Individual Women Executive Awards Judging Committee

Chair:
Katja Schroeder, Associate Program Director, M.S. Technology Management; Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Technology Management; Founder of Expedition PR
Expedition PR | Columbia University, Brooklyn, New York, United States

Katja is a global leadership communications expert and educator in management, marketing, and entrepreneurship. In her role as Senior Lecturer for the Technology Management Program at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, Katja focuses on the role of technology in enabling sustainable business models, stakeholder engagement, and inclusive leadership. She applies entrepreneurial thinking for positioning, storytelling, and leadership communications.

Through her work with global corporations and tech startups in Germany, France, China, and the United States, Katja has a proven track record in helping leaders achieve visibility and thought leadership. She has worked on the global launch of enterprise software and cloud solutions and mobile consumer apps as well as sustainability technology solutions that help drive positive change in our society and protect our planet.

 

Committee:

Shradha A.H. Ahuja, Chief Shared Services Officer
Gulf Marine Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates         
Shradha A.H. Ahuja, Chief Shared Services Officer at Gulf Marine Services, is a Top 25 Global Thought Leader in Transformation (Thinkers360) and Global Power Woman Leader in HR 2024. Her award-winning initiatives, honored by ATD, Brandon Hall, and others, align people, systems, and strategy to create lasting business impact.

Nawal Alhanaei, Director of Future Energy Department
Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Eng. Nawal Alhanaee is the Director of Future Energy at the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. She leads national strategies on clean energy and hydrogen, represents the UAE in global climate forums, and has received multiple awards for her leadership in sustainability, innovation, and energy transition.

Maryam Ayromlou, Managing Director
Ruder Finn, New York City, New York, United States
Maryam is an Emmy-winning executive with nearly twenty years of journalism experience. Prior to Ruder Finn, Maryam worked as a senior producer at CBS News/The Early Show where she managed a large team in charge of securing newsmaker interviews. Maryam focuses on developing strategies, stories and content that enhance corporate and brand reputation.

Kim Clark, Founder and Principal
Polished Professionals Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Kim L. Clark is the founder and principal of Polished Professionals Boston, a business strategy and marketing consultancy. She is also an adviser to small business owners and develops workshops and classes that provide instruction in writing business plans. Kim has lectured at the Lesley University Seminars, the Boston Chamber of Commerce.
 

Lauren Clemett, Chief Executive Officer
The Audacious Agency, Maroochydore, Queens, Australia
Lauren heads up The Audacious Agency, a premier profile building and award writing specialist company. With over three decades of experience in brand management and a reputation as a sought-after keynote speaker, Lauren empowers entrepreneurs and business owners to build powerful personal brands.



Cat Colella-Graham, Internal Communications Leader
CCG, Locust Valley, New York, United States
Cat is an Adjunct Professor, internal communications leader and coach who secured the first and only trademark for Employee Experience in 2005. Cat founded the employee experience agency Cheer Partners, which was acquired after four successful years by Lippe Taylor Group in March, 2021. Cat continues to teach graduate students and supports internal communications clients.

Pritha Das Mazumdar, Senior Manager
PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Pritha is a Senior Manager in PwC’s CSX team, leading Salesforce consulting for financial services. With 13 years of experience, she drives digital transformations, champions AI-powered cloud strategies, and advocates women’s leadership. A tech-savvy MIS graduate from SUNY Buffalo, she is also a published thought leader and award judge.
 

Kena Bharatbhai Desai, Sr. Financial Analyst
Amazon Pharmacy, Mercer Island, Washington, United States
A dynamic force in healthcare analytics, Kena bridges clinical expertise and advanced analytics as Senior Financial Analyst at Amazon Pharmacy. Her transformative journey from dental surgeon to finance professional exemplifies excellence in driving insights across health equity, operational intelligence, and strategic finance. At Northeastern University's Health Informatics program, she mastered the intersection of healthcare and data analytics.
 

Luis Alberto Diaz, CEO
LML Consulting International, Inc., Miramar, Florida, United States 
Luis Alberto Diaz is the founder of LML Consulting International, Inc., a translation and localization and consulting agency. A 2025 Gold Stevie Award Winner for Executive of the Year in Business Services, he brings over 20 years of experience in multilingual strategy, cross-cultural communication and AI-assisted workflows across global industries.

Sheela Dubey, QA IT Technical Lead           
WAWA, Malvern, Pennsylvania, United States       
Sheela Dubey is an extraordinary technical leader and innovator, blending 19+ years of global QA expertise with mastery of automation, AI, and DevOps. She transforms QA into a strategic advantage, drives innovation at scale, and inspires excellence—delivering business impact while uplifting the QA community through mentorship, open source, and thought leadership.

Arunkumar Gopalakrishnan, Director
Publicis Groupe, New York City, New York, United States
Arunkumar Gopalakrishnan is a senior executive at Publicis Groupe working in the Digital Business Transformation space, primarily within Financial Services with over two decades of experience in the industry. He is currently based at the New York office of Publicis Groupe.

