute mandatory
ence to my professional growth. Being You need to strongly believe that courseware, where successful women
selected to represent my first organisa- you are as good as anybody talk about STEM and what they are
tion and working with pharmaceutical else in this field. doing currently, a strong mentorship
giants to set up their ‘adverse event programme in schools for young girls,
tracking’ workflows was one of them. As an organisation, we have created an focusing on creation of projects to be
I got this opportunity within the first environment, where technical knowl- executed at zonal, state and country
two years of my career and this gave edge and best practices are gathered levels, having a few girls only teams,
me a huge exposure and I understood and shared seamlessly. We focus on and availability of a credit system that
requirement-based product custom- building a knowledge-based organisa- would help them get into universities,
isation. I had the chance to work with tion, where members are encouraged are some.
excellent managers—Desikan, Shankar to constantly learn and be on the cut-
Kodumudi and Rajiv Jain—people I look ting edge of technology. A lot of focus There is no standard way of teaching
up to and who gave me multiple oppor- is given to building leadership from
tunities to grow and excel. I’ve been within. We focus on building an envi- STEM. It takes a lot to get students
continuously given new and challenging ronment that’s diverse and inclusive
assignments at Happiest Minds, and by identifying employees who have interested in STEM, and hence, we
these have helped me contribute back potential and providing them with the
as well as grow professionally. required training and mentorship to need to have standards as well as
excel.
I’m responsible for customer delight interesting certification programmes
and success of the Product Engineering Over these past five years, we have had
Services (PES) team at Happiest Minds. several women employees in the senior in place (level 1 to teach lower grades,
I worked on business value generation and technical management cadre. We
for the company and implemented have also been focusing on different- level 2 to teach higher grades). It is nec-
ly-abled onboarding members.
Women must aim for leadership essary to generate awareness about
positions, be confident, resilient In my professional journey, tough expe-
and possess humility. riences were a few, such as not being such programmes and the various
taken seriously and my opinions or sug-
There is no standard way of teach- gestions being ignored. But they have career options available.
ing STEM. made a huge impact on transforming
me as a professional. Academic Profile
BSc Physics, St. Xavier’s College,
Mumbai
GNIIT, Mumbai
Accelerated Management
Programme, Indian School of
Business, Hyderabad
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 114
Priya Kanduri
VP & CTO, Infrastructure Management & Cyber Security Business
Happiest Minds Technologies, Bengaluru
Priya Kanduri is a cyber security professional engaged in the development of
next-gen managed security platforms offering proactive threat detection,
security automation and data-centric security for new-age digital customers.
Iwas born and brought up in Tirupati diversity ratio by 10 per cent in the last be a good cyber security professional,
and based in Bengaluru now. My two years. We have also managed to you need to pay attention to details,
passion for mathematics led me to encourage many women to choose a think on your feet, look at things holisti-
take up further studies in computer career in cyber security; our number cally, keep up with trends and technol-
science and engineering. The idea of of women at entry levels now is higher ogies, constantly upgrade your skills,
what computers could do in the future than men. think out of the box and have a hacker’s
fascinated me then. My mother has mentality.
been a constant source of inspira- The constant doubt of whether
tion and the reason why I pushed my I am giving my best both ‘STEM jobs are not for women ‘is a
boundaries. I owe my success to my at home and at work was myth. Both the government and the
mentors, managers, customers and difficult to overcome. education board should introduce pol-
my team, which keeps me on my toes icies that debunk this thought right at
and motivates me to do my best. My Being a working mother to two daugh- the early stages of education. In addi-
company’s chairman Ashok Soota has ters, I found balancing work and moth- tion to awareness campaigns, they
also been a constant source of encour- erhood quite challenging when my should inform parents about the career
agement. I have learnt critical aspects children were young. I have always prospects and the importance of job
of career growth, such as having a been in client-facing roles and had to security, career growth and financial
long-term vision for the business and travel extensively. Though it may sound stability for women in STEM fields. For
myself, from him. In my experience, stereotypical, the constant doubt employers as well, creating a friendly
the most critical success factor is of whether I am giving my best both and diverse workplace is crucial for
having a strong belief in yourself and at home and at work was difficult to organisational success and to inspire
your vision, and achieving it through overcome. One of the most challeng- more women to pursue STEM careers
teamwork. ing experiences I have had is when I and progress.
cannot convince some of my women
As the CTO, I am responsible for IP and colleagues who decide to drop their I would personally like to see the
innovation in IMSS business in my com- professional careers or restrict their
pany. Solutions that we created have careers because of their domestic education system focus more on
been recognised and awarded in mul- commitments or mental blocks.
tiple industry forums. I also carry the applied learning and refresh to match
responsibility for the cyber security In my opinion, women should prioritise
services business that contributes to networking, both personally and pro- the current industry demands and
12 per cent of the company’s revenue. fessionally. It is helpful to have a men-
I contribute to the company’s diversity tor who can be your sounding board for trends and keep pace with global
charter, and we have improved our all your career debates. In my opinion,
every woman has her unique journey, expectations .
‘STEM jobs are not for women’ which cannot be timed or compared
is a myth. with others’. You need to enjoy the Academic Profile
journey and stay focused on your goal
Women should prioritise net- of becoming a leader. I would like to B Tech Computer Science, SV
working, both personally and specifically emphasise the importance University College of Engineering,
professionally. of being a team player to be a success- Tirupati
ful leader.
Every woman has her unique jour- Awards
ney, which cannot be timed or The field of cyber security is all about
compared with others’. fixing things that are not broken yet. To Women in AI, Trescon World AI
Show, Dubai, 2022
Women in Tech Award, Asia Pacific
HRM Congress & Awards, 2021
Recognition at the Business APAC
Visionary Women Leaders, 2019
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 115
Dr Priyanka Narayan
Associate CPM Director
Clinical Leadership, IQVIA
Dr Priyanka Narayan has about 20 years of experience in clinical research in planning,
execution, monitoring, risk, issue and quality management, and closure of clinical trials.
Iwas born and brought up in towards the management, eradication were some instances where people
New Delhi. I completed my education and treatment of diseases, and most would probably ask questions to my
till post-graduation in the same city. importantly, to improving the quality of junior male colleagues and not me; but
I have always been inspired by my par- life of patients and their families. in those situations, when I was able
ents. Coming from a small town in Bihar, to address their questions with facts
my father went on to complete his PhD Later, I worked with various clinical and examples, they gained trust in my
from the Nottingham University, UK. research organisations like Veeda knowledge and experience.
Post retirement, he teaches students Clinical Research, IQVIA RDS Pvt Ltd;
of MBA in construction management at and pharmaceutical companies like I have come a long way and now lead
Amity University, Noida. My mother, a Daiichi Sankyo in various capacities. a team of 13 clinical research profes-
homemaker, taught me resilience, time Most of my experience has been as a sionals from India and indirectly a team
management, multitasking and people project manager, wherein I was respon- of more than 80 clinical professionals
management. I learnt to live my life sible for planning, execution, moni- based in the Asia Pacific region. My
with happiness, peace and satisfaction toring, risk and quality management, advice to next-gen women who wish to
observing her all these years. quality management and closure of be in leadership roles is: Follow your
many clinical trials in different thera- dream; believe in yourself; sit AT the
My first exposure to clinical research peutic areas like oncology, neurology, table; and do not ever doubt yourself.
was with a non-profit pharmaceuti- respiratory, cardiovascular, pain and
cal company called the Institute for inflammatory diseases. Clinical research is an excellent option
One World Health. This was a Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation initiative Clinical research is an excellent for passionate women who are inquis-
working for an endemic disease, devel- option for passionate women
oping an orphan drug for treatment who are inquisitive, and itive, and like to think out of the box,
of kala azar. It is during this role that I think out of the box.
developed a keen interest in the field learn fresh skills and acquire new
of clinical research. This job offered I also recall an incident where one of
me an opportunity to be in close con- my relatives was admitted to the hospi- experience through projects that they
tact with doctors who were treating tal and needed treatment with a blood
patients on the ground and also inter- modulator. I was thrilled to know that participate in. I now see many more
faced with non-governmental organ- the drug that was prescribed to them
isations as well as the government was one that I had worked on during young girls interested in STEM, pas-
departments working on providing its phase-III clinical trial. This was the
social support needed to keep this dis- only option that could be given to my sionate about mathematics, physics,
ease at bay. It is here that I witnessed relative in that condition. This was a
the great impact clinical trials can bring first-hand experience that my work space, and science in general. It would
could have an impact on people across
Follow your dream; believe in the globe. be nice to get some simulations or
yourself; sit AT the table; and do not
ever doubt yourself. It has driven me to work harder and hands-on experience to add to their
better to bring newer treatments to the
I feel proud of the various clinical world and work towards improvement knowledge; exchange programmes
studies that I was a part of, which of lives. I feel proud of the various clin-
led to successful drug discoveries. ical studies that I was a part of, which with reputed organisations, colleges
led to successful drug discoveries.
Exchange programmes with reputed within India and international institu-
organisations, colleges and interna- I have not really had much adverse
tional institutions can help in devel- gender bias experiences as such in my tions can help in sharing knowledge
oping skills of young girls in STEM. professional journey Although there
and developing skills of young girls in
STEM.
Academic Profile
MBBS, Maulana Azad Medical College,
New Delhi
MD, Clinical Pharmacology,
University of Delhi
Memberships
Indian Pharmacological Society
Indian Society for Clinical Research
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 116
Purna Airan
Site Quality Operations Lead (Sr. Director)
Pfizer, Vishakhapatnam
Purna Airan is a quality strategy expert and leads day-to-day quality
oversight of commercial manufacture of sterile injectable products at Pfizer.
Iwas born in Meerut, grew up and com- In my career spanning over 22 years, already started to happen. But I feel
pleted my schooling in Modinagar, I have held various positions of we as a society still have a long way
Uttar Pradesh. I was always inter- increasing responsibility in quality, to go when domestic and professional
ested in studying science as it intrigued regulatory audits and microbiology lives are normalised equally for men
me in many ways. It was during my mas- laboratory. I have worked in pharma- and women.
ter’s degree that I came to develop an ceutical sterile injectables, terminal
understanding of pharmaceuticals and sterilisation, and biopharmaceutical My advice to next-gen women is to
decide to carve out a career in the vac- and medical device industries. I have proactively and consciously take
cines or the pharmaceuticals industry. thoroughly enjoyed all the aspects of charge of their career and treat it like
the pharma industry, and continue to a project. Get out of your comfort
When I entered the industry after com- design and implement programmes zone, set your five-year goals, defeat
pleting my master’s degree in microbi- that strengthen quality organisation, challenges and make bold decisions
ology, I realised that college education build capability and improve supply to achieve your goals. In this process,
does not prepare individuals to work reliability. you must be consistent and self-mo-
in the pharma industry. Education is tivated. Nurturing your career along
mainly theoretical. I had to learn every In my current role at Pfizer, I under- with doing justice to your family is
process on the ground. Therefore, uni- took simplification of the processes, difficult and requires sacrifice. It also
versity courses must include general established a culture of quality and requires support from mentors at
tests like bioburden, sterility, endotoxin compliance while providing safe drugs work and family.
and chemical tests performed in the to patients in a timely manner. I nur-
pharma industry. Also, colleges must tured the development of colleagues In the private pharma sector, women
tie up with industries for internships so and focused on increasing diversity at
that individuals can have some industry work place by introducing women to mostly work in general shifts that
experience before getting a job. work shifts. All I strive for is excellence
in every role that I take up and make limits them to build a career in oper-
I started my career at Johnson & a difference.
Johnson, India and had a brief stint ations and engineering. Industries
there before moving to the United All I strive for is excellence
States, where I joined as a senior in every role that I take up need to provide a safe working envi-
associate at Amgen. Later, I worked
for a European regulatory body for and make a difference. ronment for women to work in shifts
which I audited medical device com-
panies across the globe. I joined Pfizer I am a self-driven person. I love to to enhance their career growth and
in 2014 as a corporate compliance challenge myself and solve prob-
auditor in the United States. In 2016, lems that has resulted in my personal offer significantly better opportuni-
I moved to India to lead manufacturing career growth. My self-drive has
quality operations and investigations brought me to the position I am in ties. Women who wish to enter the
at Pfizer’s sterile injectable plant in today. As a woman, managing work-
Visakhapatnam. life balance, especially after giving pharma sector may start with getting
birth to kids, has been my biggest
Get out of your comfort zone, set challenge. Expectations from a woman a role in the industry and then learn
your five-year goals. in our society are very high. Society
expects her to be the best mother, the processes and procedures. Don’t
Defeat challenges and make bold best wife, best daughter-in-law and
decisions. best daughter; all this while managing be in a hurry to switch jobs every year;
professional career and growth. This
Take charge of your career and attitude of society calls for a major focus on learning and delivering, and
treat it like a project. transformative change. Some of it has
as an outcome, you will earn money
and, most important, knowledge and
skills that will prepare you to get into
leadership roles.
Academic Profile
BSc Life Sciences, Chaudhary
Charan Singh University, Meerut
MSc Microbiology, Gurukul Kangri
University, Haridwar
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 117
Purnima Sharma, PhD
Managing Director
Biotech Consortium India Ltd., New Delhi
Purnima Sharma has 30 years of experience in technology evaluation and
transfer, intellectual property rights (IPR) management, consultancy for
setting up incubators and science parks, public-private partnership funding
schemes, and entrepreneurship development.
Iwas born in Mysore and brought have guided technical training of over To my knowledge, the Indian govern-
up in Punjab’s Amritsar, Nangal and 5,000 biotechnology students in the ment and the private sector are mak-
Chandigarh. I was a hard-working industry. ing concerted efforts to understand
student and was interested in pur- the barriers to female representation
suing science in my academic life. In addition, I have been instrumental in STEM.
I received academic distinction for in preparing a number of analytical
securing second rank in the order reports on biotechnology, such as I feel attempts are already being made
of merit in my BSc as well as in MSc sectorial and status studies, market to sincerely address those barriers in a
courses at the Panjab University in surveys, feasibility studies for setting time-bound manner. The younger crop
Chandigarh. up biotech parks in various states and of women in science would benefit by
technology landscape studies. these endeavours that highlight the
I was hugely inspired and supported by contribution of women in leadership
my late parents and husband to pursue Women in STEM must not roles in STEM. Creating mentoring
biotechnology consultancy as a career limit themselves only to their opportunities for more female students
option. Thus, my family has always technical expertise. Knowledge and professionals to connect with suc-
been my driving strength. about all related fields is equally cessful women in science will motivate
important and is an investment them to pursue STEM as a career.
I have been at the forefront of facil-
itating accelerated biotechnology in yourself. Academic Profile
commercialisation in the country for
more than three decades. I have been I am a member of the number of B.Sc & M.Sc (Honours) Microbiology,
spearheading innovation management, national and state-level committees Punjab University, Chandigarh
comprising patent portfolio manage- responsible for biotechnology devel-
ment and technology evaluation, and opment and commercialisation. PhD in Experimental Medicine,
valuation and licensing of intellectual Post Graduate Institute of Medical
property. For women who wish to lead teams, it Education and Research (PGIMER),
is essential to have confidence in your Chandigarh
I have successfully facilitated more innate talent and a single-point focus on
than 60 technology licensing deals and your goals. Women must find passion in Post-doctoral Fellow, IIT Bombay
their work and must not be afraid to
Women must find passion in step outside their comfort zone. Fellowship
their work and must not be afraid
to step outside their comfort zone. Women in STEM must not limit them- National Academy of Sciences,
selves only to their technical exper- India
Creating mentoring opportuni- tise. Knowledge about all related
ties for more female students and fields is equally important and is an Award
professionals to connect with investment in yourself. Adaptability
successful women in science will to changing workplace ecosystems Vivek Chandrashekhar Memorial
motivate them to pursue STEM is an asset that helps individuals to Award—gold medal and certificate
as a career. flourish. for best research publication by
PGIMER
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 118
Renu Agarwal
Deputy General Manager, Central Project Department,
Aditya Birla Group
Renu Agarwal is a process engineer with over 16 years of experience.
