Logo Extraordinary Women In Tech. Global Conference 2023

Global
Conference
2023

4th and 5th
October 2023

Event Powered By

Welcome to Our EWiT Global Conference!

This guide is designed to help you make the most of the conference. Here, you can conveniently access our agenda for both days, explore the lineup of speakers, view our conference map, and reach out to us if you have any questions or need assistance.

We hope you have a fantastic time!

Agenda

In this edition, we will showcase all keynotes, panels, and workshops in a single main room, featuring a lineup of 30 speakers spanning two full days. The event will also encompass networking activities and mentorship sessions meticulously crafted to facilitate an open exchange of groundbreaking ideas. These sessions aim to offer guidance for both seasoned tech leaders and aspiring talents, empowering them to achieve their individual and career aspirations.
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Conference Map

On three tracks, the event will feature almost 30 panels, with more than 40 speakers, as well as career advisor sessions and other activities. This map can help you find your way around here.

Meet Our Amazing Speakers

Image Sarah Willock

Sarah Willock

VP of Technology
Coca-Cola Canada

Yvonne Wassenaar

Board Director
Arista Networks,
JFrog, Rubrik, Forrester

Rama Akkiraju

VP, Enterprise AI & Automation
NVIDIA

Kerry Joel

Global VP, AI Transformation
Avenue Code

Sudha Ranganathan

Director of Product Marketing
LinkedIn

Jessica Wakefield

VP of Engineering and Operations
PlayStation

Stacy Mill

VP of IT and CISO – Run the entire IT Dept and Cybersecurity for Corporate systems
Nashville Electric Service

Surbhi Kaul

VP, Global CX
Juniper Networks
Image Yulia Pavlova

Yulia Pavlova

Director Technology Innovation
Thomson Reuters

Hepsi Premkumar

Vice President of Strategy and Operations
Cisco

Shatabdi Sharma

VP, Global Application Services
PVHCorp

Eileen Krepps Page

SVP Digital Innovation
InVision Communications

Emily Tell

Head of Digital Transformation
Bison & Bird

Charmaine Tang

President
ORCA AG

Jessica Lair

Director of Engineering
Sephora

Amy Yee

SVP & Chief Digital Transformation Officer
SE Health

Blair Ethington

VP, Buyer Experience & Focus Categories
eBay

Rebecca Carter

Head of Data Science
Gusto

Grace Song

Data Operations & Governance Director
Allstate

Jae Evans

CIO & EVP of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
Oracle

Christine Sarros

SVP, Product Development
Oracle

Sudha Raghavan

SVP, Developer Platform
Oracle

Petek Utku

Vice President – OCI Technical Operations
Oracle

Mary Ellen Kassotakis

Executive Director, Oracle Women’s Leadership
Oracle

Traci Wade

GVP, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion
Oracle

Kirsten Holte

Vice President, Cloud Compliance & Assurance
Oracle

Mentors

Neelima Mangal

Author, Co-Founder and Chief Global Head of Product Delivery
SpectrumNorth | Nutcache

Jully Kim

Sr. Director, Technology Excellence
Autodesk

Heike Hiss

Senior Director, Global Executive Search
Box, Inc.

Monika Thakur

Vice President, SaaS Engineering
Oracle

Gowri Sivaraman

Director of Engineering
Intuit

Tracy Huck

Director, Solution & Process Engineering
Maritime Ontario Freightlines

Dr. Danette "Danni" Buie

People Practices Partner
EarnIn
Cassie Brown
VP of Engineering
Bitly
Rutuja Joshi
Director of Engineering
Oracle
Madhuri Dhulipala
Vice President Engineering
Salesforce
Meena Rajvaidya
Director of Engineering
Cisco
Serena Perfetto
Program Lead
Pinterest
Saral Sukumar
Director Of Engineering
eBay
Shweta Behere
Senior Engineering Manager
Workday
Hale Yaman
Senior Director of Engineering
CourseHero
Pooja Vijay Kumar
Head of Platform Content Design
Autodesk
Rohini Panjrath
Founder & CEO
Yellowbricks.invo

Engage with Our Speakers and Mentors

Are you enjoying the EWiT Global Conference and have questions for our esteemed speakers and mentors? After the event, we will collect your selected inquiries and share them with our extraordinary lineup of speakers and mentors. You can expect to receive their responses directly or see them featured in our content on the EWiT Blog. Please be assured that a member of our dedicated EWiT Staff Team will stay in touch with you, keeping you updated.
Please note that this process may take some time.

Agenda

DAY 1

  • 09:30 a.m
  • 10:30 a.m
Registration, Welcome Coffee, & Networking
  • 10:30 a.m
  • 10:45 a.m
Opening
  • 10:45 a.m
  • 11:15 a.m

Empowering Women in Tech by Jae Evans (Oracle Global)

  • 11:15 a.m
  • 12 p.m
Panel | Breaking Through: The Journey from Within
Panelists: Blair Ethington, Hepsi Premkumar, Charmaine Tang, Rebecca Carter
Moderator: Jessica Lair
  • 12 p.m
  • 12:30 p.m

Workshop | Generative AI by Kerry Joel (Avenue Code)

  • 12:30 p.m
  • 1 p.m

Workshop | Women in Tech Series by Oracle

  • 1 p.m
  • 2:15 p.m
Lunch Time
  • 2:30 p.m
  • 3 p.m

Bold moves and defying stereotypes | by Kerry Joel (Avenue Code)

  • 3 p.m
  • 3:45 p.m
Panel | Empowering Journeys: The Path to Tech Executives

Panelists: Eileen Krepps Page, Amy Yee, Surbhi Kaul, Rama Akkiraju

Moderator: Yulia Pavlova

  • 3:45 p.m
  • 4:30 p.m
“I’m Extraordinary”
Group Dynamic
  • 4:30 p.m
  • 5:30 p.m
Happy Hour & Networking

