The Consulting Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Women Leaders in Consulting for 2025. This year’s awardees include seasoned consultants and high-ranking leaders within their firms who are redefining what it means to lead in a dynamic, client-driven industry. They bring deep expertise across sectors including healthcare, life sciences, technology, government, supply chain, finance, and the bioeconomy. Whether advising Fortune 500 companies, public sector agencies, or fast-growing startups, this year’s awardees are trusted partners in solving complex challenges and accelerating transformation.
What distinguishes these women is not only the scope of their knowledge, but also the impact of their work—from implementing enterprise-wide digital strategies and guiding large-scale restructuring efforts, to mentoring the next generation of talent and advancing diversity in leadership. Their influence extends across continents, industries, and client types, reflecting the evolving nature of consulting in an increasingly interconnected world.
Among this year’s awardees is Maryalice DeCamp, Managing Director at EY, who has led complex, cross-border transformations for global life sciences clients and plays a key role in EY’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women program for the East region. Adita Karkera, PhD, Chief Data Officer for Government and Public Services at Deloitte, has driven data strategy across federal and state agencies and helped establish Arkansas’s first Chief Data Office. Lucimary Henrique, Chief Revenue Officer for South Latam at Capgemini, oversees sales and strategic growth across the region and has led major innovation initiatives following senior roles at Salesforce, Oracle, and Deloitte.
This year’s awardees were selected through a methodical process and careful consideration of each candidate’s career track record and industry contributions. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Women Leaders in Consulting for 2025.
1. Maryalice DeCamp
Firm: EY
Title: Managing Director
Maryalice DeCamp is a Managing Director at EY. She is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of global client service experience, specializing in management consulting within the Life Sciences sector. Since joining Ernst & Young’s (EY) Global Life Sciences practice in 2013, she has been instrumental in delivering exceptional service to leading global clients across New England. Her extensive EY network, coupled with deep expertise in managing complex, cross-border initiatives, ensures clients benefit from an integrated, collaborative approach across EY’s global teams.
A trusted advisor, Maryalice is known for her transparency, directness, creativity, and flexibility. She is a recognized thought leader on the disruptive forces reshaping the business landscape and is adept at guiding clients through complex transformations with strategic insight.
Maryalice is a champion of inclusive cultures and is also a dedicated mentor and coach, actively supporting and empowering emerging women leaders in the Boston area. Maryalice plays a prominent role in EY’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women program for the East region, demonstrating her commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and advancing women in business.
Prior to EY, Maryalice held significant leadership positions, including Chief Audit Executive at a public firm, Partner at CSC Consulting, and leadership roles at IBM Global Services. Throughout her career, she has led transformational initiatives across finance, HR, procurement, and IT, and supported complex transactions including acquisitions and divestitures for Life Sciences companies.
Maryalice co-authored the “Exponential Impact” article, successfully building the business case that secured leadership approval and investment. This year-long initiative, developed in close collaboration with marketing and industry experts, has informed strategic conversations across the women entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Maryalice holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University and has completed advanced executive education, including the Board Leadership and Executive Leadership Development Program at Harvard Business School and a Certificate in Executive Leadership from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, with a focus on consulting firm leadership, strategy, and marketing. Most recently, she earned an executive coaching certification from the Hudson Institute of Coaching.
Her professional affiliations include membership in the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) Boston Chapter, service on the programming committee of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) of New England, and board and audit committee service for The Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE), a non-profit supporting women entrepreneurs.
2. Adita Karkera
Firm: Deloitte
Title: Chief Data Officer, Government & Public Services
With over 25 years of industry experience, Adita Karkera, PhD, serves as the Chief Data Officer for Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Government and Public Services. She leads the data strategy to foster value creation from the firm’s data. She also serves as a leader in the Deloitte AI Institute for Government, providing strategic advice to government executives on data & AI enablement for efficiencies. Previously, Dr. Karkera served as the inaugural Deputy CDO for the State of Arkansas, pioneering a data-driven culture. She established the state’s first CDO office and served on Governor Hutchinson’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Board. Her emphasis on advancing data sharing and spearheading initiatives to improve the effectiveness of government programs and decision-making have positioned her as principal expert and passionate leader in data management.