She coordinates with suppliers and licensors, reviews technical documentation
and manages projects, including feasibility study, planning and execution.
Iwas born and brought up in Janjgirnaila, Process department is the heart of any underestimate yourself and make your
a small town in Chhattisgarh. I did my oil and gas company or a petrochemical voice heard. Never stop learning and
schooling under the state board at or chemical plant. Being a core process set boundaries around work.
a Hindi-medium school from Janjgir. I engineer, I contributed in the area of
come from a middle-class business fam- the safety review of the plant design, Attracting and developing more women
ily where girls were not recommended looked after the review and prepara- in STEM careers requires a compa-
to go for higher or professional studies, tion of various deliverables for process ny-wide change, driven from the top.
or to take up a job, especially in tech- industries and carried out interdisci- While STEM careers remain male-dom-
nical field. However, several people plinary coordination, technical audit, inated, the workforce is at last becom-
inspired me to take up this field. My quality audit and mentoring. ing more gender diverse and there are
personal interest was the major driving now women working across many of
force that made me constantly excel Attracting and developing our sites and organisations. There have
in studies and opt for engineering. My more women in STEM careers been a number of recent campaigns
school teachers, seniors and friends requires a company-wide change, aimed at getting more women into engi-
inspired and guided me. neering in general and into construc-
driven from the top. tion in particular. These are welcome
My immediate supervisors and peers and should be sustained.
in all the organisations where I worked I was involved in training staff on soft-
always encouraged me. There was one ware used for process discipline, The biggest shortcoming in the way
incident in Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) preparation of process specifications,
when I wanted to leave the job due to instructions and templates, and review engineering is being taught is many
personal exigencies, but my peer and of technical bid evaluation for equip-
lead supported me to take a short ment and instruments. teachers are ignorant of the engi-
break, and resume once the situation
settled down. This taught me not to In the early corporate field, women neering skills used in industry, so they
give up, but to move on in life even employees are less likely to be asked
when adversities strike you. for their opinions on the technical cannot relate them to their students
issues during discussions. I also expe-
I started my career as a graduate engi- rienced this trying to prove myself. or deploy them properly as part of
neer trainee in the process department When you become a mother, it
in RIL Mumbai. I got exposure to work becomes difficult to manage personal an effective STEM strategy. As engi-
as part of the core team on major pet- and professional life simultaneously. I
rochemical, oil and gas projects in the remember, when I became a mother, neering and technology are applied
world’s largest refinery’s expansion at maternity leave was only for 12 weeks
Jamnagar. I also worked for Worley with no further extension. I faced a streams in nature, they become elu-
India Pvt Ltd. and Taaltech Engineering lot of challenges in justifying myself in
as the lead process engineer. both the fronts. sive when taught without an indus-
Always keep learning and So this is the wisdom that I gathered trial background. Thus, engineering
upskilling yourself. for women in senior and leadership:
Always be yourself; don’t worry about courses must include industrial site
Always have confidence to try what others think of and say about
new concepts and ideas. you. Even if you were a perfect person, visits and training programmes in the
you’ll still be misjudged by some oth-
Never underestimate yourself and ers. Always keep learning and upskilling curricula for better understanding
make your voice heard. yourself. Always have the confidence
to try new concepts and ideas. Never of skills used in the industry. STEM
teachers should be offered some
industry experience.
Academic Profile
BE Chemical, Raipur Institute
of Technology & Pt. Ravishankar
University
Achievements
Gold Medal in chemical engineering
Subject matter expert, Pertamina
refinery project, Worley Jakarta team
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 119
Ruchi Pandey
General Manager Technical, 3M India Limited
Ruchi Pandey has 17 years of experience in product development and application
engineering in the field of adhesives, coatings and polymeric materials.
She leads the converter market segment for the industrial adhesives and tapes
division at 3M India Limited.
Ihave been interested in STEM since In my current role, I am responsible most powerful field to make an impact
I was in school. STEM has always for leading new product launches for on business and society. Being in the
been my first choice for studying India and the Asian region and appli- STEM field, one could be an agent of
and building a career. I witnessed cation development for existing prod- change, making our surrounding better
my seniors and elders doing well in ucts for the electronics, appliances and for the future.
this field and they inspired me. Many automotive markets in the industrial
events too encouraged me. adhesives and tapes division. Prior to There are many myths about taking up
3M, I worked with organisations like STEM as a career choice for girls, which
When I developed my first lab proto- Haldia Petrochemical Limited and GE are getting busted every day with more
type and launched the same product Research Centre. and more women taking up roles in cut-
in the industry, I got a lot of appreci- ting-edge technology areas. The STEM
ation. My first ever patent approval STEM is the most powerful field field is interesting when you make it real
motivated me in a huge way. My first to make an impact in business through experiments. Our current ped-
published standard in the Bureau agogy of science is theory-based, with
of Indian Standard (BIS) gave me a and society. great scope for practical experiments
feeling of positive accomplishment. and problem-solving. Introducing this
Everyday excitement that comes We’ve collaborated with the 3M into the way science is taught will
from solving problems for customers Germany team and launched 3MTM inspire the younger generation to think
using 3M solutions and supporting VHBTM LSE series tapes. Our team has creatively, spark curiosity and develop
them with their requirements is what commercialised tape portfolios for thin a problem-solving mindset required to
keeps me going with full energy and bonding applications for the Industrial tackle the challenges of society.
vigour. market, label portfolios for general
purpose, identification, tracking and Reforms should be brought in the edu-
I have developed and launched a vari- tire label applications for the industrial
ety of adhesives, tapes and coatings market, new generation graphic films, cation sector to provide more financial
for the industrial and automotive mar- paint replacement films and paint pro-
ket that have contributed to 3M sales tection films for the two-wheeler and support to women in the lower strata of
of more than $100 million with 36 trade four-wheeler market.
secrets and six patents (four have been society. Awareness campaigns should
granted). Being a mother of two kids, I had to
make many compromises on the pro- be run across age groups to inspire
Women are natural leaders and fessional front initially. I can certainly
are known multitaskers. vouch women are natural leaders and more girls to take up STEM as a career
are known multitaskers. If at home,
All women must come forward most of the decisions are taken by choice.
and discover their capabilities and women, then why should a workplace
potential. be different? I encourage all women to Academic Profile
come forward and discover their capa-
STEM is the most powerful field bilities and potential. There are many BTech Chemical Engineering, Harcourt
to make an impact on business and examples to highlight that women are Butler Technical University, Kanpur
society. doing wonders in leadership roles.
MTech Polymer Science &
Many myths about taking up Today’s society is grappling with prob- Engineering, IIT Delhi
STEM as a career choice for girls lems that could be solved by STEM
are getting busted. solutions. In my opinion, STEM is the Awards & Membership
3M Genesis Grant, 3M
Circle of Technical Excellence Team
Award, 3M
GE Scholarship, while pursing MTech
Member of Adhesive Sub-committee
of BIS
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 120
Sandhya Thyagarajan
VP, Strategic Electronics Business Unit
Centum Electronics Ltd., Bengaluru
Chairman, POSH Committee, Centum
Sandhya Thyagarajan has 30 years of experience in the development and delivery
of many mission-critical modules, subsystems and systems for missiles, satellites,
launch vehicles and radars platforms for the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), defence
public sector units and ordnance factories.
My parents inspired me to be Set your goals and don’t let failures strong and determined to race with
what I am today. My father be your impediments. Maintain a them and be a go-getter and acquire a
guided me to take up techni- balance between being empathetic, must-win attitude.
cal education and my mother offered
me abundant confidence and encour- assertive and aggressive. Some of the shortcomings in how
agement to chase my dream of taking STEM is being taught are more theory,
up a difficult job as a manufacturing Prior to joining Centum, I gained old syllabus and not connecting edu-
engineer, working in shifts, traveling experience in manufacturing and cation to changing technologies. Also,
and meeting targets under pressure, operations at leading electronics the method of teaching is bookish and
as she did all that for 33 years at the companies like Siemens, Ford Motor, more scoring-oriented than fundamen-
Bharat Electronic Ltd. The first per- GE-Medical and Kodak. I started as tals. There is no research orientation.
son who recognised my ability and an automotive design engineer at Teaching staff are not getting upgraded
passion as a go-getter was Nicolas, a Ford and was responsible for trans- with new methods, tools and topics.
German who picked me from a bunch fer of product lines from Brazil and Not invoking thinking and solving skills
of fresh engineers and gave me an Thailand to India. Subsequently, I led is another major issue. Encouraging
independent project of establishing a the entire business unit at Kodak as women’s education, sponsorship or
line. Then onwards, there has been no the director of Kodak operating sys- incentives can attract women to the
looking back. tem. From there, I progressed into STEM field.
developing processes in the manu-
When I joined Kodak as director facturing lines and then moved on to My advice to the next-gen women
of Kodak Operating Systems, a sin- completely handling the essentials
gle profile, the CMD of Kodak India of operations management covering is to work smartly and passionately
Limited promoted me as the head supply chain, program management
of entire operations within three and sales. People management has and develop risk-taking ability. One
months. I was pretty scared due to always been an embedded scope in
no prior experience. But I took that my work journey. My areas of exper- needs to continuously upgrade one-
as a challenge to live up to their trust tise cover manufacturing, quality,
and confidence. I brought in at least process, supply chain project man- self and be a people person. Maintain
five new projects and introduced agement and customer relations.
many global practices. In the last 16 a balance between being empathetic,
years, present Centum Group chair- Working long hours earlier in my career
man Apparao V Mallavarapu has and even late into the night was a diffi- assertive and aggressive. Set your
been a constant motivator and has cult task.
trusted me on the significant techni- goals and don’t let failures be your
cal changes in the defence, space and Traveling alone to far-off locations and
aerospace operations. leaving my child at home was another impediments. Have a work-life bal-
issue. Almost every time, I was the only
Work smartly and passionately woman (technical side) heading oper- ance. Have trust and confidence in
ations and dealing with men, I had to
and develop risk-taking ability. adjust or at times be quite uncomfort- yourself. Create a solid backing at
able dealing with different men—be it
Have a competitive spirit and customers or suppliers or even a cou- home in the form of a cook or care-
ple of colleagues. This made me bold,
become strong in your area of taker. This gives you the mind-space
work. to chase your dream. Have a compet-
itive spirit and become strong in your
area of work.
Academic Profile
BE, University Visvesvaraya College
of Engineering, Bengaluru
Awards
Global Award for Kodak India
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 121
Saritha Poovanna
MD, Bosch Automotive Electronics India Pvt. Ltd.
Regional President for Automotive Electronics in Bosch India
Plant Manager-Technical, Naganathapura Plant
Saritha Poovanna has worked on introducing and ramping up multiple products,
product relocations and new business models. She has mentored both men and women
in leadership development and is an advocate of diversity across industry functions.
Ihad full family support for my choice of manufacturing and the demands it introduced to promote participation of
of a professional degree in a branch made on my time. more women in STEM.
that could be used in any kind of
industry. In the early stages of my Women who strive to be Strong commitment and policies that
career, my managers mentored me in leaders and make change must ensure visible role models, mentor-
projects that optimised manufactur- continuously learn and upskill ing of women by women, support for
ing costs, allowing me to explore the mid-career prospects, industry-insti-
multiple facets of manufacturing. I was to keep themselves relevant. tute partnerships to nurture women
inspired by the growth, achievement in STEM needs to be done. There’s a
and impact that some of my mentors Over time, my collaborative efforts to need for a balanced approach between
had on the organisation and its success. meet key deliverables of all stakehold- imparting theoretical STEM education
This motivated me to opt for a career in ers, focus on organisational success and and ensuring exposure and experience
the manufacturing industry. the development of my team members in the real industrial set-up.
made my acceptance gradually strong.
I was always given equal opportunity I have not faced any barriers as such in Integrated STEAM education (A = Arts),
and empowerment throughout my my professional journey. The challenge i.e, adding the humanities element to
career at Bosch. My achievements of making some compromises and find- STEM, would make it more attractive
were timely recognised, thus motivating ing an optimal balance between profes- to women as well.
me further. I was mentored at different sional and personal priorities still exists.
stages of my career in formal mentoring Women who strive to be leaders and
programmes that enabled the develop- I have led the plant to benchmark lev-
ment of my business skills and leader- els of integrated Lean and I4.0 across make change must continuously learn
ship competencies. The support and the value chain, resulting in awards and
encouragement I got at the regional recognition at the national level and the and upskill to keep themselves rele-
and global levels were key enablers to global Bosch level..
my growth in the organisation. vant. Be a ‘hands-on’ leader, who is
My advice to next-gen women is to seize
When I stepped into my first role as opportunities of their choice that come not afraid to ‘get her hands dirty’ to
head of manufacturing, there was some their way. Challenge yourself to work
apprehension about whether being a on topics beyond just your defined role, address issues with the team. Lean on
woman, I could handle the complexities and strive to make an impact beyond
organisational boundaries. Avoid self- and draw from the expertise and expe-
Avoid self-doubt; you will know doubt; you will know how successful
how successful you can be only you can be only when you try. rience of those around you. Challenge
when you try.
Build a good support network for your- ‘status-quo’ and co-create improved
Build a good support network for self—at home, at work and in the com-
yourself—at home, at work and in munity. This becomes more important business processes along with the
the community. when you try to balance professional,
personal and social obligations. team.
Seize opportunities of your choice Network both inside and outside the
that come your way. organisation. Academic Profile
Challenge ‘status-quo’ and co-cre- Learning, certification and employment BE Industrial Engineering &
ate improved business processes opportunities, including in rural areas, Management, Rashtreeya Vidyalaya
along with the team. especially in future jobs, should be College of Engineering, Bengaluru
PG Diploma in Business
Administration (Operations)
Certifications
Certified in Global Organisation
Development, NTL Institute of
Applied Behaviour Science
Certified Internal Coach, Coaching
Foundation India Ltd.
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 122
Satya Sarvani Malladi, PhD
Senior Director of Innovation, Kantar Analytics Practice, Chennai
Satya Sarvani Malladi is a business analytics professional. With her technical
skills in analytics, basic statistics and concepts of optimisation, she has been
driving measurable business impact at Kantar Analytics.
Iwas born and brought up in phases helped me anchor myself. The A strong and effective STEM educa-
Visakhapatnam. My parents inspired advice here is to keep yourself emo- tion in early years is the pivot for pro-
me by example to always strive for tionally balanced as you navigate moth- ducing a competitive STEM workforce.
excellence. They gave me unlimited erhood while holding the baton of a Concepts of science and math during
confidence by enabling my interests in successful professional career. school are best understood by visuali-
STEM subjects and by creating oppor- sation and experimentation. Screening
tunities for me that transcend gender. My boss once told me that anyone could documentaries containing biographies
My mother nurtured my penchant for ride into sunset years with expertise in of and interviews with scientists for
mathematics since childhood. My men- one area. But constantly reinventing and school and college students may inspire
tor from BTech days, Prof C Rajendran, equipping yourself with technical depth them. Students may be exposed to
made me aware of the field of oper- in orthogonal fields will add unique technology by organising visits to places
ations research as a potential area to dimensions to your skill sets and pres- like space research centres, physics
pursue research. Women must focus on ent unimaginable career opportunities. labs, R&D cells and meteorology cen-
selecting a place where their core skills tres. Planning regular interactions with
and expertise are valued and can be Never let your guard down on professionals from industry will help
put to use. ensuring excellence of efforts, students get motivated to seek careers
owning anything that you work in technology innovation.
