Influential Tech Leaders

🎣 “They didn’t even cc me.” Yumi, a senior marketing director, discovered her billion-dollar product had been repositioned without her. Eighteen months leading the project. Then, overnight, it reported to someone else. 🧊 She didn’t mess up. She wasn’t underperforming. She just wasn’t.... there. Not at the executive offsite. Not at the Friday “golf and growth” circle. Not at the CEO’s birthday dinner, her peers casually got invited to. 🏃♀️ She was busy being excellent. They were busy being bonded. 🍷 When she asked her boss about the change, he looked puzzled: “You’re usually aligned with the bigger picture, so we assumed it’d be fine.” 🧩 Translation: Yumi was predictable and available, but not powerful enough to be consulted. Women are told to “build relationships.” Men build alliances. Women maintain connections. Men maintain relevance in power circles. It’s not who likes you. It’s who says your name when you’re not in the room. 🕰 And let’s be honest: the real decisions about budget, headcount, and succession are made off-the-clock and off-the-record. 📌 How do you stop getting edited out of influence? 1. 🗺 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁    the shadow organization. Who gets early previews? Who influences without title? Write it down and update it monthly.     2. 📣 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁    If three senior leaders haven’t mentioned you this month, you’re invisible to power. Fix it with pre-wires, brief wins memos, and sponsor loops.     3. 🏛 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 "𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸" 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳  “𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴”    Skip passive panels. Show up where strategy happens: QBRs, investor briefings, offsite planning, cross-functional war rooms. Ask to observe; then add value.     4. 🔁 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲    Recurring 1:1s across functions to co-design plans, not “catch up.” Influence travels faster sideways than up.     5. 🚨 𝗕𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀    If you vanished for two weeks and nothing stalled, you’re not central enough to promote. Attach your work to decisions, not tasks.     🧨 If this feels raw, it’s because it is. Brilliant women are being rewritten out of their own stories, not for lack of performance, but for lack of positioning. 🎤 That’s why Uma and I are hosting a live online workshop on the 2nd. Oct: 👉 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 A practical session to help you build strategic visibility, engineer sponsorship, and get your work into the rooms where decisions are made. 🔗 Join here: https://lnkd.in/g3sec2pN 🚪 Come if you’re done waiting to be recognized. Or let them “assume you’d be aligned,” too....

What Would Happen If The AI Industry Overlooks Women's Contributions? "A recent New York Times article released a list of people 'behind the dawn of the modern artificial intelligence movement' – and not a single woman was named. It came less than a week after news of a fake auto-generated woman being listed as a speaker on the agenda for a software conference. Unfortunately, the omission of women from the history of STEM isn’t a new phenomenon. Women have been missing from these narratives for centuries. In the wake of recent AI developments, we now have a choice: are we going to leave women out of these conversations as well – even as they continue to make massive contributions to the AI industry? Doing so risks leading us into the same fallacy that established computing itself as a 'man’s world'. The reality, of course, is quite different. A More Accurate History: Prior to computers as we know them, 'computer' was the title given to people who performed complex mathematical calculations. These people were commonly women. English mathematician Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) is often referred to as the first computer programmer. She was the first person to realize computers could do much more than just math calculations. Her work on the analytical engine – a proposed automatic and fully programmable mechanical computer – dates back to the mid-1800s. By the 1870s, a group of about 80 women worked as computers at the Harvard Observatory. They catalogued and analyzed copious amounts of astronomic data for astronomer Edward Charles Pickering (who exploited the fact they’d work for less money than men, or even as volunteers). By the late 19th century, increased access to education meant there was an entire generation of women trained in maths. These woman computers were cheaper labour than men at the time, and so employing them significantly reduced the costs of computation. During the first world war, women were hired to calculate artillery trajectories. This work continued into the Second World War, when they were actively encouraged to take on wartime jobs as computers in the absence of men. Women continued to work as computers into the early days of the American space program in the 1960s, playing a pivotal role in advancing NASA’s space projects. One of these computers was Katherine Johnson, who was responsible for quality-checking the outputs of early IBM computers for an orbital mission in 1962." #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInSTEM #STEMGems #GiveGirlsRoleModels https://lnkd.in/eDkSmjdG