Dr. Karkera devotes herself to empowering the next generation of data and AI leaders through formal and informal mentorship programs. Additionally, she serves on numerous industry boards, including the Editorial Board for CDO Magazine, the Data Leadership Collaborative and Women in Data, and is a founding member of World Leaders in Data & AI (WLDA), making her a leading voice in data and AI thought leadership. She has been nationally honored by many organizations for her exemplary work in striving for efficiencies in public service.
3. Lucimary Henrique
Firm: Capgemini
Title: Chief Revenue Officer
Lucimary Henrique is the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) South Latam at Capgemini, a global consulting, technology services, and digital transformation company. The firm focuses on three key areas: customer experience, intelligent industry, and enterprise management, through key technologies such as cloud, data, and artificial intelligence, while working to improve clients’ cybersecurity and environmental impact.
As CRO, Lucimary is responsible for sales and revenue across all segments/industries and the partner ecosystem; and for the sustainable growth of the region by balancing the company's four main indicators. She also leads an internal project of continuous transformation and innovation with clients.
Prior to Capgemini, Lucimary was Regional Vice President at Salesforce for over four years, Director of Innovation and Pre-Sales at Oracle for over five years, Global CMO at Suzano Papel e Celulose, and worked for many years at Deloitte leading transformational technology projects.
Lucimary is also an advisory member of three companies and a mentor for women entrepreneurs, as well as a Professor at FGV. She is completing her Chief Revenue Officer Program at Wharton University in June 2025.
4. Bianca den Elsen
Firm: Valcon
Title: Managing Partner
Bianca den Elsen is a Managing Partner at Valcon in the Netherlands and has over 23 years of experience in consultancy and managerial roles. Valcon is a full-service provider that works at the intersection between consultancy, technology, data, advanced analytics and strategy, with offices in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and Germany and nearshore locations in Serbia and Croatia.
Bianca previously worked for Accenture for over 16 years, becoming Managing Partner for BPO in the Netherlands and the Philippines. In 2015, Bianca joined Deloitte Consulting as Partner before becoming part of the executive committee of Deloitte Netherlands in 2019, responsible for clients and industries.
5. Sarah Johnson
Firm: RSM US
Title: Partner
Sarah Johnson is a Partner of RSM US LLP, a provider of assurance, tax and consulting services to middle market leaders globally. She has been with the firm since 2001, providing tax advisory services to a diverse client base of both public and privately held companies with broad industry expertise serving software, medical device, manufacturing, distributing and professional services companies.
As an experienced account leader, Sarah’s approach to client service promotes tax minimization and assists management in understanding the tax implications of business decisions and transactions by gaining a deep understanding of the evolving needs of their enterprise.
Sarah is a member of the firm’s national technology, media and telecommunications industry team. As a leader on the technology industry team, she is a tax relationship lead with specific private equity groups prominent in the industry. Sarah collaborates with teams from across RSM globally to bring the right experience and best solutions to their portfolio companies, driving effective collaboration with members of specialty practices to create a better client experience and detailed account plans to fit the unique needs of each portfolio company’s management team.
Sarah is also a leader in the corporation tax practice of RSM and has extensive experience assisting multinational, multistate companies with complex technical matters including the areas of accounting for income taxes, deferred revenue, stock-based compensation, indefinite-lived intangibles and analysis of acquisitions, divestitures, mergers and acquisitions.
She serves as an SEC tax partner assisting clients in the area of accounting for income taxes, including financial statement disclosures, analysis of uncertain tax positions and interim reporting. This experience has led to her position as a firm designated ASC 740 specialist in the areas of tax accounting for business combinations and valuation allowances.
Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota–Duluth and a master’s degree in business taxation from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
5. Anaita Kasad
Firm: Guidehouse
Title: Partner
Anaita Kasad is a Partner at Guidehouse and leads the firm’s U.S. state and local government practice, helping state and local governments nationwide by strengthening their communities and building a more resilient future. Anaita has more than 25 years of experience working with public sector clients on their operational efficiency, workforce transformation, grants management, operations, and more.
With a focus on the New York City, New York State, and New Jersey communities, Anaita assists local leaders on vital issues, including public housing, disaster recovery, and transportation. Additionally, Anaita serves on the Executive Board of the Regional Plan Association.
