Krishnan: breaking barriers

– Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru)

Shreya Krishnan is the Bengaluru-based Managing Director of AnitaB.org India (estb.2009) — a subsidiary of the global non-profit Institute for Women in Technology, Sacramento, California, founded in 1997 by pioneer American computer scientists Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003) and Dr. Telle Whitney. In 2017, the institute was renamed AnitaB.org. It supports and advances women in technology.

Newspeg. In June, AnitaB.org India announced a partnership with the Karnataka state government to skill and place 3,000 women STEM graduates at an estimated cost of Rs.13.50 crore.

History. An environment science and journalism graduate of Bangalore University with postgrad qualification in mass communication from Jain (Deemed-to-be) University, Bengaluru and also a qualified Gestalt Master Therapist, NLP Practitioner, and Six Sigma professional, Krishnan began her career in 2006 at The Hindu as an environment journalist. Soon she switched tracks to the events, marketing, and communications industry. After acquiring two decades of experience at CoreObjects, Collabera, Toozio, FirstAdvantage, and Aon she was appointed Managing Director of AnitaB.org India in October 2023.

Direct talk. “AnitaB.org’s mission is to facilitate recruitment, retention, upskilling and advancement of women in technology to create equitable, inclusive workplaces. Although India produces 40 percent of the world’s STEM graduates, women’s representation in the core technologies workforce is low and declines at senior leadership levels. Through our collaboration with the Karnataka government, we intend to increase women’s participation — especially from underprivileged sections of society — in the technology sector. We will provide women graduates mentorship, industry-aligned upskilling, mental health counselling, and enabling support such as safe transportation and childcare access,” says Krishnan. AnitaB org’s ‘Skill and Place Programme’ curriculum is co-designed with industry partners Wells Fargo, Tesco Technologies, and American Express among others to match employer expectation, she adds.

According to Krishnan, AnitaB.org’s flagship initiative is the Grace Hopper Celebration India (GHCI), which offers women students enrolled in STEM programmes access to scholarships, career fairs, mentorship, and exposure to cutting-edge AI, cloud, and cybersecurity industries.

Future plans. Krishnan is optimistic about the future of women in STEM and technology workplaces. “We are intensifying our policy advocacy with state and Central governments and forging stronger partnerships with corporate leaders in the cause of encouraging women to take up STEM careers and increase their participation in the tech sector. Our objective is to empower the next generation of women tech innovators and leaders by breaking down barriers hindering their advancement in technology-intensive workplaces of the future,” says Krishnan.

Power to you!