The Fortune magazine recently released its list of 40 most influential and inspiring young people in business under the age of 40. Four Indian origin leaders found a place in the list, three of whom are women.
Chief Finance Officer of the US largest automaker, General Motors Dhivya Suryadevara occupies the 4th spot on the list, followed by Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud (14), Cofounder and Co-CEO of Robinhood Baiju Bhatt (24) and Female Founders Fund founding partner Anu Duggal (32).
Dhivya Suryadevara, 39, is the first woman to be appointed as Chief Financial Officer in the 110 years of General Motors. This also made General Motors, one of only two Fortune 500 companies to be led by a female CEO and CFO, the other company is Hershey.
On her appointment, GM CEO Mary Barra said,"Dhivya's experience and leadership in several key roles throughout our financial operations positions her well to build on the strong business results we've delivered over the last several years."
"My mom had to raise three children on her own, which is difficult to do anywhere, let alone in India."
Born in Chennai, she joined GM 14 years ago after graduating from Harvard Business School (HBS). She often credits her mother as her biggest inspiration in life. "My mom had to raise three children on her own, which is difficult to do anywhere, let alone in India," she said. "She wanted to make sure there were no corners cut when it came to our education and to prove that we could have the same resources as a two-parent household."
Anjali Sud, 34 joined video-sharing website Vimeo as head of marketing in 2014 and was named CEO in 2017. She graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. At that time, she was rejected by several banks for a job. She said, "I got rejected from every single big investment bank. I remember leaving one of the interviews, and they told me that they didn't think I had the personality to be a banker. She recalled, "That definitely was a low point."It was the first time that I really felt like this was something I wanted to do and I couldn't do it."
"I got rejected from every single big investment bank. I remember leaving one of the interviews, and they told me that they didn't think I had the personality to be a banker."
She later got an MBA from Harvard Business School. Before joining Vimeo, she also worked with Amazon for some time. In an interview to CNN Money, she revealed how much she values the guidance she received from her parents. "Growing up, my dad would always tell me and my siblings to pursue the world," she said. "He taught us to never make decisions based on your fears, always make them based on your strengths."
Anu Duggal, 39, launched Female Founders Fund in 2014 as a venture fund to invest in female-led technology companies. She had initially raised five million dollars and by May of 2018, she has closed $27 million for her second early-stage fund, with a roster of limited partners including philanthropist Melinda Gates.
Anu did her MBA from London Business School, then moved back to New York and saw an opportunity to help aspiring female entrepreneurs. She told Instyle, "From a macro point of view, I saw more and more women coming out of some of the larger technology companies and having trouble getting access to capital. So it just felt like there was an opportunity to be the brand that was really focused on working with these founders from the early stages.”
Being a woman comes with both challenges and opportunities. Our network and deal flow is more diverse and varied than your typical Silicon Valley funds.
On women entrepreneurs, she said to The Cut," Being a woman comes with both challenges and opportunities. Our network and deal flow is more diverse and varied than your typical Silicon Valley funds. It results in investment opportunities in overlooked areas that have potential to tap into large markets like astrology, women’s health, and female-focused online communities. The biggest challenge has been fundraising — and the female founders in our portfolio have found the same thing."
Also Read: Brexit: A Step Backward For Women’s Rights?
Nimisha Bansal Is An Intern With SheThePeople.TV
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