Intel South Africa country manager recognised as Most Influential Woman for ICT

Videsha Proothveerajh, Intel Corporation South Africa Country Manager, has been recognised as the most Influential Woman in Business and Government for ICT, by CEO magazine, in a ceremony held on Friday, 30 July 2010.

South Africa's Most Influential Woman in Business and Government (MIW) recognises women across South Africa who are helping transform the country's social, economic and political landscape. Through a public nomination process and in conjunction with industry bodies and an expert panel of judges, the finalists and winners are chosen.

The ICT category recognises women who have claimed their rightful role in an industry that has a reputation of being male dominated in South Africa. Studies have indicated that only about 20% of the current ICT workforce is female, even less so in leadership roles.

Proothverajh has been heading up Intel South African operations for just over a year, and prior to her promotion was a key member of the Intel team since early 2008 and instrumental in taking Intel's multinational client business to new levels of success by building value adding relationships with key multinational partners, which has raised Intel's profile significantly in this area. She has a BCom degree, a postgraduate degree in business management and an MBA specialising in advanced strategic management, which she obtained with a distinction.

"Being a woman in the ICT sector at this time in the country is exciting and rewarding. ICT will continue to drive economic growth and leapfrog Africa into the knowledge economy. There is currently an unacceptable number of girls leaving school with good mathematics and science marks to pursue careers in ICT. My vision is to be a role model and champion of the possibilities and opportunities in this robust sector, and ultimately we can see a shift towards a more gender equal sector," says Proothverajh.

Proothverajh has spent the past 11 years working with very high-profile ICT companies. Prior to joining Intel, she worked for EDS South Africa as a client delivery executive. In addition to that she was partner account and channel manager and subsequently partner group manager for Microsoft South Africa. She is also a wife and a mother of two children.