If you’re looking for powerful women in businesses, you need to bookmark the name Kirthiga Reddy. The former managing director of Facebook India, Reddy was hand-picked to head the country operations and has been one of the leading forces behind the company’s meteoric growth.
Image: Ramoorthy P/BCCL
Currently a venture partner for SoftBank (she’s the first female investing partner), Reddy holds a degree in computer science and engineering, an MBA from Stanford University, and an MS in computer engineering from Syracuse University. Her corporate chart includes blue-chip companies like Silicon Graphics, where she was the youngest director of engineering, and Motorola. “I strongly believe that the first step and the most important tool towards women’s empowerment is education,” Reddy said in an interview. “The right education will ensure that women are more competent and confident in taking up bigger challenges and raising the bar in any field.”
“In risks will come your biggest opportunities. Be realistic and be prepared for any outcome while giving your best at whatever you do.” – Kirthiga Reddy
In July 2010, when Reddy joined Facebook, it was truly a start-up from scratch—she opened the office shutters on day one. Under her leadership, Facebook not only became a social media space that pretty much every Indian knows about, but the country branch also made a significant contribution to the company’s global business through ad sales with major tie-ups like with Coca-Cola India and Yepme. “Don’t be afraid to take risks,” Reddy is quoted to have said. “In risks will come your biggest opportunities. Be realistic and be prepared for any outcome while giving your best at whatever you do.”
Born in Nagpur, Reddy spent her formative years in various cities and small towns, thanks to her father’s transferable government job. “My parents believed that, if there was a school in the neighbourhood, that’s where I would go. That made me learn to make the most of any situation," she shared. This same approach is perhaps what helped her when she had to learn to juggle between her responsibilities as a mother and a job that required frequent travel. “I decided I could do both,” she has said. “While a lot of travel was delegated, for the must-travel times, I travelled with my daughter, and I found local daycare wherever I went. When you decide something is important, it is amazing how nature conspires to make things happen for you. The message here is to create your own choices. To not accept the tyranny of the ‘or’ but embrace the power of the ‘and’.”â¯
Reddy has been counted among India’s 25 most influential women and featured in the lists of the country’s most powerful women. Talking about her mantra for success, in an article she wrote, “There is a great African proverb: If you want to go quickly, go alone.
Image: Ramoorthy P/BCCL
If you want to go far, go together. This has been a guiding principle in my life and my work as a partner at SoftBank,” adding, “In the journey of life, you will have people walking in front of you, beside you, and behind you. From those in front, seek inspiration. From those beside you, seek companionship. For those behind, seek to be a path-maker and lend a helping hand. This is true no matter what stage of life or career one is at.”
“In one generation, so much has changed. From my mom not finishing high school to me having postgraduate degrees and being the managing director of Facebook in India. It gives me a sense of how much of a better place I need to leave this for the next generation.” – Kirthiga Reddy
At the workplace, Reddy looks up to Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook, as her mentor; at home, it’s her mother. “My mom has not finished high school, because when she was in sixth or seventh grade, her parents said, ‘You know enough math to do your laundry and grocery bills, you don’t need to study further.’ Then she has two girls—both with postgraduate degrees and successful careers. It is hugely inspiring to see what she has done,” she revealed at an event. “In one generation, so much has changed. From my mom not finishing high school to me having postgraduate degrees and being the managing director of Facebook in India. It gives me a sense of how much of a better place I need to leave this for the next generation.”
The 49-year-old made news earlier this year when she became the first woman to be added to WeWork’s 10-person board of directors. Talking about her vision, she has shared about an essay her older daughter wrote about someone who inspired her. “Ashna, then 10 years old, wrote about finding her inspiration from within. My wish is that we all find the inspiration within, dream big, create and step up to be path-makers.”
November is a very special month for us, as we celebrate 61 years of being India’s most-read women’s magazine. In this anniversary special, we celebrate New Beginnings in the post-pandemic world, and have featured women who have been path breakers in their fields by crossing the toughest barriers to reach where they are. Download our Anniversary 2020 issue and find out inspirational journeys of the latest copy and read about them UNSTOPPABLE women.
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