Listed in the ‘Power 50 Solutions Providers.’
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Two Indian American women were awarded last month by CRN Magazine as ‘Women of the Channel 2014: Power 50 Solutions Providers’.
Reena Gupta and Sitima Fowler were both feted as two of the most promising young female CEOs by the venerable magazine, which provides “news, analysis, and perspective for VARS and technology integrators.” The annual list is mean to honor “an elite subset of female executives at solution provider organizations who are extending their respective company’s sphere of influence as trusted advisers.”
Gupta and Fowler were listed in the second and third spots on the list, respectively, but the CRN “Women of the Channel” listing does not give explicit numerical rankings to the women who are showcased in it.
Gupta is the CEO of Avankla LLC and TargetRecruit LLC, the latter of which provides online recruiting services for a monthly fee. Gupta has been leading the company for 13 years, according to CRN, and has spent three years “in channel.” She was previously named as a “Woman of the Channel” in 2012 and, 2013, too, and holds an M.C.A. from the LN Mishra Institute in Patna, Bihar, according to her LinkedIn page.
“Gupta steered the company to its 2013 annual revenue goal and increased its global presence with customers on every continent,” says CRN. “She is focused on developing more features and models to increase efficiency.”
Fowler is the co-CEO of Capstone Information Technologies Inc., an IT consulting firm based in the Rochester, New York area. Fowler has been the co-CEO of the company for 11 years, and has been “in channel” for just as long. She holds a master’s degree in Manufacturing Management and Leadership from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and has previously worked for GM and Xerox, the latter of which is also based near Rochester.
“Capstone has seen strong growth with more than 30 percent year-over-year revenue increases in the past three years and focuses on managed services for SMBs,” says CRN.
CRN Magazine, originally known as Computer Retail Week when it was launched in 1982, is one of the leading trade magazines targeting the computer reselling industry. It is currently operated by Incisive Media in the UK and The Channel Company in the US.