#empowHER50 – Harpreet Kaur

Standing out isn’t about being loud—it’s about being fully, unapologetically yourself and lifting others to do the same. 

For Harpreet Kaur, standing out isn’t a statement—it’s a strategy. Harpreet has dedicated her two-decade career to helping individuals—especially those from underrepresented communities and countries—stop shrinking and start owning their space in the tech industry. 

“Why blend in when you were born to stand out?” she often says—a mantra that reflects both her journey and her mission to normalize authenticity in leadership. 

At Microsoft, Harpreet had co-lead multiple org level Women ERGs and helped shape inclusive technical communities across engineering. She’s mentored 150+ underrepresented technologists, facilitates new employee onboarding and regularly speaks at internal forums—from Aspire new grad programs to Allyship panels—sharing not only product successes across Windows, Azure, and Devices, but also her own stories of rejection, health battles, resilience, and reinvention. 

When a health challenge reshaped her perspective, Harpreet leaned into legacy. She founded Why Blend In – Leadership Speaker, Career Coaching a leadership and career development coaching platform that has helped over 500 professionals, particularly immigrants, minorities, and first-gen leaders, find their voice, transition careers, and secure promotions, with 70% landing new roles within six months. Her approach? Radical authenticity, strategic visibility, and scalable impact. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Njideka U. Harry

When technology meets purpose, access becomes opportunity, and systems begin to shift. 

For Njideka U. Harry, that shift began at Microsoft. As a tech executive supporting market expansion into sub-Saharan Africa, she brought more than professional expertise—she brought lived experience. Having grown up in Nigeria and later moved to the U.S. for college, she had seen both sides of the digital divide. That dual lens became her superpower. 

While at Microsoft, Njideka collaborated with the organization she founded—Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF)—to launch the Digital Village Movement, an ambitious initiative that brought education, entrepreneurship, and digital tools to rural communities. What started as a small effort has now empowered over 1.7 million youth and women across five countries. 

One of YTF’s most transformative programs, 3D Africa, has trained more than 10,000 youth—65% of them girls—in AI, human-centered design, and emerging technologies. These young innovators are launching microenterprises, developing solutions for local challenges, and building a new model of inclusive innovation. This work at YTF earned Njideka global recognition including her selection as an Ashoka Fellow and a World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneur. 

Today, as Global VP at Ashoka, Njideka is bridging the worlds of social and corporate innovation—connecting entrepreneurs and changemakers to co-design the systems the world needs most. “Real equity is about more than access—it’s about shifting power to those closest to the challenge, especially young people and women,” she says. 

Her vision is clear: embed social innovation into the core of corporate strategy, not as a CSR initiative but as a critical lever for sustainable growth. 

Njideka’s story is a blueprint for change—one where the people most affected by problems are trusted to design the solutions. From Microsoft boardrooms to grassroots tech labs, she’s proving that when empathy meets execution, entire ecosystems transform. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Manisha Advani

Some careers are measured in milestones. Others, like Manisha Advani’s, are measured in moments of transformation—where technology meets humanity, and impact becomes the legacy. 

Manisha’s journey at Microsoft began with a bold vision: to build trust in every piece of software the company distributed. She led the development of the Product Key and Product ID system—a breakthrough innovation that enabled product authenticity, reduced piracy, and empowered seamless customer support worldwide. What began as a technical solution became a global standard for integrity and confidence in digital ecosystems. 

After this first chapter, Manisha chose to pause her corporate path to raise her two sons. But her instinct for innovation never paused. Over the next 17 years, she founded a Kathak dance school, integrating digital platforms to make classical Indian dance accessible globally. She also served on seven nonprofit boards, applying her tech acumen to lead fundraising efforts and scale social impact initiatives. 

When she returned to Microsoft, it was to tackle one of the era’s most critical issues: data protection in a digital world. Manisha led efforts to help businesses retain, manage, and secure sensitive data—building solutions that supported customers navigating complex compliance and cybersecurity landscapes. 

But it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Manisha’s belief in “digital kindness” truly came to life. She mobilized local sewing groups via WhatsApp, coordinated mask-making supply chains, and distributed protective gear to frontline hospitals—turning community need into organized, tech-powered action. 

In 2020, she launched Dance Synergy, a 26-hour virtual dance marathon uniting over 50 performers across six continents. Streaming live on Zoom and Facebook, the event reached 150,000 global viewers, celebrating cultural unity and artist resilience. It wasn’t just a performance—it was a movement powered by purpose and innovation. 