DAY 2

  • 09:30 a.m
  • 10:30 a.m
Registration, Welcome Coffee, & Networking
  • 10:30 a.m
  • 10:45 a.m
Opening
  • 10:45 a.m
  • 11:15 a.m

From Engineer to Leader by Sarah Willock (Coca-Cola Canada)

  • 11:15 a.m
  • 12 p.m
Panel | Women in Leadership: Career Evolution in the Tech Industry
Panelists: Petek Utku, Christine Sarros, Kirsten Holte, Sudha Raghavan
Moderator: Pascale Mardirossian
  • 12 p.m
  • 12:30 p.m
  • 12:30 p.m
  • 1 p.m

The 4G recipe to help people leaders become talent magnets by Sudha Ranganathan (LinkedIn)

  • 1 p.m
  • 2:15 p.m
Lunch Time
  • 2:30 p.m
  • 3 p.m

The Time is Now | by Yvonne Wassenaar (Arista Networks, JFrog, Rubrik, Forrester)

  • 3 p.m
  • 3:45 p.m
Panel | Igniting Passion: Unleashing Your Potential and a New Era in Tech
Panelists: Shatabdi Sharma, Jessica Wakefield, Emily Tell, Stacy Mill
Moderator: Grace Song
  • 3:45 p.m
  • 4 p.m
Closing
  • 4 p.m
  • 5:30 p.m
Happy Hour & Networking

EWiT 2023 Sponsor & Partner

Get to know the organizations dedicated to advocating for women’s empowerment, while striving to increase the representation of women in the technology industry.

Get Assistance from the EWiT Staff Team

Do you need any help during the event? The EWiT Staff Team can be easily recognized by their EWiT t-shirts. If you wish to speak with us or need any help, please use the forms below!

Experience Our Instagrammable Spot

Be inspired by the compelling stories of our remarkable technology industry speakers and mentors, and make sure to capture your moments at our breathtaking Instagrammable location! Share your moments with us using the hashtags #EWiTGlobalConference,  #EWiT2023, and tag @extraordinarywomenintech on social media for a chance to be showcased on our Instagram feed!

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Jae Evans

CIO & EVP of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
Oracle

Jae Evans is Oracle’s Global CIO and Executive VP for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Platform Services. She is responsible for accelerating Oracle IT’s cloud transformation across thousands of environments. Her team provides IT services to Oracle’s 170,000 employees and developers worldwide. Additionally, she leads OCI’s global region build program and platform services, which include billing, subscription management, cost management, console services, and Oracle Cloud Marketplace. Jae has over 20 years of experience leading global teams and mission-critical services in ecommerce, enterprise cloud, online gaming, retail, and telecommunications. She is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and is the executive sponsor of OCI’s D&I, a member of Oracle’s Executive D&I Council, and an active participant in Oracle Professional Asian Leadership and Women in Tech events.

Topic

Empowering Women in Tech

Description

The power of cloud technology, data, and AI is and continues to transform every business process, across every enterprise, spanning every industry. We are in an exciting and profound moment for technology. Join Jae Evans as she shares her experiences as a female executive leader in this industry and discusses the importance of diversity in building stronger teams, more successful businesses, and better products and services.
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Kerry Joel

Global VP, AI Transformation
Avenue Code

Kerry Joel is a product and technology leader who focuses on building great software. She achieves this by creating an innovative and inclusive culture, along with industry-leading engineering practices. With a proven track record of delivering exceptional eCommerce and digital engagement across industries, Kerry is a veteran of digital transformations. Her expertise lies in creating meaningful customer and consumer experiences that drive innovative growth and profitability.

She is passionate about building great teams and placing emphasis on the individual, while focusing on the craft of software and product development.

Workshop # 1

Topic

Generative AI

Description

This Workshop is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the current state of technology, its applications, and the skills needed to navigate and excel in the tech industry. It aims to empower individuals with the knowledge and tools to embrace and leverage emerging trends in their professional endeavors.
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Kerry Joel

Global VP, AI Transformation
Avenue Code

Kerry Joel is a product and technology leader who focuses on building great software. She achieves this by creating an innovative and inclusive culture, along with industry-leading engineering practices. With a proven track record of delivering exceptional eCommerce and digital engagement across industries, Kerry is a veteran of digital transformations. Her expertise lies in creating meaningful customer and consumer experiences that drive innovative growth and profitability.

She is passionate about building great teams and placing emphasis on the individual, while focusing on the craft of software and product development.

Workshop # 1

Topic

AI & Tech Trends

Description

This Workshop is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the current state of technology, its applications, and the skills needed to navigate and excel in the tech industry. It aims to empower individuals with the knowledge and tools to embrace and leverage emerging trends in their professional endeavors.
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Image Sarah Willock
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Sarah Willock

VP Of Technology
Coca-Cola Canada

As Vice President of Technology, Sarah leads the Technology team at Coke Canada and is responsible for the entire suite of technology needs including developing, planning, organizing, and executing strategic initiatives.

Sarah worked at Loblaw where she was Senior Director of Technology and oversaw all technology for both Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart, under the domain of Pharmacy and Healthcare. Her technology oversight included leading teams that built, enhanced and operated interconnected enterprise systems that had a mixture of cloud technology and distributed systems over a complex network.

Sarah is known as a transformational and innovative leader, a problem solver with a curious mind and someone who has excellent product management and leadership skills. She believes in leading with trust and fostering creativity. She is also an ambassador for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, actively working to ensure that there is diverse representation withing the team while also providing space to empower the next generation of leaders.

Topic

From Engineer to Leader

Description

My career path was not straight line and instead resembled waves with crests and troughs. I walk through my career focusing on how I found my passion and how I grew while overcoming challenges. Throughout my journey, I focus on D&I gaps including the effect the gaps had and how I resolved. I speak to challenges with work-life balance and highlight how it started early and how it effected me.
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Sudha Ranganathan

Director of Product Marketing
LinkedIn

Sudha has over 18 years of marketing leadership experience at companies like Procter & Gamble, PayPal and LinkedIn. While she has worked across companies, regions, and categories, the one constant in her career has been a passion for leadership skills that bring out the best in talent at organizations.

