A seal on brown and gold that says "The Economic Times, Best Workplaces for Women 2021, powered by Femina."

At AWS, we’re changing the face—and the future—of our industry for the better. Women thrive here because of our inclusive culture, leadership opportunities, and strong support initiatives. Its efforts behind creating a new benchmark for diversity and inclusion in the workplace was recognised by The Economic Times Best Workplaces for Women 2021 powered by Femina. “We salute their innovative mindset and determination,” reported ET Edge, an Economic Times Initiative.

There’s a collaborative effort at Amazon that makes everyone feel empowered, valued, and challenged every day
Shalini Meghlan
Global IT support manager at Amazon Internet Services Private Limited (AISPL), Hyderabad
Shalini Meghlan, Global IT Support Manager II at Amazon Internet Services Private Limited (AISPL)

Women thrive at AWS because of the inclusive culture, leadership opportunities, and strong support initiatives. “There’s a collaborative effort at Amazon that makes everyone feel empowered, valued, and challenged every day,” says Shalini Meghlan, Global IT Support Manager II at Amazon Internet Services Private Limited (AISPL), Hyderabad. She adds, “I have experienced growth not just professionally, but personally as well. The organization supports and promotes you to do your best, and just not in my capacity as a woman, but as my authentic self—and that for me is real power.”

For Mumbai-based Ekta Parashar, Head of Solutions Architecture, Large Enterprises, AISPL, democratising an entrepreneurial culture enables her to make faster decisions. “I am personally able to thrive in this environment,” she says, adding, “Amazon empowers me as a business leader and provides autonomy to experiment and innovate on behalf of our customers.”

Sachi Krishnan, APJ HR Lead for AWS.

At Amazon, we encourage our employees to bring their authentic voices to work every day.
Sachi Krishnan, APJ HR Lead for AWS

New benchmark for diversity and inclusion at work

Building a workplace where women can achieve their career aspirations has been a key priority for AWS. “At AWS, we believe that our ability to innovate on behalf of our customer is dependent upon the diversity of our teams. At Amazon, we encourage our employees to bring their authentic voices to work every day,” says Sachi Krishnan, APJ HR Lead for AWS.

“Building the next generation of digitally skilled workers means building a diverse and inclusive workforce. That’s a commitment we are moving towards in our hiring,” shares Rahul Sharma, President of AISPL’s Public Sector Business in India and South Asia. Many know AWS a major player in the digital space, but what most people don’t know is the work being put in at the organisational level to increase diversity in the workforce.

Rishita Acharya, Logistics Manager at AISPL

I have the freedom to express myself, feel valued and included, and get to experiment in my role.
Rishita Acharya, Logistics Manager at AISPL

Boosting India’s Women in STEM program

AWS is focused on building a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable (ID & E) workplace for the long term. AWS has been judged as one of the best places for women to build their skills, their network, their career, and most importantly, a sense of purpose. Says Rishita Acharya, Logistics Manager at AISPL, “I am involved in important decision making for the BOM teams, and that’s rewarding. I am able to make a real impact in my work supported by a clear career growth path. I have the freedom to express myself, feel valued and included, and get to experiment in my role.”

Amazon follows a core principle of hiring individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultivating a workplace culture of respect and inclusion, supported by its leadership principles. The goal here is to boost the number of women working in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field in India. In 2020, AWS launched the Re:Cruit June and TechConnect programmes, which are events to connect women with the organisation’s culture, teams, jobs and technology. Amazon held the first AWS DeepRacer Women’s League in India in 2021, an autonomous racing competition for developers using machine learning.

According to a report by AWS, India will need nine times as many digital workers by 2025 as it does right now. Puneet Chandok, President of AISPL’s Commercial Business in India and South Asia, says, “The world’s population is almost equally divided between men and women, so it stands to reason that our workforce should reflect this representation.”