In Her Ellement

We want to hear from you! Email us at BCGInHerEllement@bcg.com with a voice memo describing your In Your Ellement moment. We might feature your story in an upcoming episode!***What can ancient Greek myths teach us about modern leadership?Kirsten Rulf has spent her career at the intersection of tech, policy, and public service.In this episode, Kirsten shares how she found clarity in moments of uncertainty, why AI presents a major opportunity for the public good, and what it was like helping shape the EU’s landmark tech legislation.Kirsten is a Partner and Associate Director at BCG. Before joining BCG, she advised German Chancellor Angela Merkel and served as head of digital policy in the German government, playing a key role in negotiating Europe’s AI and data laws. [1:26] A Big Win, Then The Hard Work Follows[05:21] Potential of AI in Public Sector[08:56] Roots In Ovid’s Metamorphosis[12:09] From Journalism to CyberSecurity[14:14] A Phone Call from Angela Merkel[13:48] Navigating Career Changes and Mentorship[19:23] “Hope is not a strategy”[22:16] Reflections Links:Kirsten Rulf on LinkedInSuchi Srinivasan on LinkedInKamila Rakhimova on LinkedInAbout In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?About The Hosts:Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders.Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030.Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.

We want to hear from you! Email us at BCGInHerEllement@bcg.com with a voice memo describing your In Your Ellement moment. We might feature your story in an upcoming episode!***Pritha Mehra is the Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of the U.S. Postal Service, where she leads the digital transformation of a network that delivers more mail than any other postal service in the world.In this episode, Pritha shares with co-host Suchi Srinivasan how the USPS adopts cutting-edge technologies while staying true to its public mission. Pritha also explains why her colleagues call her “anti-complexity,” and how simplicity is often the key to scaling innovation.[01:21] The True Scale of the USPS[02:02] Anti-Complexity Approach[04:08] Encouraging Adoption of New Tech[06:07] AI at the USPS[08:28] Creating a Culture of Curiosity[12:14] Job Hopping Internally[15:10] Want a Promotion? Speak Up[19:47] Pritha’s Crowning Moment[22:39] ReflectionsLinks:Pritha Mehra on LinkedInKamila Rakhimova on LinkedInSuchi Srinivasan on LinkedInAbril Villarreal Garcia on LinkedInAbout In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?About The Hosts:Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders.Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030.Abril Villarreal Garcia is a first-year associate at BCG where she has done projects in Private Equity, Climate & Sustainability and Social Impact. She grew up in Monterrey, Mexico and lived for a few years in the Houston area. She studied International Politics at Georgetown University with a focus on culture. She is passionate about pursuing a career that gives her financial independence and stability while also making an impact.Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.

We want to hear from you! Email us at BCGInHerEllement@bcg.com with a voice memo describing your In Your Ellement moment. We might feature your story in an upcoming episode!***Could open source be the key to building trustworthy AI?Nithya is Director of Amazon’s Open Source Program Office and also Chair of the Linux Foundation. With more than 30 years of experience in enterprise software, she’s helped shape how businesses approach open source across the tech industry.In this episode, we talk about the growing importance of open source in AI development, what motivates companies like Amazon to open source their tools, and how these decisions impact innovation. Nithya also shares a personal story about the role of CEO of the family—and what that taught her about leadership.[01:26] The Evolution of Open Source[03:52] Amazon’s Commitment to Open Source[09:04] Open Source, Trust, and AI[13:05] The Role of Dads[18:49] CEO of the Family[25:13] ReflectionsLinks:Nithya Ruff on LinkedInSuchi Srinivasan on LinkedInKamila Rakhimova on LinkedInAbout In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?About The Hosts:Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030.Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders.Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.

Here at In Her Ellement, we celebrate women leaders in business and tech all year long—not just on International Women’s Day. That’s why we’re excited to share an episode from our friends at Fintech Files, featuring insights from two women driving change in the fintech industry.In this special episode of Fintech Files, Cynthia Salicrup and Sandra Carrillo, partners at Environmental Resources Management (ERM) share how they built successful careers in sustainability and ESG. They also explore the challenges and opportunities in sustainable finance, the critical role banks and fintechs play in advancing sustainability, and how global disparities shape sustainability agendas. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out Fintech Files for more insightful discussions like this. Just search for it on your favorite podcast app. We will be back in two weeks with another inspiring conversation on In Her Ellement. See you then!About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.

