In Her Ellement

How do you get comfortable with taking risks? Kavitha Prasad is VP and GM of Datacenter, AI, and Cloud Execution and Strategy at Intel Corporation. Throughout her career, she's made it her mission to push herself out of her comfort zone, explore new technologies, and above all, grow.Kavitha describes her career as a "jungle gym" where she’s been able to follow her interests and passions. Starting out as a digital design engineer, she went on to work with a wide range of new technologies. From mixed-signal verification (analog to digital) to Intel’s groundbreaking Sandy Bridge Servers, Kavitha has never shied away from a challenge. Kavitha is an avid lifelong student, who believes that “as long as you’re learning, you’re always succeeding”.Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.

How do you find your balance? Connie Gao started at BCG as a generalist but transitioned into her Principal of Data Science role because she missed working with tech. Connie is a thoughtful leader who is candid about her work/life boundaries and encourages her team to be clear about their own.Connie joined BCG after completing her Ph.D. at MIT. During her studies, she had the opportunity to learn Python and work with a range of different software. This experience energized her and eventually led her to her current role. Connie reflects that people in minority groups are often asked to do extra work as the face of company diversity. She also believes that male allies are often the ones responsible for lifting women up to the top in more senior roles.Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business. 

Dr. Kate Darling is a Research Scientist at the MIT Media Lab, an ‘anti-disciplinary’ institute that works across technology, media, science, art, and design. Kate has had to work hard to be recognized as an expert in the field of human-robot interaction and now challenges herself to pass on power and opportunity to others whenever she can.Kate began her journey in law school, where she found herself fascinated by the ethical and legal implications of human-robot interaction. She now dedicates her life to exploring this field through a multidisciplinary lens. Kate uses her platform to not only speak, write and educate but to also advocate for others. She manifests this allyship through challenging uninclusive work practices and by putting others forward for speaking engagements who might not normally get the chance. As she puts it, she likes to be the “squeaky wheel” demanding change.Kate is also the author of The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots.Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.

When opportunity comes knocking, will you be ready to grasp it? Isabelle Mauro is the Director General of the GSOA, which is recognized as the representative body for satellite operators globally. Isabelle is a passionate advocate of technological access and inclusion for women and girls around the world.Previously, Isabelle spent seven years at the World Economic Forum or WEF, where she acted as Head of Information, Communications & Technology Industries. In this role, she spent her time advancing the digital inclusion and digital transformation agenda. She also does this through her work with Women In Tech, an organization that seeks to equip women and girls with the skills they need to succeed in STEM. Isabelle had a formative moment early in her career when she saw how women in Bangladesh were using mobile phones to help their communities and even create businesses. Having originally worked in European politics, this was a big career change that took her all over the world. Isabelle took the plunge and moved to New York from London to take on her role at the WEF. This change allowed her to explore a new side of herself and encouraged her to meet new people and try a whole host of new things.Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.

Being different can be challenging, but it also gives you a unique perspective. Farah Ali is VP of Technology Growth Strategy at Electronic Arts, a pioneering video games company. Farah is passionate about diversity in games, both within the workforce and through its characters.Farah is originally from Pakistan and came over to the U.S. to pursue a masters in electrical and electronic engineering. She sees the U.S. as her second home but found adapting to the culture difficult at first. During her childhood, Farah would play games with her brother, relishing in the escapism that they afforded her. She now channels that passion into her work at EA. She believes that working in video games is a great option for people who are both creative and technically competent. Farah also works with Girls Who Code and co-founded Pakistani Women In Computing, organizations that help women and girls forward their careers in tech.Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business. 

 Interested in the not-for-profit sector? Isabella De Mattia is the Acting Vice President of Business Operations & Analytics at the International Rescue Committee, an organization set up by Albert Einstien to help people affected by humanitarian crises. Isabella grew up in Italy but has lived and worked all over the world.Isabella has always been hungry to explore new things and find out what her passions are. She’s a life-long learner and spent her time at university trying a number of different subjects out. She started off her career in banking but moved on to consulting, after, as a self-proclaimed extrovert, she realized that she wanted to work more closely with people. Eventually, her love for people-focused work and her interest in doing good in the world led her to her role in the not-for-profit space. In Isabella’s role at the IRC, she and her team use analytics to help the organization further its humanitarian goals. Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.

In this special holiday episode, we’re taking you back to Season 1 for Andrea Gallego’s conversation with Constance Curtis, Founder of The List.Anyone who has ever dreamt of becoming a tech entrepreneur will ask themselves pivotal questions. How will I raise capital?  Where do I recruit talent? What if I don’t know how to code?  Constance Curtis founded The List to revolutionize modern dating, driven by her frustration with online dating apps.  She shares her founder's journey with us in this episode. As a consumer in the online dating space, Constance was fed up with all of the common problems that people experience; online misrepresentation, the time and energy investment involved and the discouragement from not finding a successful match. Constance decided to found The List with the idea of revolutionizing dating for the 21st Century using AI and data science to make dating a more efficient, successful and enjoyable experience.  As a tech entrepreneur Constance faces the challenges of raising capital, recruiting smart talented tech co-founders to work alongside her and how you’ve got to just keep going even after setbacks.  Constance’s story is sure to be inspiring to anyone who has ever had a dream of running their own business and she’s got valuable real-world experience to share of how to make it happen. Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology and business. 

Dr. Beth Willman is a powerhouse in the astronomy space. In this episode, she discusses how she's navigated the changes in her career, taking her all the way from academia to huge sky-mapping projects.This episode was hosted by Dr. Adi Zolotov, Partner and Associate Director of Data Science at BCG Gamma. In her academic career, Beth is famous for discovering a new class of galaxies, the first of which became known as Willman 1. She’s completed multiple post-doctorial fellowships and professorships from institutions such as NYU, the ​​Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Haverford College, an institution that focuses on the liberal arts. Throughout her career, Beth has made sure to make changes based on her own goals rather than the expectations of others. She’s also a prolific mentor and still keeps in touch with many of her ex-students to this day. Beth is incredibly passionate about inclusion and diversity and is always looking for new ways to encourage more people into astronomy.Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.

Anjana Susarla is the Professor of Responsible AI at Michigan State University - Eli Broad College of Business. In this episode, she talks about her journey to becoming one of the leaders in her field, her work advocating for more inclusive AI models, and how she successfully juggled family and work during the pandemic.Anjana’s story is truly remarkable. After suffering financial hardship, Anjana’s parents moved her family to a village in rural India, away from their home in Kakinada. She had dreams of studying in the US. and eventually made them happen through talent and persistence. Anjana’s academic career has put her on the very cutting edge of AI research. She believes that one of the ways we can tackle bias in AI is to recruit more women into the creation and coding of AI.Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.

Why is it so important to have a seat at the table? Sirisha Kadamalakalva shares how she’s straddled the worlds of investment banking and technology to become DataRobot’s first Chief Strategy Officer.Sirisha began her career in tech as a software engineer at Oracle but decided to pursue a path in investment banking after completing her MBA at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Beginning with a summer internship at Merrill Lynch, she rose through the ranks to become the first and only female Managing Director of Software Investment Banking in the entire company. Sirisha made the decision to have children early in her career but believes that her industry has become more accommodating of parents and family life.Sirisha believes that there is still a lack of female role models in investment banking. Despite efforts to recruit more women into the industry, few are retained in senior positions. Join us every episode with hosts Suchi Srinivasan & Corin Lines from BCG to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.