Prior to joining the public sector, Anaita worked in Guidehouse’s Financial Services segment, focusing on compliance and operations in capital markets and banking. Anaita holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
6. Sara Yamase
Firm: Simon-Kucher
Title: Managing Partner of Technology, Media & Telecom
Sara Yamase is the Managing Partner of Technology, Media & Telecom at Simon-Kucher, a global consultancy focused on unlocking commercial growth for businesses. With over 2,000 experts in more than 30 countries, Simon-Kucher has been guiding companies for 40 years to achieve sustainable, profitable growth. Today, Simon-Kucher provides complete commercial growth solutions, including sales excellence, digital transformation, and innovation.
Based in the Houston office, Yamase’s expertise spans growth strategy, product commercialization, price model design, and monetizing innovation. She is passionate about helping companies navigate the complexities of launching new products, optimizing their go-to-market strategies, and building sustainable business models. Leveraging advanced analytics and industry expertise, she has designed solutions that drive lasting success, from product bundling strategies to customer-focused monetization frameworks.
Yamase earned her MBA with honors from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where she also completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in operations research and management science.
Beyond consulting, Yamase is an influential thought leader in the tech space. As a contributing editor for the book Monetizing Innovation, she has shared insights that have shaped industry best practices. She is a sought-after speaker at high-profile events such as Ardensi, AWS, South by Southwest, and the Professional Pricing Society (PPS), where she inspires audiences with her engaging storytelling, data-driven insights, and actionable advice.
7. Silvana Dimitrov
Firm: MathCo
Title: Partner
Silvana Dimitrov is a Partner at MathCo, a global enterprise AI and analytics company, trusted for data-driven decision making by some of the largest organizations across industries. Founded in 2016, MathCo builds custom data products through its innovative hybrid model and transfers the ownership of intellectual properties to its clients. Dimitrov joined the company in 2022 as a principal consultant.
Previously, Dimitrov was a Revenue Management Director - Asia at Carlsberg Group and Head of Revenue Management - Africa and South Africa. Earlier in her career, she worked with Sappi as a marketing manager in retail and industrial.
Dimitrov earned an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria and a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from the University of Pretoria.
8. Becca Buell
Firm: Spaulding Ridge
Title: Managing Director
Becca Buell is a Managing Director at Spaulding Ridge, recognized for her expertise in driving efficiency, innovation, and transformational change across business systems and processes. With a background in finance and sales operations, Becca helps organizations streamline planning, reporting, and process management to achieve sustainable success.
Becca builds strong, trusting relationships with her clients and excels at guiding them through complex change with best-practice solution delivery. As an Executive Sponsor, she has led high-impact implementations for various Fortune 500 technology companies, driving revenue growth, workforce optimization, and cost management.
Beyond her business impact, Becca is a passionate advocate for culture, mentorship, and inclusion. She plays a key leadership role in Spaulding Ridge’s Women Elevate initiative, serving as Partner Sponsor for the Chicago roundtable where she engaged dozens of senior women executives.
She also co-developed the Women Elevate Roundtable Operating Model playbook for Chicago and New York City and regularly mentors junior employees and emerging leaders. Her commitment to advancing women and minorities in technology extends beyond Spaulding Ridge, as she serves as an Associate Board Member for Badgers in Technology.
Prior to joining Spaulding Ridge, Becca designed and implemented financial planning and forecasting solutions across multiple EPM platforms, supporting workforce, capex, resource, and project planning use cases. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
9. Robin Dufresne
Firm: CSG Government Solutions
Title: Executive Vice President
Robin Dufresne is an Executive Vice President and Senior Practice Director with CSG Government Solutions, a leader in IT management consulting for complex projects that modernize the technology and business processes of large government programs. Dufresne leads market development and manages a large portfolio of projects within CSG’s Child Support, Child Welfare, and Program Modernization practices.
She also previously led CSG’s Healthcare and Human Services practice for nine years. Since she joined CSG in 2012, Dufresne has had a significant impact on its growth and culture, supporting the expansion of its footprint to serve 49 states and territories, significantly growing its workforce, and establishing a reputation for excellence in management consulting. She serves as faculty for CSG’s internal Leadership Training course, investing her time in growing and mentoring future leaders.
