Sharda Tickoo, Country Manager for India and SAARC at TrendAI:
“India stands at a defining moment in its digital journey. As AI reshapes industries, cloud becomes the foundation of modern enterprises, and cyber risk emerges as a boardroom priority, the need for trusted engineering has never been greater. The future will not be built by technology alone, it will be built by the people who design, secure, and govern it.
This is where women engineers have a transformative role to play.
At TrendAI™️, our mission is to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. As we evolve into the AI era, trust becomes the most valuable currency. Whether it is securing AI systems, protecting cloud-native environments, or helping organisations navigate increasingly complex cyber threats, women engineers are at the forefront of architecting the resilience and trust that India’s digital economy depends on.
India is fortunate to have one of the world’s largest pools of women STEM talent. The opportunity before us is not merely to increase participation, but to create pathways for women to lead innovation, influence technology strategy, and shape the future of cybersecurity. At TrendAI, we see this every day through women engineers who are driving breakthrough outcomes, challenging conventional thinking, and helping customers embrace AI with confidence. On International Women in Engineering Day, let us commit to building an ecosystem where more women are empowered not just to participate in India’s technology story, but to lead it.”
Chaitanya Bhandari, Software Engineer -E5 at Whatfix:
“In the startup ecosystem, the underrepresentation of women is a very visible reality. There are distinct differences in how men and women often approach problem-solving, communication, and decision-making. Understanding and adapting to these different behavioral dynamics from the beginning of my career has allowed me to approach any engineering challenge with a dual perspective, bridging communication gaps, and bringing a more balanced, multi-faceted viewpoint to my team.
The challenges women, especially those in STEM careers, face when it comes to representation and support in the workplace are not limited to startups. Women in engineering often feel pressure to overcompensate to prove they belong. The tech industry encourages failing fast, but the reality is that women are given a much narrower margin for failure. This International Women in Engineering Day, I want us to recognize that women need the psychological safety of knowing they belong and don’t need to burn themselves out to prove their worth.”