The annual list, selected by Women We Admire, features executives who promote disruptive strategies and innovation, create seamless, personalised digital experiences, increase engagement, and cultivate brand loyalty.
Five Indian American women are among Women We Admire’s ‘Top 25 Women Chief Digital Officers of 2024,’ a list of leaders “instrumental in leading digital transformation initiatives within their respective organisations.” Five women of Indian American descent who are “instrumental in leading digital transformation initiatives within their respective organisations” are included in Women We Admire’s “Top 25 Women Chief Digital Officers of 2024” list. They consist of Reeny Sondhi, Ekta Chopra, Prama Bhatt, Sushmita Biswas, and Sehr Thadhani. According to Women We Admire, a news and information resource on today’s women leaders in a variety of fields, these women “foster innovation and drive disruptive strategies; develop personalised and seamless digital experiences that resonate with their customers, improve engagement, and build brand loyalty.”
Sushmita Biswas is the chief digital officer of USAA, LifeCo. The financial services executive has more than 20 years of expertise in data analytics, product and operations management, and digital strategy and transformation. She began her career at Standard Chartered Bank in 2002 as a relationship manager. From there, she progressed to her most recent role before joining USAA at Liberty Mutual Insurance as head of property claims digital, strategy and vendor management, and global retail markets. She received her MBA in strategy and finance from MIT Sloan School of Management and her PGDM in marketing and general management from Indian Institute of Management, Indore.
Sehr Thadhani is a chief digital officer at Nasdaq, where she develops and implements strategic initiatives for long-term success across consumer engagement, client experience, market expansion, and brand strategy. During the Obama Administration, she was a trusted thought partner and advisor to executives at GE, Samsung, the Department of Education, and the White House. She has held senior executive and advisory roles at Google, NBC, Viacom, Silicon Foundry, and Edelman Digital. She graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and voice performance, New York University with an MS in global affairs, and Columbia Business School with an MBA. She is a co-founder of a nonprofit organisation that assisted more than 150 women with physical disabilities in achieving financial independence and is a trained opera singer. She spent her early years travelling the world and living in five different countries before settling in Miami.
Ekta Chopra is the chief digital officer at e.l.f. Beauty, and is responsible for digital transformation, and leading the company’s digital efforts to grow our digital footprint across the globe. She left the James Irvine Foundation in January 2016 to join e.l.f., where she developed and oversaw an effective technology strategy for a portfolio of investments. She worked for Charming Charlie as the vice president of technology prior to that. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a minor in finance and an undergraduate degree in technology and operations management. She likes to work as a volunteer technical capacity builder for non-profits and is a thought leader in Silicon Valley CIO/CTO groups.
As Ulta Beauty’s Chief Digital Officer, Prama Bhatt, and her team reinvent beauty engagement through innovative, reimagined digital and omnichannel experiences. Since joining the Fortune 500 retailer in 2014, she currently oversees a digital team of experts across various platforms. Before her current role, Bhatt was both an SVP and VP of digital and e-commerce at Ulta Beauty. She oversaw groups at Kenneth Cole and Toys R Us prior to that. In addition to her experience in the retail sector, she has worked as a management consultant at Booz Allen and held multiple positions in Ford Motor Company related to product strategy, design, and development. She graduated from Oakland University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Wayne State University with a master’s degree in the same field, and the University with an MBA in corporate strategy.
Reeny Sondhi is chief digital officer at Twilio, and is responsible for information and corporate security, as well as Information Technology. She joined Twilio from Autodesk where she was a chief security officer. She also serves on the board of Rapid7, a growth business in cybersecurity. She made a transition to security after many years in product management launching multiple hardware and software products. She was recently named one of the 100 Executive Women in Tech to Watch in 2023 by the womentech network. Passionate about promoting diversity in technology and information security, she has served as a mentor for various Women in Technology programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications and a Master of Business Administration.
