Let's face it, men are pretty clueless when it comes to understanding women at home, and we're not much better at the office. And most of us don't even know what it means to be an ally of women at work.  But it's time we did. 

The number of women entering data professions is growing. Today, about a quarter of data professionals are women. Among data analysts, however, there are actually as many women as men, while the percentage of female data scientists has grown from 15% to almost 20% in the past four years. 

As men, we may harbor preconceived notions about women as individuals and data professionals, which may be wrong or unhelpful, both to them and us. We may not appreciate the unique contributions women can make to a project or initiative, or respect the needs they bring to the workplace. And in the wake of the Me-Too movement, we may not know how to interact with women as peers, manage them as direct reports, or work with them when they manage us.

Today we'll hear from a panel of highly accomplished women in the data field who can help set us straight. All three panelists currently hold executive positions at software vendors, yet all have worked in other sectors of our field--as practitioners, consultants, or industry analysts. Each has tirelessly worked their way up the ranks and, in the process, gained a great deal of personal and professional experience about the opportunities and challenges of being a woman in the data field. 

Our guests are:

Prukalpa Sankar is co-founder of the data governance startup, Atlan, and a serial entrepreneur who has been recognized as a rising star by Forbes, Fortune, and CNBC. In 2013, she co-founded SocialCops, a data-for-good company that earned accolades from the New York Times and the World Economic Forum, and earned her a speaking spot at a Ted conference. 

Cindi Howson is Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot and host of The Data Chief podcast. In 2021, she was named data leader of the year by Women in Data and was a finalist for motivator of the year by Women Leaders in Data and AI.  She also was a VP of Research at Gartner.   

Debika Sharma is head of global strategic partnerships and alliances at Alteryx. She has held leadership positions at MapR,  Oracle, EY, and Saks Fifth Avenue and is currently director of the New York City chapter for Women in Big Data, which helps women connect, engage, and grow in the data profession.