Women on Top - Sunila Shivpuri

By Chee Sing Chan & Melissa Chua | Mar 15, 2010

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WOMEN ARE gradually taking over the workplace - that's according to a report in the January 2 edition of the Economist this year. The first issue of 2010 featured the startling statistic that women are set to breach 50% of the total US workforce this year.

The rise of service industries is giving more opportunities to women and the developed countries of the world all show a healthy even proportion of women in the total number of university graduates as well as the number of women taking up professional employment positions.

In Hong Kong and Singapore the statistics show we're still some way off 50% but both states show close to 40% of the total workforce being female, with the gap closing quick.

As far as running the whole show goes, women still have some way to go. According the Economist data, only 2% of the largest firms in the US are run by women, compared to 5% in the UK. But female CEOs are garnering attention. Probably the most prominent female CEO on the planet right now is Pepsico's Indra Nooyi - and she's Asian.

Born in India, she joined the firm in 2004 and became CFO before being given the CEO role in 2006 and later also becoming chairman of the company.

As one former colleague of hers noted in the UK's The Independent newspaper, "number one, she's smart, smart, smart," said Ken Harris, a partner in the consulting firm Cannondale Associates." "The next is that she is a very good people manager."Qualities that are prominent among the women leaders featured in this following report.

While significant strides in the business world are clearly being made by women, within the sphere of technology, men are still the dominant force.That's to be expected with technology generally recruiting from science and engineering candidates, the inflow of young females into these course has always been far lower than the male intake.

But today where the focus is much more on people and less on the technology, could women have a greater role to play in leading technology development?

One firm which has put its technology in the hands of a female is Deutsche Bank. Sunila Shivpuri is the current managing director and CIO of the bank's private wealth management unit, previously she was also CIO for the company's global banking division.

Barely five minutes into the interview, Sunila Shivpuri's cellphone rings. Not an uncommon occurrence for this high flying CIO, except the caller is neither an anxious vendor nor stressed subordinate. Instead it is her six year-old daughter Tia at the other end of the line, who has called seeking comfort because a newly bought pet rabbit had bitten her on the finger.

Be your own woman
One key factor that many have highlighted as a potential barrier to women in their professional careers is children. Many feel the need to choose between career and family. But as Shivpuri consoled her child on the phone, what is clearly evident is this dynamic individual has indeed successfully juggled the challenges of her job with those of motherhood.

Yes, this is Sunila Shivpuri, an established female leader in the information technology industry whose simple recipe for success reads 'be yourself'.

"You don't have to act like a man in this industry, you have to be your own woman, only then you can play on their turf," states Shivpuri.  "There are of course times when I'm not part of the clique, but the work and deliverables over the years speak for themselves."

A prominent figure in the financial technology space, Shivpuri's portfolio spans roles in software development, product companies and financial institutions. Her current position involves the rehashing of Deutsche Bank's front to bank end systems for its private wealth department, a task never performed before; while her previous role as CIO of Deutsche Bank's global banking operations saw her managing 2,200 people from 27 countries.

Shivpuri's career began thirty-two years ago in India, during the formative years of the information technology industry. Things were not always smooth-sailing for the young Shivpuri who was then working as a software programmer - the rather patriarchal society of her home country posed strict barriers to a female looking to succeed career wise.

"I encountered a lot more discrimination then," admits Shivpuri. "For a decade or so, women of similar caliber to their male counterparts had to prove more simply because of their gender."

It was this precise mode of gender discrimination that prompted Shivpuri to make a career changing decision twenty years ago.  She headed out of India into the international environment, where 'things became easier'. 

"I'm happy to say I've never been discriminated against in the last two decades due to gender. I've had engrossing, thrilling jobs for the last ten years or so and am now accepted and recognized by the bank, technology groups, partners and the industry."

Support mechanisms
Shivpuri credits part of her success to her employer for the past fourteen years, which she says has been supportive of her commitment to her young daughter. "I personally believe in work life balance and here at Deutsche Bank, it's taken in the right spirit," said Shivpuri. "I do a lot of work from home in order to tuck my daughter in at night. Like many jobs in IT, we get severe outages but I'd use the breaks in between to read my daughter a storybook. If I have to work weekends, I'll bring my daughter over to the office to play while I work."

Shivpuri conceded it would be 'reasonably easier' for a single woman seeking to build a career in IT, compared to one with family commitments. "The challenge comes once you have a family to look after. It's interesting to strike a balance between the two," Shivpuri says. "I've never compromised on either side. And yes, giving your best to both does take a toll on the individual."

Today, as a member of diversity committees that conduct programs designed to encourage women to excel at the workplace, Shivpuri acknowledges attitudes towards women have changed for the better. "I came to where I was without any support mechanisms, but even the India of today is vastly different."

Shivpuri strongly feels that the entrance of more women would add spice to the technology industry. "There are currently very few women in senior positions, but I feel this is a job highly suited to women." According to her, an integral aspect of the job is associated with female instincts. "Apart from the tech aspect, you also need the right emotions for the job. It's basically a people business and I believe women are better people managers than my counterparts."

Contrary to popular opinion, Shivpuri feels her gender has helped her excel in her role. "I share my fears very well and praise also comes easily when my subordinates have done a good job. There have also been a number of times when I've gone by bare instincts in a tight situation, which is a predominantly female trait. These instincts have been proven right a good number of times."

Women IT heads seeking to manage a strong male team would do well to abide by a few basic rules, says Shivpuri. A simple mantra that has worked for her over the last three decades goes: I do not do anything which I do not want others to do to me.

"I have a very diverse group and I manage that very well. All negotiations and discussions happen before the objectives are set. Like any senior manager, I expect deliverables. There are absolutely no hidden agendas whether I'm dealing with my extended team or colleagues, and I do not get involved in any internal politics."
 

Read about other Women on Top:

AON Insurance's Kwok Suk-Wah

Cisco's Barbara Chiu

Informatica's Suganthi Shivkumar

FedEx's Linda Brigance