Upon investigating the statistics and trends surrounding women’s participation in the technology sector, significant disparities are revealed in areas such as STEM education, retention rates, ethnic diversity, cultural challenges, and access to leadership roles. A 2025 report from the Women in Tech Network highlights that women constitute only 35% of the workforce in STEM industries in the U.S., while 65% of tech recruiters acknowledge biases in the hiring process.
Although there is much work still to be done, progress is being made in increasing the number of women in technology roles.
Below is a list of ten prominent women in tech today, many of whom are vigorous advocates for enhanced diversity and representation within their fields.
1. Sheridan Ash, Founder and CEO of Tech She Can
Sheridan Ash spearheads Tech She Can, a UK initiative aimed at motivating and empowering women to embark on careers in technology. This charity collaborates with industry, government, and educational institutions to advocate for change and establish stronger educational frameworks for children.
As of 2024, Tech She Can’s online resources have reached 500,000 children, and 440 girls have participated in immersive career insight events.
Ash has expressed her concerns regarding gender representation in tech, questioning during her tenure at PwC, “What was going wrong? Why was it so predominantly male?”
In recognition of her influence, Ash received accolades in 2022 from Computer Weekly as one of the most impactful women in UK tech, and was named the UK’s most influential woman in tech in 2024.
2. Kimberly Bryant, Founder of Black Girls Code
Kimberly Bryant demonstrated a strong aptitude for science and mathematics from a young age, earning a scholarship to Vanderbilt University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical engineering.
After dedicating over two decades to technical leadership roles across numerous pharmaceutical and biotech companies such as Novartis and Merck, Bryant was inspired to found Black Girls Code in 2011 when she noticed her daughter’s interest in computer science amid a notable lack of Black women in the STEM fields.
The nonprofit aims to expose girls of color, ages 7 to 17, to STEM subjects, with a goal of teaching 1 million Black girls to code by 2040. Presently, Black Girls Code has established 16 chapters across the U.S. and one in Johannesburg, South Africa.
3. Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle
Safra Catz immigrated to the United States from Israel at the age of six and successfully graduated with a degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, followed by her Juris Doctor from Penn Law.
Catz began her career in banking and advanced to senior vice president at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Joining Oracle in 1999 as senior vice president, she made her way to the board of directors in 2001 and became president in 2004.
Over the next decade, under Catz’s leadership, Oracle conducted over 130 acquisitions, most notably acquiring PeopleSoft for $10.3 billion in 2004. She was appointed co-CEO in 2014, and following Mark Hurd’s passing in 2019, she took on the role of sole CEO. She also teaches accounting at the Stanford School of Business and has been a board member at Walt Disney Co. since 2017.
4. Kate Crawford, Co-Founder of NYU’s AI Now Institute
After earning her Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, Kate Crawford has built a career focused on the societal implications of artificial intelligence. Her research is dedicated to examining both the advantages and challenges posed by AI and machine learning in the context of history, politics, labor, environmental issues, and more.
Crawford promotes thoughtful AI development and scrutinizes the potential for bias, disruptions in the labor market, economic impacts from automation, and privacy infringements due to heightened surveillance. Her work is widely recognized, appearing in prestigious publications and forum discussions at the United Nations and the White House.
In 2017, she co-founded NYU’s AI Now Institute, focusing on the social impacts of AI. Her book “Atlas of AI” has earned acclaim from recognized outlets and in 2023, she engaged in a research project titled “Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Technology and Power Since 1500.”
5. Amy Hood, Executive VP and CFO of Microsoft
Amy Hood holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
As the first female CFO in Microsoft’s history, Hood is committed to fostering a culture of growth and equality within the tech giant. Her initiatives focus on integrating more Black-owned businesses into Microsoft’s supply chain. She advocates for women’s representation in leadership roles and often appears at significant industry events.
Responsible for managing Microsoft’s global financial operations, Hood has led essential transitions like the move to Office 365 and major acquisitions, including the $7.6 billion acquisition of GitHub in 2018. Her influential work has placed her on Forbes’ list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women consistently in recent years.
6. Fei-Fei Li, Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute
Fei-Fei Li emigrated from Beijing to the U.S. at 16, earned degrees from Princeton and Caltech, and currently serves as a full professor at Stanford University.
Her research emphasizes cognitive neuroscience and machine learning, particularly in improving AI’s abilities in image recognition. Li temporarily left Stanford to work at Google, where she held a vice president position focused on AI and machine learning.
She co-founded AI4ALL in 2017, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing diversity in AI through education and mentorship programs. The organization operates summer programs across 16 U.S. locations and collaborates with various organizations like Black Girls Code. In 2023, she released a memoir detailing her career in AI.
7. Ellen Pao, Co-Founder and CEO of Project Include
Ellen Pao was introduced to coding at ten, thanks to her mother, and went on to earn degrees in electrical engineering from Princeton, a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Following her roles in Silicon Valley, Pao became the head of business development at Reddit and later its interim CEO. A strong advocate for women’s rights, Pao implemented policies to combat sexism and gender discrimination in tech and social media.
After departing from Reddit, she co-founded Project Include, a group aimed at addressing gender discrimination in Silicon Valley and enhancing diversity in technology companies.
8. Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code
Reshma Saujani holds degrees in political science from the University of Illinois, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.
In 2010, she became the first Indian-American woman to run for U.S. Congress, using innovative digital tools for her campaign. Observing the gender gap in computer programming during school visits, she founded Girls Who Code in 2012 to increase female representation in the tech workforce, reaching over 450,000 girls, nearly half from underserved communities.
Through various programs, Saujani’s organization promotes coding education from elementary to college levels. She authored the books “Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World,” “Brave, Not Perfect,” and “Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work.”
9. Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX
Gwynne Shotwell earned her degrees in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics from Northwestern University and began her career in the automotive sector. However, her passion for space led her to Aerospace Corp, where she became chief engineer for military space research contracts.
In 2002, she joined SpaceX as vice president of business development and has since risen to president and COO, overseeing daily operations and company initiatives. SpaceX is recognized for significant achievements, including being the first private company to put a commercial satellite into orbit and to send astronauts to the International Space Station.
Shotwell is celebrated as a leader in technology, having been inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and being named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in 2020.
10. Navrina Singh, CEO and Founder of Credo AI
Navrina Singh, with a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and an MBA from USC, serves as the CEO and founder of Credo AI, a company pioneering responsible AI.
Singh has held numerous leadership roles in prominent tech firms like Microsoft and Qualcomm, and she actively contributes to the National AI Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Her organization provides tools and frameworks for managing AI risk while ensuring fair and ethical deployment practices.
Honoring Women from the Past
It is essential to celebrate the breakthroughs made by women throughout history in STEM, who serve as inspirations for today’s professionals.
Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, made groundbreaking discoveries in radiation that paved the way for advancements in medical treatments.
Margaret Hamilton played a crucial role in developing software for NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, effectively establishing software engineering as a field.
Katherine Johnson, renowned for her critical calculations for the first moon landing and orbital flights, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her contributions.
Hedy Lamarr, a Hollywood actress, co-invented frequency-hopping technology, integral to modern communication systems like Wi-Fi and GPS.
Ada Lovelace is often lauded as the first computer programmer for her pioneering work on Charles Babbage’s conceptual machine.
Dr. Wangarĩ Maathai, the first African woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, initiated the Green Belt Movement for environmental conservation and women’s rights.