Sudha gets to live out this passion in her current role as Director of Product Marketing for LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions business, where her team helps customers find and develop talent to their highest potential. She is also a trained coach and a leader with a reputation for creating strong, psychologically safe teams.

Workshop # 3

Topic

The 4G recipe to help people leaders become talent magnets

Description

Learn a simple, but actionable framework distilled from best-in-class management principles to help you bring out the best in your teams and make you a talent magnet in your organization. This session unpacks how the best managers help their people Glow, Grow, Get things done and Go their own way, when the time is right.
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Yvonne Wassenaar

Board Director
Arista Networks, JFrog, Rubrik, Forrester

Yvonne Wassenaar is a seasoned C-level executive with broad experience scaling, diversifying, and transforming businesses throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Most recently, Yvonne was the CEO of Puppet, one of the founders of the DevOps movement. Prior to Puppet, she served as CEO of Airware, CIO at New Relic, and held multiple leadership roles at VMware and Accenture.

Yvonne is currently a board director for Forrester Research, Arista Networks, JFrog, Rubrik, Isovalent, and Harvey Mudd College. She is also an advisor to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, NextRoll, EndGame, SGNL.ai, BlueSky, and Fika Ventures. Previously Yvonne served as a board director for Anaplan, MuleSoft, and Bitum. She was also an early-stage advisor to Snyk and StackHawk.

Yvonne is the mother of three teenagers and is passionate about empowering leaders and teams to do great work with purpose. She is an avid traveler and uses her experiences abroad to deepen her empathy and understanding of human interaction.

Topic

The Time is Now

Description

This talk addresses how the intersection of technologies is driving seismic shifts in the world around us; how technology with diversity fails us, while technology with diversity makes us better; and how you can lean into the opportunity. This has never been more important than now. Join our discussion with curiosity and leave inspired to engage more deeply in technology and reach for higher levels of leadership.
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Rama Akkiraju

VP, Enterprise AI & Automation
NVIDIA

Rama Akkiraju has 20+ years of leadership experience at IBM as an IBM Fellow and Master Inventor. Formerly CTO of IBM Watson AI Operations, Rama developed AI services such as Personality Insights, Tone Analyzer, Emotion Analysis, and Sentiment Analysis. She holds a master’s degree in Computer Science and an MBA from New York University.

Rama has co-authored 100+ technical papers, holds 50+ issued patents and 25+ pending, and has received multiple awards, including being named one of Forbes ‘Top 20 Women in AI Research’ in 2017. In 2022, Rama was named ‘USA Industry Innovator of the Year 2022’ by Women in AI and ‘AI Industry Leader of the Year 2022’ by Women Leaders in Data & AI (WLDA).

Panel # 2

Topic

Empowering Journeys: The Path to Tech Executives

Description

The panel discussion is expected to provide a comprehensive view of leadership in the modern corporate landscape, touching upon personal growth, resilience, empowerment, diversity, innovation, and the challenges of digital transformation. The diverse experiences and strategies shared by the panelists will offer valuable insights for both aspiring and current leaders in various industries.
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Jessica Wakefield

VP of Engineering and Operations
PlayStation

Jessica Wakefield is the VP of Engineering & Operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment. She leads globally diverse teams who deliver the PlayStation platform facilitating business operations, empowering decision-making, and providing crucial insights for PlayStation products and services. With over 100 million monthly active users, 47 million active subscribers and 15 million daily concurrent users for a $16+ billion-dollar business.

As a site leader and global lead for the Women @ PlayStation eNet/Employee Resource Group (ERG), she is also a notable cultural champion making PlayStation the best place to play and work. Prior to SIE, Jessica was with Intuit where she held key roles in the Consumer Tax Group and TurboTax Online Banking capabilities for Intuit. While at Intuit she went to USC’s Marshall School of Business and obtained her MBA, with an emphasis in Globalization.

In addition, Jessica is an active volunteer at her daughter’s school, Vice President of the San Diego Children’s Museum Board, and CEO of the Loving Amber Foundation, 501 (c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds and awareness for kids impacted by rare bone marrow and blood disorders.

Panel # 4

Topic

Igniting Passion: Unleashing Your Potential and a New Era in Tech

Description

The panel discussion showcased the pivotal role of passion, purpose, and leadership in the tech industry. The panelists’ insights provided valuable lessons on fostering innovation, empowerment, diversity, and inclusion, adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, making it an informative and inspiring discussion for both aspiring and seasoned tech leaders.
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Stacy Mill

VP of IT and CISO - Run the entire IT Dept and Cybersecurity for Corporate systems
Nashville Electric Service

Stacy Mill is the VP of IT and CISO at Nashville Electric Service, responsible for all IT strategy and execution across corporate systems, including cybersecurity. She has built global teams across several industries and has held leadership roles in the State of Kansas, Spirit AeroSystems, KAR Global, and Yum. Stacy has a background in security and serves on the boards of various organizations. She enjoys spending time with her family and mentoring emerging leaders.

Panel # 4

Topic

Igniting Passion: Unleashing Your Potential and a New Era in Tech

Description

The panel discussion showcased the pivotal role of passion, purpose, and leadership in the tech industry. The panelists’ insights provided valuable lessons on fostering innovation, empowerment, diversity, and inclusion, adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, making it an informative and inspiring discussion for both aspiring and seasoned tech leaders.
Close
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Surbhi Kaul

VP, Global CX
Juniper Networks

With 20 years of experience leading product design, development, and strategy in Fortune 500 companies, Surbhi has built and led product and engineering teams at Google, YouTube, Netflix, and Cisco. She has launched successful products that use AI and machine learning. Currently, Surbhi leads Juniper’s Customer Experience charter, focused on creating omnichannel engagements and ML-based support capabilities. Surbhi has degrees from IIT Kanpur, Texas A&M University, and Harvard Business School. She also leads Global Inclusion & Diversity initiatives at Juniper and supports the IIT community.