Dufresne has 20 years of IT consulting experience and is a nationally recognized thought leader in government public assistance programs. She has collaborated with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a member of the Medicaid Technology Alliance to help guide states toward the implementation of modular systems that lower operational costs and improve outcomes.
She also served as the board chair for the Private Sector Technology Group and led collaboration activities between CMS and the State Technology Advisory Group. Dufresne previously served as the Medicaid Operations Director for MaineCare Services and has a master’s degree in management and healthcare administration from New England College.
10. Christine Brandt Jones
Firm: Prophet
Title: Senior Partner
With over 30 years of experience, Christine Brandt Jones is a Senior Partner at Prophet leading the firm’s global 25-plus person strategic insights and analytics practice. Prior to Prophet, she spent 17 years at American Express, culminating in leading the Global Marketplace Insights department. At American Express, she drove many strategic initiatives, including the development of products and services such as Blue from American Express, The Centurion Card, and Membership Rewards.
Her ability to channel consumer insight into strategy has also led to the development of marketing products and programs for clients across multiple industries, including financial services, healthcare, hospitality, beverages, insurance, and sports. Christine is especially skilled at building high-performing teams at both American Express and Prophet, teams that leverage qualitative and quantitative data to deliver deep human insights and drive growth for clients.
Prior to joining Prophet, Christine ran her own consulting practice for six years. Beyond her professional achievements, Christine is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She has empowered women and underrepresented groups within the consulting industry through her commitment to mentorship and leadership development, inspiring countless professionals to reach their full potential.
11. Clare Harris
Firm: Proxima Group
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Clare Harris is the Chief Operating Officer of Proxima Group. During her 25-year career, she has built a reputation as a leader in the industry, working with and managing complex projects for some of the world’s most recognized brands. Harris has held several leadership roles across procurement and supply chain consultancy with Proxima and has played a key role in steering the company’s growth and operational excellence.
With a background in retail, Harris has played an important role in Proxima’s growth in the sector. Following Proxima’s acquisition by global consultancy Bain & Company in 2022, Harris has been instrumental in integrating the two companies’ services to leverage their combined expertise.
12. Mary Bernia
Firm: Consulum
Title: Senior Partner and Head of Proposals
Mary Bernia is Consulum's Head of Proposals and strategic counsel to Consulum’ senior clients. As head of proposals, she is responsible for matching Consulum's broad range of sector-specific expertise against the strategic imperatives of potential government clients.
Her work is informed by her deep expertise in all aspects of strategic government communications, reputation management and stakeholder management. She has more than 18 years of communications experience gained in government entities in both the UK and Saudi Arabia across investment, arts and culture, local government, criminal justice and higher education.
Mary has worked with leading KSA ministries and commissions such as PIF, the Ministry of Investment, Ministry of Culture and Diriyah developing communications strategies, directing program delivery and advising ministers and leadership on personal positioning.
Prior to Consulum, Mary built and led the communications function for the UK police regulator on the criminal investigation into Hillsborough, the country’s worst stadium disaster in which 97 football fans died, managing relationships with global tier one media, senior members of UK government and bereaved families. Prior to this she led a communications team at a UK university where she delivered award-winning campaigns and advised leadership on policy communications.
13. Julie Gebauer
Firm: Willis Towers Watson
Title: Global Head, Health, Wealth & Career
Julie Gebauer leads WTW’s Health, Wealth & Career global business segment, with over 15,000 colleagues in over 100 countries committed to helping organizations and their employees realize their potential. Her teams help organizations address critical people issues, designing essential total reward programs, driving performance-enhancing behaviors, managing the cost and risk of employee reward programs and creating great places to work.
Gebauer is a member of the company's Executive Team. She personally consults on a broad range of HR issues, including workforce analytics, human capital strategy, talent management and total rewards. She has worked with many global companies on a wide range of HR issues and assists organizations in evaluating workforce needs and gaps, and developing and implementing talent management and total reward strategies to support business goals.
Gebauer graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She is co-author of the book Closing the Engagement Gap, published in 2008. She is a frequent speaker on global workforce management and total rewards and has taught executive education seminars at Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin. Before joining Towers Perrin in 1986, Gebauer was an associate at Hewitt Associates.