I have played an active role in develop- on and assuming responsibility.
ing advanced solutions for optimisation Most engineering courses are delivered
in multi-touch attribution. I have worked For women who wish to succeed in cor-
on optimisation in marketing return on porate careers, never let your guard without foundational depth, leading to
investment and in budget for growth down on ensuring excellence of efforts,
(B4G). owning anything that you work on and superficial concepts in many students.
assuming responsibility. Equally import-
I have been lucky to not have faced ant is the trait to accept and learn from Developing teachers and professors
major tough experiences professionally. your mistakes. Make yourself heard.
However, as a mom of a toddler, I have Show your presence in meetings. Seek of high quality and strong conceptual
faced maternal guilt on some occasions. opportunities to work on exciting fields
The guilt of leaving behind a baby in a instead of waiting around for something strength with excellent presentation
nanny’s care for my seemingly selfish nice to come your way. There has been
intent of shining at my career engulfed no time like the present for the analyt- skills is the need of the hour. It is unfor-
me at certain times. To navigate these ics industry. This space has very few
moments, cheerleading from my spouse people with theoretical underpinning tunate that the education industry is
and parents paired with assurance from and a practical mindset, making it a
others who have been through these lucrative opportunity. not a high-paying one, making it less
Women must focus on selecting To increase participation of more attractive to many interested and capa-
a place where their core skills and women in STEM the government must
expertise are valued and used. try to catch them young. Science fairs, ble candidates. The government should
math competitions and internship pro-
Keep yourself emotionally bal- grammes at the state and national levels set minimum pay associated with quali-
anced as you navigate motherhood inviting only female students will reduce
and career. some of the inhibition. To retain women fication and some continuous merit-rat-
in STEM careers, childcare facilities
Seek opportunities to work on near office premises should be ensured. ing system for teachers and college
exciting fields instead of waiting I feel the both the government and pri-
around for something nice to come vate sector must work in this direction. faculty that are comparable to industry
your way.
standards.
Academic Profile
BTech Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
PhD in Industrial Engineering, Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta, US
Postdoctoral studies at Technical
University of Denmark
Fellowship
Georgia Tech’s Johnson Fellowship
for graduate students, 2013-15
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 123
Shilpa Gupta
General Manager, India Engineering, GE Gas Power
Shilpa Gupta works as an executive leader and mechanical engineer
with experience in leading engineering and business teams in energy,
aviation and automotive sectors.
Born in Karnal, Haryana, I grew and making changes to the way I think. image analytics) and had more than
up in multiple cities like Pune, It taught me that if you are willing to 70 patents in advanced technology
Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Mumbai learn and work hard, you can grow (aviation) in my over two years with
and Bengaluru. My father was a phys- even in a new domain. This learning the team. I built external collabora-
icist and worked as a scientist with agility has helped me navigate many tion with academia, specifically with
the Department of Space. He was industries, tyres, automotive, avia- IIT Madras, to advance technologies in
my biggest inspiration and my hero. tion and now energy. Being a life-long aviation.
In my community, women don’t take learner and not giving up when things
up STEM, but my father inspired me get tough has been the best growth Believe in yourself, have confidence;
and my sister to take up engineering. lesson. only then you can be a good leader. Be
Despite it being unconventional 20 brave, take risks, and say yes to oppor-
years ago, he was unfazed and ensured While you may get all the help from tunities. Ask for help; nobody is per-
he got both his daughters into STEM. people around you, what finally fect. STEM is an excellent field, and
makes the difference is what is there are enough women role models
I have also had strong and amazing within you—the strength of mind to look up to. New-age technology
mentors who helped me take the right is evolving in all STEM fields, and so
decisions. The last person I give credit and character, thinking differently, don’t lose the opportunity to be part
to is me. While you may get all the help taking risks, standing out. of creating a better world.
from people around you, what finally
makes a difference is what is within The only time I felt the brunt of gender More academia-industry collabo-
you—the strength of mind and char- bias was when I had my son and lost
acter, thinking differently, taking risks, a promotion that year. The perception ration must be fostered to show-
standing out, getting up after you fail that I would be okay with it and would
and even building others as you grow. let my career take a backseat was case technology fields and to create
incorrect. So now, as a leader, when-
Leaders that took a bet on me for ever I have a team member going on awareness for STEM careers. Talks
the many roles I’ve done in the auto- maternity leave, I make sure I check
motive, aviation and energy sectors during the promotion cycle for biases. by women leaders to encourage girls
inspired me in a huge way. Uncertainty Having a child is a life-changing event
and challenges have taught me to and a very vulnerable one. Many to take up STEM must be organised
grow professionally. For example, I women drop their careers during that
took up a business planning role at time. We should help them through in schools and colleges. We need
General Motors (GM). Being a tech- that temporary phase so that they can
nologist, I struggled at the beginning, break the perceived glass ceiling and more stories about women scien-
and then spent time learning, listening move on to become senior leaders.
tists in STEM in textbooks, and more
If you are willing to learn and My key contribution in every role has
work hard, you can grow even in a been to take the team to the next media programmes showcasing strong
new domain. level. There are always new areas that
we venture into. For example, for gas women from STEM.
Be a lifelong learner and do not power, I have led the team into energy
give up when things get tough. transition activities and panel discus- Academic Profile
sions on the theme. In the aviation seg-
Be brave, take risks, and say yes to ment, we employed data and physics BTech Mechanical Engineering,
opportunities. instead of just physics (one software Acharya Nagarjuna University
deployed for airline customers on
Awards
GE Gas Power CEO Award for
leading team through COVID-19
2nd wave
GE India Leadership Award, WoW -
Diversity & Inclusion Initiative
President’s Award, General Motors
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 124
Sruthi Kannan
Head of Cisco LaunchPad
Cisco Systems, Bengaluru
Sruthi Kannan works with deep tech start-up founders on fine-tuning their
business strategies, co-creating end-to-end digital solutions, opening
joint go-to-market opportunities and enabling funding prospects.
Iam a strong advocate for start-ups for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Advancing into leadership roles often
that play a critical role in accelerat- Start-ups (CIES). During the pandemic, requires one to be at the right place at
ing and amplifying the power of dig- I mentored start-ups working to pro- the right time. Having a broad outlook,
ital transformation. I am now engaged vide critical ICU care in the Himalayas establishing one’s niche in their area of
in orchestrating meaningful outcomes at Leh’s SNM Hospital, and other cities, expertise, acquiring newer skill sets,
for start-ups in their scale up journey including Bengaluru and Nasik. and building a strong network enable
through Cisco LaunchPad. I have been women to stand in good stead as they
recognised as one of the top ten inno- I created the ‘Kalki’ platform, a metaverse work their way into leadership roles. It
vators in India. for start-ups. In this virtual reality space, is imperative to look beyond your desk
start-ups can not only demonstrate their and observe the real world live from
The power of technology attracted me solutions to customers and investors, closer quarters to discover opportuni-
towards computing as a career option. I but can also train users and facilitate ties, dream big and dare to succeed.
was fortunate to receive the right guid- remote maintenance. I launched the
ance from my teachers at school and India-Technopreneurship Series, a pow- The government and private sector
university, friends and family. In partic- erful avenue to provide start-ups and
ular, my grandparents have had a huge aspiring student entrepreneurs from far- need to incentivise men in their endeav-
influence on my steep and constant flung areas to become future unicorns.
learning curve. They are my role mod- our to support women in their lives. The
els, as having battled several odds, they Look beyond your desk and observe
scaled new heights throughout their the real world live from closer stigma associated with women resuming
careers and continued to contribute to
the society in impactful ways, even after quarters to discover opportunities, work after a maternity break is slowly
retirement. A favourite saying of my dream big and dare to succeed.
grandmother has inspired me through- dissolving. This needs to be extrapo-
out: “Heights by great men reached and I suggest women find good men-
kept were not by a sudden flight. But tors in their professional network. lated to accommodate for various needs
they were toiling upwards through the I wish to mention an anecdote : At
night while their companions slept.” the 2011 edition of the Connected at different periods of life. Regarding
Women Leadership Forum hosted by
I mentored over 100 start-up founders in Cisco’s Connected Women Employee STEM education, we must stop being
business strategy, technology architec- Resource Group, I got the opportunity
tures and global expansion. I am a mem- to not only hear from visionary lead- only theoretical. STEM teaching has to
ber of the CII National Start-up Council ers like Vinita Bali, but also to work
and have advised the central and state with the core team of inspiring leaders be made much more experiential and
governments on start-up policy deci- and enthusiastic volunteers like Pallavi
sions. I have worked as an honorary Arora, Sripriya Sridhar and Shaila Patil, hands-on for students to experience its
faculty at the CII Centre of Excellence who mentored and steered me towards
many untrodden paths. Coming back power. The entrepreneurial ecosystem,
Women must find good mentors into work force as a young mother
in their professional network. served as a launchpad in my career. and in specific schools and universities
Have a broad outlook, establish As you ascend in your professional jour- should be equipped to play an enabling
your niche in your area of exper- ney, it may get a bit lonelier. Finding the
tise, acquire newer skill sets. right people to network and building role in encouraging students to inno-
genuine relationships has been a chal-
The stigma associated with women lenge that I have faced. As a woman, vate in safe environments.
resuming work after a maternity I have had to strive twice as hard to
break is slowly dissolving. demonstrate my capabilities and this Academic Profile
has been an arduous task.
BE, Computer Science and Engineering,
College of Engineering, Guindy
MA Psychology, University of Madras
Specialisation in Digital Transformation,
University of California Berkeley
Specialisation in Entrepreneurial
Leadership, Stanford University
Memberships
CII National Start-up Council,
Executive Advisory Committee
Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme
Executive Committee of the
Department of Science and
Technology’s NIDHI initiative
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 125
Shweta Jahagirdar
General Manager, Tata Motors Ltd.
Shweta Jahagirdar has more than 25 years of experience in the motor vehicle
industry. She heads the electronics design unit at Tata Motors that involves
design of various electronics aggregates in vehicles.
Iwas good in studies and it was my my expertise and worth as a female for many women to enjoy, grow and
father who inspired me for working engineer. prosper both in work and personal life.
in a technical field right from my I had my share of bearing family pres-
childhood. My father is my role model It was a tough decision when I decided sure and trying to learn how to balance
who motivated me at every step and to join the motor industry. I worked in work and family. I have taken maternity
always had my back when I would a field dominated by mechanical engi- and sabbatical breaks, trying to steal
need it, especially during challenging neering and in the area of diagnostics quality time for my children out of the
times. My journey at Tata Motors has for many years in my career, when very work zone.
been long and eventful. I have spent few women close that area. I was prob-
close to three decades here. I joined ably one of very few women who had My advice to women is to try and invent
the company as a graduate training worked in shopfloor like foundry and your own ways of maintaining work-life
engineer in 1995, just after completing press shop in my initial years at the balance, enjoy womanhood as well as
my engineering degree in electronics company. focus on sound career growth.
and telecommunications.
Try and invent your own ways of For women who wish to join the motor
My professional mentors at Tata maintaining work-life balance, industry, I have only one piece of
Motors and my bosses were always enjoy womanhood and focus on advice: The world has changed since I
an integral part of my career growth. entered this industry. This the best age
They all made me learn the tricks sound career growth. to break gender stereotypes and focus
of the automobile industry trade on deliverables and not the gender.
in India and helped me nurture my I pioneered diagnostics and telemat- Give the best of your knowledge to the
career even in critical environments ics in Tata Motors. Telematics is today field you are working in. Forget about
like iron foundry and aluminium the leading edge for leadership attri- the majority workforce and focus only
foundry, where I worked as the only butes at the company. I worked on on the work you do.
lady engineer to set up the line. In a 13 foundry commissioning machines
field that is otherwise dominated by within a very short span and worked The government and the private sec-
men, my mentors gave me the confi- on the Indica weld shop line set-up. I
dence to achieve any critical delivery also became apart of the regulatory tor must promote women empower-
and always uplifted my spirit to prove support at the company to ensure
implementation of government reg- ment in the field of technology and
Try and invent your own ways ulations and standardisation. I am
of maintaining work life balance. involved now in steps from compo- science to think and innovate differ-
nent design to manufacturing and
This the best age to break gender extending my work to support ser- ently. This can be achieved by creating
stereotypes and focus on delivera- vices as well.
bles not the gender. varied opportunities to attract more
My journey has been a mix of smooth
Enjoy womanhood as well as and rough rides. The rough part was women in STEM careers. Policies that
focus on good and quality career mostly because of the social-domestic
growth. role that is conferred upon a woman. promote time flexibility to manage
A woman always expects an A+ in all
We need policies that promote the fields wherever she is placed. It is work and life together and provision of
time flexibility to manage work stressful to get that A+ everywhere,
and life together. and this stress is the actual impediment quality child care facilities to manage
both simultaneously will be enabling in
a huge way.
Academic Profile
BE Electronics &
Telecommunications, Cummins
College of Engineering, Pune
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 126
Sindhu Gangadharan
SVP & MD, SAP Labs India
Head, SAP User Enablement
Sindhu Gangadharan has worked towards realising SAP’s vision and strategy
of the intelligent enterprise by orchestrating end-to-end process delivery
roadmaps to rapidly transform data into valuable insights for customers.
Igrew up in Bengaluru at a time when strategy that supports different parts How do we bridge the gender gap in
the city was on the cusp of a techno- of the workforce with combinations of STEM? Several initiatives like SAP
logical revolution. Many MNCs like in-person and distributed working. At in India’s Code Unnati are bridging
SAP were setting up base in the city SAP Labs India, we took this challenge this gap by offering a host of courses
and redefining the popular culture for and revisited our employee experience focused on IT skills development. SAP
the youth. Growing up with brothers to create India’s first hybrid workplace. has partnered with the NITI Aayog to
who were already into engineering, promote STEM education among sec-
I was deeply inspired by the possibil- If technology is your calling, ondary school children, especially girls.
ities of technology and its immense own that journey. And once you do These initiatives aim to inspire girls from
potential to transform the world, and weaker socio-economic backgrounds to
I chose computer science. I have been that, do not give up. So, identify take up careers in STEM by building
fortunate to have found some great your goal and resiliently skill sets for the Internet of Things, data
mentors quite early in my career. work towards it. visualisation and key programming lan-
guages. We also need to retain these
At SAP Labs India, our continuous I remember there have been times when talents by creating more inclusive work-
efforts in the area of ‘diversity and inclu- I would be the only woman in a room spaces. SAP is the first multinational
sion’ (D&I) were published as a case full of male customers and fellow male technology company to be awarded
study by the Harvard Business School. engineers and would be overlooked in the global gender equality certification
Separately, I recall the moment when the conversation. During incidents like by the Economic Dividends for Gender
I was tasked to head SAP’s strategic and these, I would remind myself of the Equality (EDGE).
global Intelligent Enterprise Programme, value I bring to the table that gave me
reporting to the company’s executive the confidence to navigate these chal- There’s a lot we can do to improve the
board. This role put me in the lead posi- lenging situations.
tion to bring to life SAP’s vision and quality of STEM education in our coun-
strategy of the intelligent enterprise by If you are a woman trying to make your
orchestrating the end-to-end process mark, the first and the most important try. Increasing the training of STEM
delivery roadmaps to rapidly transform point is to accept that there are no short-
data into valuable insights for customers. cuts. Second, empower yourself; no one subjects in primary education, constant
will invest in you if you don’t invest in
Third, organisations today are under yourself. No one will stand up for you updating educational programmes at
immense pressure to rise to the occa- unless you stand up for yourself. Third,
sion and leverage this unique oppor- build your support system. Women can the pace demanded by the labour mar-
tunity to provide greater flexibility, have it all when they have an efficient
without sacrificing productivity. The management system in place—when ket, promoting experience-based learn-
need of the hour is for a blended they learn to delegate and let go.
ing in classrooms and workplaces, and
Accept that there are no Neither your gender nor your back-
shortcuts! grounds define you or what you do; it is equipping teachers with training and
you, what you achieve, what you want to
Neither your gender nor your do—whatever that may be—that defines resources are important interventions.
background defines you or what you. If technology is your calling, own
you do. that journey. And once you do that, do We can create advertisements through
not give up. So identify your goal and
Women can have it all when they resiliently work towards it. different channels, and for different
have an efficient management sys-
tem in place—when they learn to Women must be and should be an audiences, that eradicate misconcep-
delegate and let go. important part of the STEM workforce.
tions about STEM education.