Panel # 2

Topic

Empowering Journeys: The Path to Tech Executives

Description

The panel discussion is expected to provide a comprehensive view of leadership in the modern corporate landscape, touching upon personal growth, resilience, empowerment, diversity, innovation, and the challenges of digital transformation. The diverse experiences and strategies shared by the panelists will offer valuable insights for both aspiring and current leaders in various industries.
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Image Yulia Pavlova
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Yulia Pavlova

Director Technology Innovation
Thomson Reuters

Yulia Pavlova is the Director of Technology Innovation at Reuters News Agency. With over 10 years of experience in Applied Research and Development, Yulia leads an Applied Innovation lab at Reuters that focuses on AI/ML enhancements and MLOps lifecycle of enterprise products. She develops new technological opportunities to improve the company’s offerings and works cross-functionally with business partners and stakeholders to ensure business and customer impact.

One of her recent achievements is the development of a customer-facing AI tool for Reuters video content that generates automated time-coded transcripts, translation of many languages into English, and identification of public figures. This tool is part of the Reuters Connect service, which offers access to over 600,000 videos, six live streams, and 23 million pictures from Reuters journalists.

Panel # 2

Topic

Empowering Journeys: The Path to Tech Executives

Description

The panel discussion is expected to provide a comprehensive view of leadership in the modern corporate landscape, touching upon personal growth, resilience, empowerment, diversity, innovation, and the challenges of digital transformation. The diverse experiences and strategies shared by the panelists will offer valuable insights for both aspiring and current leaders in various industries.
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Hepsi Premkumar

Vice President of Strategy and Operations
Cisco

Hepsi Premkumar is the Vice President of Strategy and Operations and Chief of Staff to the General Manager of Cisco AppDynamics and Full-Stack Observability. In her role, she is responsible for navigating and driving transformative and business-critical initiatives for the organization. Hepsi manages strategy, technical program management, data insights, business operations, university hiring and talent training, and internal and executive communications teams. Hepsi has been with Cisco for 15 years and was most recently the Senior Director of Cisco Cloud Networking Technical Program Management and Operations. She also serves as the Chair of Howard University’s Computer Science and Engineering Industry Advisory Board, representing Cisco.

Panel # 1

Topic

Breaking Through: The Journey from Within

Description

This panel discussion will offer valuable insights into the personal journeys of successful tech industry leaders, their strategies for self-confidence and resilience, approaches to embracing change, promoting diversity and inclusivity, and balancing innovation with stability in an ever-evolving industry, serving as a timeless source of practical advice for aspiring professionals in the tech sector.
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Shatabdi Sharma

VP, Global Application Services
PVHCorp

As Ecommerce Director for PVH, I accelerated platform delivery for a shifting eCommerce business. I led tech innovations, compressed delivery timelines, and ensured platform stability. I pioneered the agile DevOps model for packaged Websphere Commerce Suite. I mobilized platform delivery vendors and collaborated with partners to integrate next-gen machine learning solutions. I consolidated vendors, integrations, and technology platforms across PVH brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Speedo. I streamlined technology and platforms across regions to save costs and achieve synergies.

As VP of Application Engineering Services, I built a multi-tenant, scalable, and optimized Application Services Organization. I created efficient support models from complex customized apps to configurable packages like SAP, JDA, Centric, GTNexus, VMS, etc. I shifted from reactive to predictive, flexible, and responsive support, enabling self-correction and auto-healing for repetitive incidents.

Panel # 4

Topic

Igniting Passion: Unleashing Your Potential and a New Era in Tech

Description

The panel discussion showcased the pivotal role of passion, purpose, and leadership in the tech industry. The panelists’ insights provided valuable lessons on fostering innovation, empowerment, diversity, and inclusion, adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, making it an informative and inspiring discussion for both aspiring and seasoned tech leaders.
Close
Linkedin

Eileen Krepps Page

SVP Digital Innovation
InVision Communications

Eileen leads InVision Communication’s Digital and Technology Innovation team, ensuring that digital activations and experiences are executed to the highest standards. With over 20 years of experience crafting breakthrough digital solutions for Fortune 1000 brands, she combines strategy, creativity, and technical insight to create proprietary technology installations (such as apps and custom CMS), virtual experiences, and digital campaigns for brands like DuPont, Siemens, Amway, Fresenius Kabi, and Oracle.

Panel # 2

Topic

Empowering Journeys: The Path to Tech Executives

Description

The panel discussion is expected to provide a comprehensive view of leadership in the modern corporate landscape, touching upon personal growth, resilience, empowerment, diversity, innovation, and the challenges of digital transformation. The diverse experiences and strategies shared by the panelists will offer valuable insights for both aspiring and current leaders in various industries.
Close
Linkedin

Emily Tell

Head of Digital Transformation
Bison & Bird

Head of Digital Transformation at Bison and Bird, a top 15 Canadian professional services start-up, Emily helps companies navigate digital transformation while prioritizing user experience. Emily’s solutions may involve technology, data analysis, process mapping, customer journey maps, and change management tactics. She has won awards for her people-centered solutions and technology adoption rates, including the LinkedIn Talent Award.

Emily is passionate about elevating women in the workplace and helping companies innovate and succeed. She is known for her strategic insights, creative problem-solving, and ability to lighten the mood in any meeting.

Panel # 4

Topic

Igniting Passion: Unleashing Your Potential and a New Era in Tech

Description

The panel discussion showcased the pivotal role of passion, purpose, and leadership in the tech industry. The panelists’ insights provided valuable lessons on fostering innovation, empowerment, diversity, and inclusion, adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, making it an informative and inspiring discussion for both aspiring and seasoned tech leaders.
Close
Linkedin

Charmaine Tang

President
ORCA AG

Charmaine Tang is the President of ORCA AG, a Swiss tech company that helps global families, investment companies, corporates, and other complex entities. ORCA was founded six years ago and has clients in 20 countries. Charmaine is also an advisor to Gore Range Capital, a VC firm based in New York and Dallas, and on the Board of Advisors for Klosebuy, a Florida-based marketing technology platform company. She is based in Dallas, Texas, and is passionate about making the world a better place, especially for women and girls.

