Tech, trust and tough calls: Inside the leadership journeys of three powerhouses

At the HER Leadership track at the AWS ExecLeaders Summit 2025, a powerful conversation unfolded, one that didn’t just celebrate women in leadership but reimagined what power, influence, and success can look like when women take the lead. Titled “Rewiring Power: Lessons from the Frontlines,” the panel brought together three extraordinary women who have each shaped industries and disrupted narratives: Geeta Chaudhary, Managing Director and Head of Professional Services for Asia Pacific and Japan at AWS; Priti Rathi Gupta, Founder of LXME and former Managing Director at Anand Rathi; and Radhika Ghai, Founder & CEO, kindlife.in; Co-Founder, ShopClues; Angel Investor. The conversation was anchored by Sangeeta Bavi, COO at YourStory, who opened with a tribute to the panelists, noting that while these women were “breaking ceilings,” they were also quietly “building the ground floors” for those who would come next.

When leadership evolves from performance to purpose

For Geeta Chaudhary, leadership wasn’t always about creating environments for others to succeed. Her early years in corporate America were shaped by the struggle to survive in rooms where she was often the only woman, and certainly the only brown woman. “My leadership style was very transactional,” she admitted. “I was trying to prove myself, and that translated into creating high-performance teams that were completely results-driven.”

But that changed with time, experience, and global exposure, from entrepreneurship in India to leading multicultural teams across Europe and Asia. “Leadership is no longer about making decisions,” she shared. “It’s about creating environments where others can succeed. I now measure myself by how I enable others.” Her values today are closely aligned with AWS’s leadership principles like “earn trust,” “bias for action,” and “learn and be curious.” These, she says, aren’t just guidelines. “I’ve told my kids growing up: these aren’t just work principles, they’re life principles.”

Money, freedom, and the mission to reach 700 million

Priti Rathi Gupta’s journey from traditional finance to launching LXME, India’s first women-focused financial platform, was born out of a gap she could no longer ignore. “For years, I saw women breaking ceilings in education and careers but completely ignoring money management,” she said. “It was either delegated, delayed, or dismissed.” What began as a business problem quickly turned into a larger mission. “Financial illiteracy is invisible captivity. My goal is to dismantle that captivity for Indian women.”

Priti also brought her creative side to this movement through Ishka Films, a production house she founded to explore stories that humanize financial journeys. “Our schools teach us how to earn, but never how to manage that money. Films helped me think outside the box and reach women in ways the finance industry never could.” Technology played a critical role in her platform’s success. “Smartphones took away the friction. Women could start investing without walking into a bank or speaking to an intimidating advisor,” she explained. But the real breakthrough? Making the experience feel personal. “We had to use tech to say, ‘I care. I’m here for you.’ And we did it. Our users call it a ‘white glove’ experience.”

Ambition isn’t a bad word

Few understand the intensity of starting from scratch like Radhika Ghai, now building her third venture after co-founding the billion-dollar marketplace ShopClues. For her, being a repeat founder isn’t about the thrill of starting over; it’s about refusing to let experience go to waste. “If you don’t put all your knowledge and experience to use, it’s like cash under a mattress during demonetization, it just dies,” she said, drawing laughs and nods from the audience. With Kindlife, she’s building a consumer-first platform focused on clean beauty and wellness, but also staying deeply rooted in purpose. “I want to prove that you can build a big company in India without being an a**hole,” she said unapologetically. “Ambition isn’t a bad word.”

She is also channeling her influence into investing in other women-led startups, having backed over 40 companies so far. “Sometimes women need a nudge to realize their own potential. I’m not just here to nudge. I’ll give you a full-on push.”

Technology as the great equalizer

Throughout all three journeys, technology emerged not as a mere accessory but as the foundational enabler. “Cloud is the great equalizer,” said Geeta. “Social enterprises and small businesses today have access to the same advanced AI and ML tools that were once only available to Fortune 500 companies. That’s revolutionary.” She also spoke about the broader impact of tech in sectors like agriculture and healthcare. “We’re working with pharma companies using generative AI to accelerate cancer research. Things that took months now take hours. That’s the kind of purpose-driven innovation that excites me.” Radhika added that while the inflection point in her first startup was driven by internet penetration, today it’s AI. “At Kindlife, we’re an AI-native company. We’re a team of 52 today doing the work that once needed 300.”

Just show up

The panel then closed on a deeply personal note - self-doubt. It was refreshing to see high-powered leaders admit that confidence isn’t always constant. Radhika shared her go-to mantra: “Just show up.” The phrase, originally meant to comfort an intern going through a rough time, now sits framed on her desk. “There are days you want to hide under the dining table. But the key is to be present. Just be there.” Priti reflected on her early days in finance when she was often the only woman in the room. “Even raising my hand felt intimidating. But then I started asking, What’s the worst that could happen?” That simple exercise helped her face daunting conversations head-on. For Geeta, the turning point came in learning to trust both data and herself. “Even before we called it ‘impostor syndrome,’ we all felt it. But remind yourself of your journey. Be data-driven about your own achievements, and never leave a meeting without sharing your point of view.”

Rewiring starts where you are

Rewiring power isn’t about women replacing men or boxing leadership into new labels; it’s about asking deeper questions: who holds the mic, who has access, and who gets to shape the system? For Priti, tackling self-doubt began by mapping the worst-case scenario and realizing, “Okay, that’s manageable”, a mindset that helped her build LXME and redefine financial agency for women. Radhika reframed ambition not as something to tone down but as something to own with purpose and empathy. And Geeta, long before “impostor syndrome” had a name, found her voice in boardrooms where she was often the only woman, guided by data, conviction, and the backing of true sponsors. These women aren’t just leading companies, they’re reshaping how leadership is defined, making space for bold voices, tough questions, and inclusive action. And as they keep building, they’re keeping the doors open wide, so others can walk through, not quietly, but confidently.