Academic Profile
BSc Computer Science, Bangalore
University
Awards
Fortune Top 50 Most Powerful
Women in Business
Asia’s Most Promising Business
Leaders by The Economic Times
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 127
Somdutta Sinha, PhD
Adjunct Professor at IISER Kolkata & IISER Mohali
Ex-Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, IISER Mohali
Former Scientist, CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad
Somdutta Sinha is one of the earliest researcher to start working in the
interdisciplinary area of ‘Theoretical Biology’ in 1970s. She is lovingly been called
by the younger generation as the “Grandmother of Theoretical Biology in India”.
Iwas born in Kolkata and brought up in by being in a beautiful place like the traits leaders must have. There are
Shantiniketan. I lost my father when Shantiniketan, surrounded by nature, both alpha males and females in sci-
I was 11. My mother, who herself did music and art. ence, who will patronise those who will
not pass school, was insistent on our only listen to them. I believe that a sci-
studies and stood like a rock when rel- I believe that a scientist has no entist has no gender—male and female
atives questioned her on why should gender— male and female brains brains are equally equipped to under-
the girls study so much and not get are equally equipped to understand stand problems and ask questions.
married. My college teacher Prof. Samir
Ghosh helped me with books, science problems and ask questions. Everything starts at the school.
magazines, science talent projects, Stereotyped roles for males and
and encouraged me to write articles in I slowly got attracted to this new area females need to be broken there. Girls
Bengali for scientific magazines. and wanted to look deeper into it. I did should be encouraged to take up sci-
some experimental work on pattern ence as their study area and career.
My PhD guide’s wife and my teacher formation in hydra and also made mod- School teachers need to be trained to
Prof. Anjali Mukherji, who was a biol- els of daily rhythms. My guides gave inculcate scientific temper in children.
ogy professor at JNU was a person me a free hand. This was both positive Special fellowships to bright girl stu-
who would always be by my side. Both and negative, as I had nobody to help dents to pursue science in school and
my PhD guides, biologist Prof. Sivatosh me and discuss with. I have worked on college will be an additional attraction.
Mookerjee and physicist Prof. J Subba many different topics in biology–from
Rao, encouraged me to explore the genetics to ecology and epidemiology, Special emphasis in maintaining equita-
new area of theoretical biology. Prof. V along with its interactions with the
Nanjundiah at IISc Bangalore gave me society, economics, and environment. ble gender ratio in the faculty is another
opportunities to work there and late P I have forayed into modelling biologi-
M Bhargava, PhD, the founder director cal systems at different scales, genome way to increase women’s participation.
of CCMB, had put faith in my abilities analysis using physical principles in
to give a faculty position right after computational biology, tissue pattern The private sector can offer internships
my PhD. formation during development and ana-
lysing spread of malaria using mathe- to women science students so that they
I had particle physics and field the- matical methods.
ory as specialisations in MSc. I never get exposure and get attracted to such
had biology as a subject after Std VIII. In work, the general environment had
Nobody thought about biological sys- been conducive and friendly, but when careers.
tems in a physics department. But it came to giving support staff, nominat-
while I studied, I used to wonder what ing for awards and offering promotion, Academic Profile
physical laws control the arrangement I did not get the support that my male
of petals in a flower, or development colleagues got. In committees, most of BSc (Hons) & MSc Physics, Visva
of shape and structure in organisms. the time I was the only female member Bharati University, Santiniketan
I am sure my thoughts were shaped who had to make an extra effort to be
heard. I never signed on the dotted line MPhil & PhD, School of Theoretical &
Stereotyped roles for males and without asking questions. That made Environmental Sciences, JNU
females need to be broken at the me a ‘difficult person’ to many in posi-
school. tions of power. Awards
Independent thinking, focused Independent thinking, focused plan for INSA Honorary Senior Scientist
plan for work and hard work to work, hard work to achieve goals set by Award, 2022
achieve goals are leadership traits. oneself and having the courage to speak
against the tide if one finds it right are National Women Biotechnologist
Award (Senior), DBT, 2013
J C Bose National Fellowship,
DST, 2012
Raman Research Fellowship,
Mathematical Research Branch,
NIH, US
National Science Talent Scholarship,
India, 1969-1982
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 128
Subha Tatavarti
Chief Technology Officer, Wipro Limited
Governing Board Member, Openssf.org
Former Head of Data Product Platforms, PayPal
Subha Tatavarti has a rich experience in data-product platforms and
technology commercialisation. She leads innovation-R&D, assets and
platforms buildouts, talent cloud, technology strategy at Wipro.
Iwas born in Rajahmundry, Andhra and ambitious and think that it was that leads to new opportunities and
Pradesh, and grew up mostly in New possible. growth.
Delhi and a few other cities across
India. You alone can be your biggest and In keeping with what personally drives
best champion for professional me to participate in this field, there
My inspiration cannot be tied to a sin- growth and success. isn’t a single action that will change
gle individual; rather my curiosity has someone’s personal desire to pursue a
led me to a career in technology. The social conditions and norms were career in STEM.
internalised to an extent where I would
I was greatly influenced by my parents’ not believe my mentors who called out More exposure to STEM at an early age
quest for knowledge and an attitude my strengths. will offer women the opportunity to
centred on life-long learning. explore and learn whether this might be
That changed when I gave myself the something they are passionate about.
Throughout my education, I found permission to chase audacious goals.
myself wondering, ‘the how and the Another challenge was the labelling We have made great strides in the
why’ behind everything. My career done by others based on personal STEM education system. However,
began to evolve with my curiosity lead- bias or experience.. there are always opportunities to bring
ing the way. STEM more into the forefront.
The realisation that the labelling is
I have always believed that you are done by them and not you is import- If we could weave STEM more seam-
your biggest advocate. Throughout my ant. Overcoming any label and invent-
career, I have been open to feedback ing oneself is very critical. lessly into the future curricula and daily
and transparency, and therefore, I can
correct my course as needed to turn My advice to next-gen women who activities, that passion will have more
the best leader and individual contrib- wish to be in leadership roles is to
utor that I can be. focus on what drives them as an indi- avenues to grow and prosper.
vidual regardless of the environment
The tough barriers in my professional or field them wish to go into. You Academic Profile
journey have been primarily believ- alone can be your biggest and best
ing in yourself and knowing that one champion for professional growth and MS Computer Science,
is good at what she does. I needed to success. George Mason University, US
give myself the permission to be bold
I have always led myself with the ques-
You are your biggest advocate. tion ‘Why?’, which has allowed me to
not only understand legacy of success-
Overcoming any label and invent- ful thought processes, but also drive
ing oneself is critical. change.
Focus on what drives you as an Continue to push boundaries by let-
individual regardless of the field ting your curiosity be the avenue
you wish to enter.
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 129
Suma MN, PhD
Technology Manager, Electrical System, GE Research, Bengaluru
John F Welch Technology Centre, GE India Industrial Pvt. Ltd.
Suma MN leads a team of more than 30 researchers in power systems, power
electronics, embedded controls and monitoring and diagnostics. She drives
next-gen technology innovations in areas like high-power density converters
and controls for wind turbines, electrified flight, wireless power transfer, grid
integration technologies and grid forming controls.
Iwas born and brought up in a small I made significant contributions towards Attracting more women to STEM
village in Cochin, Kerala. My father electromagnetics applications like careers requires a concerted effort by
was my first inspiration and taught electrical machines, induction heating, employers, educational institutions, pol-
me and my sister simple tips and tricks wireless power transfer and microwave icymakers and society at large to create
for doing mathematical calculations. My sensors. I am an inventor with many an inclusive environment that is truly
physics teacher helped me to broaden patents (over 50) in these technology empowering for women. Policies that
my perspectives and gain experience areas. I was a pioneer in developing encourage young high school girls to
by enrolling in science fairs, projects wireless power transfer portfolios get exposure to STEM fields, workplace
and science magazine subscriptions. for GE and led the technology devel- policies like equal pay for equal work,
My biggest inspiration was meeting in opment for various GE internal and and policies and processes to remove
college a senior physics professor, who external applications. I have been a key human bias in the way we attract talent,
later became my professional coach contributor to the microwave sensor retain and promote them will have a
and mentor. He influenced me into opt- development for Safire 2.0 multiphase huge transforming impact.
ing for physics and oriented me towards flow meter.
the field of electrical and electronics as STEM requires adaptive and creative
a career option. Have a positive attitude, balance your teaching methods as opposed to con-
emotions and learn from failure. ventional methods of sharing informa-
One of my mentors advised me to play tion. STEM education lacks bridging
to my strengths, invest in continuous The electrical and electronics disci- the gap between the classroom and
learning and focus on taking a step at pline is a growing area as the world is real life; thus pedagogy approaches
a time to own my destiny. The key take- moving toward a greener and more sus- that encourage scientific thinking and
away for me was not to worry about the tainable future. Electrification trends problem solving are required. If the
destination, but enjoy the journey itself are driving new technology innova- subject matter permits, encourage stu-
and growth will follow. tions; this is the best time to be in this dents to do a project from start to finish
field. Keep yourself updated about where they can apply their knowledge
I am the first woman in my village who the new technology trends, and their and learn new skills. This enables cre-
pursued a career in STEM, earned a impact on society, the economy and ative thinking, teamwork and leadership
PhD degree and joined a corporation. politics. Continuously upskill yourself skills. Continuous improvement in the
My toughest challenge was to break to adapt to emerging capability needs. teaching curriculum and methods is
some of the stereotypical biases the It’s important to build depth in an area required to adapt to the progress that
society had about women pursuing you are passionate about and also learn is happening in STEM disciplines.
PhD, taking up a corporate career and how to work effectively with a diverse
relocating to a different city for a job. multi-disciplinary team. Academic Profile
My parents were quite supportive of
my dreams and helped me break some Be resilient; there may be tough chal- MSc Electronic Science & PhD in
of these biases. lenges and setbacks in your way. Having Electromagnetics, Cochin University
a positive attitude, the ability to balance of Science and Technology
Be resilient; there may be tough your emotions and learning from failure
challenges and setbacks in your way. would take you a long way. Be humble Awards & Memberships
and have a growth mindset. Always be
Be humble and have a growth curious, learn from different experi- Hull Award, Recognition for early-
mindset. ences or stretch assignments, and keep career achievements and technical
your mind open and curious to learn contributions to Global Research and GE
Continuously upskill yourself to from people around you.
adapt to emerging capability needs. CTO Award for Leadership
IEEE Senior Member
Technical Member & Industry Expert,
Wireless Power Consortium
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 130
Suneela Thatte
Vice President & Head of R&D, Merck KGaA India
Suneela Thatte drives the development and expansion of the Merck Healthcare
R&D Excellence Centre in India. Her focus areas are execution of R&D strategies,
developing a talent pipeline and building a strong Merck brand.
Iwas fortunate enough to have found operations at the companies I worked It is of huge importance to develop
my role model and utmost inspira- with. In my role as Vice President, expertise in your field. Our work is
tion right by my side at my home Global Operations, at Quintiles all about saving lives and improving
while growing up. My mother is a phar- Research (India) Pvt. Ltd., I served as the quality of life of patients. Thus,
macist and has had a very fulfilling the link between key customers and build your own professional brand.
career in the pharmaceutical indus- the company, overseeing the con- Seek mentorship and be mentors to
try. I was inspired by her and always sistency of global operational excel- juniors.
wanted to be part of the healthcare lence. I drove customer relationship
industry. As I started working in the to achieve partnership objectives and To promote women in STEM, we
clinical research and drug develop- explored newer partnering opportu-
ment field, I had an opportunity to nities. In addition, I set up Quintiles need to create networks of successful
interact closely with clinicians and operations in Sri Lanka.
realised the importance of having women professionals who can work
solutions in place for unmet medi- Create networks of successful
cal needs. This made me passionate women professionals who as think tanks or advisors for budding
about this field, given the opportu-
nity it offers to make a difference to can be advisors for budding women professionals and leaders. On
human lives. women professionals
and leaders. the STEM education front, policies
After completing my post-graduation
degree, when I started looking for At IQVIA (formerly Quintiles Research need to focus on providing students
career opportunities, in spite of having India Pvt. Ltd.), as the Vice President
an excellent academic record, I had to and Head, R&D India, my role was to opportunities to work alongside indus-
face many rejections based only on my manage clinical development business
gender. But that further strengthened in India and achieve financial goals try in making the curricula more aligned
my resolve to make an impact in the across three business verticals. I led
industry and I decided to support tal- policy and regulatory advocacy for the with the industry.
ented women professionals in having a organisation and the biopharma and
fulfilling career. clinical research industry. Academic Profile
However, once my career took off, From my experience in the pharma MPharma, Mumbai University
I have been working towards driving industry, I wish to share certain tips
customer satisfaction and improving with women who would like to make MBA, TASMAC, Pune
it big here. Plan your career and
Put your hand up for newer strive to have a balance in your work Awards & Memberships
challenges. and personal space. Put your hand
up for newer challenges; it is diffi- Lifetime achievement Award,
Build your professional network. cult in the beginning but rewarding 2019, Indian Society for Clinical
in terms of skills that you acquire as Research
Build your own professional a part of the process. Build your pro-
brand. fessional network; it is important for Healthcare Luminary 2017,
you to gather information on what is Healthcare Business Women’s
Seek mentorship and be mentors happening in the industry and where Association, US
to juniors. your scope lies.
President’s Club award
Former President, Indian Society of
Clinical Research
Member of FICCI Clinical Research
Task Force
Former Co-Chair of the Medical
and Regulatory Task force,
Organisation of Pharmaceutical
Producers of India
Member of CII Pharma Committee
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 131
Dr Swati Piramal
Vice Chairperson, Piramal Group & Director, Piramal Foundation, Mumbai
Board Member, Nestle India, Allergan India & Essilor Luxottica
Board Member of Dean’s Advisors to the Harvard Business School, Harvard
School of Public Health & Harvard’s Global Advisory Council
Dr Swati Piramal studied medicine, and later steered the drug discovery research and develop-
ment at the Piramal Group. She is a pioneer in providing cost-effective healthcare solutions.
Iwas inspired to take medicine when the Associated Chambers of Commerce I am a proud parent as my daughter
as a young girl, I saw a doctor save and Industry of India in 90 years. heads our pharmaceutical business and
the life of a baby in my family. Though my granddaughter, 10, is good at coding.
