Our Story & Leadership
About ACM-W India
Learn about our organisation, mission, governance, and the dedicated committee members driving gender equity in computing across India.
Who We Are
India’s largest network for women in tech
ACM-W India seeks to take forward the task of the ACM community, but with a particular focus on the empowerment of women in computing in India. ACM-W supports, celebrates, and advocates internationally for the full engagement of women in all aspects of the computing field.
ACM-W India aims to facilitate the technical growth of women by organising invited lectures, seminars, workshops, and informal meetings. It provides a platform for sharing information, resources, ideas, and experiences, while supporting women in their professional career growth.
ACM-W Student Chapters are created to help recruit and retain students in computing programmes. Professional Chapter-sponsored activities educate women about careers in computing and provide invaluable networking opportunities across India.
ACM-W India also promotes computer literacy in rural India, with the objective of empowering underprivileged women and children to be independent and self-reliant through technology.
Founded
2014 — India
Contact
Parent Organisation
ACM-W Global · Association for Computing Machinery
Reach
- 120+ active chapters
- 5,000+ registered members
- 300+ events annually
- 28 states covered
Key Programmes
- NariYukti Hackathon
- Lady Ada Programming Contest
- Grad Cohort Mentorship
- Seminars, Workshops & Summer Schools
Our Foundation
Mission, Vision & Values
To take forward the ACM community goals with a particular focus on the empowerment of women in computing in India — facilitating technical growth, providing networking platforms, and supporting women in their professional career journey.
A future where women in computing across India are fully engaged, recognised, and empowered — from rural communities gaining computer literacy to researchers and industry leaders shaping the future of technology.
Inclusion, technical excellence, mentorship, and community. We encourage women to participate in computing studies and research, face workplace challenges with confidence, and grow into leaders who inspire the next generation.
Leadership Spotlight
Meet our Chair
Dr. Geetanjali Kale
Chair · ACM-W India
ACM-W India Chair
Dr. Geetanjali Kale
Chair, ACM India Women Committee | Associate Professor, PICT PuneDr. Geetanjali Kale is a distinguished academic and a long-standing champion for women in computing. Currently serving as Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT), she has held several leadership roles including Head of the Department and Joint Training & Placement Officer. She has served on the Board of Studies in Computer Engineering and the Vocational Studies Board at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).
Dr. Geetanjali has been an active ACM India volunteer for over a decade, serving as Secretary-cum-Treasurer of ACM India-W, Chapter Summit Chair of ACM India, Chair of the ACM-W Pune Professional Chapter, and member of ACM India’s Internal Engagement Committee. Her leadership has been instrumental in the success of the PICT ACM Student Chapter, which has received multiple ACM India Outstanding Chapter Awards and the prestigious ACM Global Outstanding Website Award.
She is a Senior Member of both ACM and IEEE, with deep research interests in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Data Science, Generative AI, and innovations in education. As Chair of ACM India-W, she is committed to fostering inclusive growth, building stronger mentorship networks, and empowering women in computing across all stages of academia and industry.
Areas of Expertise
Governance
ACM-W India Committee (2025–2027)
Dr. Geetanjali Kale
Chair
PICT, Pune
Alpana Dubey
Vice-Chair
Accenture, Bangalore
Renuka Sindhghatta
Secretary / Treasurer
IBM, Bangalore
Rutvi Shah
Past Chair
Ganpat University
Jayashree Mohan
Member-at-large
Microsoft Research, Bangalore
Mini Ulanat
Member-at-large
CUSAT, Cochin
Sriparna Saha
Member-at-large
IIT Patna
Manik Gupta
Member-at-large
BITS Pilani Hyderabad
Nita Thakare
Member-at-large
Priyadarshini College, Nagpur
Sachi Choudhary
Member-at-large
UPES Dehradun
Sonia Garcha
Member-at-large
CSpathshala, Pune
Our Journey
Milestones & History
2008
ACM-W India Founded
Established as India’s regional chapter of ACM-W, with founding members from premier institutes across the country committed to advancing women in computing.
2011
First Annual Symposium
Launched the flagship annual symposium attracting 400+ attendees, setting the template for the country’s premier women-in-computing conference.
2014
Lady Ada Contest Launched
Introduced the Lady Ada Programming Contest, named in honour of Ada Lovelace, giving women a dedicated national platform to showcase coding excellence.
2017
50+ Student Chapters
Surpassed 50 active student chapters, marking a major expansion in grassroots community building and mentorship across India’s engineering colleges.
2020
100+ Chapters & Digital Pivot
Surpassed 100 chapters and rapidly scaled online programming during the pandemic, reaching 3x more participants through virtual events and workshops.
2023
NariYukti Hackathon Launched
Launched NariYukti, a flagship national-level all-women hackathon, empowering women to innovate and solve real-world problems through technology.
2025
Dr. Geetanjali Kale Chairs ACM-W India
Dr. Kale takes charge as Chair (2025–2027), bringing renewed focus on AI education, inclusive research, and expanding ACM-W India’s national policy influence with 5,000+ members across 28 states.