14. Lisa Pryor
Firm: Kaiser Associates
Title: Partner, Global Consumer & Retail
Lisa Pryor is the global lead for the Consumer & Retail practice at Kaiser Associates, a boutique strategy consulting firm specializing in insights-driven growth and performance improvement. With over 33 years of consulting experience, Pryor is a trusted strategy advisor and thought partner to the most admired Consumer & Retail companies and Consumer PE investors worldwide. She also advises early-stage consumer brands/portfolio companies.
Pryor has deep consumer and retail sector expertise, a robust industry network, and a passion for brands. Her areas of expertise are whitespace growth and market entry, G2M strategy and capability building, and commercial due diligence. She and her team have a track record of generating unique insights that unlock growth for our clients and create competitive advantage.
Pryor joined Kaiser in 1990 and achieved an accelerated path from associate consultant to Partner. Over her long tenure at Kaiser, Pryor founded and led the firm’s European business, and served as the firm’s Global Managing Partner for multiple terms. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.
15. Diane Leung
Firm: Altman Solon
Title: Partner
Diane Leung is the Head of Altman Solon’s global Analytics Innovation practice, specializing in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced data analytics for the telecom, media, and technology (TMT) sector. Under her leadership, the practice has developed a robust portfolio of AI-driven analytics solutions, integrating cutting-edge machine learning algorithms, sophisticated data engineering techniques, and dynamic visualization tools to empower clients with data-driven decision-making.
Diane’s expertise lies in bridging technical innovation with business strategy, ensuring that organizations can effectively harness AI and analytics to drive growth and competitive advantage.
With extensive experience leading large-scale data and machine learning initiatives, Diane has been instrumental in developing high-impact AI/ML solutions that optimize operations, enhance customer engagement, and fuel strategic decision-making. Her work spans digital transformation projects, advanced marketing analytics, measurement framework design, and deep-dive analyses of strategic business drivers—all aimed at providing actionable insights that deliver tangible business value.
In her most recent endeavor, Diane spearheaded the development of a proprietary generative AI-powered chatbot for Altman Solon, revolutionizing the firm’s internal knowledge management and operational efficiency. This intelligent chatbot leverages large language models (LLMs) to provide seamless access to Altman Solon’s extensive knowledge base, allowing consultants to retrieve critical insights quickly and efficiently.
Diane’s passion for innovation and strategic problem-solving has helped Altman Solon enhance its analytics capabilities, equipping clients with data-driven insights that drive smarter business decisions in an increasingly AI-powered world. Finally, Diane is a leader of the firm's Women at Altman Solon program, where she mentors women and designs programming to support professional training and career growth.
16. Allison Ford-Langstaff
Firm: 4C Associates
Title: Managing Partner
Allison Ford-Langstaff is a Managing Partner at 4C Associates, a global commercial, supply chain, and operations consultancy. With over 30 years experience in both industry and consulting roles, Allison oversees all the capabilities 4C offers and during her time at 4C, has expanded its service portfolio to a comprehensive suite that includes procurement, supply chain, operations, strategy, operating model and organization design, capability development, sustainability, and digital innovation solutions. She also founded the 4C Learning Academy and oversees the Early Consulting Careers team.
Throughout her career, Allison has consistently delivered real impact, helping organizations navigate their biggest challenges. She has led multi-million-pound commercial programs, driving cost savings and revenue enhancement while enhancing supply chain resilience and sustainability, across multiple sectors from media and telecoms, manufacturing, hospitality to banking and insurance.
Her transformative work, both on a strategic and operational level, ensures businesses remain competitive in an increasingly complex landscape. A key strength is her expertise in capability development, personally coaching leaders and designing transformative learning pathways to equip teams with the right technical and behavioural skills for success.
Allison’s influence extends beyond the private sector, having played a critical role in high-stakes public sector initiatives. During the COVID-19 crisis, she helped mobilize procurement efforts for the UK’s PPE and Test and Trace programs at an unprecedented scale. She has also contributed to UK nuclear energy projects and supported Ministry of Defence initiatives, strengthening national resilience and security.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (FCIPS) and a lecturer at the University of Warwick, Allison is a recognized expert and thought leader in procurement and supply chains and regularly publishes reports, articles and insights on various topics to translate strategy into tangible action.
Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in languages from the University of Wales, Lampeter and the University of Göteborg, Sweden and holds an MBA from the University of Birmingham. She is currently studying creative writing at the University of Oxford.
