Women have never had a greater need for representation, inclusivity, and leadership opportunities in the technology industry than they do today. In an exclusive conversation with The Catalyst as part of its special Women’s Day initiative – #SheIsInfinite – Kanta Mirchandani, Regional Distribution Lead, Microsoft-CEMA, discusses an outlook on women tech professionals, her role as a channel leader, breaking down barriers, and advocates for creating a more supportive ecosystem for women in technology. As a true powerhouse in the field, she sheds light on the strides made, the challenges that remain, and the opportunity and road ahead for women seeking to make a mark in technology.
Share your thoughts on the scenario of women in the past, their contributions in shaping the modern workforce, and the progress in recent years.
Throughout history, women have been subjected to adverse environments, ranging from fair education to suitable employment opportunities to the right to vote. As a result of years of consistent and patient pursuit, hard work, change advocacy, progressive shifts have occurred, making women a more integral part of the larger world. They have played transformative roles in shaping the modern workforce, bringing innovation, leadership, and diverse perspectives across industries. Their contributions have driven advancements in technology, finance, healthcare, and entrepreneurship, breaking long-standing barriers and redefining workplace dynamics.
Women leaders are gaining opportunities when it comes to boardrooms, entering the era of entrepreneurship and exploring different businesses, scaling operations globally, and getting featured in top B magazines. All of these instances illustrate the ripple effects of momentum, but there is still a long way to go.
How do you perceive the current representation of women in the tech industry globally?
The global population data has a different story to tell. According to Stasticatimes, globally, there are approximately 101.07 males for every 100 females. Global Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023, which states that women hold only 29% of all tech roles. For high-level leadership positions such as VP and C-suite, representation drops to 17.8%. The trendlines are progressively shifting with an estimated 56 tech companies employing 141,038 women in total. There has been a steady improvement in the representation of women in the tech industry, but it’s still under-represented especially in technical and leadership positions to bring the right voice on the table
What inspired you to pursue a career in Channel and Distribution within the tech industry ?
The truth is that I didn’t pursue tech as an industry, but I am grateful that tech found me. I did my master’s in marketing and business and my career journey spanned across Media, Retail, Telecom, Consumer and Commercial distribution across entrepreneurial and multinational entities. No industry is devoid of tech either in usage or application – what has continued to enthuse me is appetite to learn and better my craft, have an agile and change embracing mindset and be comfortable with unchartered territory.
In my current position, I have the unique opportunity to work with a diverse and talented team, nurturing and empowering our business partners to offer the best of breed technology solutions to their customers. No day is identical and the fast-moving pace of tech offerings allows an always on learning mode on business strategy, impactful go-to-market that contributes to the digital transformation of Middle Eastern customer businesses.
Having worked in the Middle East, what is your opinion of women’s participation in the tech industry and the job market?
I consider myself fortunate to call the UAE home and be part of the Middle East’s progressive journey. In terms of women’s participation in technology in this region, I believe it to be less than the rest of the world, but it is moving in the right direction. UN Tourism reveals that 57% of science technology engineering and math (STEM) graduates in the Middle East are women, 34% of the region’s tech-focused startups have women founders. The government and policies are shaping Middle east’s increased gender balancing to promote inclusive growth.
Some key mentions are Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aiming to increase women’s participation in the workforce, The UAE’s Emirati Women Entrepreneurs Network (EWEN) that provides training programs and connects women with investors, fostering a supportive environment for female entrepreneurs. The UAE has also implemented the Equal Pay Law to ensure equal compensation for men and women. These policies drive increased women’s participation and representation in the Middle East
Working at Microsoft is a dream career for many. What are your thoughts on your organization’s women-oriented work culture?
It’s an honour and privilege for me to be part of Microsoft. Microsoft promotes diversity and inclusion through numerous initiatives as a gender-inclusive company. There are several areas that resonate with my personal ethics and builds an exemplary work culture.
Some key examples of Microsoft’s inclusive culture are Women at Microsoft Employee Resource Groups that allow networking and mentorship programs; a culture of learning and development with access to curated learning and career development paths, a Strong culture of allyship amongst employees to create safe spaces reduce unconscious bias and create supportive work environment; An Intentional Drive towards Gender Parity in Leadership- women hold 29.7% of executive roles globally.
Microsoft takes culture with utmost seriousness and publishes an annual Global Diversity & Inclusion Report, which outlines their progress and commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace. Additionally, Microsoft Power Women Awards celebrates women who are powering the tech sector and inspiring others to succeed, the intentionality allows a high women-oriented work culture to thrive.