I was raised in a business family, my par- As director of strategic alliances and This is like passing the baton of STEM
ents encouraged my decision to pur- communications, I managed pharma over generations.
sue a career in STEM. When I went to company Nicholas Piramal India Ltd. My
Harvard for my post graduate degree responsibilities included R & D, infor- Gender mix is heavily skewed in favour
in public health, I met people from all mation technology, medical services of males in the STEM sector. Efforts are
over the world, and that really opened and knowledge management. currently under way to encourage more
my mind to novel ideas and new ways young girls to enter and stay in STEM
of doing things. My constant quest for I faced a few roadblocks in my pro- fields. As a leader, I created a conducive
excellence, perfection, innovation and fessional journey. When I pioneered work environment for women, ensuring it
new technology took root at Harvard. intellectual property, a lot of people was merit-based, established sound team
After I came back, I soon started my did disagreed. An association of phar- processes and ensured safety during late
own research centre with over 500 sci- maceutical companies in India ousted work hours. It is essential to eliminate
entists exploring new drugs. It was this me because I had completely different gender bias in teaching materials and
start that opened new vistas worldwide. views than others. It took them ten strengthen the school STEM curriculum.
years to change their minds, and every- Practical experience, design-based learn-
Over the past three decades, I worked one started believing in innovation. ing and out-of-curriculum STEM activi-
on providing cost-effective and sci- ties, especially for girls, hold promise.
ence-based healthcare globally, and our Your strong beliefs and core ethics
group emerged as one of the largest will help you stand the test of time, I would recommend policy intervention
global producers of drugs. I founded especially when you are confronted
the Gopikrishna Piramal Memorial during early years of education for pro-
Hospital in Mumbai and launched sev- with difficult situations.
eral pan-India public health campaigns moting STEM. Teachers can also intro-
against chronic diseases, osteoporosis, When I started my career, male domi-
malaria, diabetes, tuberculosis, epilepsy nated STEM fieldsThe word ’resilience’ duce students to initiatives that promote
and child immunisation. always comes to my mind. Women make
good leaders owing to their inherent the role of women in STEM. Examples
As the director of Piramal Foundation, resilience. Always be eager to learn new
the philanthropic arm of the Piramal things from people around you. ’Being include Girlswhocode and the National
Group, I am deeply involved in devel- yourself’ entails embodying the ideals
oping innovative long-term and scalable you hold dear and allowing them to Girls Collaborative Project. The private
solutions to resolve issues like public influence your behaviour. Building con-
health, water, education, tribal health., sistency early on in your career will ben- sector needs to provide financial grants,
I served as the first woman president of efit you as a leader, your strong beliefs
and core ethics will help you stand the mentoring opportunities, internships
Women make good leaders test of time, especially when you are
owing to their inherent resilience. confronted with difficult situations. and apprenticeships.
It is essential to eliminate gen- Women in STEM must have a compet- Academic Profile
der bias in teaching materials itive outlook and should have the con-
and strengthen the school STEM stant urge to learn. STEM as a sector is MBBS, University of Mumbai
curriculum. continually evolving, but having a men- Master’s Degree in Public Health,
tor is crucial. Look for a mentor who
Having a mentor is crucial. is also your role model and work with Harvard Business School
them to reach your full potential. Today,
Awards
Padmashri, 2012
First Ladies Award by the President
of India, 2018
Global Empowerment Award, UK, 2011
Rajiv Gandhi Award for Outstanding
Woman Achiever, 2007
Chevalier de l’Ordre National
du Merite, France, 2006
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 132
Usha Barwale Zehr, PhD
Chairwoman & Executive Director, Grow Indigo Pvt. Ltd.
Chief Technology Officer & Director, Mahyco Pvt. Ltd., Jalna, Maharashtra.
Iwas born and brought up in A trained plant biotechnologist, Usha Barwale Zehr
Maharashtra, a state known for is working on providing cutting edge technological
its strengths in agriculture. My solutions to protect the interest of smallholder farmers.
inspiration has been my father,
who encouraged me to study
science, and my mother, who always tools to deliver improved seeds, which With advances in science, the line
emphasised the value of education. My the farmers could plant and get bene- between different disciplines has
PhD supervisor Jack Widholm had a fitted from. Insect-tolerant Bt brinjal is significantly blurred, creating more
commendable role in encouraging my such an example. It is now cultivated in diverse opportunities for women in
professional growth. American inventor Bangladesh, where insecticide use on agriculture. For example, plant breed-
and engineer Charles Kettering once brinjal crop has dropped by over 95 per ing is largely a field activity, but today it
said: “High achievement always takes cent, apart from a significant increase is combined with use of molecular fin-
place in the framework of high expec- in marketable yield. gerprints, drone technologies, machine
tation.” When I look back, I realise how learning and much more. STEM oppor-
true this quote is. Let me elaborate this In the last four years, I have taken up a tunities in agriculture include a broader
with my experience. new responsibility to address the chal- basket of skills. For women who wish
lenges around sustainable agriculture. to pursue agriculture, inculcating new
My PhD advisor was a hard-working We are working on adopting digital skills, developing a basic understand-
scientist. He grew up on a farm, but solutions to eliminate challenges in the ing and real depth in the area of inter-
later entered academics. While being agricultural value chain. Smallholder est is what will lead to success.
a university professor, he farmed more farmers can least afford the nega-
than 10,000 acres. He was always sup- tive impact of climate change. We are There are not so many women scien-
portive as I was willing to work hard. His exploring innovative ways to restore tists in agriculture and the opportunity
expectation and goal was to transform soil health, reduce chemical inputs and is immense. It is a field where one can
his students as experts in their respec- create transparency in the marketplace make a direct impact on availability of
tive research areas. This high expecta- to get the most value in farmers’ hands. food, health and nutrition, impacting
tion was a driver to ensure that I was rural livelihoods.
always well versed in my subject matter The government needs to focus To promote women in STEM, career
and creative in addressing my research on policies that incentivise guidance must begin at a young age.
problems. We need to create broader aware-
both men and women to support ness of STEM careers beyond young
I was trained as a plant biotechnologist gender balance initiatives.
and my research focus was to address women desiring to become doctors
some of the challenges faced by small- I have always been fortunate enough and engineers. Our education system’s
holder farmers. My work revolved not to face any barriers or tough rigid structure does not allow switch-
around insect tolerance, disease tol- experiences as many women in STEM ing from one discipline to another.
erance, shortening the product devel- would do otherwise. I had an extremely This needs to change, particularly at
opment cycle by deploying molecular supportive family environment that the university level, to allow students
tools and using a combination of these encouraged my decisions and indepen- to choose subjects with flexibility. For
dence to pursue whatever I wanted to teaching STEM subjects, a more practi-
There are not so many women and I continued to enjoy such support cal, hands-on learning approach needs
scientists in agriculture and the at the university level as well. When to be broadly implemented in schools.
opportunity is immense. I look around at schools today, I see The Atal Tinkering Lab is one such
young women performing well every- example. More programmes like this
The rigid structure of our educa- where. There is abundance of opportu- are needed.
tion system, especially in universi- nities for young women and hence they
ties, needs to change. must strive to emerge as future leaders. Academic Profile
Four attributes are critical in a leader:
Career guidance must begin at a self-belief, persistence, trustworthy MS and PhD (Agronomy), University
young age to promote women in behaviour and strong interpersonal of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
STEM. skills.
BSc, University of Bombay
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 133
Veena Panicker, PhD
Director, Biomonitoring, Science & Lab Solutions
Merck Life Science, India
Veena Panicker heads the microbiology business unit in science lab solutions
of Merck Life Science, which provides solutions for microbial quality control
assessment, critical in the pharmaceutical and food segments.
Life science studies have a direct sharpened during my assignment at There are many inspiring women lead-
impact on the health and well-be- Thermo Fisher Scientific. ers in life science today. For all women
ing of people. Therefore, I chose who are thinking about a sales and
this professional path as I am passion- My advice would be to get rid of marketing career, eventually leading to
ate about science and its applications. self-doubt, and just take the plunge a business leadership role, just hone
My job allows me to meet different your technical selling skills, be digitally
professionals who are committed to when opportunity beckons. savvy, stay abreast of innovations and
scientific pursuits—both academic and go ahead. A strong academic back-
commercial. What inspires me is the dif- In my current role, I am engaged in stra- ground in biology or chemistry will
ference that the solutions we provide tegic long-term planning, commercial always be an added advantage.
make to our customers. Every day I get marketing, empowering leadership and
to meet different scientists and indus- digital engagement. I devised strategies Entry into a STEM career must be
try professionals who contribute to my of for keeping the team engaged and guided by a strong passion for science.
knowledge and that’s what motivates motivated and being a part of Merck Making science attractive in schools
me; it’s a continuous learning process. skill development activities. I worked and colleges can go a long way in creat-
towards skilling science graduates to ing the spark. Access to a well-equipped
Being a part of my customer’s suc- be industry-ready. laboratory, where students can experi-
cess story is the real motivating factor. ment, can lay a strong foundation that
Technical sales management helps to When I started my career 20 years can take them afar in scientific pursuits.
live out my love for science as well as back, the situation was not like how Creating more employment options
connect with people. it is today in terms of ease of travel, both as an entrepreneur and in the
stay at some remote locations and private sector would help. Recognising
My first appointment was with Ciba general well-being of the women and celebrating the achievement of
Geigy as a medical representative in workforce. Additionally, there was a scientific entrepreneurs can make this
1996. My stint in sales continued as I barrier, especially in the minds of peo- segment very attractive.
joined Johnson & Johnson in the life ple and colleagues, to view women as
scan, diabetes management field. I fur- seasoned professionals. I remember Encouraging curiosity in educational
ther explored marketing with assign- that in most meetings and sales con-
ments at Allergan and Millipore, which ferences, women were a minority. institutions would help enhance inno-
helped me hone my skills as a mar- The incredible support of my par-
keting professional in the life science ents, spouse and colleagues along my vations. Increased interactions with
realm. Product portfolio management journey helped me tide over the chal-
and people management skills were lenges successfully. industry fraternity with the student
Hone your technical selling Today technology has helped women community can help mould the path for
skills, be digitally savvy, stay take bold steps without compromis-
abreast of innovations and go ing on the overall experience of both future scientific pursuits in young stu-
ahead. career and motherhood. I think this is
the best time for all women who aspire dents. An application-based curriculum
Encouraging curiosity in edu- to take up career choices within STEM
cational institutions would help to take the plunge and contribute. will help in connecting theory with real-
enhance innovations.
My advice would be to get rid of self- ity and that will help us achieve useful
An application-based curriculum doubt, and just take the plunge when
will help in connecting theory the opportunity beckons. Maintaining outcomes.
with reality. sound mental and physical health
does help. Academic Profile
BSc Chemistry, Microbiology,
Mangalore University
MBA Marketing, Mangalore University
PGDBM Human Resources, All India
Management Association (AIMA)
PhD in Business Administration,
AIMA, Aligarh Muslim University
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 134
Vidya Shivashankar, PhD
Executive, Advanced Design Tools, GE Aviation
Vidya Shivashankar leads the team that builds software that engineers
use to design various products for diverse use and application.
Iwas born in Bengaluru and lived I tell myself about why I do something You can do it. That attitude along with
there until the age of four when is what is most important. If I weaved a great support network can make
I moved to Dubai along with my the same facts into a story of guilt, I’d mountains move. I believe that every
family and did my schooling there. I not be able to reason what I am doing; person has a unique story and the
returned to India for my Bachelors whereas if I weaved the same facts same formula won’t work for every-
at IIT Madras. Thereafter, I went to into a story of grit and resilience, it’ll one. So we all need to be patient, learn
the United States for higher studies fuel me along my journey. I learnt that as we fail and keep taking baby steps
and returned to India to work in GE’s day that I am in charge of the narra- every day. My advice for women who
research wing for five years and then tive of my life and I can spin the story wish to take up any career (not nec-
moved to its aviation business I want through the events that hap- essarily in my field) is find a field that
pen. It’s been liberating to use that you are passionate about. If you have a
My first inspiration was my father, a tenet to fuel myself with positivity and purpose around what you do, even the
civil engineer. He used to spend hours perseverance. tough days will be fun.
every week poring over blueprints
for different sites and I always found Find a field that you are passionate Dig into STEM, you will realise that it
the connection between math, sci- about. If you have a purpose
ence and physical product intriguing. around what you do, even the is one of the most logical and straight-
That is what drew me to engineering. tough days will be fun.
During my graduate studies, my advi- forward areas. We need to make
sors greatly influenced my thought In my current role, I look at two areas
process. – the first is with regard to the busi- STEM fun for children and combine
ness my team supports. The second
During my post-doctoral work, I had area where I am laser-focused is on application knowledge with theoret-
started thinking more about applied my people. I believe in the value of a
research. However, I didn’t have the high-performing team that is driven ical knowledge so that children learn
courage to take the leap from aca- by purpose and finds working on our
demia to the industry. My post-doc- products rewarding. to use these concepts in their day-to-
toral advisor encouraged me to take
that leap. I am fortunate and can say that I hav- day lives. While there is a lot more
en’t faced any barriers as a woman.
At GE, while I had just become a I did feel challenged once, after I had that can be done in this place, I see
mother, I was thinking about accel- my first child and I was struggling to
erating my career growth. One of my find my way back into work full-time. schools are indeed adopting a learn-
mentors told me then that the story GE noticed this challenge for new
and returning mothers and helped me and-apply in concert model. While
We all need to be patient, learn along with a group of passionate vol-
as we fail and keep taking baby unteers craft a programme for women in university, I would encourage all
steps every day. and their families as they go through
maternity. students to do internships of some
You can do it. That attitude along
with a great support network can My advice to next-gen women who sort to get hands-on experience with
make mountains move. wish to be in leadership roles is this:
how what you’ve learnt connects with
the real world. This builds a wealth
of perspective that can help you in
deciding how you’d like to grow your
career.
Academic Profile
BTech, IIT Madras
MS & PhD, Washington University,
Saint Louis
Fellowship
James McKelvey Doctoral
Fellowship
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 135
Vinnie Jauhari, PhD
Learning & Skills Lead, Microsoft Corporation India Ltd., Gurugram
Former Professor & Director at IIMT
(Oxford Brookes University), Gurugram
Educationist Vinnie Jauhari manages strategic engagements across evangelism and
skills programmes in K-12 and higher education. She has enabled building a global
research community on services management and innovation in education.
