HCL Board Has 50% Women Representation, Says Roshni Nadar

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 18 February 2026

• Roshni Nadar Malhotra pointed out that the board of HCL Technologies has 50% women representation
• She emphasized that "change and important conversations begin at the top"

Roshni Nadar Malhotra began by saying that HCL Technologies' board has one of the highest percentages of women at 50 percent, saying, “Change and important conversations begin at the top.”

Speaking at the AI for Her initiative as part of the Global Impact Challenge, she said that the emphasis should not only be on developing fast and scalable solutions, but also on developing meaningful ones. She said, “Today, we are celebrating women who are building AI that matters—AI with purpose, context, and human outcomes at its core.”

In terms of the TechBee initiative, she said that the current pool of HCL Tech has 10,000 people, 50 percent of whom are women. She added, “Our aim is that 35 percent of new hires at HCL Tech should come from this TechBee pool.”

In terms of HCL's transition into software products, Roshni said that traditionally, 30-40 percent of women were involved in developing software. However, now, in this particular business area that contributes 25 percent to HCL's revenues, 40 percent of the total workforce is women.

She also talked about the GUVI initiative, which is collaboration between the Government of Uttar Pradesh and South Asian Women in Tech, where tens of thousands of women have engaged in learning and entering the field of AI. She spoke about a commitment to upskill 500,000 women in South Asia in generative AI.

Speaking about women’s engagement in STEM, she said that women worldwide comprise less than a third of the STEM workforce, and even fewer in data and AI. However, she added that India is slightly better off, having beaten the global average.

She also emphasized that the gap widens as one moves into middle management and above. “This is not only a representation gap but also an innovation gap, where key perspectives are missing,” she said.