Charmaine graduated from NYU with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting and has certificates from Harvard Business School and FIT. She has been recognized for her leadership in business and civic organizations, including the Texas Women’s Foundation Board of Directors and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Board of Governors.

Panel # 1

Topic

Breaking Through: The Journey from Within

Description

This panel discussion will offer valuable insights into the personal journeys of successful tech industry leaders, their strategies for self-confidence and resilience, approaches to embracing change, promoting diversity and inclusivity, and balancing innovation with stability in an ever-evolving industry, serving as a timeless source of practical advice for aspiring professionals in the tech sector.
Close
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Jessica Lair

Director of Engineering / COO
Sephora

After 10 years, I traded in concerts and the maestro for code when I left my life as an opera singer and learned Javascript, HTML, and CSS. Now, I work as a senior leader in technology. Outside of my 9-5, I work on 2 separate things;I am on the professional board of a non-profit in San Francisco that caters to juvenile justice and foster system-involved youth and we provide the tools and support they need in order to get out of the system and stay out of the system. The second is being the COO of an art installation startup, Sonic Sphere. It is a 360-degree spherical concert hall with immersive and spatialized sound technology and a custom lights program leveraging Reaper, LX, javascript, and c#.

Panel # 1

Topic

Breaking Through: The Journey from Within

Description

This panel discussion will offer valuable insights into the personal journeys of successful tech industry leaders, their strategies for self-confidence and resilience, approaches to embracing change, promoting diversity and inclusivity, and balancing innovation with stability in an ever-evolving industry, serving as a timeless source of practical advice for aspiring professionals in the tech sector.
Close
Linkedin

Amy Yee

SVP & Chief Digital Transformation Officer
SE Health

As SVP & Chief Digital Transformation Officer at SE Health, Amy leads the development, execution, and delivery of SE Health’s digital strategy. She oversees digital enablement, transformation, IT/IS, and innovation teams. Amy is passionate about transforming healthcare through technology and change. With a degree in electrical engineering, she has a background in venture capital, consulting, and healthcare. Amy is an accomplished speaker and board member, recognized for her innovation and leadership.

Panel # 2

Topic

Empowering Journeys: The Path to Tech Executives

Description

The panel discussion is expected to provide a comprehensive view of leadership in the modern corporate landscape, touching upon personal growth, resilience, empowerment, diversity, innovation, and the challenges of digital transformation. The diverse experiences and strategies shared by the panelists will offer valuable insights for both aspiring and current leaders in various industries.
Close
Linkedin

Blair Ethington

VP, Buyer Experience & Focus Categories
eBay

Blair is an experienced product leader who has built both consumer and enterprise products reaching 100s of millions users cumulatively for leading companies such as Meta, Sam’s Club/Walmart and eBay. She has grown profitable high-growth startups through acquisition and led multiple Fortune 50 companies through digital transformation and scale. She takes a consumer-focused and data-driven approach to solve problems at scale by building teams and delivering impactful solutions. Blair is excited by the challenges of change management, org design and building teams. She has an in-depth knowledge of commerce, retail, marketplaces, gaming, social media, advertising and finance and a track record of building and managing 100+ person product and engineering teams.

Panel # 1

Topic

Breaking Through: The Journey from Within

Description

This panel discussion will offer valuable insights into the personal journeys of successful tech industry leaders, their strategies for self-confidence and resilience, approaches to embracing change, promoting diversity and inclusivity, and balancing innovation with stability in an ever-evolving industry, serving as a timeless source of practical advice for aspiring professionals in the tech sector.
Close
Linkedin

Rebecca Carter

Head of Data Science
Gusto

Becca Carter has been a hands-on data practitioner and a data leader in different capacities over the past decade. She is currently the Head of Data Science at Gusto and has previously worked at eBay and McKinsey. She earned her PhD from UC Berkeley, studying the evolution and cognition of a group of spiders on the Hawaiian Islands. She’s also passionate about prison reform and co-founded a nonprofit called Bonafide that helps people return to society following lengthy prison sentences.

Panel # 1

Topic

Breaking Through: The Journey from Within

Description

This panel discussion will offer valuable insights into the personal journeys of successful tech industry leaders, their strategies for self-confidence and resilience, approaches to embracing change, promoting diversity and inclusivity, and balancing innovation with stability in an ever-evolving industry, serving as a timeless source of practical advice for aspiring professionals in the tech sector.
Close
Linkedin

Grace Song

Data Operations & Governance Director
Allstate

Jessica Wakefield is the VP of Engineering & Operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment. She leads globally diverse teams who deliver the PlayStation platform facilitating business operations, empowering decision-making, and providing crucial insights for PlayStation products and services. With over 100 million monthly active users, 47 million active subscribers and 15 million daily concurrent users for a $16+ billion-dollar business.

As a site leader and global lead for the Women @ PlayStation eNet/Employee Resource Group (ERG), she is also a notable cultural champion making PlayStation the best place to play and work. Prior to SIE, Jessica was with Intuit where she held key roles in the Consumer Tax Group and TurboTax Online Banking capabilities for Intuit. While at Intuit she went to USC’s Marshall School of Business and obtained her MBA, with an emphasis in Globalization.

In addition, Jessica is an active volunteer at her daughter’s school, Vice President of the San Diego Children’s Museum Board, and CEO of the Loving Amber Foundation, 501 (c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds and awareness for kids impacted by rare bone marrow and blood disorders.

