The chasm between how high a man can stand in the world and how high a woman can stand in this world is rapidly being bridged. Silicon Valley retains a hefty handful of the most intelligent and hardworking women that are creating waves in their respective industry. Who isn’t enchanted by a determined, headstrong and brainy woman? Here we’ve made a list of the women that are both growing, and acing in Silicon Valley and we hope you get the chance to get an insight of their mind someday too!
1. Janeen Uzzell
Former Head of Women in Technology @ GE
Janeen Uzzell is passionate about lifting women up to the echelon where they bask in the glory of freedom and power. Her stellar achievements are that she’s been a Global Technology Executive, People Developer, Transformational Leader, Storyteller, Engineer and just recently, the Head of Women in Technology for GE.
2. Kamini Dandapani
Senior Director, Engineering @ LinkedIn
Kamini is a Senior Director of Engineering at LinkedIn who has had a major impact in firms through her work in engineering, test organizations, and tools. As of now, she’s leading the Infrastructure and Productivity Engineering Team for the core flagship app for LinkedIn. She simultaneously heads the Women in Tech (WIT) Invest Program at LinkedIn that’s dedicated to boosting careers for women. Kamini also spent 11 years in eBay where she fought above the ranks and went from an engineer to the management and leadership level.
3. Anu Deshpande
The host of Tech Talk with Anu
Recognized as the first woman in the history of Silicon Valley’s tech/startup/finance world to have a globally recognized and highly acclaimed video series, (Tech Talk With Anu). Anu is an American investment banker and investor who also happens to be the creator of her show, Tech Talk with Anu. Some of her guests have included Ken Goldman, former CFO of Yahoo! and Willem Jonker, CEO of EIT Digital. She is recognized and admired for her ease and authenticity in communicating with her guests, and bringing out the best in her guests while asking challenging, thought-provoking questions.
4. Mai Le
Director of Engineering @ Uber Technologies
Mai Le is the engineering director for the Product Platforms division of Uber which globally helps Uber function intelligently and efficiently. Her profile spans over 20 years in organizational, cultural and technical transformation. She’s held senior leadership roles at Yahoo, Walmart, Microsoft, and Symantec.
5. Wendy M. Pfeiffer
Chief Information Officer @ Nutanix
She has delivered the best digital technologies across the world and is highly innovative. She is currently the CIO at Nutanix but has pioneered technical mechanisms for GoPro, Yahoo! and Cisco, and proudly chairs the board at Girls In Tech.
6. Amy Buckner Chowdhry
CEO and Founder of AnswerLab @ AnswerLab
With the power and expertise of her position, Amy’s mission is to rectify UX challenges for the world’s most innovative brands. She’s been acknowledged in Fortune’s Most Promising Female Entrepreneur and proudly holds the award for AnswerLab to be named a Great Place to Work three years consecutively.
7. Jeanette Calandra
Managing Partner @ PwC San Jose
Leading a team of more than 1300 professionals working towards providing premium, innovative business solutions across multiple platforms like tax solutions and consulting, she is Managing Partner for PwC’s San Jose market. Her profile evens stars her successful leadership and management of Fortune 500 engagements, along with other technology start-ups.
8. Aerin Lim
VP @ Silicon Valley Bank
Aerin is responsible for providing banking and ventures debt financing for early and growth stage (annual revenue >$100mm) consumer technology companies in the bay area while building and maintaining relationships with them.
9. Maya Patterson
Product Designer @ Facebook
A self-taught Product Designer responsible for the Augmented Reality experiences at Facebook. She writes articles in her spare time and mentors designers to get to their peak skill level.