Ihave always been passionate about facilitated the development of artificial confidence in one’s abilities. Mentorship
education and my family has been intelligence curriculum, coding and data also plays a very important role. Have
very supportive in my mission to make sciences for schools and partnered with faith in your abilities, and you can over-
meaningful contributions to that realm. various boards of education for the come every obstacle with patience and
The key thought that has always inspired same. grit. Staying calm and anchored helps
me is to positively impact lives of others achieve a lot in life.
and focus on excellence in every single I have authored 13 books and published
endeavour. I have always enjoyed my about 100 papers on services, inno- More women need to be in leadership
work in education—training, research, vation and technology management positions, and that will definitely make
teaching, building learning communities in national and international journals. a big difference. Academic careers can
and thought leadership programmes for I have shaped and built teaching-learning be made more rewarding and flexible
bringing in change. The recognition of my communities in India via the MS work environments can enable a good
work inspired me to keep experiment- Showcase School Programme and work-life balance. Leadership positions
ing with new initiatives. Shaping and Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert must be filled by rotation so that more
influencing my colleagues and academic Community of teachers. women can be groomed for career
teams to set up new benchmarks and progression. This helps people stay
creating an environment of excellence I am a member of academic boards at anchored and also open opportunities
where everyone grew professionally the B M Munjal University in Sidhrawali, for more people.
were quite rewarding. In the industry, SRM University in Sonepat, SR University
empowering students and teachers and in Warangal and the National Institute of We need to have 21st century learning
seeing their impact on communities was Open Schooling. I am also a member of orientation in STEM education, and
satisfying as well. education committees at CII, FICCI and learning must be experiential. Hands-on
the PhD Chamber of Commerce. projects, tinkering with new technolo-
A career in education can be rewarding gies and doing away with exam-based
if your heart is in it. The ability to be in Hands-on projects, tinkering learning can bring back creativity.
a learning mode and contribute to the with new technologies and doing Game-based, inter-disciplinary learning
lives of so many people itself is a great away with exam-based learning and placing emphasis on building social
feeling! I have managed and empow- and emotional resilience can go a long
ered teachers, research communities can bring back creativity. way in building skills that matter for a
in education; driven curriculum devel- good life. We need to rethink STEM
opment efforts in higher education and For women, to bring one’s best to work education through innovative practices,
K-12 (kindergarten to 12th grade) space; and home requires a lot of effort and learning from global experiences.
hard work. There are times when you
A strong personal support sys- have to deal with difficult situations, but Academic Profile
tem enables one to focus with keeping a calm demeanour and remem-
greater intensity at work. bering the higher cause for which BSc (Hons) Physics & MSc (Hons)
efforts are being made makes it easier. Electronics, Panjab University,
Leadership positions must be Being away for higher education when Chandigarh
filled by rotation so that more my child was young was a difficult time.
women can be groomed for career Investment in strong family bonding MBA, M L Sukhadia University,
progression. and having a strong discipline in work Udaipur
life helped me to have a balance in
We need to rethink STEM educa- life. A strong personal support system PhD in Corporate Entrepreneurship,
tion through innovative practices, enables one to focus with greater inten- IIT Delhi
learning from global experiences. sity at work. Success comes with a lot
of hard work, perseverance and having Post-doctoral Fellow, United Nations
University Institute for the Advanced
Study of Sustainability, Tokyo
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 136
Yogmaya Verma, PhD
Chief Operating Officer, Indigram Labs Foundation, New Delhi
Ex-Deputy Manager, Biotech Consortium of India Limited
Yogmaya Verma manages operations of agri-food-tech impact incubator Indigram
Labs Foundation. She is among the first 15 registered technology transfer
professionals of India and a registered patent agent with the Indian Patent Office.
My father’s friend KC Sharma, but with multiple researchers, whose I see challenges and prepare myself to
a former professor in MDS work included cancer drugs, medical win over these. Get in the game and
University, inspired me to devices, vaccines, plant varieties, farm become the game changer.
pursue science and develop a career machines for mechanisation of pro-
in STEM. As a student, I had a keen cesses and innovative food products. I Follow your heart; you can achieve
instinctive interest in animal and plant get to see a new face of scientific solu- whatever you wish for. Keep your focus
life. I remember in Std IX, I had cut tions and challenges every few days. on your aim, ignore the chatter, be
open a lizard that had died accidentally the queen of your life, not a victim of
in our home and was amazed to see its Keep your focus on your aim, socio-cultural conditioning.
internal organs. Thus, exploring biology ignore the chatter, be the queen
came naturally to me. Except for a small percentage, most
of your life, not a victim of parents save for their daughter’s wed-
As a science enthusiast, I believed in socio-cultural conditioning. ding, and therefore, do not wish to send
my childhood that science has solu- their daughters in STEM due to high
tion for everything. But when I real- Another motivation that worked for me cost of studies. So a BA or MA/MCom
ised that science still does not have was watching women cooking, cleaning, degree is preferred for daughters.
cure for many diseases like cancer, it doing laundry in cycles day in and out, Instead of reservation, the fee should
shocked me. I also wanted to make my and I knew it was not my cup of tea. be discounted for women education in
skin fair (though I realised later that it The only way out was to earn enough STEM for a few years. Once a genera-
was genetic and not possible). I was, to be able to outsource most of these tion of women in STEM is ready, there
therefore, keen to pursue biomedical domestic chores. I decided to be finan- would be no need for further subsidy.
research to find cure for cancer and cially independent and have a career of
skin fairness. my own. The academic and the professional
Life doesn’t work the way we plan, I have supported and facilitated more worlds are totally disconnected and
so I entered the intellectual property then 60 technology transfer deals in
(IP) domain, where I got to support the academic and public research sys- there need to be efforts to align the
researchers in getting their research to tem and helped innovators in strategis-
the next level towards market. I was not ing their IP plan. I am now supporting same. There is urgent need to revise the
working on a single research aspect, start-ups in agri, food and biotech sec-
tors to help them scale their business teaching system in view of the practical
Get in the game and become the by mentoring and facilitating connects.
game changer. applications and on job requirements.
I have faced my own share of barri-
The more the challenges you face, ers owing to my gender. My family did The teaching system and syllabus should
the more interesting becomes your not allow me to go and study outside
professional journey. my home town or city, thus I had a lim- be reviewed by experts every five years
ited choice to opt for higher education
There is an urgent need to revise in terms of courses and institutes and given the fast pace at which the technol-
the teaching system in view of university.
practical job requirements. ogy scenario evolves rapidly.
I have learned that the more the chal-
There is a need to align academic lenges in a game, the more interesting Academic Profile
and the professional worlds that it becomes, and so it is with your pro-
are totally disconnected fessional journey. Don’t see barriers; PhD in Zoology, MDS University,
Ajmer
PG Diploma in Technology
Management in Agriculture,
University of Hyderabad & NAARM
Awards
Woman Scientist Scholarship
Scheme-C of Patent facilitating
Centre, TIFAC, DST
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 137
Innovation
Entrepreneurs
Akshita Sachdeva
Co-founder, Trestle Labs, Bengaluru
Akshita Sachdeva works on developing assistive technology, empowering the blind
and visually-impaired to listen, translate, digitise and audiotize printed, hand-written
and digital content across 60 global languages, including 13 Indian ones.
Istarted Trestle Labs immediately three products—Kibo mobile app, Kibo lucrative and trending. We need to
after college along with Bonny Dave. XS Device and Kibo Desk—to address re-brand STEM education by building
During the third year of my engineer- the lifestyle, learning and earning chal- awareness about role models and their
ing, I worked on a college project—a lenges of a visually-impaired person. stories, showcasing the opportunities
reading and mobility glove for the blind. I have seen myself evolve from a soft- for women in STEM, one-on-one men-
When my team took it to an NGO in ware developer to an entrepreneur, torship and career counselling, entre-
Delhi for testing, a little kid after using empathising with user-needs, mapping preneurship programmes, incubation
the device called his dad to say: “Dad, user-experience journeys, building tech- support, financial support as well as fam-
some scientists have built gloves for my nology products, hustling to find first ily counselling, as most decisions about
school and now I can read and travel paying customer, growing the team, careers are influenced by family mem-
on my own.” Seconds later, he turned planning the business strategy and bers. Media and societal recognition for
around asking, “When can I get this?” measuring the impact, while constantly women in STEM will have a pivotal role
I did not have any answer to his ques- improving my pitch and fundraising to to play in attracting more participation
tion back then, but that acted as a piv- fuel the business and scale up its impact. of women in STEM careers.
otal point in my life and encouraged me
to start Trestle. People flock to things that shine; STEM education, while evolving, is
and we need to make STEM still centred around the triad of teach-
I realised I had my heart set towards er-content-student. Current teaching
social impact. In pursuit of the same, attractive, lucrative and trending. pedagogy, especially with STEM, does
I started looking for incubation centres not take into account the different stu-
and my trail culminated at Digital Impact The road to this was not easy. Apart dent motivations for the subject. We
Square (DISQ), a TCS Foundation from sleepless nights and back-break- are still stuck with a ‘one-size fits all’
pre-incubation centre. DISQ, at that ing diligence that every entrepreneur approach for teaching and learning.
time, had accessibility for the blind and has to undergo in the initial years, I had We need to adopt a more democratic
visually impaired as one of the challenge to convince my family to come around approach in which the teacher’s role
statements for that year and given my to the idea of their daughter pursuing is to inspire students on the subject,
previous work in the same arena, I was a financially uncertain career instead of provide as many perspectives and
selected. going for a high-paying job. approaches for a given problem as pos-
sible. This will also create opportunities
My team developed an innovative prod- I would highly encourage women to take for open innovation to explore, experi-
uct suite, Kibo, which enables the blind up leadership roles and be aware that ment and experience, while leveraging
and visually impaired community to lis- you are bound to face many challenges– STEM to solve real-life problems.
ten, translate, digitise and convert to societal and family barriers, financial
audio hardcopies of printed and hand- roadblocks, gender biases and more. Academic Profile
written documents. Kibo comprises Just stay true to yourself and persistent
towards your goals, and the change will B Tech Computer Science, Manav
Just stay true to yourself and per- follow; you are the change. Rachna College of Engineering,
sistent towards your goals, and change Faridabad
will follow; you are the change. Making a career in social entrepreneur-
ship takes far more than it would take to Awards
Make sure you have the passion and start a purely commercial business. Make
empathy for the cause you are work- sure you have the passion and empathy Residential Fellowship by Washington
ing for. for the cause you are working for. Never DC-based Halcyon Incubator
ever be shy to seek help and take feed-
Never ever be shy to seek help and back positively to help you grow. Best Women Entrepreneur Award,
take feedback positively to help you Action for India, DBS Foundation
grow. People flock to things that shine; and Social Enterprise Grant 2021
we need to make STEM attractive,
Prosus Social Impact Challenge for
Accessibility Award 2021
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 140
Anuya Nisal, PhD
Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune
Founder, Serigen Mediproducts Pvt. Ltd., Pune
Scientist-entrepreneur Anuya Nisal is the lead inventor for a technology patent
on silk for tissue regeneration that is licenced for creating medical products.
Pune is my place of birth, educa- Award for Technology Innovation in 2019 your goals. Outsource low-priority jobs
tion till undergraduate studies from the department of chemicals and to this support system.
and work. Ashish Lele, PhD, my petrochemicals under the Ministry of
doctoral studies advisor, played a piv- Chemicals and Fertilisers. Women drop out of thriving STEM
otal role in developing my career. He
instilled in me humility, the passion for Identify and stick hard to your priorities careers mostly at mid-management
science and technology, and taught me in life and align all your energies towards
to give more than cent per cent to any achieving that goal. To minimise stress level due to developments in personal
job I undertook. and conflict while balancing family and
work, you must choose a partner whose lives, such as childcare, maternity
My other mentor, Premnath Venu thoughts align with your aspirations.
gopalan, PhD, co-founder of my start-up leaves or relocation. Although the gov-
Serigen, motivated me to take the Women are limited only by the
plunge in scientific entrepreneurship. barriers they set for themselves. ernment has some schemes that allow
His support and critical insights have Free your mind and then sky is the
steered my professional growth. I have limit. Be fierce, bold and fearless. re-entry of women back into the main-
learnt from him the skill of breaking
down a huge challenge into smaller However, things were way different stream workforce after a break, a lot
parts and carving out your own path to when I started my research journey.
convert challenges into opportunities. I joined PhD after my marriage as a more must be done to maternity leaves,
This is what I do in my current job. mother of a 1.5-year-old toddler. I had
to spend a semester at IIT Bombay flexi-time work schedules, etc. STEM
My research is in the areas of polymers away from my family and baby to com-
for healthcare, biomaterials, medical plete the coursework. One of my neigh- education is still taught with a focus
devices and tissue engineering. My work bours told me about how she had never
has resulted in 27 peer-reviewed inter- left her son alone even for a night. Such on few conventional career options
national journal publications and six incidences always cast a shadow of
patent families (patents granted in US, ’guilt conscience’ and blur your ability like engineering, medical, academics
European Union, India, Japan). More to justify your decisions. However, my
recently, I have been actively involved parents, in-laws, and most importantly and research. STEM students are now
in CSIR’s ’Fight against COVID’ initia- my husband, were quite supportive of
tive. I am the lead co-investigator of my decision. Multiple such incidences opting for diverse jobs like intellectual
a team that conducted a successful affect women and the professional
pilot trial demonstrating conversion of choices that they make. Women are property, editors of science magazines,
decontaminated personnel protective limited only by the barriers they set
equipment waste into useful agricultural for themselves. Free your mind and content writers for edutech companies
and automotive products. My start-up then sky is the limit. Be fierce, bold and
Serigen Mediproducts won the National fearless. and clinical research writing. Our STEM
Be kind to yourself and realise Plan your day and week ahead of time education needs to offer a flavour of
that everyone can have a bad day. to minimise hassles. Despite the plan-
ning, some unexpected challenges may various topics and expose students to
Set up a reliable support system in appear. Be kind to yourself and realise
office and at home that allows you that everyone can have a bad day. Lastly, new-age science careers.
to focus and achieve your goals. set up a reliable support system—maids,
daycare centres, subordinates, fam- Academic Profile
Identify and stick hard to your prior- ily and friends—in office and at home,
ities in life and align all your ener- which allows you to focus and achieve BE Polymer Sciences, Maharashtra
gies towards achieving that goal. Institute of Technology, Pune
MS Materials Science & Engineering,
University of Delaware, Newark, US
PhD in Chemical Engineering,
IIT Bombay
Awards
VASVIK Smt. Chandaben Mohanbhai
Patel Industrial Research Award for
Women Scientist, 2021
Indian National Academy of Engineering
Young Entrepreneur Award, 2020
Leaders in Innovation Fellowship,
Royal Academy of Engineering,
UK, 2020
TIE-BIRAC-WiNER Award, 2019
National winner in Empower
Tie-Women Global 2021
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 141
Aparna Saroagi
Executive Chairperson
Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment (WEE) Foundation, IIT Delhi
Aparna Saraogi is an expert in investment banking, risk management, technology
adoption, greenfield project deployment. She is an IIT Delhi alumnus,
a Bharti Scholarship holder and a TEDx speaker.
Ihave set up and headed numerous ignore what others say. I did quite well The government should make it man-
teams in market risk, counterparty in the Olympiad. I was also in the top datory for listed companies to have
credit risk, stress testing, exposure 0.1 percentile in mathematics in the gender balance or at least 40:60. This
management, operation risk, investment CBSE board. I won a trophy for being was implemented in Norway and has
banking operations. I am also a Natwest the batch topper. This taught me that increased female board members in
Group Risk India Diversity Equity and everything is possible; just work for it listed companies from 6 per cent in
Inclusion Employee Led Network lead. mindfully, continuously and consciously. 2002 to 42.5 per cent in 2021, and is part
of their overall ambition to strengthen
I developed expertise in green field proj- Everything is possible, just work female leadership in the private sector.
ect deployment, moving teams up the for it mindfully, continuously
value chain. I am a purpose-led leader and consciously. The government must ensure equal rep-
who extensively leverages technologies resentation of women and men in coun-
like TABLEAU, robotics process auto- For pushing women into leadership cils, boards and senior committees of
mation, artificial intelligence, machine I have used the SOLV principle— public institutions and listed companies.
learning, natural language processing Strength Opportunities Leverage it with We are still far away from ‘equal pay for
for value-added insights, automation of Velocity. I have mentored many entre- equal work’ even though it is mandated
manual processes, false alarm reduction preneurs and leaders based on this by the Constitution. More concrete
and data-driven business decisions. principle. Women must explore oppor- steps are needed to ensure equal pay is
tunities where they can leverage their implemented across workplaces.
I am the co-founder of social initia- strengths and potential. Act on it with
tives Women Entrepreneurship and velocity: action is important, and it is Private institutions may enable
Empowerment (WEE Platform) and fine to fail, but not to sit without trying.