Panel # 4

Topic

Igniting Passion: Unleashing Your Potential and a New Era in Tech

Description

The panel discussion showcased the pivotal role of passion, purpose, and leadership in the tech industry. The panelists’ insights provided valuable lessons on fostering innovation, empowerment, diversity, and inclusion, adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, making it an informative and inspiring discussion for both aspiring and seasoned tech leaders.
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Christine Sarros

SVP, Product Development
Oracle

Christine has been with Oracle and previously SUN Microsystems for more than 25 years. As Senior Vice President of Oracle’s Enterprise Engineering organization, she is responsible for Oracle’s internal cloud transformation and delivery of multiple cloud services. Her team partners with enterprise and development organizations across the company to evolve on-premises services into native cloud solutions and leads our global migration program. In addition, Christine delivers traditional IT services for our more than 170,000 global employees.

Panel # 3

Topic

Women in Leadership: Career Evolution in the Tech Industry

Description

Diverse companies excel, boasting better performance, a knack for attracting top-notch talent, highly engaged employees, and impressive retention rates. Yet, in the tech realm, women still find themselves in the minority. Change, the driving force behind progress, calls for transformation and innovation, which, in turn, rely heavily on diversity. This dynamic forms a continuous cycle, one that particularly highlights the crucial role of women leaders in tech. Women, with their unique perspectives and experiences, have a distinctive lens through which they view and approach challenges, making them trailblazers and innovators.
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Sudha Raghavan

SVP, Developer Platform
Oracle

Sudha is an engineer and product VP in the Oracle Cloud Observability and Developer LifeCycle Services organization. She manages teams that run large scale distributed services used by 1000s of engineers every day. Her inclusive leadership has led to her directs being one of the most diverse teams in Oracle.

She is also a founding committee member of the Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL), Seattle chapter and runs several mentoring rings. She has an Masters in Computer Science and has worked at Microsoft. She is a goal-driven leader hoping to attract more women into leadership positions.

Panel # 3

Topic

Women in Leadership: Career Evolution in the Tech Industry

Description

Diverse companies excel, boasting better performance, a knack for attracting top-notch talent, highly engaged employees, and impressive retention rates. Yet, in the tech realm, women still find themselves in the minority. Change, the driving force behind progress, calls for transformation and innovation, which, in turn, rely heavily on diversity. This dynamic forms a continuous cycle, one that particularly highlights the crucial role of women leaders in tech. Women, with their unique perspectives and experiences, have a distinctive lens through which they view and approach challenges, making them trailblazers and innovators.
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Petek Utku

Vice President - OCI Technical Operations
Oracle

Petek Utku is the Vice President of OCI Technical Operations at Oracle. In this role, Petek drives the pursuit of operational excellence within Enterprise Engineering and OCI cloud classic, ensuring unparalleled support and world-class operations for internal and external customers. Petek is a technology executive with 25+ years of experience who has developed high-growth IT strategies and led global teams in finance, investment, technology, and cloud companies. Prior to joining Oracle, Petek was the Vice President of Global Infrastructure Services at Riverbed Technology, where she headed Enterprise Architecture and Corporate Hybrid Infrastructure. Petek also held senior positions at Barclays Global Investors-BlackRock and Dow Jones.

Panel # 3

Topic

Women in Leadership: Career Evolution in the Tech Industry

Description

Diverse companies excel, boasting better performance, a knack for attracting top-notch talent, highly engaged employees, and impressive retention rates. Yet, in the tech realm, women still find themselves in the minority. Change, the driving force behind progress, calls for transformation and innovation, which, in turn, rely heavily on diversity. This dynamic forms a continuous cycle, one that particularly highlights the crucial role of women leaders in tech. Women, with their unique perspectives and experiences, have a distinctive lens through which they view and approach challenges, making them trailblazers and innovators.
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Mary Ellen Kassotakis

Executive Director, Oracle Women's Leadership
Oracle

As the Executive Director of Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL), Mary Ellen Kassotakis is committed to encouraging curiosity and lifelong learning for all employees. Mary Ellen and her team are dedicated to developing, engaging, and empowering the current and future generations of women leaders at Oracle.

Mary Ellen joined Oracle in 2005 and has held various positions in Human Resources—all focused on professional learning & development. She earned her Doctorate degree in Leadership at the University of Southern California.

Workshop # 2

Topic

Advancing Women in Tech: One Company’s Successful Journey

Description

This workshop will cover challenges faced by women in technical roles, Oracle’s investment in women’s development, details about the “Women in Tech Series,” critical data insights, and interactive discussions to share experiences and recommendations.
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Traci Wade

GVP, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion
Oracle

Traci Wade Group Vice President, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Oracle As vice president, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Traci Wade leads global programs that build awareness of the business impact and value of a diverse and inclusive culture at Oracle.

She engages with senior leadership in creating and supporting strategies that infuse and elevate a culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity into the workplace. Her team actively leads and supports Oracle’s Employee Resource Groups to help build companywide communities, develop future leaders, encourage partnerships, and retain talent.

Traci played a key role in establishing the company’s first D&I strategy and team more than a decade ago, and has been providing leadership and guidance ever since. She is regarded as a strategic and inclusive thought leader and expert on the subject, and has received recognition and numerous awards from a wide variety of publications and organizations for her commitment and success in leading D&I corporate efforts and outreach.

Workshop # 2

Topic

Advancing Women in Tech: One Company’s Successful Journey

Description

This workshop will cover challenges faced by women in technical roles, Oracle’s investment in women’s development, details about the “Women in Tech Series,” critical data insights, and interactive discussions to share experiences and recommendations.
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Kirsten Holte

Vice President, Cloud Compliance & Assurance
Oracle

Kirsten Holte is the Vice President of Cloud Compliance & Assurance at Oracle, where she leads a global team that drives all compliance and assurance programs for Oracle Cloud. Her teams are the “keepers of customer trust” for Oracle Cloud, enabling internal and external customers to meet the needs of highly regulated markets and industries through a portfolio of products and programs that provide visibility into the ever-changing and cutting-edge technologies of a hyperscale cloud. Kirsten has over 20 years of compliance and regulatory experience, including over 10 years in the cloud ecosystem, and is one of the founders of OCI’s cloud assurance journey.

