Female Leaders in the Technology Industry

In business, women are taking on more leadership positions and changing the landscape of our work environment. Companies are valuing gender diversity; according to a 2016 report by Credit Suisse, “In fact, where women account for the majority in the top management, the businesses show superior sales growth, high cash flow returns on investments and lower leverage.” In honor of Women’s History Month and this past Sunday’s International Women’s Day, we are highlighting three key individuals in technology that have had a massive impact on the industry.

Sheryl Sandberg: COO of Facebook & Founder of LeanIn

Sheryl Sandberg disrupted the status quo by starting a movement with Lean In, a nonprofit organization designed to build communities for women in the workplace. Lean In is a central hub of resources to educate individuals about negotiation tactics, building confidence in leadership, and moving towards a gender-inclusive work environment. Sheryl began her career in the private sector as VP of Global Online Sales and Operations. During her six years at Google, she also spearheaded its philanthropic division Google Grants that donated $240 million dollars of advertising spend to nonprofits worldwide. After leaving an impression at the world’s leading search engine, Sheryl Sandberg started her position as Chief Operating Officer of Facebook in 2008. She was appointed as the first female member of the board of directors in 2012. In her authoritative role, Sandberg monetized Facebook, generating revenue of up to $3.7 billion by 2011, with a growth of nearly 2,400% since her arrival. She is arguably one of the most influential women leaders creating a notable revolution in business and technology.

Susan Wojcicki: CEO of YouTube

Another female icon of the technology industry, Susan Wojcicki, CEO of Youtube, began her early career days in a marketing position for Intel. Wojcicki was the driving force behind Google’s purchase of YouTube. She joined Google’s team as the 16^th employee after renting her garage to Google’s co-founders. In 2003, she launched a product that showed Google ads across internet blogs and websites. This initiative was later coined AdSense and monetized Google drastically by generating over $100 billion in ad revenue within 15 years. Wojcicki became the first employee at Google to take a maternity leave within a few months of her newly appointed role. She is vocal about necessary changes regarding maternity leave in the U.S. and contributed an op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal that promoted better maternity-leave benefits in U.S. companies. Wojcicki is also an advocate of work-life balance for increased productivity, unplugging from her email at night to refocus. As she told the WSJ, “If you are working 24/7, you’re not going to have any interesting ideas.” As an outspoken leader of the gender gap present in the technology industry, Wojcicki leads by example and acts in alignment with her values.

Ginni Rometty: CEO of IBM

Ginni Rometty, CEO, chairman, and president of IBM has established IBM as a force to be reckoned with in the technology industry. On April 6^th, 2020 she will retire from her position and continue being active as an executive chairman of the board. Rometty led the tech giant through pivotal moments in history, reinventing IBM to be at the forefront of technology as AI, blockchain, and quantum technologies, etc. emerged and gained momentum. The Catalyst Award in 2018 recognized Rometty’s influence at IBM and awarded the company for Rometty’s dedication to women’s initiatives in the workplace. She integrated “returnships” programs to assist new moms in returning to work by familiarizing themselves with emerging technologies through a hands-on approach. IBM is the only technology company to receive the award in the last two decades and is the only business to be honored four times for its diversity. The disruptive force of IBM in the technology industry can be felt by all companies, which reminds us that actions taken set the tone for the future of our workforce. Rometty’s legacy at IBM has left an unequivocal impact for women in business.

These pioneers, Sandberg, Wojcicki, and Rometty, have laid the initial groundwork for women in leadership roles and the general perception of females in the workplace. As we move forward in the month of March, may the past results of these leaders and potential outcomes of new rising leaders stay at the forefront of our minds. The more we focus on building a supportive workplace, with the inclusion of both men and women, businesses are able to experience greater returns on investments and have a powerful impact on humanity.