Inclusive Innovation in New Normal Learning from this model becomes your increased celebration and recognition
(INSquare). Both are global platforms strength and enables you to explore
to strengthen economic empowerment bigger opportunities. of women achievers to create role mod-
of women and make positive climate
change. Another concept that I have used is els; training managers and leaders to
Energy=MC2 (Mindfully, consciously
My first inspiration was my mother who champion potential of others). When break unconscious bias and give equal
embedded in me the ‘can do’ attitude. we champion potential of our col-
She taught me the value of continuous leagues, friends and communities, it opportunity to all.
hard work, discipline, ethics and being becomes a super powerful positive cir-
nice and empathetic to others. As a cle that drives amazing and sustainable Academic Profile
teenager, I wanted to participate in the business results.
Mathematics Olympiad, but being an BTech Computer Science,
average student from a middle-class India is emerging as a leading start-up Bharti Vidyapeeth, Pune
family, I was mocked by a few batch- nation. This is high time that we move
mates. However, my mother advised the overall Indian education system, MBA Finance & Information
and encouraged me that I must enable and not just elite universities, from cur- Technology, IIT Delhi
myself to take on the Olympiad and ricula based on stereotypes, hard work
and rote memorisation to one based PG Climate Change Programme,
Always sport a ‘can do’ attitude. on innovation, entrepreneurship and University of Edinburgh Business
purpose-driven education. STEM edu- School, UK
Action is important. It is fine to cation must focus on real-time projects,
fail, but not to sit without trying. solving real-life problems rather than Awards
grades. We need creative thinkers and
Understand your strengths; be passionate leaders, not top graders Young Innovator and Leader Award
brutally honest and properly quan- accustomed to rote learning. from Israeli Embassy in India
tify them.
Shethepeople Entrepreneurship
and Leadership Award
Indian Women Entrepreneurs
Leadership Award (I-WELA) in
Social Leadership from BRICS
IIT Delhi Business Women Leader
Award
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 142
Ezhil Subbian, PhD
CEO, String Bio Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
Ezhil Subbian has 20 years of experience in bio-based product commercialisation and
market growth. She aims to leverage technologies from the West and manufacturing
capabilities of the East to cultivate innovations.
Growing up, I had an immense fas- engineering to enable a circular value takes time—clarity comes from action,
cination for biology. I happened chain from methane. Using deep tech- not thinking. Any idea, change or trans-
to be in the room when a friend’s nology, we are creating carbon-friendly formation takes time and energy to exe-
mom was convincing her about making a products using greenhouse gases as raw cute well, so make it worth your while.
career in a new and emerging area called material that range from proteins for
biotechnology. What caught my atten- human as well as animal nutrition to agri- For women entrepreneurs, biases still
tion was the idea of using engineering culture inputs and cosmetic ingredients. exist in the overall innovation ecosystem.
principles to leverage biology at scale! Our products have significant perfor- While 2020 saw tremendous funding into
This triggered a series of conversations mance differentiators that empower an start-ups and innovation, only 2 per cent
with folks who knew about this area, and easier transition to a low carbon econ- of the overall funding went into start-ups
that led me towards building a career in omy and sustainable manufacturing. We with women-only founders. And this is in
the field. I continue to be in awe of the have won multiple national and interna- spite of the fact that women entrepre-
power of biology as I did 25 years back— tional awards including Future Food Asia neurs were able to deliver better returns
in fact if anything, the fascination has Award, L’Oreal Innovator Runway Award, per dollar invested compared to their
only grown stronger over years. Hello Tomorrow Food & Agriculture male counterparts.
Winner, BIRAC Innovator Award and
I have had multiple role models: Steve Unreasonable Impact Member. The government and private sector
Jobs and Elon Musk on innovation and should push for more support for wom-
selling a lifestyle, not just products; Jeff When you don’t hold yourself en-led ventures, promote mentorship
Bezos on building an indispensable back from within, the external and networking opportunities for women
global business; Kiran Mazumdar Shaw in STEM and develop leadership training
on breaking barriers; and my parents on biases don’t seem to exist. programs and professional development
ethics and values. classes at the university level for girls to
However, all this would have not hap- build that pathway to strong careers.
I played key roles in bio-based product pened without balancing personal and
innovation at different start-ups and ear- professional life and having a family A lot of the traditional STEM curricula
ly-stage companies in the Silicon Valley support system. Being a woman has
ecosystem. I was a part of early tech- never been easy in any socio-cultural require students to sit through tedious
nology development at three compa- setting—whether domesticated or pro-
nies—Gevo, Codexis and Intrexon—in the fessional, it does not matter. We are prerequisite classes for years before
bio-based sector. All the three compa- today a society where women have
nies have had successful IPOs. At String taken on career roles in addition to they can touch upon projects that give
Bio, we have developed a proprietary their roles at home. The reverse has
platform—the string integrated meth- not happened with men. So, women them real-world training. Revisiting cur-
ane platform (SIMP)—which leverages continue to be the primary caregiver at
advances in synthetic biology, fermenta- home. Balancing demands and expec- riculums to improve upon student expe-
tion technology, chemistry and process tations—both self-imposed and ecosys-
tem-enabled—at home and at work is a rience, developing mentorship avenues
Believe in yourself and your continuous optimisation exercise.
potential. Shed your inner inhibi- and access to internship opportunities
tions and follow your dreams. Here is my advice to budding female
leaders: Believe in yourself and your as early as possible can drive more
If you truly believe in an idea, put potential. Shed your inner inhibitions
in work behind it. and follow your dreams. When you enthusiasm for the industry.
don’t hold yourself back from within,
Balancing demands and expecta- the external biases don’t seem to exist. Academic Profile
tions at home and at work is a con- If you truly believe in an idea, put in
tinuous optimisation exercise. work behind it. It doesn’t matter if it BTech Industrial Biotechnology,
Anna University Chennai
PhD Molecular Biology &
Biochemistry, Oregon Health
and Sciences University, US
Awards
Women Transforming India Award
2018 from United Nations/NITI Aayog
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 143
Jugnu Jain, PhD
CEO & Co-founder, Sapien Biosciences, Hyderabad
Jugnu Jain’s team built the first commercial biobank in India and created research
platforms for pathology assays and products, providing high quality biospecimen
and data services to pharma, biotech and diagnostic companies.
Iwas born in Jhansi and grew up in a biobank also formed, in part, from my life, as they have to struggle to remain
many cities across India as my father interactions with gutsy founders who professional after marriage.
had a transferrable job. My uncle took up new challenges and straddling
NK Jain, PhD, who was a director at a business and science. Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey.
CSIR lab, encouraged me to go for a Entrepreneurship is harder in life sci-
PhD abroad to pursue my passion for We built the first commercial biobank ences with longer incubation times,
genetics. He often invited me to meet in India using remnant samples or med- more investment and infrastructure. It
his scientist friends. I liked the way they is more so in India as the ecosystem of
learned from each other and pursued Entrepreneurship is harder in life suppliers doesn’t exist and everything
new frontiers every day. sciences with longer incubation has to be imported for R&D. Statutory
times, more investment compliance and regulatory framework
I feel I carry each of my mentors’ DNA and infrastructure. is equally tough. Therefore, have expe-
in my current role. Several Miranda rienced entrepreneurs around you for
House College professors shared their ical waste. Sapien is a pioneer in having guidance. We were naïve and made ter-
original foreign edition science books built the single largest, most diverse bio- rible mistakes.
with me. During my postdoc, I finally bank in the coverage of Indian diseases.
found my groove and grew as a scientist Sapien covers all regions of India with We need to encourage women role
under the mentorship of Anjana Rao, a wide network of partner hospitals.
PhD. I published my first Nature paper. We follow ICMR guidelines and inter- models in every sphere. For example,
I worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, national biobanking norms. Deep data-
US, for 14 years before resigning to sets of patient diagnosis, treatment and invite women speakers and panelists
return to India to launch Sapien. outcomes matched with tissue samples
have been collated for close to 40,000 in conferences and include women
The Nehru Trust for Cambridge cancer cases, which is unique in India.
University Scholarship in 1985 was My work received recognition and I was reviewers for grants. Partners must
a career-defining opportunity that among the three people selected by
allowed me to realise my dream of pur- the Global Entrepreneurs Summit to support women to enable them to
suing genetics. I learned problem-solv- represent ‘India in Health’ at the Hague.
ing in science through my exposure to travel for business meetings and con-
international scientists in the United I was keen on learning genetics but back
Kingdom. Those three-and-a-half years in the 1980s, genetics was practiced ferences, tend to children and older
made a deep impression about excel- in breeding new crops, and so I joined
lence, high aspirations and self-confi- Pantnagar University to pursue MSc in parents. More effort needs to be made
dence. In 2004, I joined TiE-Boston to plant breeding and genetics. They had
learn about the life sciences sector and no history of women in that course. to promote outstanding women to
companies in the Boston area. In this I was the only woman in a class of 20.
networking forum, the seed of forming My classmates harassed me through showcase to the world.
those two painful years, e.g., deflating
What doesn’t break you makes my bicycle tyre and leaving indecent Academic Profile
you stronger. notes on my table. But as they say, what
doesn’t break you makes you stronger. MSc Genetics & Plant Breeding, GB
Women have to be better than men Pant University, Pantnagar
to be accepted as equal. Women have to be better than men to
be accepted as equal. Don’t hold your- PhD in Genetics, Trinity College,
Don’t hold yourself back because self back because you are a woman. Help Cambridge University, UK
you are a woman. women in personal and professional
Postdoc in Immunology, Boston’s
Dana Farber Cancer Institute &
Harvard Medical School
Awards & Fellowships
Women Transforming India Prize,
NITI Aayog, 2020
TiE50 Entrepreneur Award, Tie-
Silicon Valley, BRICS
Lady Tata Memorial Trust Fellowship
Leukemia Society of America
Fellowship
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 144
Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues
CEO, Zumutor Biologics, Bengaluru
Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues has been in the field of biotechnology for 21 years.
She is driving the Indian arm of Zumutor Biologics start-up that works in
the area of developing immuno-oncology therapeutics.
Iwas born and brought up in Bengaluru, to attract investment and raise funds. Being in the biotechnology sector itself
where I finished my schooling and Zumutor has raised $27 million till now is a tough one to start with, but I think
undergraduate studies. After obtain- and continues to garner capital for being guided, mentored and supported
ing a master’s degree in clinical microbi- phase-I clinical trials for our lead asset. is very important. I am fortunate to
ology, I worked across larger biopharma have had in my team, my mentors and
companies like Biocon and Millipore A supportive family, a good team and a venture capitalists who believed in my
before launching my first start-up, sound professional network that always vision and invested in Zumutor.
Inbiopro. During that time, I decided to has your back are required for women
expand my business and management to take on professional challenges and The world and society is slowly chang-
skills and hence decided to pursue an conquer them to reveal their best. ing for women with diversity and inclu-
MBA degree. Studying management at My parents, siblings and my husband sion being given the top priority in the
IIM, Bengaluru, pushed me in the right continue to be my pillars of strength. private and government sector. To
direction with networking exposure One cannot underrate the role of the harness this positive change to their
and developing business-contextual core team, decent mentors and peo- advantage, I believe the next genera-
depth, before I went to venture cap- ple who believe in your abilities more tion of women should be very thorough,
italists (VCs) to seek funding for my than the rest of the world–these are focussed and sharp. They should be
start-up. all that matter in the end. Mahendran able to juggle, multitask and delegate
Balachandran from Accel India is my to get things done. I believe they need
Inbiopro was a biopharmaceutical com- mentor, my go-to for all things sensible. to be cognizant of competition, talent,
pany that worked on the process and scalability and capital if they decide to
product development of biosimilars for A supportive family, a good team take up entrepreneurship.
various markets. It was funded by a VC, and a sound professional network
Accel Partners, in 2007, and I sold it to are required for women to take on Attracting more women into STEM
Strides Arcolab in 2012 with a compel- professional challenges and conquer
ling pipeline of monoclonal antibodies careers has been a long-standing issue.
and microbial products. them to reveal their best.
I think attractive opportunities for work,
I founded Zumutor Biologics in 2013 It is important for women to dream, but
that attracted a funding of $6 million it is more essential to prepare them- place of work and supportive infrastruc-
from six major venture centres partic- selves for failures or to deal with the
ipating in value creation in the niche unexpected. Women have an inherent ture could be an incentive for more
space of immuno-oncology. My team resilience to navigate through unseen
has successfully established a propri- challenges. However, this trait is seldom women in STEM-related careers. STEM
etary antibody platform: INABLR™. The uncovered as women don’t challenge
pipeline of immune-oncology targets themselves enough. Learnings from my needs to be gamified to the extent that
is focussed in the natural killer cells- first start-up unearthed my true poten-
driven antibody space. Ever since its tial and made me realise that I can take it is gender-neutral and draws attention
inception, we have been working hard on bigger challenges with better pre-
paredness. I have never looked back for early interest, and then a sustained
It is important for women to after that. The birth of my daughter
dream, but it is more essential to was also a kind of start-up project on pull factor with healthy growth of the
prepare themselves for failures or new-found motherhood, and balanc-
to deal with the unexpected. ing domestic and professional life has technology ecosystem.
been a difficult yet enabling and phe-
Women need to be cognizant of nomenal experience. It gives me a sur- Academic Profile
competition, talent, scalability and real satisfaction to have rolled out one
capital if they decide to take up successful start-up to the next, putting MS Clinical Microbiology, Kasturba
entrepreneurship. Zumutor on the map in India and glob- Medical College, Manipal
ally with the unique work that we do.
MBA, IIM, Bengaluru
Awards
Fortune 40 under 40: 2015 & 2017
ET list of 40 under 40 in 2017;
among the top 5 finalists in the
start-up category
Entrepreneur of the Year 2020:
BioSpectrum
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 145
Kavitha Sairam, PhD
Founder & CEO, FIB-SOL Life Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Chennai
Kavitha Sairam is a biotechnologist who is developing biofertilisers
for promoting sustainable agriculture.
Iwas born and brought up in I started working on biofertilisers Women who wish to be in leadership
Pondicherry, now called Puducherry. that are supplied by mixing with inor- roles must never miss a beat. It is quite
For three generations, women in my ganic carriers like lignite, peat and difficult to get opportunities to prove
family have been teachers and finan- talc, which does not support their yourself. So make the best use of those
cially independent. This inspired my survival for long. Hence, I thought of and achieve what you wish to. I believe
thoughts and was an impetus for my exploring stress biology, where some that basic research should help to make
growth. When I started attending sym- stress stabilisers could be added in the world a little better. If we could
posiums and scientific conferences the bacterial media to stabilise them. contribute to science in such a way,
during my BSc, I realised that very few I partnered with Anant Raheja, PhD, there would be a lot of meaning to the
women would make it to the podium. on nanofibre technology to increase journey we partake in.