16. Katie Maloney
Firm: DeciBio Consulting
Title: Managing Partner
Katie Maloney is a Partner at DeciBio and Managing Director of DeciBio Consulting Ltd, leading the firm’s European expansion. Since DeciBio’s London office launched, she has driven significant team size and revenue growth.
A recognized leader in oncology diagnostics, CDx, liquid biopsy, and digital pathology, Maloney has led DeciBio’s flagship digital pathology report and advised Fortune 500 companies, startups, and investors on product launches, geographic expansions, and major M&A deals. She also champions company-wide initiatives in recruiting, training, and inclusivity, notably as Chair of DeciBio’s Women in Consulting group.
Maloney holds a bachelor’s degree in health promotion and disease prevention from the University of Southern California.
17. Umran Beba
Firm: August Leadership
Title: Partner
Umran Beba is a Partner at August Leadership. Her career spans nearly 35 years, including 25 transformative years at PepsiCo, where she held senior leadership roles such as Asia Pacific President, AMENA Chief HR Officer, and Global Chief Diversity Officer. At PepsiCo, she spearheaded critical transformation initiatives that drove organizational growth and mentored future leaders.
Since transitioning to consulting, Umran has expanded her impact by developing leadership advisory and inclusion and equity practices at August Leadership in addition to executive search. Her contributions include coaching and mentoring CEOs, CHROs, and CGOs to enhance organizational performance and develop leadership pipelines.
She has worked on high-impact projects such as evaluating executive leaders for fair compensation outcomes, benchmarking compensation for global organizations, assessing future leaders and delivering women’s leadership development programs in addition to executive search projects.
In addition to her client-facing work, Umran has made significant contributions within August Leadership. She developed a comprehensive inclusive leadership training program for the firm’s partners and employees, consisting of seven modules with follow-ups in compliance with legal guidelines. As the leader of the Partners Council for two years, she drove sustainable growth, spearheaded platform development, and coordinated business development workshops to empower partners.
Beyond her organizational contributions, Umran is a recognized thought leader in talent management and development. Representing August Leadership at global conferences, she has received numerous accolades for her work and continues to mentor women and youth through various mentorship programs, fostering their development as leaders and innovators.
As a co-founder of the Beba Foundation, she collaborates with leading universities worldwide to support innovative youth and aspiring women entrepreneurs, helping them transform their ideas into tangible products and services for global markets.
Umran sits on the boards of Bakkavor Group plc, BIS Integrated Business Solutions, and International Youth Foundation.
18. Kandy White
Firm: Athena
Title: Chief Operations Officer
Kandy White is a Chief Operating Officer at Athena. In her role, she is responsible for enabling entrepreneurs and leaders to achieve their full potential through 10x delegation, executive partner support, and coaching to maximize outcomes of the relationships. White joined the company in 2023 as head of technology, leading technology organization through transition comprising team members in five continents supporting over 50 unique platforms and apps.
Previously, White was Vice President, Global Head of Operations: Human Resources and Learning Services at Conduent and a Senior Vice President, Head of Global Operations at Altisource. She was also a Vice President of Service Technology, Small Business Services (SBS) at ADP. Earlier in her career, she worked with Verizon Consumer and Mass Business Information Technology.
19. Nidhi Alexander
Firm: Hexaware Technologies
Title: Chief Marketing Officer
Nidhi Alexander is the Chief Marketing Officer at Hexaware Technologies, where she drives brand strategy, analyst relations, and marketing innovation. With over 25 years of experience across journalism, field marketing, academic relations, and employer branding, Nidhi is a results-driven leader known for delivering remarkable business outcomes.
Nidhi began her career in journalism with Star Television (News Corp), contributing to award-winning programs like Focus Asia and National Geographic Today, before transitioning to leadership roles at Infosys and Mindtree.
Since taking up the role at Hexaware in 2022, Nidhi has transformed the company’s marketing initiatives. Hexaware achieved 124.5% brand value growth in the past four years. She has built a strong analyst and advisor relations practice, securing 111 accolades from leading firms in 2024 alone.
Nidhi holds a bachelor’s degree in arts from the University of Delhi and a postgraduate diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.