From pioneering product integrity to leading global humanitarian tech efforts, Manisha’s work reflects a belief that when innovation is human-centered, it becomes transformational. Her story is a vivid example of how one woman—guided by empathy and empowered by technology—can build a more inclusive, connected, and inspired world. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Dee Dee Walsh

When you break down the barriers to code, you build the foundation for innovation at scale. 

Dee Dee Walsh has spent over three decades opening doors for developers who never got the VIP badge. From her groundbreaking work on the Visual Basic team at Microsoft in the early ’90s to her current role as VP of Developer Marketing at Growth Acceleration Partners, Dee Dee has made it her life’s work to ensure innovation is no longer reserved for the few. 

She was there when building a Windows application required mastering complex APIs. Visual Basic changed that, letting people drag and drop their way into software development—no computer science degree required. By 1999, over five million developers were building with VB. Half of them had never written a line of Win32 code. 

“Innovation isn’t scarce—opportunity is,” she says. “Let’s ship crowbars, not gatekeepers.” 

That philosophy continues to guide her today as she leads cloud modernization efforts, helping businesses migrate thousands of legacy applications and billions of lines of code from outdated platforms to the cloud. More than just a technical feat, it’s a campaign to unlock creativity and preserve years of intellectual capital that would otherwise be lost. 

Dee Dee’s three principles for impact? Make the right friends, put people over products, and build partnerships that outlast the code.  

Her legacy is clear: empower the builders, remove the barriers, and let the next generation of innovators thrive. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by

#empowHER50 – Sherlaender “Lani” Phillips

True leadership goes beyond authority—it’s the art of seeing people, elevating potential, and delivering impact with heart. Lani Comments: “True leadership goes beyond authority—it’s the art of seeing people, elevating potential, and delivering impact with heart.” 

Throughout her career, Sherlaender “Lani” Phillips has been on a mission to reimagine what leadership looks like—making it more human, inclusive, and accessible to all who aspire to grow, lead, and make a difference. 

At Microsoft, Lani brought this mission to life as the executive sponsor for Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) and the Black Partner Growth Initiative (BPGI). In these roles, she championed systemic change that opened doors for the Black community within the company and across its partner ecosystem. It wasn’t just strategy—it was legacy work. These initiatives, born of intention and empathy, continue to drive opportunity today. 

Beyond Microsoft, Lani extended her impact by backing communities that needed support, visibility, and capital. As an executive sponsor for the Black Channel Partner Alliance, she helped forge pathways to funding, mentorship, and community for underrepresented entrepreneurs. She also co-founded the Women Executive Channel Advisory Network (WECAN), creating a haven for senior women across tech to lift one another through peer mentorship, development, and strategic advocacy. 

One of her most innovative contributions was rethinking mentorship on a large scale. With Modern Mentoring, led by Lani Phillips, she transformed executive insight into a movement, hosting genuine conversations about resilience, equity, and growth that resonated with thousands across various industries.  

“When people are given access, support, and belief, they unlock their full leadership potential,” she shares. This philosophy has informed how she builds teams, drives results, and cultivates breakthrough performance. Lani comments: “When people are given access, support, and belief, they unlock their full leadership potential,” she shares. This philosophy has informed how she builds teams, drives results, and cultivates breakthrough performance. 

Now, as Founder & CEO of FullCircle Leadership Group, Lani is scaling this work further. Her signature program, FullCircle Elevate: The Emerging Leaders Experience, empowers rising talent and front-line leaders to lead with self-awareness, intention, and strategic execution all while inspiring trust, cultivating strong relationships, and driving transformative results. The outcomes speak for themselves, accelerated promotions, confident leadership, and a ripple effect that empowers teams and strengthens culture. Lani comment: Her signature program, FullCircle Elevate: The Emerging Leaders Experience, empowers rising talent and front-line leaders to lead with self-awareness, intention, and strategic execution all while inspiring trust, cultivating strong relationships, and driving transformative results. The outcomes speak for themselves, accelerated promotions, confident leadership, and a ripple effect that empowers teams and strengthens culture. 

For Lani, this work is more than professional—it’s a personal calling. Because when leaders choose to open doors for others, they ignite potential, shift trajectories, and ultimately transform lives. Lani comment: For Lani, this work is more than professional—it’s a personal calling. Because when leaders choose to open doors for others, they ignite potential, shift trajectories, and ultimately transform lives. 

About #empowHER50 campaign

This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50 

To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/  

/by