The strong feeling that this gap should the payload of cells per unit area using
be addressed and my passion for my this technology to decrease the bulk- I wouldn’t accept that men and women
subject made me excel in my studies iness of the material by reducing the
and career. carrier by a thousandth. The advan- are equal; as a scientist I know better
tage offered was huge savings on logis-
Dr B C Koner from JIPMER was my tics for distributors and users. As the that it isn’t true. Career breaks are
mentor and guide for my MSc project stability of the organism improved, the
then. He was the one who identified efficiency in the field also substantially inevitable for women. Thus, the gov-
my potential and kindled my interest improved.
in research. Prof TS Chandra, my PhD ernment has been helpful by providing
guide at IIT Madras, played an import- It is quite difficult to get
ant role in giving confidence to my opportunities to prove yourself. enough age relaxation, fellowships for
efforts towards developing innovative So make the best use of those and
products to solve problems in agricul- women researchers to come back after
ture. The idea of entrapping agricul- achieve what you wish to.
turally important microbes struck me a a career break. The Department of
few years ago. I was working on stress I have filed two patents on an ultra-
signal transduction to improve second- light weight polymer nanofibre carrier Biotechnology and the Department of
ary metabolite production in fungal for use in agricultural and industrial
systems. At that time, I was keen to applications (granted) and a polymeric Science and technology organise train-
start my own business and was explor- gel-based agrobiological composition
ing many ideas. That is when Prof. T (published). ing programmes for women in STEM
S Chandra insisted that we should
develop some technologies to address My husband and my father-in-law, both to improve their scientific knowledge.
issues in agriculture. are my pillars of support, encourage me
and help me in every step. Due to dif- It is every professional’s responsibility
Women who wish to be in lead- ficulty in managing work and personal
life, I wanted to quit my PhD after my to help women in their organisations to
ership roles must never miss a daughter was born. My father-in-law
gave me the emotional strength to perform better.
beat. change my decision. Childbirth and
motherly responsibilities are demand- Academic Profile
It is every professional’s respon- ing for women. We as women have to
work twice to strike a balance. BSc Medical Lab Technology,
sibility to help women in their MSc Medical Biochemistry,
JIPMER, Puducherry
organisations to perform better.
PhD in Biotechnology, IIT Madras
Awards
Emerging Women Entrepreneur
Award, 2022, by MSME and SME
Forum, New Delhi
AIMA Dr JS Juneja Award for
Innovation and Creativity in MSMEs,
2021
Cavinkare MMA Chinnikrishnan
Innovation Award
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 146
Rachna Dave, PhD
Founder-CEO, MicroGO, Chennai
Ex-Scientist, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Kalpakkam
Rachna Dave is scientist-cum-entrepreneur who is
integrating science, engineering and technology to
solve problems around hygiene and infection control.
Iwas born in Nadiad, Gujarat, and did and that’s when I further learnt about start -ups. Self-doubt has no place if
my schooling in Kolkata. I reside in DDS, which continued to be my area of you wish to taste success.
Chennai from where I run operations interest during my work at BARC and
for MicroGo. Prof. Datta Madamwar’s at MicroGO. My team at MicroGO has To promote entrepreneurship, we
work on drug delivery systems (DDS) made strides in the development of need minds that are capable of imag-
at the Sardar Patel University excited enzyme-embedded polymers for pro- ining solutions, innovating and thinking
the researcher within me. Later, I grammable and sustained drug deliv- laterally. Thus, STEM needs a more
spent a year at NYU-Polytechnic ery and have developed NOx (nitrogen practical approach than theory. We
School of Engineering, New York, as oxides) releasing platforms for wound hardly were taught about real-life use
a part of my PhD programme. I was healing. of science and mathematics. Second,
exposed there to the research of Prof. teachers and career counsellors must
Richard Gross of Brooklyn Poly, New Entrepreneurship in deep-tech is impress upon students to have a career
York and Prof. Robert Langer of MIT, going to be a long haul. One has beyond engineering and medicine.
Cambridge, on DDS. These experi- to be insanely optimistic in the
ences with established researchers I feel the Indian government is doing
inspired me to take up a career in area of deep-tech start-ups. its bit to attract women in STEM. For
applied research. example, The ‘Knowledge Involvement
MicroGO received the Biotechnology in Research Advancement through
Prof. Madamwar and Prof. Gross were Ignition Grant award from DBT in Nurturing (KIRAN)’ scheme of DST
engaged in collaborative research. 2017, the Small Business Innovation encourages women scientists through
Three months into my PhD, Prof. Gross Research Initiative Award from DBT in various programmes. Other schemes
sent a material that required anti-mi- 2018, the Grand Challenges India from like the Women Scientist Scheme-A by
crobial research. The material lay on the Biotechnology Industry Research DST and funding for women research-
the coffee table in the lab for days. I Assistance Council (BIRAC) and the ers who want to resume work after a
was new and PhD labs have their own Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation career break are also available.
decorum–the seniors decide. All my Award in 2020.
seniors had a problem area they were Academic Profile
focused on and I was still in the prob- We also received accolades for our
lem finding stage. After a few weeks work during the pandemic.in the form BSc & MSc Microbiology, PhD in
when no one picked up the material, of several awards, including the DST- Non-aqueous Enzymology, Sardar
Prof. Madamwar asked: “Is no one CAWACH Award (2020) and the Patel University, Gujarat
interested?” I looked at my seniors and TANSEED Awardfrom the government
asked him if I could try working on it. of Tamil Nadu (2021). Awards
That yellow material (sophorolipid)
changed my career path. We did some For next-gen researchers, I have only COVID Warrior Award, IKP
fantastic work on it and later Prof. one advice: just go for it; nothing is Knowledge Park, Hyderabad, 2020
Gross invited me to work with him limiting in the world. Young women
researchers interested in research Biotech Product and Process
Have clarity about what you must take up an area only if they have Development and Commercialisation
clarity about what they want to achieve Award, Department of
want to achieve and embrace and if they can embrace persistence. Biotechnology (DBT), 2019
If you are choosing deep tech-based
persistence. entrepreneurship, it is going to be a Young Applied Technologist Award,
long haul. And one has to be insanely Department of Atomic Energy, 2012
Just go for it; nothing is limiting in optimistic in the area of deep-tech
Fast Track Award for Young
the world. Scientists, Department of Science &
Technology, 2008
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 147
Renuka Karandikar, PhD
CEO, Bioprime Agrisolutions Pvt. Ltd., Pune
Former visiting faculty at National Institute of Virology &
Institute of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Pune
Renuka Karandikar is a researcher-turned-entrepreneur
and is developing technologies to better farmers’ lives.
Igrew up watching my grandmother spikes, recording the highest tempera- field or in packing and processing–in
manage our farms in a small village ture in 50 years. These unfortunately non-leadership positions. It does take a
in Maharashtra. I used to accompany coincided with the flowering time while for people to accept and under-
her to the fields every day during my and led to flower/fruit abortions, and stand women in leadership positions in
school holidays. She demonstrated by resulted in 95 per cent crop failure in agriculture. But the situation is chang-
example women empowerment and 3,092 farms in 183 villages. ing and perceptions are shattering.
leadership to me even when it was
unheard of. When it came to making On one such summer day, we met Women who are inclined towards agri-
career choices, there was nothing that Shailesh Bhise, a farmer who could not culture must not shy away owing to less
I loved more than the fields, and so I even make `10,000 in an entire season number of females in the sector. If there
took up plant sciences. after incurring an expense of `5 lakh. was ever a perfect time for change, this
That same evening, I had to meet my is it. Trust yourselves, dream big and
I studied bioactive molecules from friends who were celebrating their new don’t settle for anything less. It is our
plants for my PhD and switched over promotions and did not even blink an time to shine. We are fortunate to be in
to genetic engineering in plants during eye in spending `10,000. Narayangoa a time where agriculture is transform-
my post-doctoral research. A part of and Pune, just two hours apart, felt like ing leaps and bounds. Technology will
my PhD work on bioactive coumarins two different worlds to me. That day change the way we grow food, the way
production using cell cultures was I decided to do everything under my that food reaches us in the next five
transferred to an Indian pharma com- control to end this disparity. Bringing to 10 years. Women should be able to
pany. After spending 15 years in active back pride and profitability is the motto step up the game and leverage technol-
research, I started feeling that it’s not of Bioprime Agrisolutions. ogy to be a part of this revolution.
enough to make progress on the scien-
tific front and have it confined to either Women who are inclined towards Women education and leadership in
research papers or patents. Something agriculture must not shy away
more needs to happen; all this research owing to less number of females STEM is a focus area and an indica-
must ultimately benefit society. Hence, in the sector.
I knew it was time to get back to fields. tor of progress of our society. Atal
Our company is developing technol-
In 2016, the tomato-producing heart- ogies that will transform agri inputs Innovation Mission’s (AIM) tinkering
land of Narayangoa and surrounding sector. We are helping make crops
areas witnessed five temperature climate-resilient using targeted phys- labs in schools are fostering, cultivating
iology modulating biomolecules. We
Trust yourselves, dream big and are building India’s largest plant-associ- interests in pure sciences in students.
don’t settle for anything less. ated microbe library. Till now, we have
helped more than 50,000 farmers Hackathons and project competitions
The government must provide and added more than 20 crore to their
equal employment opportunity to revenue. for young women should be increased.
women.
When I started my journey, I was mind- For graduates and undergraduate lev-
Hackathons and project competi- ful that agriculture is a male-dominated
tions for young women should be sector. Right from agri business own- els, real challenge-based competitions
increased. ers, company work force, distributors,
retailers to farmers, all are mostly men. in association with corporations and
We are fortunate to be in a time Women either work as labourers in the
where agriculture is transforming start-ups should be organised. The gov-
leaps and bounds.
ernment and the private sector have a
huge role to play to ensure that they
provide equal employment opportu-
nity to increase the number of women
in STEM careers.
Academic Profile
BSc, MSc Plant Sciences, PhD in Plant
Biotechnology
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 148
Ritu Malhotra
Co-founder & CEO, EzySpit, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Ritu Malhotra is an innovator who created a mobile spittoon
cup with a solution that solidifies the droplets of spitting in
a few seconds, making people pay for spitting.
Iwas born and brought up in Nagpur their opposing views about my innova- results, you need to put in extraordi-
and completed my graduation in tive ideas that made me move forward nary efforts.
computer science from the National with a much-strengthened resolve and
Institute of Technology (NIT), Nagpur. desire to create change. Dedication, A woman is a creator, and if she wants,
I always believed in living and con- faith and consistency have brought she can excel anywhere. Pursuing a
quering dreams. I started my career me here and made me believe that the career demands your time, patience,
with EzySpit with a desire and aim to sky is the limit. Just follow the same consistency, and above all, your dedica-
develop something creative and useful to steal the race. Of course, time to tion. Choose a career if you are ready
and am accelerating my life and career time, the recognition that I received to devote yourself entirely to it.
with full force and vigour towards via awards continually accelerated me
shaping EzySpit. Together, we intend towards my aim. I recently read somewhere that wom-
to turn this world into a cleaner space
for all. People did’nt believe my product en’s role in R&D activities is some-
was possible; some even laughed
Random human behaviour offered me where near 16.6 per cent. I feel this
the idea of EzySpit. When people fre- at me; and demotivation
quently ruin the beauty of roads and would sink in me at every step. number should increase. We need
monuments by spitting, ignoring basic But I kept believing in my ideas
civic sense, such behaviour poses to bring and retain more women in
the threat of spread of communica- and followed my conviction.
ble diseases like COVID-19, TB and STEM. The government should come
seasonal influenza. The cost involved I have not faced any challenges pre-
in cleaning is way higher, and the cisely because I am a woman, but out with a policy that promotes hir-
wear-and-tear it causes, especially at as an entrepreneur who wanted to
heritage sites, is an unbearable sight. usher in a revolution, I have had some ing of competent women researchers,
challenging experiences. It is a nor-
My mother was always there to sup- mal reaction of people to create hin- engineers and scientists. Young girls
port my dream, which motivated me drances when someone tries to bring
forever to march ahead. My motiva- in a change. People did not believe in school must be exposed to the
tion to excel in my work is pretty dif- my product was possible; some even
ferent than one can expect. On the laughed at me, saying no one would exciting career opportunities in STEM
contrary, it was people showing dis- pay to spit; and demotivation would
belief in my intention, and above all, sink in me at every step. But I kept and must be mentored to believe in
believing in my ideas and followed my
To bring extraordinary results, conviction to make EzySpit a success themselves. Different types of moti-
you need to put in extraordinary story.
efforts. vation can be offered to women in
For women entrepreneurs, the first
Choose a career if you are ready to rule is that there is no shortcut. And the form of awards, recognition and
devote yourself entirely to it. the second, never forget rule one.
Your hard work will take you ahead to financial aid. These work as cherry on
Patience and faith in your dream the first row of success. Patience and
are the key to success. faith in your dream are the key to suc- the pie.
cess. Remember, to bring extraordinary
Academic Profile
BTech Computer Science,
National Institute of Technology,
Nagpur
Awards
Loksatta Tarun Tejankit Award
Forbes India 30 Under 30,
Forbes Asia 30 Under 30, 2019
Women Entrepreneur of the Year
at Global Bio-India Summit, 2019
CII Start-up Award & CII Industrial
Innovation Award
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 149
Sanskriti Dawle
Co-founder-CEO, Thinkerbell Labs, Bengaluru
Sanskriti Dawle is working towards disrupting the way the visually impaired
learn across the globe. Her team has created a flagship product ‘Annie,’ the
world’s first self-learning Braille literacy device. She handles all aspects of the
organisation concerning vision, growth, business development, production
management and investment.
Iwas born and brought up in Pune, Our goal is to make Annie accessible to Get out there, talk to prospective cus-
after which I shifted to Bengaluru, every child in the world who needs it. tomers, users and partners, and get
where our company is based. At the moment, Annie is present in 16 theie feedback. The shorter and faster
states of India and all 50 states of the this loop, the better are your chances.
I am an engineer from BITS Pilani, United States. It has been an incredible
specialising in computer science. My milestone for Braille literacy as it has I think the government is doing a phe-
parents, Varsha Dawle, PhD, and Atul enabled effective education for chil- nomenal job supporting women tech
Dawle, inspired me to take the leap and dren and has been a strong support for entrepreneurs. There has never been
become an entrepreneur. the teachers in this field as well. a better environment for start-ups.
I feel STEM education has significantly
I’ve witnessed their struggles, efforts To be a tech entrepreneur, improved over the years.
and incredible dedication as entrepre- do intensive research on the
neurs trying to start a business from problem you want to solve However, I believe engagement can
the ground up, which has greatly moti- and then quickly iterate on
vated me to start my own company. be increased with novel and dynamic
the solutions.
Them being equal partners in their teaching techniques and incorporating
venture also shaped my principles The demonstration of Annie to the
about how I approach the business. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was a collaborative environment.
Raghunath Mashelkar, PhD, President followed up by Anand Mahindra com-
of Global Research Alliance, has played mitting on stage to invest in my final Academic Profile
the role of a great mentor in my life. year of college. That incident changed
the course of my professional life and BTech Computer Science,
At Thinkerbell Labs, we created Annie, greatly encouraged me. BITS Pilani
the world’s first remote-enabled,
self-learning Braille literacy device. It As a woman, I am incredibly privileged KVPY Fellowship by the Government
has transformed the lives of children to be surrounded by family, friends, col- of India
with visual impairment. leagues and investors who don’t factor
in gender in their behaviour towards National Talent Search Scholar by
The only thing that helps you me. That said, my most challenging NCERT
learn how to lead is leading itself; experience has been leading the com-
nothing prepares you. pany through the pandemic. Awards & Achievement
Always show up as a leader and My advice to next-gen women who Mantra Award for Social Leadership
take calculated risks. wish to be in leadership roles is to show by BITSAA International
up and take calculated risks. The only
There has never been a better thing that helps you learn how to lead Prof. Suresh Ramaswamy Memorial
environment for start–ups. is leading itself; nothing prepares you. Award
STEM education requires novel To be a tech entrepreneur, do intensive Speaker at TEDx BITS Goa
and dynamic teaching techniques research on the problem you want to
and a collaborative environment. solve and then quickly iterate on the
solutions.
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 150
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Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Vivify Media jointly developed this special publication, Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 to showcase the success stories and achievements of 125 women luminaries including academicians, researchers, policymakers, business strategists, tech leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and pioneers with technology and skills necessary for a better future and who have made a significant mark in the arena of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
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