20. Darshana Pai
Firm: Virtusa
Title: SVP, Delivery
Darshana Pai is Head of Delivery Excellence and Transformation at Virtusa. The charter for this function is to create a next-gen delivery platform powered by tools, automation and predictive analytics to achieve business goals. This scalable platform will help organizations to deliver solutions to global customers with speed, quality and predictability. Delivery governance focuses on creating and auditing controls to ensure robust risk mitigation strategy.
Prior to this role, Darshana was heading Virtusa’s Banking and Financial Services (BFS) Business unit for Americas, Europe and Rest of World regions. She was responsible for enhancing customer experience through delivery excellence, employee engagement and growth of this SBU. She led a large team of professionals across delivery centers in Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and onsite client locations.
Darshana also has extensive experience in running complex business and technology transformation programs delivering business outcomes to customers. She joined Virtusa as Hyderabad Center delivery head. In this role, she helped scale the center from 1,000 employees to 3,500 employees by building a strong delivery leadership team, grooming talent from within and running campus recruitment and training programs.
Before joining Virtusa, Darshana worked in leadership positions for organizations such as Wipro, Capgemini, Satyam and Patni Computers over the last 20 years. She brings in varied professional experience from the IT Industry after having led large teams delivering multi-million-dollar IT solutions to customers in Retail & CPG, Finance, Energy & Utilities, Travel & Leisure, Logistics and Government sectors spread across Europe, the U.S., Australia, Singapore, and Japan. Darshana has travelled extensively across the globe and brings with her vast knowledge and experiences on people, culture, technology and business.
Darshana holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Mumbai University and a master’s degree in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.
21. Leela Venkatram
Firm: Exdion Solutions
Title: Vice President
Leela Venkatram is a Vice President at Exdion Solutions. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic foresight in driving transformative growth and operational excellence within Exdion’s insurance brokerage division. With full Profit & Loss (P&L) responsibility, she has successfully led a diverse and high-performing team of over 200 professionals across India and the U.S., steering the division toward remarkable success.
Under her leadership, Exdion’s brokerage division has achieved 30% year-over-year revenue growth, maintaining a robust 20% EBITA, and generating an annual revenue of $8 million. Leela has been instrumental in managing large-scale client relationships, including five of the world’s top 10 insurance brokers. She has led strategic initiatives that enhanced client growth, strengthened market presence, and secured industry accolades.
Beyond revenue and client management, Leela has played a strategic role in business expansion and funding, collaborating with investment banking teams to identify growth opportunities. Her CXO-level interactions have been instrumental in driving digital transformation, product innovation, and change management across leading insurance enterprises.
Leela is also a thought leader in the InsurTech space, actively engaging in premier industry events such as NetVU and Applied Net. Her expertise in marketing, sales strategy, and product development has fueled Exdion’s expansion and reinforced its position as a market leader.
With a deep understanding of product vision and strategy, Leela has successfully bridged operational gaps by integrating cutting-edge solutions into insurance agencies’ workflows, enhancing efficiency and scalability. Her product roadmaps and execution strategies have been meticulously designed to achieve a 3x revenue increase.
22. Shilpi Swami
Firm: ConnectHEOR Limited
Title: Vice President
Shilpi Swami the Vice President at ConnectHEOR Limited. She is a globally recognized leader in healthcare consulting, driving innovation at the intersection of economics, technology, and data science to improve healthcare access and outcomes.
As Vice President (Consulting & Strategy) of ConnectHEOR, she is shaping the future of healthcare decision-making through research, innovation, strategic insights, and evidence-based solutions. With a career spanning the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and global consulting, Shilpi has played a pivotal role in advancing approaches that strengthen healthcare systems.
At ConnectHEOR, Shilpi’s strategic acumen has driven significant growth of the company by navigating complex market dynamics and adopting innovative technologies. Her leadership has enabled the company to capture new opportunities in emerging markets globally with a transformative focus on implementing gen-AI and data analytics.
A respected voice in healthcare policy and research, Shilpi actively contributes to global forums, including ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research, where she serves as Member Engagement Co-Chair. A prolific author, she has co-authored over 35 scientific publications, significantly shaping the discourse on health economics, access, affordability, and innovation.
