The world has witnessed a staggering amount of women take the centre-stage across sectors once dominated by men. From finance to technology, women today are leaving no stones unturned to reach the top. With perseverance, determination and foresightedness as constant companions in their race, the once referred to as the weaker gender, has now paved the way for young female aspirants to pursue their dreams. Having said that, we endeavour to compile a list of the top 10 most influential women in technology for the year 2020.

These dynamic women are breaking the barriers and setting the bar for themselves. The executives that made the list are

1. Donna Fenn: Heading a group of 600 employees globally, Donna Fenn is currently service as the Vice President of Human Resources in pSemi Corporation. With a master’s degree in organisational management from the University of Phoenix, Donna has a certification from the Society of Human Resources Management. She brings on the table over 25 years of experience in technology, biotech research and manufacturing and financial services. Her expertise lie in strategic planning, performance and change management, compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, etc. In her latest stint, she has been conceiving best in class HR services and programmes by leveraging new technological platforms and applications.

2. Paula P. Carneiro: Robotics Process Automation service provider WonderBotz roped in Paula as Director of Business Development and Channel Relationships in January 2020. Graduating in Political Science and Government from the University of North Texas, she brings with over a decade of her experience in different operational roles dedicated to solving mission-related issues in both public and private sectors. She has been associated with giants like RGP, Blackberry, Donnelley and ThyssenKrupp Elevator. In her new role, she has been primarily tasked with creating new business vistas and help proselytize intelligent automation technologies.

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3. Stefanie Lindstaedt: Stefanie works as a professor of Technology at the Graz Univerity, Austria. She also serves as the CEO of Know-Centre and Director of Interactive Systems and Data Science (ISDS). She prides herself as the first female professor in her department has been in-charge of the Know-Centre since 2011 which is funded by the Austrian COMET programme. Under her aegis, the centre has evolved into one of the pivotal research centres across Europe for data-driven business and artificial intelligence, allowing companies to convert data into value.

4. April Downing: A seasoned financial and operational executive, April serves as the Chief Financial Official at Khoros- a US based Software Company.  Leveraging over two decades of professional expertise in private and public tech and service companies, she co-founded two AI-powered software companies and has served in several high-ranking positions in organisations like WP Engine, Civitas, Dachis Group and Motive. In 2019, April co-founded Supply Drop to change the way consumers get their daily essentials using AI through predictive analytics and conversational interface.

5. Ghalia Berrada Lamine: Paris-based digital learning company Dokeos appointed Ghalia as its General Country Manager. The Moroccan polymath has a Master’s degree in Business Intelligence and comes packed with 12 years of professional experience in marketing, management and computer science. Before her current association, she worked with IBM and now her team is has responsible for improvement of tools that the company offers its clientele.

6. Jaya Vaidhyanathan: With an MBA degree in finance and strategy from the prestigious Cornell University, Jaya is the CEO of global technology company BCT Digital. She has had previous stints across Wall Street, Accenture, HCL and Standard Chartered. Her skills are in digital transformation, risk management, technology delivery and execution. She has won the prestigious Stevie Award thrice and was voted as India’s most trusted CEO in 2010.She completed her B.Tech in computer science and engineering from Madras University and is a CFA Charter holder.

7. Madhumita Mund Rao: Madhumita is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience in in product lifecycle management, performing and leading geospatial data development, spatial data science, analysis, product and platform development for location intelligence solutions. She is the Co-founder of Pukka Analytics and Chief Innovation Officer of DataPitcher.com, an AI-based data monetization platform. She is also a keynote speaker and the Ambassador for UK Tech Nation Tier1 Exceptional Global Talent. Her skill portfolio spans across different verticals.

8. Priyanka Mehandiratta: Priyanka is the Founder & CEO of Unmute-a women leadership company aimed at creating future workforce. The multi-talented woman has an MBA degree and is a certified trainer and executive coach. Having over a decade of experience in talent management and running large-scale projects for global financial institutions, she transitioned into the world of leadership development. She was the force behind the success of DX Learning Canada.

9. Susan Joynt: Susan is a Canada based entrepreneur and serves as the Founder and CEO of RuListing. She has considerable experience in business development, NPI marketing, innovation and market growth and strategy. She is also the author of the “The Wise Renovator.”

10. Carrie Goetz: She is the Chief Information Technology Officer at StrategiTcom, an international keynote speaker, STEM evangelist and Podcaster. She embodies almost 40 years of worldwide expertise developing, operating, and auditing data centres, information technology departments, and intelligent buildings. She is an international keynote speaker and has been published in over 250 publications in 69 countries. Carrie has an honorary doctorate in Mission Critical Operations, RCDD/NTS, PSP, CNID, CDCP, CSM-Agile, AWS CCP, and is a Master Infrastructure Mason with over 40 certifications.

In this quickly changing digital economy, there has been a fundamental shift in leadership positions. These women have proven significant competence in the field of technology, with leadership that is continuously changing and assisting in the achievement of new milestones across this industry, while offering innovative value and establishing a standard for the rest.