What are the most effective learning pathways for women in tech?
Tech Futurists like Ray Kurzweil predict that the next decade could see as much technological progress as the entire 20th century. Technology is evolving rapidly with AI being increasingly integrated into software tools across workstreams and industry to enhance human capabilities. This is met with high competitiveness and search for the best talent in the work and job marketplace. Staying relevant with tech and investing in self-learning is become a non-negotiated essential. We often tell our people, partners and customers – AI will not take your jobs, but you run risk to losing your jobs to those who know how to use AI, tools and prompts well.
Today there are several online learning streams that can allow self-paced and self-managed learning starting from beginners to advanced level from notable tech vendors and universities. The Microsoft Learn platform offers several certifications programs on some essential topics like AI. Machine Learning, Data Sciences and more. Other great platforms are Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, edX that are associated with universities like Harvard and MIT. The resources are available, we need to individually commit to learning and tech relevancy.
What are some of the most notable networking events for women in tech in the Middle East?
Before I call out a few events, I would like to stress on the importance of authentic networking in building value enhancing business and professional relationships. Very often women lean into hard work and underplay the importance of meaningful connections.
A good networking event is the Women in Tech Global Summit, there is now even a UAE chapter of Women in Tech. Additional several industry events have talk track that allow for women’s networking.
A more practical one is your workplace or inner circle of partners, vendors, coaches and mentors – calendar it to meet a thought leader, change maker in your organization. I try and meet at least 1 new person every quarter – the conversations are uplifting, inspiring and sometimes become door openers to career streams that were not on your immediate radar.
What are the top career tips for women in tech?
There is no magic formula in terms of career navigation but below are few areas that I embrace from an ethos and practical standpoint.
You are your strongest asset, invest in yourself – Whether its setting time for learning, mentorship, health and wellbeing or dinner with family and friends, prioritize yourself. This is important for women to put in practice as the natural tendency is to lean in more to work, family and other related asks. By investing in yourself you will continue to strengthen your own personal brand.
Be brave, say yes- Women are often risk averse but in the fast-evolving world of tech, the learning and growth opportunities will come from doing what was not done before. As long as you have the appetite to learn and apply, Say Yes to unfamiliar territories. It will sharpen your learning curve but also build your agile muscle.
Pay in forward and lift others in their game – Women tend to be hard critics of themselves. It’s important to celebrate yourself and continue to pay it forward and lift others. There is strength and vulnerability in collective uplift. I take a posture of gratitude on my every day and practice intentionality on celebrating others.
Our career moves can be linear, learning should not be– Don’t fall into the trap of positional career movements. The days of vertical career progression only are fast fading with the progression of tech. Be comfortable with a linear move if it opens door to expositional learning. Your career is not a 100 mt dash but a marathon and to win it learning endurance will trump.
Join or strive to create a gender inclusive organization – If you had a choice to make on a balanced financial and career opportunity in a gender inclusive organization compared to a better financial offering but an organization with no diverse and inclusive agenda, pick the former. A culture right organization will give more flight to your career journey. In parallel, you are an important voice. If your organization is working on a diverse and inclusive culture get onboard- be a part of ERGs, strive to create better workplace allyship. The boardrooms need people with high inclusion and collaboration.
Be comfortable with talking achievement and finances – Women are often subdued in calling their accomplishment or negotiating finances. While one must guard against inflated achievements, there is room to better call achievements and growth and hold ground on finances. Be comfortable and prepared in articulating what you can bring to the table.
Have a personal board of directors – We all need an inner circle and sounding board. Identify and have your personal board of Directors. These can be people from various walks, but you know you, your motivations and have your best interests. They have been very valuable to me when assessing a career move or growth opportunity.
Audit yourself – Very early post B school I was introduced to the concept of an Incremental Resume to see how you are growing year on year. Today with the continue strive for work life harmony, it’s helpful to do a periodic audit of yourself investment to be mindful of areas of growth and where you need to optimize better. As a final point, the tech streams and boardrooms need more of us- we need to stay resilient in fuelling our way forward.
Even though women’s participation in the workforce has increased, there are still opportunities to better – Women’s retention, mid-career growth and options, flexible work options, and increased visibility in leadership and boardroom roles remain important areas. It is imperative that systemic changes are made to support career advancement, mentorship, and leadership opportunities to ensure true inclusion.
Leaders in tech like Kanta send a powerful message to the world: look beyond the notion of male-dominated industry or job profile if you carve your own path, prove your mettle, and continue to shine. Success knows no gender, and it belongs to those who dare to lead and innovate.
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