Women should not regret taking breaks, but must focus on making a comeback soon: Roopa Raj, VMware

Women in IT is a topic that is often discussed and deliberated upon. Diversity in a workforce is imperative and is something that companies now realise. There are also days dedicated to women in IT, such as Women in Engineering Day, to encourage more participation. However, statistics tell us a different story. According to various reports women account for around 25% of workers in STEM-qualified industries. Furthermore, women also make on average less than men in STEM-qualified industries. Nevertheless, things are improving albeit slowly. Roopa Raj, global head of engineering - Enterprise SaaS Transformation, VMware, says that she feels passionately for the cause of encouraging more participation from women in the IT industry.

While sharing her personal journey of over 20 years in the IT industry, Roopa stated in an interview with Dataquest how important diversity was for companies in today’s day and age. Prior to joining VMware, she has been associated with IT organisations such as Accenture, Thomson Reuters, and Alltel Wireless. Roopa, in a candid and honest conversation, spoke about how women can be motivated to take up STEM as a choice of education, and what more needs to be done to ensure their participation in the industry.