Panel # 3

Topic

Women in Leadership: Career Evolution in the Tech Industry

Description

Diverse companies excel, boasting better performance, a knack for attracting top-notch talent, highly engaged employees, and impressive retention rates. Yet, in the tech realm, women still find themselves in the minority. Change, the driving force behind progress, calls for transformation and innovation, which, in turn, rely heavily on diversity. This dynamic forms a continuous cycle, one that particularly highlights the crucial role of women leaders in tech. Women, with their unique perspectives and experiences, have a distinctive lens through which they view and approach challenges, making them trailblazers and innovators.
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Neelima Mangal

Author-Climb, Lead, Succeed, Forbes Technology Council Member, CoFounder of Spectrum North
Forbes Technology Council, Spectrum North

🇨🇦🇺🇸 From a #smalltown in India to the bustling #techhubs of #NorthAmerica 🇨🇦🇺🇸, Neelima, a first-generation immigrant, exemplifies the rapidly evolving environment of global delivery, technology, and business services leadership. She has over 25 years of experience in the United States and Canada, and she possesses a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. She is a passionate Tech Evangelist, Forbes Technology Council Member, and Technology Executive. Neelima is a passionate advocate for women in tech and has received recognition for her contributions, including Forbes Technology Council nomination and the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech Award. She hosts ‘The Power of Women in the World of Tech’ podcast, is a Scrum Board Member nominee, and has earned accolades like WOI22-Authentic Leader and Women of Inspiration. As an author, Neelima has penned “Climb, Lead, Succeed,” a book available on Amazon that provides valuable insights and strategies for women seeking career success. Her impact extends internationally as a WomenTech Global Ambassador and a keynote speaker at prestigious events. Neelima’s journey from a small town in India to the tech hubs of North America continues to inspire and empower women in the tech industry.

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Jully Kim

Sr. Director, Technology Excellence
Autodesk

Jully Kim is the Sr. Director of Technology Excellence at Autodesk. She is responsible for building and growing the Autodesk Engineering community, enriching professional development and creating a foundation for transformation. Her team manages Autodesk’s internal technical conference, architecture operations, engineering collaboration tools and tech evangelism. Prior to Autodesk, she held roles as Chief of Staff to the Chief Engineering Officer (Zendesk), PMO and Agile leader (Fastly, Big Commerce, and Turnitin) and was a high school Chemistry teacher (CVHS). When she isn’t clicking buttons on a computer, she’s watching tending to her 1000+ succulent garden, watching star wars with her 2 daughters, and cooking korean bbq rib feasts!
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Heike Kiss

Senior Director, Global Executive Search
Box, Inc.

25+ years of experience in executive search, 16 years in professional services + 10+ years in inhouse leadership roles in executive recruiting, executive onboarding, and strategic executive talent engagement for public and private technology companies (cloud, SaaS). Passionate about solving business problems through talent, client management, candidate experience and mentorship.
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Monika Thakur

Vice President, SaaS Engineering
Oracle

I am a transparent, trusted, and passionate leader who is committed to customer satisfaction and success. I have 25 years of experience delivering innovative solutions to address customers’ critical business challenges. I lead with empathy because I believe my people are my best asset.

As a leader, my purpose is to help them achieve their goals and potential. I am a passionate advocate for women in the workplace. In my quest to increase gender diversity in tech leadership, I mentor and coach women leaders as they navigate their journeys to success. I set out every day to build teamwork, establish trust, serve others, and lead with empathy.

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Gowri Sivaraman

Director of Engineering
Intuit

Experienced technologist and product development leader with over 20+ years of experience in leading global multi million-dollar products. Expert in building and scaling digitally enabled consumer experiences across different channels, platforms and devices.
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Tracy Huck

Director, Solution & Process Engineering
Maritime Ontario Freightlines

Tracy has a degree in Network Infrastructure and Securities and has worked for over twenty years in IT specializing in the Transportation and Logistics space. During her time in the industry, Tracy has implemented IT solutions around the world, transforming business processes and protocols at all levels for hundreds of companies not only in North America, but also in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She has also presented as a subject matter expert at several major transportation conferences, currently serves on the customer advisory council for a publicly traded technology company, is a member of the Women in Trucking Association, and is a member of Women in Tech.
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Dr. Danette "Danni" Buie

People Practices Partner
EarnIn

Dr. Danette Buie (also known as Danni) currently serves as a People Practices Partner at EarnIn, a fintech company committed to reimagining the way money moves to empower every person’s potential. She brings 12+ years of experience to her work and enjoys providing thorough and skillful administrative leadership, fostering high-performance environments, and driving processes that will ultimately improve the company and employee experience.

Danette has completed Harvard University’s Executive Institute for Women in Leadership Program, Howard University’s Executive Diversity Coaching Program, and most recently was appointed to the new Board of Directors for Girls Dream Code, an organization dedicated to empowering young minority girls to pursue an interest in technology by providing free access to tech workshops, education, and resources. This opportunity provides her with yet another platform to live out her mission and serve the greater good, which is closing the opportunity gap for underrepresented groups, leveling the playing field, and striving to create equitable experiences for all.

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Cassie Brown

VP of Engineering
Bitly

Cassandra is Bitly’s VP of Engineering. She is a people first leader who manages engineering efforts for our core product – she ensures that our functionality takes into account our user experience and that we are able to scale and provide a quality experience for all of our users. Before Bitly, Cassandra earned a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems and held roles at Cloud Elements and Oracle.
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Rutuja Joshi

Director of Engineering
Oracle

Rutuja is a Director of Engineering at Oracle Analytics Cloud in the SF Bay Area. She leads a team responsible for building augmented analytics applications offering Machine Learning and AI extensions to the Analytics Product. She has 15+ years of experience building scalable, distributed platforms with high performing, globally distributed teams. She has a master’s in computer science from University of Southern California, a bachelor’s in computer engineering from Pune University in India and has also earned Machine Learning certification credentials from Cornell University.