Every time you hop on a Zoom or join a Teams meeting, you're using technology pioneered by Marian Croak. With over 200 patents to her name, she’s the brilliant mind behind Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), an invention that revolutionised online communication. Before VoIP, long-distance calls and video conferencing weren’t as seamless as they (mostly) are today. The technology allowed people to make voice and video calls using a broadband internet connection instead of an analog phone line. In addition to VoIP, Marian co-invented text-to-donate technology, inspired by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, her work helped raise over $43 million for relief efforts through text donations. Joining Google in 2014 as Vice President of Engineering, Marian focuses on expanding internet capabilities globally, especially in developing regions. Today, VoIP is essential for remote work and personal connections, underpinning platforms like Skype, Zoom, and Teams. Her contributions became even more vital during the pandemic, with the VoIP market skyrocketing from $30 billion in 2020 to a projected $95 billion by 2027. Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022, Marian Croak’s legacy is undeniable. Next time your internet lags mid-call, remember: she made it all possible. #ReclaimingNarratives

"It's a white page. What are you marketing?" This was what my Dad asked me when I joined Google in 2005. Hired by Lorraine Twohill (now Google’s CMO), twenty years later, the lessons I learned from her and the other early female leaders at Google still influence everything I do as an investor, operator, and board member. Yahoo Finance just published my reflections on how the senior female leaders in this male dominated tech field help build my sense of leadership and belonging. Here are the core lessons that changed everything: → Representation fundamentally expands what you believe is possible. Starting my career surrounded by senior female leaders at Google wasn't just professionally advantageous - it was transformational. There's truth in "You can't be what you can't see." Seeing women like Lorraine Twohill, Eileen Mannion, and Yonca Dervisoglu in leadership roles fundamentally expanded what I believed was possible for my own trajectory. → Leadership isn't about having all the answers - it's about bringing people along. Lorraine taught me that strategic preparation means engaging every stakeholder, gathering input, and addressing concerns before the big meeting. Most people think they're prepared because they've done the work. But they haven't brought others along. She would arrive almost knowing approval was guaranteed because she'd already done the collaborative work. → Great leaders create space for others to shine through guided independence. My manager, Eileen gave me space to navigate my own path whilst removing roadblocks when needed. She didn't micromanage - she let me thrive on my own capacity. That balance of support and autonomy is how great leaders create other leaders, not followers. These weren't just career lessons. They were foundational principles that shaped how I led my team to scale Pharmacy2U and how I work with founders today. The tech industry was even more male-dominated 20 years ago. Being surrounded by powerful female leaders from day one built my sense of belonging. I never felt like the odd one out, and that impacted my entire career in tech. What leadership lesson has shaped your approach the most? Thanks to Rod Gilmour and Yahoo Finance for interviewing me. Here’s the link to the full article: https://lnkd.in/eGJ3b8qn ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost to share with your network.  ⚡ Want more content like this? Hit follow Maya Moufarek.

🌍🏢 I recently read an important Financial Times article about tech giants' influence on carbon accounting rules. It's worth your time. The outcome of this debate could significantly impact how companies report and offset emissions, potentially affecting our progress towards global climate targets. Here's why it matters: 1️⃣ Current carbon accounting rules allow tech giants like Amazon and Meta to offset their real-world emissions by investing in clean power schemes. This creates significant discrepancies between reported and actual emissions. For example, Meta claims "net zero" emissions in its energy usage, but its real-world CO₂ emissions from power consumption were 3.9 million tonnes in 2022. 2️⃣ The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), which sets carbon accounting standards, is undergoing its first major review in nearly a decade. Tech giants are split on how to reform these rules: • Google proposes a "24/7" localized approach, matching energy consumption with clean energy certificates from the same grids and time of use. • Amazon, Meta, and others advocate for more flexible rules, allowing certificates from any geographical origin and suggesting a system based on estimating CO2 avoided. 3️⃣ Critics argue that the Amazon-backed proposal could lead to “emissions gaming” and allow companies to hide their true emissions. This debate highlights the tension between companies' claims of being green leaders and their actual environmental impact, especially as their energy consumption is set to increase significantly with #AI and data centre expansion. 4️⃣ The stakes are high for tech companies. They are already major buyers of renewable energy certificates and are investing billions in renewable power projects. However, their emissions are still rising due to rapid expansion, threatening the viability of their net-zero targets. 5️⃣ There are important concerns about the influence of tech companies on the rule-making process. They have funded the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and related research, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest in shaping environmental policies. The final rules aren't expected until 2026, but this debate underscores the critical importance of accurate carbon accounting in addressing climate change. What are your thoughts on tech's role in shaping these crucial environmental policies? #ClimateAction #CorporateResponsibility #TechForGood #Sustainability

