inspiring

From Air Force to Tech Leadership

Today on toptalks : Teja Manakame was one of the first women to join the Indian Air Force’s second batch of female officers. After six years in uniform, she transitioned to the Tech industry and now serves as a senior leader at Dell Technologies. Manakame is passionate about using technology for social good and leads several impactful projects.

Growing up in Belagavi (formerly Belgaum), Karnataka, Teja was a curious child. Her father, a doctor, encouraged her to ask questions and explore hands-on projects. This curiosity laid the foundation for her lifelong passion for learning. Although her initial love was astronomy, local limitations and family concerns led her to consider engineering.

A Career in Uniform

During her third year of Electronics and Communications Engineering at Karnatak University, Manakame noticed that the Indian Air Force had started recruiting women in non-medical roles. Inspired by the women in uniform, she applied and was selected as one of the top 25 candidates for the second batch of female officers. After completing initial training at the Air Force Technical College in Jalahalli, Bengaluru, she was posted to Mount Abu.

Serving in the Air Force brought both excitement and recognition. Manakame remembers walking down Brigade Road in Bengaluru in her uniform and experiencing public curiosity. At Mount Abu, she was one of only two women in a large station of 300 personnel. She faced challenges, including the lack of facilities for women and building trust with her male colleagues. Her postings included Nashik and Bengaluru, where she eventually commanded the signals unit of a large station.

Transition to IT and Growth

The IT boom in India piqued Manakame’s interest, especially after her brother, already in the industry, shared stories of growth and travel. After completing her six-year service, she joined TCS as a developer, starting fresh and taking a pay cut. Her career progressed quickly, with stints in Denmark and later roles at Wipro Technologies.

In 2005, Manakame joined Dell Technologies as a manager. She has since risen through the ranks and now serves as Vice President (IT). Notably, she was the first woman promoted in-house to a Director role in Dell IT in India, breaking gender stereotypes. At Dell, she leads Tech CSR initiatives, focusing on tech for social good. Her projects include developing Braille textbooks with Mitra Jyothi, creating a mobile solution for migrant worker rehabilitation during the pandemic, and building a gamified cybersecurity awareness program for children.

Empowering Future Leaders

Manakame has explored various domains at Dell Technologies, including sales, marketing, supply chain, data science, and reliability engineering. She is currently working on digital transformation and leveraging AI to enhance efficiency.

Manakame emphasizes the importance of role models and mentors for women advancing in their careers. Dell’s mentor circles, which she supports, help women share experiences and overcome challenges collectively. She observes that the number of women in technology has increased significantly since her college days. Manakame also focuses on helping others grow, offering sessions on prioritization and time management.

Business

Kylie Jenner: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire

Today in toptalks In May 2021, Forbes reported that Kylie Jenner was no longer a self-made billionaire. The publication claimed that Kylie had inflated the sales figures of Kylie Cosmetics, accusing her team of forging tax returns to boost her net worth. Consequently, Forbes revoked her billionaire status. Previously, Kylie had sold 51% of her company to Coty in a deal valued at $1.2 billion, earning an estimated post-tax income of $340 million. After further analysis, Forbes concluded that Kylie Jenner is “not a billionaire.”

Forbes had earlier placed Kylie on its annual World’s Billionaires list, naming her the world’s youngest self-made billionaire in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, her ‘self-made’ status sparked controversy due to her wealthy, reality TV-famous background.

Early Life

Kylie Kristen Jenner was born on August 10, 1997, in Los Angeles, California, to Kris and former Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner. She has an elder sister, Kendall Jenner, and several half-siblings, including Kourtney, Khloé, and Kim Kardashian. Since childhood, Kylie has been in the spotlight, with paparazzi closely following her family’s every move.

Growing up, Kylie was featured in the reality series Keeping Up With The Kardashians alongside her famous siblings. She attended Sierra Canyon School and later earned her high school diploma from Lauren Springs High School in California. Additionally, Kylie built a massive social media following, and in 2015, Time magazine named her one of the Most Influential Teens.

Career Highlights

The Kardashian family is one of the most widely followed in the entertainment world. While Kim Kardashian initially dominated the limelight, Kylie Jenner has recently emerged as a significant figure in the family. Leveraging her family’s fame, Kylie launched several business ventures, including her successful cosmetics line.

Kylie began her on-screen career in 2007 as a main cast member in Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She also appeared in various spin-off shows centered around her sisters, Kourtney and Khloé. In 2011, Kylie earned substantial income by endorsing two nail lacquers from the Nicole by OPI brand. She and Kendall also launched ‘The Kendall & Kylie Collection’ with PacSun in February 2013.

In June 2013, Kylie and Kendall launched the ‘Metal Haven by Kendall & Kylie’ clothing and jewelry line. They later collaborated with Steve Madden on a shoe and handbag collection. This overwhelming reception led to Kylie’s appearance in music videos, further boosting her fame.

Her rising popularity on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat played a crucial role in her growth. In 2015, Kylie launched her hair extension line, ‘Kylie Hair Kouture’, and became the second ambassador for the skincare line ‘Nip + Fab’. She also became the face of PUMA in 2016. That same year, she and Kendall launched their clothing line with Topshop. In September 2015, Kylie debuted her website and lifestyle app, alongside her lipstick line, ‘Kylie Lip Kit’.

Kylie’s career reached new heights when she expanded her cosmetics line into a full-fledged brand, Kylie Cosmetics. She invested $250,000 of her own money from modeling gigs in 2015 to produce the first batch of 15,000 lipsticks, which sold out within seconds. Her extensive media presence played a pivotal role in the brand’s success, with her millions of social media followers serving as a ready market.

Kris Jenner, Kylie’s mother, supported her by helping with strategies and tactics. Together, they sold 500,000 kits in record time. Kylie’s business quickly became a massive success. In November 2019, Kylie sold 51% of Kylie Cosmetics to beauty giant Coty Inc. for $600 million. The deal valued her business at about $1.2 billion. The sale, combined with her remaining 49% stake, initially made Kylie one of the world’s billionaires.

In March 2019, Forbes recognized Kylie as the youngest-ever self-made billionaire. At just 21 years old, she surpassed the record set by 23-year-old Mark Zuckerberg. Not slowing down, she launched her Kylie Skin skincare line in May 2019.

In April 2020, Forbes once again included Kylie in its World’s Youngest Billionaires list, recognizing her billion-dollar fortune. However, after reviewing filings related to her deal with Coty Inc., Forbes determined that Kylie had inflated sales figures. As a result, she was removed from the billionaire list.

Philanthropic Work

Kylie Jenner has actively contributed to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. She donated $1 million to purchase protective equipment for first responders. In March 2020, after a request from the U.S. Surgeon General, Kylie urged her 169 million Instagram followers to practice social distancing.

Additionally, Kylie and her mother, Kris Jenner, announced a mass hand sanitizer donation to hospitals in Southern California. Their custom product, created in collaboration with Coty Inc., was dedicated to supporting first responders during the pandemic. Coty, a major stakeholder in Kylie Skin and Kylie Cosmetics, produced Kylie’s hand sanitizer in its factories to address the shortage faced by medical professionals.

Beyond the pandemic, Kylie has been involved in various charitable efforts. In 2013, she and her sisters raised money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles by auctioning old clothes on eBay.