Rutuja volunteers with Codepath.org to mentor aspiring individuals who want to launch their career in software development. She has been a member of the Women in Technology Online Festival Advisory Board, a panelist at Extraordinarily Women in Tech 2022 conference, and has conducted hands-On workshops on Docker and Kubernetes at Women in Tech World Series Online Festival in 2020.

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Madhuri Dhulipala

Vice President Engineering
Salesforce

Madhuri is VP of engineering at Salesforce. She is a Technology executive focused on driving delivery of critical customer facing applications in global markets while managing global high performance technical org. She has over 20 years of experience in technology, financial and consulting industries. She leads with her core values of compassion, curiosity and courage to empower teams to bring their best to the table. Her motto is to never give up and to demonstrate value and to always learn and grow by stepping out of comfort zone. She holds MS, MBA and BS engineering degrees from three continents.
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Meena Rajvaidya

Director of Engineering
Cisco

Meena is an experienced engineering leader driven by a passion for problem-solving and delivering outstanding customer experiences. At Cisco, she leads teams in developing user interfaces for the company’s billion-dollar data center product portfolio. She thrives on the challenge of turning seemingly impossible ideas into reality. With values like empathy, active listening, and leading by example, Meena takes pride in building and nurturing talented engineering teams. 

Beyond her professional achievements, she finds joy in Bollywood music, indulging in the delightful tastes of chai and chaat. Lately, she has developed a keen interest in sustainability and organic farming. As a dedicated mother of two, Meena understands the importance of family and cherishes moments with loved ones. She appreciates the company of good friends and believes in making the most of every joyful moment.

Meena’s exceptional leadership, expertise, and cultural passions inspire those around her, leaving a lasting impact. In summary, Meena is an exceptional engineering leader who combines her expertise, passion, and cultural interests to drive success. With a compassionate spirit and a drive to make a difference, she inspires others and leaves an indelible mark.

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Serena Perfetto

Program Lead
Pinterest

Born in Italy, her curiosity and passion for travel soon pushed her towards new frontiers: double stop for a degree in Political Science, followed by a Master’s in Journalism and International Media at Birmingham City University, in England. In between, a six-month internship at the Italian Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, where he followed internationalisation projects for Italian companies in Oceania.

In 2012, she arrived in Silicon Valley where her Italian expat adventure officially began. Her working career opened at SAP, then Google and Airbnb. Since 2018, Serena is Program Lead at Pinterest in San Francisco, responsible for technical projects for customer service and digital educational content for users.

Since 2013, Serena has been on the Board of BAIA – Business Association Italy America – of which she is now President. On a pro-bono basis, Serena and other volunteers create professional networking opportunities within the Italian community, facilitating the open exchange of knowledge between Italy and the US through events for managers and companies living and operating in Silicon Valley. Serena is active in female empowerment initiatives in the world of technology, thanks to her past role as President of Women@ Pinterest and mentor of the non-profit association Built by Girls

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Saral Sukumar

Director Of Engineering
eBay

Results-driven engineering leader with a demonstrated history of successfully building and delivering complex products and solutions at scale. Expertise lies in eCommerce, SEO, and Social Networking domains. Skilled in assembling high-performing teams and driving flawless execution, while also leading technology transformation initiatives. Passionate about leveraging technology to drive innovation and achieve outstanding results. With a focus on technology transformation, I thrive in driving forward-thinking strategies and leading teams to deliver impactful solutions.
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Shweta Behere

Senior Engineering Manager
Workday

I am a Senior Engineering Manager at Workday currently leading the development of our multi-cloud platform. With an extensive career spanning over 17 years in the technical field, my focus has been around the domains of cloud technology, storage solutions, and virtualization. My contributions to these areas have helped me yield numerous patents and publications in this field along with solid expertise. I enjoy solving technical challenges, promoting innovation and guiding high performing teams to successful project deliveries. 

My educational journey includes a master’s degree in computer science from Colorado State University and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Pune University in India.

Beyond my professional achievements, I am passionate about advocating for gender diversity in technical fields and have participated in several initiatives for this cause. I will continue my efforts to foster an inclusive environment where women can excel and bring in greater innovation in this field.

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Hale Yaman

Senior Director of Engineering
CourseHero

Hale is an experienced technology leader with a motivational and analytical style. She is currently a Senior Director of Engineering at Course Hero, a learning platform used by a global community of students and educators. She is also a Leadership & Executive Coach with supportive, insightful, genuine and results-oriented approach.

Hale is passionate about diversifying the tech space, and a public speaker and advocate for Women in Technology in particular.

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Pooja Vijay Kumar

Head of Platform Content Design
Autodesk

Pooja leads a global team of content designers across platform services and emerging technologies at Autodesk. Prior to Autodesk, she served stints at Robinhood, Adobe, Oracle, and a bunch of hyper-growth startups leading remote content design teams. Pooja has spent all her life in tech and brings a rare trifecta of strengths from her career as an engineer, product manager, and designer into her current role as a content design leader at Autodesk, where she leads her teams with her head and her heart. She’s believes that a playful approach to leadership is the best way to unlock creative solutions to tough human problems.
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Rohini Panjrath

Founder & CEO
Yellowbricks.invo

Rohini Panjrath is a Senior Product executive and the Founder of Yellow bricks.info, an executive coaching company. She has experience in delivering consumer healthtech products, from ideation to launch, and scaling services ecosystems. Previously, she worked at Albertsons, leading their digital holistic point-of-care platform, Sincerely Health.

Rohini has also held product roles at Walmart, where she improved the tire search, selection, and purchase process for customers. Earlier in her career, she held senior product roles at Intuit and eBay, focusing on customer acquisition and engagement.

Rohini holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Houston, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Punjab University, Chandigarh, India.