Rekha M Menon, Chairperson and Senior Managing Director at Accenture in India, broke the glass ceiling on Thursday to become the first woman to take the role of Chairperson for Nassocom in the association’s 30-year history. She was previously Vice-Chairperson for the IT industry’s apex body in 2020-21.
Navigating the pandemic
“I am honoured and humbled by this vote of confidence by the 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 4 million people, even as it has created new opportunities for growth with technology emerging as the lifeline for societies and economies across the world” she said. As we cautiously navigate the pandemic, I look forward to working with the Nasscom Executive Council and its members to drive our industry’s long-term growth by augmenting India’s position as the digital talent nation for the world, driving people first innovation and working with the Government to create a conducive policy environment needed for sustainable growth,” she added.
A leading industry voice for advanced technology-led innovation and socio-economic progress, Rekha has been featured regularly on lists of the most powerful women in business in India and is recognised among the top 10 LGBT+ Ally Executives globally.
She is a member of the National Council of CII, co-chair of CII’s Indian Women Network and USIBC’s India Advisory Council. She is also on the Board of Governors of her alma-mater, the XLRI School of Business. An active advocate of giving back to society and improving the way the world lives, she champions her support for society through her association with two not-for-profit organisations — Pratham Books and Akshara Foundation.
Strategic roles
She joined Accenture in 2004 and since then has held several strategic leadership roles. Her last two roles were as the Lead for Geographic Operations for India, ASEAN and APAC delivery centres and Human Resources lead for Accenture’s Growth Markets. Prior to joining Accenture, Rekha was an entrepreneur — she co-founded two technology companies and a not-for- profit. A gold medalist from the XLRI School of Business, she has more than 25 years of experience including her two stints as an entrepreneur and on assignments with and on executive management teams of Levis, Cargill and Akzo Nobel.
She is actively engaged in Accenture’s inclusion & diversity and corporate citizenship initiatives and firmly believes that enabling policies must be in place to support all inclusive efforts whether it is women in their growth or assistive technologies or learning and that a culture of equality needs to created in organisations. She is also an active industry voice on skilling and inclusive growth.
