According to the Dow Jones VentureWire, only about 11% of U.S. firms with venture-capital backing in 2009, had current or former female CEOs or female founders. “The prestigious start-up incubator Y Combinator has had just 14 female founders among the 208 firms it has funded”, says The Wall Street Journal. Though the ratio of women is less compared to men, in the field of technology, there are many women out there who have made a significant contribution to technology, with their remarkable work. Here’s a list of some of the most influential and successful women in the field of technology.
Danese Cooper, CTO of Wikimedia Foundation
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org
As the CTO of Wikimedia Foundation, Danese Cooper’s job involves developing and executing Wikimedia’s technical strategy and managing its technology team. She is also responsible for driving the innovation of Wikimedia’s software platform to service Wikimedia readers and editors; apart from ensuring that the Wikimedia sites, including Wikipedia, operate smoothly. It is interesting to note that Cooper graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in French Literature, and she strongly feels that her language skills paved the way for her excellent programming skills.
Padmasree Warrior, CTO of Cisco Systems
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org
Padmasree Warrior joined Cisco as its CTO in 2008. Before joining Cisco, she did everything from managing the semiconductor division to leading a 26,000-engineer research and development group. In Cisco, she is responsible for managing the company’s technological innovations and strategy, and working closely with its senior executive team and board of directors. Padmasree received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and she holds masters degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University. She was featured in the Economic Times as one of the “Most Influential Global Indians”.
Cher Wang, Co-founder of HTC and VIA Technologies
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org
Cher Wang founded VIA Technologies in 1987, and High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC) in 1997. Her remarkable expertise in the field of technology and her acumen for business has enabled her to set up these two highly successful technology businesses. HTC was originally a manufacturer of notebook computers but the firm’s focus was shifted due to the intense competition in that space. Now it is one of the fastest-growing companies in the mobile sector making Smartphone devices and Android phones. Cher Wang is one of the most powerful female executives in technology today, and was ranked by Forbes as one among “The World’s Richest People” in the year 2006.
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Image Source: http://www.facebook.com/press
The lady behind the soaring success of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg’s role as the COO of Facebook, entails figuring out ways to monetize the site and managing the company’s business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources and communications. Prior to Facebook, Sheryl served as the Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, where she built the online sales channels for advertising and operations for consumer products worldwide. She holds an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School. Fortune magazine featured Sheryl in the list of “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” in the year 2008 and 2009.
Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo Inc.
Image Source: http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com
Before joining Yahoo as the CEO, Carol Bartz served as the Chairman, President, and CEO at Autodesk, the world’s largest producer of design software. During her tenure, she transformed Autodesk from just a maker of PC software into a leader of computer-aided design software, targeting architects and builders. Bartz also serves on several boards of directors, including those of Intel, Cisco Systems, Autodesk, BEA Systems, Network Appliance, and the Foundation for the National Medals of Science and Technology, and was featured in the Forbes list of “100 Most Powerful Women” in the year 2005.
There are numerous other women who have played a significant role in the growth of technology, and who continue to inspire the future generations to take up leadership positions, and make it big in the field of technology.
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Monday, 7 March 2011
Most Influential Women in Technology | Globalthoughtz