Shilpi’s commitment to social impact extends beyond her professional endeavors, founding “Hope in Pandemic”, a social initiative that enhanced resilience during the COVID-19 crisis bringing global stories of hope and evidence-based information to the forefront. She remains committed to mentoring young professionals and supporting health and education initiatives worldwide.
Shilpi holds advanced degrees in international economics and economics.
23. Leslie Kawai
Firm: The RBL Group
Title: Principal Consultant
Leslie Kawai is a principal consultant with The RBL Group where she works with organizations worldwide as an executive coach and leadership development strategist/program designer to improve performance and agility.
Leslie helps clients assess and develop learning and development programs that optimize cognitive, behavioral, and affective leadership competencies and build executive skills to manage ambiguity, leverage complexity, and lead with agility. Leslie’s client list includes Walgreens-Boots-Alliance, Hyatt, American Express, Alcon, DOMO, Silicon Valley Bank, SaltStack, Global Education Allies, Silicon Slopes, Charter Manufacturing, NuSkin, and Inside Sales. Leslie is MENTOR certified and has worked extensively with a private client list coaching high-level entrepreneurs and executives in developing and delivering high-stakes presentations.
Before joining The RBL Group, Leslie co-founded Leverage Communications and was an adjunct faculty member in the department of Organizational Leadership and Strategy at Brigham Young University’s (BYU) Marriott School of Business where she developed faculty training and learning-outcome-assessment models as the associate director of the management communications program.
Leslie is passionate about social impact and has advised or served on the board of several nonprofit organizations including Care Cuts, nonprofit that addresses homelessness; One Heart Bulgaria, nonprofit that aids orphans and children with special needs in Bulgaria; RealVictory, nonprofit that researches cognitive-behavior/technology programs to reduce recidivism among criminal offenders; Mabira Collective (formerly Musana International), nonprofit that employs and empowers women in Africa; and Soul Food USA, nonprofit that feeds the homeless.
Leslie holds a master’s degree from BYU’s organizational-behavior program. She has also taught culture shock and communications curriculum courses as a guest instructor for international student programs in Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, and New York.
24. Tanya Lebedzeva
Firm: ScienceSoft
Title: Director of Strategy
Tanya Lebedzeva is the Director of Strategy at ScienceSoft, a Texas-based IT consulting company that provides software engineering and digital transformation services for mid-sized and large businesses, including Fortune 500 companies. Tanya drives ScienceSoft’s growth and competitive differentiation by refining company processes, aligning service portfolios with client needs, and strengthening and guiding collaboration across teams.
Tanya began her career in IT consulting over a decade ago. By 2020, she was leading ScienceSoft’s business analysis team of over 40 experts, standardizing their practices, expanding training programs, and strengthening R&D. Her efforts directly contributed to the company’s ability to deliver high-impact technology solutions.
In 2024, Tanya became Director of Strategy, working across sales, technical, and delivery teams to enhance service quality, optimize performance, and accelerate innovation. She contributed significantly to ScienceSoft’s shift from a function-based structure (separate technology divisions) to a project-driven, collaboration-first model.
With Tanya’s support, ScienceSoft established the Solution & Technology Center of Excellence and the Competence, aiming to unite the experts from previously separate fields of business analysis and software engineering. ScienceSoft reports that this restructuring has improved company-wide decision-making, increased agility, and upskill cross-functional teams in communicating and focusing the organization on fostering project success.
25. Elena Markovic
Firm: LEC Partners
Title: Director of Operations
Elena Markovic is the Director of Operations at LEC Partners, Inc., a globally preeminent bioeconomy consulting firm established in 1995 as Lee Enterprises Consulting. LEC leverages a team of more than 150 experts to advise clients across biofuels, biomaterials, biochemicals, biotechnologies, and feedstocks. The firm delivers integrated solutions—spanning due diligence, funding, engineering, project execution, and regulatory strategy—to shape the future of sustainable industries.
A multilingual executive with extensive experience in Europe and the United States, Elena brings a blend of strategic insight and operational acumen to her role. Her career includes a distinguished tenure at Carnival Corporation, where she earned multiple accolades for leadership in guest relations management.
At LEC, as a member of the executive leadership team, she has been a key architect of the firm’s 300% organic growth and orchestrated a marketing strategy that tripled its social media reach. As Director of Operations, she provides high-level oversight for over 600 projects, serving more than 500 clients with precision and foresight.