From cloud computing to cybersecurity, here are the women shaping the future of tech 👇🏽 Although women make up just 28% of the workforce in STEM, the proportion of women in tech has gradually been on the rise since 2016, according to the World Economic Forum. And at the world's leading tech companies, women make up between 29-45% of the workforce. So although the road ahead is long, we’re marching along with strides of pride. In my new article for AllBright, I shine a light on a few of the trailblazing women imagining and innovating the future of technology. 1️⃣ Manasi Sharma Sharma is a full stack engineer at Microsoft, a member of Forbes’ technology council and a dedicated advocate of diversity and inclusion in tech. She leads innovation for data-intensive web applications and microservices as well as AI in enterprise systems. 2️⃣ Layla Shaikley After building robots at NASA and studying architecture at MIT, Shaikley co-founded a last mile AI and autonomous delivery startup Wise Systems, Inc. As a proud Muslim-American, she speaks openly about the careers of thought-leaders and visionaries in the Muslim community on her podcast Muslims Doing Things. 3️⃣ Brigitte West West is leading the charge to apply AI in healthcare, making the NHS more cost effective, efficient, productive and ultimately stronger for patients. As an executive director at healthtech startup DrDoctor, West’s project aims to eliminate instances of ‘did not attend’ for the NHS, a problem which costs UK taxpayers £1 billion each year. 4️⃣ Sylvia Acevedo Hailing from New Mexico, Acevedo built her career at organisations like NASA, Apple, Dell and IBM and she served as CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. Named by Forbes as one of the top women in tech and an award winning cybersecurity leader, Acevedo now serves on the boards of Qualcomm and Credo. 5️⃣ Magda Jary Jary earned her stripes at Google over 16 years, most recently as the global head of cloud credentials and certifications. She built and scaled the company’s portfolio of industry leading cloud and AI credentials offers and go-to-market initiatives, growing the credential ecosystem from zero to more than two million. Read the full article — link in the comments. Who else should be on this list? Tag the women who are shaping the future of tech 👇🏽

“But men invented everything” - sound familiar?! But did you know that In the 1800s, Ada Lovelace worked alongside Charles Babbage on his design for the Analytical Engine, an early mechanical computer. But while Babbage was focused on building the machine to perform calculations, Ada saw something far more significant - it wasn’t just about crunching numbers. She understood that the machine could do much more, that it could be programmed to handle not just numbers, but any kind of information. Ada's most famous contribution was her algorithm for the Analytical Engine, which is considered the first published computer program. But what makes her ideas even more revolutionary is that she recognized the potential for computers to go beyond mere calculations. In her notes, she suggested that machines could be used to manipulate symbols and perform complex tasks - an idea that directly inspired the development of modern computers. This was the birth of the concept of "general-purpose computing" - the idea that a machine could be programmed to do a variety of tasks, from mathematics to, well, everything else we use computers for today. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that men invented everything when it comes to technology. After all, the spotlight tends to shine on names like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. But the truth is, women like Ada Lovelace were pivotal in shaping the world of technology long before computers became a part of everyday life. Her legacy is a great reminder that women have always been there, shaping our world in ways both big and small. So no, men didn’t invent everything 😜🤷♀️ #WomenHistoryMonth

Most executives now view sustainability as a revenue enabler 🌎 In the face of rising inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and a looming global recession, sustainability efforts could be expected to slow down. However, businesses are showing the opposite trend — doubling down on sustainability as a core part of their strategy. The perception of sustainability is shifting from a compliance-driven cost to a long-term revenue enabler. This shift is driven by a growing realization that sustainability delivers more than risk mitigation. Companies are finding opportunities to enhance profitability, improve operational efficiency, and foster innovation. Beyond managing risks like regulatory compliance or supply chain disruptions, businesses now recognize sustainability’s potential to unlock new markets, strengthen customer loyalty, and drive competitive advantage. Notably, this mindset shift is happening at the executive level. A recent survey found that 72% of executives consider sustainability a revenue enabler rather than a cost center. This highlights a critical change — businesses no longer view sustainability as an expense, but as a key driver of growth and value creation. These insights come from an IBM survey of 2,500 executives across 22 industries, which explored how companies approach ESG strategies and what outcomes they expect. While compliance remains important, more organizations are embracing sustainability as a pathway to innovation and profitability, making it central to their long-term business objectives. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange

It's not the pipeline, It's the System. June 23rd is celebrated as 'International Women in Engineering Day" #INWED Sadly the harsh reality, engineering colleges in India produce the highest number of women in STEM graduates/engineers and many of them actually do make it to the workforce. The real challenge is their retention and progression. With 2+ decades in tech and now consulting for tech companies on their Gender Equity Strategy, I’ve seen this challenge firsthand. The issue isn’t talent availability, it’s systemic. In most households, a woman’s career is still seen as optional. That mindset and bias bleeds into workplaces, shaping how women are hired, retained, and promoted. So what can organisations do, 1. Relook at org culture and design. Are your systems, policies, and leadership norms built equitably to support who stays, rises and how. 2. Representation matters, especially in especially in mid and senior levels, invest in retention and have hiring goals across grades. 3. Move from gendered to gender neutral policies. Eg. Maternity to Parental Leave Policy that supports all care-givers. Reframe workplace policies from “women-centric benefits” to equitable caregiving support that normalise shared responsibility and reduce bias. 4. Women in Tech Returnee programs - I've seen immense success in these programs, that offer companies experienced tech talent with a little investment. #Vapasi from Thoughtworks, #Spring from Publicis Sapient are two examples 5. Conduct Stay Interviews, Not Exit Interviews. Understand why women leave and what it takes for them to stay and grow and act on the inputs. 3. A Clear Career Progression Path with mentorship and sponsorship - Bias in growth opportunity for #WIT is real, if there is no intentional support to overcome these bias, talent walks away. 4. I Need to See More Like Me! There is a lack of role models. Accelerated Women in tech leadership programs, fast-tracking the leadership journey of high potential women are some ways to address this. 5. Collective Ownership. Gender Diversity in tech is not a HR, leadership or DEI responsibility. Make it the very fabric of the org. to drive shared accountability. 6. Data is not just diagnostic, it's directional. It guides us on investments to be made, unseen bias and where and what needs to change, it's your mirror don't ignore it. #Inclusion is a organisational capability and leaders are it's torch bearers. Their actions, direction and decisions every single day, signal what truly matters. The Women in tech, talent pool exists. The question is, are you ready to retain, grow, and lead with them? #WomenInTech #WIT #GenderEquity #DiversityInTech Diversity Simplified Image description: A newspaper article titled “It’s Not the Pipeline, It’s the System” from Times of India, Bangalore edition which highlights the gender gap in engineering.

Programming was first introduced to me in my undergrad at an all-women's college. I loved solving logical problems, but I quickly realized I wasn't going to be the best coder in the room. That distinction belonged to my friend Shaama. She lived in the computer lab, coding with such passion that even the stern "Mother Superior" called her parents to praise her exceptional skills - a rare occurrence usually reserved for troublemakers!. Yet at home, Shama faced resistance. "Why computer science?" her family questioned her decision. All she could say was, "Why not?" What she lacked were visible role models—women who had blazed the trail before her. Throughout history, brilliant women worked in the shadows, tackling work men often avoided. 𝗔𝗱𝗮 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗺 in the 1840s, envisioning computing capabilities most couldn't grasp. During WWII, 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀—work dismissed as less important than hardware, their contributions unrecognized for decades. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲," 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 by creating the first compiler that made programming languages universally accessible. 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 "𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁"—though she humbly rejects it, noting the internet wasn't invented by any single person. Her pioneering network algorithms nonetheless became crucial building blocks for how we connect online today. 𝗛𝗲𝗱𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆. Known as a glamorous film star, she secretly invented frequency-hopping technology to prevent Nazi jamming of torpedo signals—foundational to WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS we use daily. The military initially dismissed her work before classifying it as too valuable to implement. 𝗘𝗺𝗺𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 upended mathematics despite being barred from faculty positions because of her gender. Einstein called her "the most significant creative mathematical genius" of her time, yet she lectured under male colleagues' names. These women didn't merely participate in technological revolution—they drove it forward against systems designed to exclude them. Today, women like 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗴 and "Godmother of AI" 𝗙𝗲𝗶-𝗙𝗲𝗶 𝗟𝗶 continue shaping technology—fighting algorithmic bias and championing human-centric technology. This Women's History Month, let us reclaim this narrative. When we understand that women have always been at computing's cutting edge, we see clearly that technology advances fastest and humanity moves forward when diverse minds contribute. Tag women in tech that inspire you! #womenshistorymonth #womenintech #techpioneers #hiddenfigures