NASSCOM welcomes Rekha Menon as its first woman chairperson
Rekha Menon becomes the first woman chairperson at NASSCOM. She was elected as Vice Chairman in April last year.
Accenture India’s Chairperson and Senior Managing Director Rekha Menon is set to take over NASSCOM as the first woman chairperson for the executive council between 2021 and 2023, succeeding U B Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer of Infosys.
She was elected as vice-chairman in April last year.
The apex body for Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing industry made the announcement on Twitter, making Rekha the first woman to hold this position in its over three-decade history.
“I am honoured and humbled by the vote of confidence by NASSCOM executive council at such a crucial time for our industry. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to test the resilience of our more than four million people, even as it has created new opportunities with technology emerging as a lifeline,” Rekha said in an official statement.
Moving ahead, she expressed her hope to drive the industry’s “long-term growth by augmenting India’s position as the digital talent nation for the world, by driving people-first innovation, and working with the government to create a conducive policy environment for long-term and sustainable growth.”
Arvind Thakur, former Vice Chairman and Managing Director at NIIT Technologies, congratulated Rekha and lauded the effort for increasing the number of women as executive council members of NASSCOM.
“With you and Debjani at the helm, and with six of the 18 elected members in the executive council as women, NASSCOM has a diversified leadership that can steer the industry with compassion through these difficult times and address the enormous opportunities,” he tweeted.
Rekha has been a seasoned entrepreneur. Prior to joining Accenture, she founded two tech startups and a non-profit organisation, and currently sits on the Board of Governors of the XLRI School of Business, and two not-for-profit organisations — Pratham Books and Akshara Foundation.
Her business and leadership skills aside, Rekha is also known as a strong ally for the LGBTQ+ community.