Generous salaries and lucrative career prospects have made technology a brilliant career choice for those who have a knack for logic, reasoning, coding, math, and science. Besides men, women like Radhika Kulkarni, Monica Rogati, Claudia Perlich, Lillian Pierson, and many others have passionately played a prominent role in serving the Big Data community of the world. These women have not only reserved a place of their own but also motivated other women to take up the pursuit and prove their worth in the technology world, which was once dominated solely by the males.
Going by the statistics of 2015, women comprised 57% of the entire professional world, but if you talk about women in technical occupations, then only 25% occupy the computing positions. The figures are even lower for software development jobs. Tech giants, like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter are no different. Microsoft has a women workforce of only 29.1%, and women holding technical positions at Microsoft are far less at 16.6%. Google’s figures reveal a similar situation when it comes to women.
Despite such discouraging figures, in regards to Big Data and women’s contribution, women are some of the top influencers of this fastest growing technology sector. Though the ratios of women here are quite unbalanced, their role in the proliferation of technological advancements is highly commendable.
In respect of Women’s History Month, I’d like to honor the contributions made by five powerful dynamic women in the field of Big Data and data science:
Joanna Schloss
With expertise in Big Data Analytics, data warehousing and BI, Joanna Schloss is presently working for the Dell Center of Excellence in the division of data and information management. From developing data warehousing tools, like Business Objects Data Services, to business-oriented analytical applications, this woman has tasted success wherever she ventured.
Cindi Howson
Being the VP of Research at Gartner and mastermind of BI Scorecard, Cindi Howson has been busy advising her clients on BI tool strategies and excerpts for more than 20 years. Besides, she is a prolific writer; Successful Business Intelligence: Unlock the Value of BI and Big Data and SAP Business Objects BI 4.0: The Complete Reference are her most notable creations.
Lyndsay Wise
Founder of WiseAnalytics, Lyndsay Wise has more than 10 years of experience in the field of software research, strategy development, and BI consulting. In 2015, she became a part of Enterprise Management Associates by taking on the role of Research Director for BI and Data Warehousing.
Rita Sallam
With a keen interest in the evolution of advanced BI platforms to endorse smart data discovery, Rita Sallam, the Research Vice President at Gartner in the Business Analytics and Data Science team, focuses on advising various market organizations about vendor assessment and current market trends. Rita played an important part in developing this year’s BI and Analytics Magic Quadrant.
Elizabeth Golluscio
Being a Research Director at Gartner in the Application Architecture and Integration team, Elizabeth Golluscio’s main area of focus has been modernizing enterprise integration strategies to boost digital business transformation with emphasis on citizen integration and the adaptation of customer engagement. With degrees from Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she is an Iron Lady of Big Data.
About the Author
Shreya Dhar is a seasoned copywriter, working for DexLab Analytics and her passion to help people in all diverse aspects of digital marketing flows through her writing and adept industry coverage she brings in. Apart from chasing her copywriting dream of becoming a prolific writer, she is an avid traveler, and a true believer that a rolling stone actually gathers moss.