Swechcha Gurram, Senior Financial Data Analyst
Amtex Systems Inc., New York City, New York, United States
Swechcha Gurram is a data expert with more than 17 years of professional experience in the government, financial services, technology, healthcare, and energy sectors. She has a strong background in data visualization, predictive analysis, statistical analysis, and machine learning, and is skilled in ETL processes, reporting, and data modeling.

Harika Rama Tulasi Karatapu, Network Specialist, Customer Engineer
Google LLC., San Jose, California, United States
Harika Rama Tulasi Karatapu is a Network Security Architect with 13+ years of experience. Currently a Network Security Specialist at Google, she designs secure cloud, hybrid, and multi-cloud solutions. An IEEE speaker and technical mentor for Startups, she previously held roles at Juniper Networks, AWS, and Infosys.

Aniruddha Maru, Vice President, Infrastructure
Standard AI, San Francisco, California, United States
Aniruddha Maru is a proven leader with over 15 years of experience in tech. He currently leads the DevOps team at Standard AI, managing hybrid infrastructure for AI workloads. He is an expert in distributed systems and edge AI infrastructure. Maru has a Master's in Computer Science from IIT Bombay.

Amy Murphy, Co-Founder
Local Signal Agency, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States    
Amy Murphy transforms lives with words. As an author, she empowers through storytelling, drawing on her journey as a cis partner navigating transgender love. As an Amazon bestseller, she champions acceptance, proving that extraordinary "happily ever afters" are built on genuine connection and defiance of expectations.



Oluwatoyin Esther Olawale, Program Manager II
Danfoss, Greenville, South Carolina, United States
Oluwatoyin Esther Olawale currently works as a Program Manager II at Danfoss, one of the world’s leading suppliers of technologies that enable energy efficiency, climate-friendly solutions, and sustainable development across industries. A graduate of the University of Southern Denmark, she has extensive hands-on experience managing complex programs across multiple regions.
 

Sharda Pandit, Postdoctoral Researcher
North Carolina State University, Cary, North Carolina, United States

Tasnim Salem Al Falasi, Food Security Project & Initiative Section Manager
DECCA, Dubai, UAE  
Tasnim is a professional associated with Dubai Environment & Climate Change Authority.  She has over 15 years of experience in environmental and food security domains. She holds several advanced degrees in Pharmacy, and is also a graduate of the Global Secondment Program for Emirati Leaders, an initiative by the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development.



Eda Sanchez-Persampieri, Dean Of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor
LIM College, New York City, New York, United States

Ashwin Sankaran, Strategic Technology Executive
In Control Family Foundation Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
Ashwin is a seasoned Enterprise Applications Leader with a comprehensive background in strategic advisory, consulting, and full life cycle implementations. Ashwin brings in 20 years of technology experience with expertise in leading and managing complex digital transformations. He is a graduate of CMU and an alumni of Accenture

Himanshu Singh, Engineering Manager
Netflix, New York City, New York, United States
Himanshu Singh is a visionary engineering leader at Netflix, known for driving large-scale data innovation. He leads the development of intelligence platforms built on external data, transforming decision-making in content and marketing. His cross-functional leadership blends technical depth with strategic impact, influencing billions in business outcomes.

Yashasvi Singh, Senior Data Analyst
Navy Federal Credit Union, Vienna, Virginia, United States        
Yashasvi Singh is a Senior Data Analyst at Navy Federal Credit Union, where she leads data governance initiatives for the Credit Card division. She specializes in implementing scalable governance frameworks, driving cross-team collaboration, and enabling AI readiness through trusted data practices. Yashasvi is also passionate about financial literacy and data-driven decision-making.

Ankit Srivastava, Director, Products
ITHENA, Richmond, Virginia, United States  
Ankit Srivastava, Product Director at ITHENA, is a Stevie Award winner in Manufacturing Technology with over 11 years’ experience in manufacturing IT, IIoT, and AI/ML solutions. His innovations have been showcased at PackExpo and Rockwell Automation Fair, and his work is published in IEEE and leading technology trade journals.

Oksana Tsvigun, Founder
Ot Growth Labs LLC, Los Angeles, California, United States                 
Oksana Tsvigun is a global executive with 19+ years of experience in e-commerce, digital marketing, and brand growth. She has held leadership roles at L'Oréal, Pandora, and Global Fashion Group, and currently serves as Director of Growth at Accel Club. She also advises emerging brands through her consultancy, OT Growth Lab.

Dr Manjula Kumari V.V, CEO & Senior Physiotherapist
Varanaa's Health Care Research and Training organization LLP, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
Dr. Manjula is the Director of Kiites Slimming physiotherapy n cosmetology clinics. She's a Motivational speaker and health educator who has participated in live interactive shows on the Television and health awareness campaigns. She's a proud winner of the Karamveer Chakra award and many National and International awards including an Honorary doctorate.

Yifei Wang, Consultant
McKinsey & Company, Los Angeles, California, United States