New Delhi: Isha M. Ambani, Director of Reliance Industries Limited, addressed the opening ceremony of Girls in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Day India 2024 being held in New Delhi. Isha shared her views and experiences to inspire young girls and women to develop skills in Information and Communication Technology and pursue education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.

Addressing the event, Isha said, “We are living in times of exponential changes. The world is changing, the world is innovating, and if we are to survive in this fast-changing world, we too must innovate. Already, the way we work has changed, and it will further change. So, for everyone present here today: Be ready to embrace the change. Be prepared to take up Science & Technology as career options because Science & Technology hold the key to the future. The majority of future jobs are going to be in those realms. So, break the shackles to tradition… challenge yourself… and be the changemakers.”

“STEM in general, and ICT in particular, are the drivers of this phenomenal progress in technology. As we move deeper into the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the role of ICT becomes increasingly pivotal, underpinning innovations in every sector and ensuring that our journey towards digital and technological advancements continues unabated and propel our nation forward, Ambani added.

Talking about gender divide in India’s tech workforce, Isha said, “A male-dominated STEM / ICT landscape, where women are under-represented, will rob India of its opportunity to rule the roost. We have missed the first two Industrial Revolutions and were merely playing catch-up during the third. This era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has given us the opportunity to make amends. We must rise to the occasion, we must exert ourselves, and we must excel. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming irrelevant. So, for India to shine, more and more girls – the women of tomorrow – must enter the realm of STEM and opt for technology as career.”

“While women make up 36% of India’s tech workforce, their presence drops drastically as one starts looking up the corporate hierarchy. For instance, Only 7% women held executive-level positions, only 13% were working in director-level roles, A mere 17% held mid-managerial positions. Even the new-age start-up ecosystem is grappling with the problem of dismal participation of women,” she added.

Isha further said that a woman leader, as she climbs up the ladder, will inevitably carry the team with her. “I have heard my mother, Mrs Nita Ambani, a champion of women empowerment, say, time and again: “Empower a man and he will feed a family. Empower a woman and she will feed an entire village.” I believe that what my mother says is true. Women are born leaders. Their innate selflessness makes them better leaders, ” she said.

Providing and idea encourage increasing participation of women in STEM and ICT, Isha states, “For example, strengthening our STEM curricula to promote equal participation is crucial. We must consult gender equality experts to ensure our learning materials are free of biases and resonate with both genders. The government, under the stewardship of our visionary Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, is making alterations and necessary course corrections, and the results are already showing. In the last decade, there has been a 6% increase in women’s representation in the tech workforce. However, we still have a long way to go to make it a 50-50 man-woman ratio in every sphere of technology and across hierarchies. With the government doing its part, the industry too must chip in to catalyse the transformation.”

“By empowering women through STEM and ICT, we can unlock untapped potential and inspire a new generation of women to lead in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution… By empowering women to participate fully in these critical fields, we are not only bridging the gender divide but also enhancing the creative and innovative capacities that fuel development. Together, we can build a future where innovation is driven by diversity, and where our daughters have equal opportunity to become the leaders of tomorrow,” Isha further said. DeshGujarat