Women at the helm

Despite companies becoming more vocal about gender?equality and inclusivity, many leadership roles remain male-dominated. Yet the women featured below are proving that disrupting the status quo is beneficial to to parity in the workplace, and a company's bottom line.

DEI: Anita Tulsiani is now the chief marketing officer at insurtech company Carpe Data , but as a first-generation Indian woman, the journey there was not without its barriers. Still, she knew she wanted to be in this field.

"Instead of being underestimated, I have been underutilized throughout my career," Tulsiani says. "But then I have to ask myself, 'How much of myself do I give?' Women have to work extra hard to get the limelight — and it's not always for a title change or money."

Tulsiani shares her journey through the hierarchical ladder and how women can support other women in male-dominated spaces.?

Read: Women leadership in insurance: How this CMO reached the C-suite

CO-CEOS: The concept of having co-CEOs is not new, but it is rare. Only seven companies in the Fortune 500 currently use this model, according to Harvard Business Review. Yet at Cleo , whose clients include Pinterest , Salesforce and 百事 , among others, the concept of a team approach is so foundational, Cleo's board tapped chief clinical officer Madhavi Vemireddy, MD , and chief operations officer and senior vice president of legal and compliance Tsion Sunshine Lencho , to share the position.

"We like to play to our strengths, and what we're really modeling for others is how you can create sustainable professional workforces, and also reminding our workforce that it doesn't all fall on a single person — you need to be able to lean on each other," Lencho says.

Vemireddy and Lencho reveal how they make their partnership work, and their plans for the platform in this Q&A:

Read: At caregiving platform Cleo, 2 CEOs are better than 1

NOMINATE: Do you know an exceptional leader who deserves to be recognized in our annual Excellence in Benefits Awards? Nominations are open for just a few more days. Fill out the form below to nominate an HR leader, tech innovator or outstanding adviser and they could be featured in EBN and at our in-person event this September. The last day to apply is April 14.

NOMINATE: Celebrate industry leaders with EBN's 2023 Excellence in Benefits Awards