Deepapriya, with over 20 years in R&D, specializes in consumer insights, product research, and process engineering. She has led significant roles at GSK, Mead Johnson, P&G, and Kellogg's, launching 40+ global products. Deepa champions diversity and mentors women in STEM, actively participating in industry organizations.

Women Leaders in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) have made significant contributions across various fields like Marie Curie who conducted pioneer research on radioactivity, Mae Jemison who was the first to travel into space and many more who have broken the barriers of underrepresentation of Women in leadership positions in STEM. Women make up approximately 28% of the global STEM workforce with variations across regions and specific fields. Their achievements highlight the critical role women have played and are playing to advance science and technology in diverse fields. Seeing Women succeed in STEM will encourage more young talents to enter and thrive in these disciplines. Women Leaders not only help to challenge the gender bias status quo but break the stereotypes in STEM and promote Gender equality in every lens.

Women Leaders in STEM are important for several reasons including diverse perspectives, Talent utilization and economic growth. Women bring different perspectives and approaches for troubleshooting which can lead to breakthrough solutions. As per McKinsey & Company, companies with higher gender diversity in leadership roles tend to perform better financially and are 25% more likely to have above average profitability. Furthermore, women leaders often emphasize inclusive and supportive work environment which can boost employee morale and engagement.

Women’s experiences and insights can lead to innovations that better address the need states of the entire population including women health needs. 70%-80% of the purchasing decisions are made by women and roughly there are 4Bn women in the world. Championing the idea of “built by women, for women,” FemTech startups are much likelier to be founded by female entrepreneurs. In fact, one analysis found that more than 70% of FemTech companies had at least one female founder, while Non-FemTech companies hovered around 20. Some notable women fintech entrepreneurs including Valerie Wagoner, founder of ZipDial, Lucy Peng, co-founder of Ant Financial and who developed Alipay had made significant contributions driving innovation and fostering financial inclusion.

Women often face greater challenges in balancing personal and professional responsibilities which limits to take on sustained leadership roles. Women Leaders can influence and be supportive of several workplace policies like flexible work arrangements and parental leaves. Offering flexible work arrangements to accommodate diverse life circumstances can Increase participation of women which not only boost economic growth but also enhance diversified thinking for innovations.

Research depicts that Women face the need to be warm and kind (what society traditionally expects from women), as well as competent or tough (what society traditionally expects from leaders). These opposite quality expectations create a “catch-22” and “double bind” for women leaders. Progressive work towards societal attitudes and stereotypes through awareness campaigns, community engagement etc can foster positive change to foster more women leadership particularly from Asian countries.

Apart from other challenges, Women face Pay gap and promotional challenges Vs Men contributing to leaky pipeline phenomenon in STEM careers.

Corporates are not only fostering inclusivity and diversity with setting targets for women leadership but also provides multi-faceted support and resources to advocate women leadership. Women hold about 25% of senior leadership roles in technology companies globally, reflecting gradual progress but still underrepresentation exists.

Encouraging and supporting more Women in STEM leadership roles is crucial for fostering more inclusive, innovative, and equitable future!! Let’s keep recognizing and promoting women achievements in STEM to provide visible role models as goes by my favorite quote from Mother Teresa

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”