Marina Gerner is an award-winning financial journalist and author. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Commerce & Culture at NYU Stern. In her new book, The Vagina Business, she explores the innovations shaping women’s health and the forces that have held the field back.In this episode, Marina shares some of the biggest success stories in health tech, as well as the innovations that have personally impacted her. She also explains how to navigate this rapidly growing space—and how to avoid what she calls “scam-tech.”Over her career, Marina has reported on health, technology, and finance for leading publications, bringing a critical lens to the intersection of business and innovation.[03:44] Women’s Heart Health and the Smart Bra[05:28] Birth Innovations[08:29] Challenges in Femtech Funding[14:36] Misinformation in Women’s Health[16:49] Adoption Barriers and Consumer Habits[19:28] Marina’s In Her Ellement Moment[21:44] Reflections Links:Marina Gerner's newsletterSuchi Srinivasan on LinkedInKamila Rakhimova on LinkedInThe $32 Trillion Opportunity in Women-Focused Products and ServicesAbout In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?About The Hosts:Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030.Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders.Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.

What would a career pivot reveal about your greatest strength? Zoe Samuel is a Venture Partner at Starshot Capital, where she supports climate-focused startups. Zoe traveled a unique path to get here, moving from a career as a writer and producer to becoming a co-founder at Anthropocene, Google’s largest internal climate solutions community. Today, she supports and invests in early-stage founders, helping them build startups aimed at reducing global emissions.In this episode, Zoe shares her perspective on how any job can be a “climate job,” and on the unique opportunities women can find in climate. She also reflects on some of the lessons that have served her well during her career in both the entertainment and tech sectors.Links:Zoe Samuel on LinkedInA growing climate tech marketSuchi Srinivasan on LinkedInKamila Rakhimova on LinkedInAbout In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?About The Hosts:Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030.Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders.Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.

Join us for this special episode from Season 3 with Molly He, CEO and Co-founder of Element Biosciences.Many expert women decide to take the plunge into entrepreneurship - but what are the realities of this decision? For Molly He, it was never her dream, but something she saw as a means of pushing the groundbreaking scientific work she was doing forward.Molly grew up in an economically disadvantaged village in rural China. She studied hard while at the same time developing her skills as a professional sprinter. At the end of high school, she decided to take a leap of faith and move to the US. In retrospect, Molly acknowledges that this was a courageous thing to do and that she used this courage and optimism throughout her career. Links:Molly He on LinkedInSuchi Srinivasan on LinkedInKamila Rakhimova on LinkedInAbout In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?About The Hosts:Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030.Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders.Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.

Young professionals are increasingly seeking meaning in their careers—but what does that look like in practice? Pia Heidenmark Cook, former Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA, believes finding purpose in any type of work is possible. However, she acknowledges that working in fields as impactful as sustainability can sometimes lead to burnout.In this episode, Suchi sits down with Pia to discuss staying positive and motivated in her field. They also explore how leaders can support their teams in finding meaning at work while maintaining a healthy balance with life at home.Pia advises a diverse range of organizations—from healthcare to hospitality— on sustainability. In 2024, she co-authored Embedding Sustainability: How to Drive Organizational Transformation, a practical guide on integrating sustainability into an organization’s core operations.Links:Pia Heidenmark Cook on LinkedInEmbedding Sustainability: How to Drive Organizational TransformationWhy young people worldwide want and need ‘meaningful work’Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedInKamila Rakhimova on LinkedInJumana Alnahdi on LinkedInAbout In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element?About The Hosts:Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030.Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders.Jumana Alnahdi is a student and BCG X Co-op. She is originally from Bahrain—a small island in the Middle East.  She came to the U.S. to study at Northeastern University, and while navigating a new culture far from home, Jumana leaned on the power of women’s communities and support systems to overcome challenges and find belonging. Jumana is passionate about highlighting the impact of young women in innovation.Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.