Google executive dismisses notion of “glass ceiling”

We attended a recent panel discussion, sponsored by Indus Women Leaders, and noted with interest that the two main panelists said they experienced no glass ceiling in their careers. In fact, Sukhinder Singh (see brief bio in this link, but you’ll have to scroll down), who is responsible for growing Google’s local search business, said having south Asian roots may have actually helped her in the cut-throat investment banking and start-up worlds — mentors and colleagues may have taken more of an interest in her precisely because she wasn’t just another white male. When a questioner asked whether she’d experienced a glass ceiling, she shook her head: “I don’t think I’ve experienced it.” However, she noted that she may have been helped by the fact that she speaks with no Indian accent, and looks and acts “very familiar to people who are not south Asian” — suggesting that this might not be true for others in the largely south Asian female audience.
The other panelist, Arati Prabhakar (check out these credentials), a venture partner at U.S. Venture Partners, said the same thing. “It’s hard for me to complain,” she said. “I haven’t (experienced the glass ceiling).”
The panel was part of an “Inspirational Journeys” event held in Sunnyvale Sept 22.