Her Story
About Lalitha
Lalitha Mahajan is a Senior Technical Program Manager at Microsoft, where she drives network infrastructure and remote access solutions serving over 300,000 users across the company. With more than 20 years in technology, she began her career after earning a bachelor's degree in computer science from Mumbai, India, followed by a software engineering degree from the University of Arizona, Tucson. She worked in Washington State startups before joining Microsoft about 15 years ago, advancing from program manager to her current senior role. Lalitha has completed the UW Extension Product Management course and an MIT certification course. Her career path has not been linear; she took a break to raise her children and credits her supportive family, along with persistence and colleagues, for her success. Outside of work, she is involved with non-profits including Ragamala, Seattle, which promotes Indian classical music, and the IMD Foundation, which supports education and health needs. She plays the veena, an ancient Indian classical instrument, and enjoys yoga and hiking.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lalitha
01What do you attribute your success to?
My career was not linear. I took a break when I had my kids and came back. My family, both my husband and my kids, are very supportive. Whenever I faced a wall, I didn't give up. I kept working and people around me made a lot of difference.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Embrace changes, be a self-driver and self-motivator. A lot of things have to be self-learning and self-driven. Be curious and wanting to learn new things. Take a step back because all this could be very overwhelming.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
AI is a challenge and opportunity - how to balance repetitive things with AI and use it safely, securely, ethically. Security and privacy are big challenges, especially with networks and data. Zero Trust Network for secure remote connections.
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