Catriona Wallace
Global Authority on Responsible AI & the Ethics of Emerging Technology | Founder of Flamingo AI & the Responsible Metaverse Alliance | Shark on Shark Tank Australia
Raji Rajagopalan
Vice President, CoreAI Group at Microsoft | Author of Daring to Be Different | UN Speaker & Women-in-Tech Advocate | Leadership & Resilience Expert
Raji Rajagopalan is a Vice President in Microsoft's CoreAI group and an inspiring voice on leadership and women in technology. Over two decades, she rose from an entry-level engineer and immigrant woman of color to a senior leader at a Fortune 50 company. The author of Daring to be Different and a UN speaker on women's issues, she shares a powerful, practical playbook for leading boldly, building resilience, and daring to be different.
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Raji Rajagopalan biography
Leadership speaker Raji Rajagopalan is a Vice President in Microsoft’s CoreAI group and one of technology’s most inspiring voices on leadership, resilience, and women in tech. Over more than two decades at Microsoft, she rose from an entry-level engineer to a senior leader at one of the world’s largest companies, and her story, an introverted immigrant and woman of color who became a global executive at a Fortune 50 company, has made her a sought-after and deeply relatable speaker.
In her current role, Rajagopalan leads teams building the technology that lets AI run efficiently across cloud and edge, including Microsoft’s edge-AI offering, Foundry Local. Across her career she has worked throughout engineering and product, building startup teams, turning around struggling projects, and running global organizations, including leadership roles spanning Microsoft’s developer platforms and GitHub. Beyond her day job, she has helped more than fifty entrepreneurs launch social enterprises that make a positive impact in their communities.
Daring to Be Different
Rajagopalan is the author of Daring to Be Different: Stories and Tips from a Woman Leader in Tech, in which she distills the eight skills, including courage, agility, resilience, storytelling, and experimentation, that carried her from the margins to the top of the tech industry. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion who has spoken at the United Nations on women’s issues and mentors young professionals around the world, she helps audiences see their own unique story as a source of power rather than a limitation.
As a speaker, Raji Rajagopalan is warm, candid, and genuinely motivating, blending hard-won lessons from a global tech career with practical, usable tools. She speaks on leadership in a changing tech landscape, women in technology and breaking through bias, resilience and reinvention, and how AI is reshaping the way we work. Audiences leave inspired by her journey and equipped with concrete skills to lead boldly, navigate change, and dare to be different.
Raji Rajagopalan Speaking Videos
Raji Rajagopalan (RajiRaj) keynote at Microsoft Aspire
Raji Rajagopalan keynoting on Microsoft 365 Tech Summit in Shanghai
Raji Rajagopalan Keynote Topics
In her signature keynote, Raji Rajagopalan shares the remarkable journey that took her from an introverted immigrant and woman of color to a vice president at a Fortune 50 tech company. Drawing on her book, she reveals the eight skills, courage, agility, resilience, storytelling, experimentation, and more, that made the difference, and shows audiences how to turn their own unique story into a source of power. Honest, warm, and genuinely inspiring, it’s a keynote that leaves every listener believing their difference is an advantage.
Raji Rajagopalan has spent her career as one of the few women, and often the only woman of color, in the room, and she has spoken at the United Nations on women’s issues. In this candid, empowering keynote she addresses the real barriers women face in technology and in corporate life, and shares practical strategies for navigating bias, building confidence, finding sponsors, and rising into leadership. A powerful session for advancing women in tech, and for any organization serious about inclusion.
As a VP in Microsoft’s CoreAI group, Raji Rajagopalan sits at the frontier of how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, and she’s spent two decades leading teams through constant technological change. In this keynote she helps leaders understand what AI really means for their people and their organizations, and how to lead with agility, experimentation, and resilience when the ground keeps shifting. A grounded, forward-looking talk that blends real technical insight with practical leadership.
Success, Raji Rajagopalan argues, is rarely a straight line, it’s about how you grow and reinvent through setbacks. Sharing stories from a career of building startup teams, turning around failing projects, and overcoming personal and professional adversity, she gives audiences a practical toolkit for building resilience, embracing change, and bouncing forward stronger. An uplifting, motivating keynote for teams and individuals facing uncertainty and pressure.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Raji Rajagopalan
Why Raji Rajagopalan?
Booking Raji Rajagopalan brings audiences a rare combination: a senior Microsoft AI executive and a genuinely inspiring storyteller. Her journey, from an introverted immigrant and woman of color to a vice president at a Fortune 50 company, is deeply relatable and motivating, and she pairs it with real, current expertise in AI, engineering, and leading global teams through change. Warm, candid, and practical, she sends audiences home believing their differences are strengths and equipped with concrete skills to lead and grow. She is an ideal choice for events on leadership, women in tech, diversity and inclusion, resilience, and the future of work. To bring Raji Rajagopalan to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Raji Rajagopalan?
Raji Rajagopalan is a technology executive, author, and keynote speaker. She is a Vice President in Microsoft’s CoreAI group, where her teams build technology that enables AI to run efficiently across cloud and edge, including Microsoft’s edge-AI offering, Foundry Local. Over more than two decades at Microsoft, she has held senior engineering and product leadership roles spanning the company’s developer platforms and GitHub, after beginning her career with a computer science background in India and Canada. She is the author of Daring to Be Different: Stories and Tips from a Woman Leader in Tech, a United Nations speaker on women’s issues, and an advocate for diversity and inclusion who has helped more than fifty entrepreneurs launch social enterprises. Her keynotes draw on her own journey as an immigrant woman of color who rose to the top of the tech industry.
What is “Daring to Be Different” about?
Daring to Be Different: Stories and Tips from a Woman Leader in Tech is Raji Rajagopalan’s book, and it captures both her personal story and the practical wisdom she’s gathered leading in the technology industry. The heart of the book is a counterintuitive idea: that the very things that can make you feel like an outsider, your background, your personality, your difference, can become your greatest sources of strength. Drawing on her own path from an introverted immigrant and woman of color who started at the entry level to a vice president at a Fortune 50 company, she lays out eight essential skills for leadership in tech, including courage, agility, resilience, storytelling, and experimentation, and offers concrete tips and tools for navigating a fast-changing industry. Woven through it is a broader message about success: that it isn’t simply about linear career growth, but about how you grow as a human being and show up for others along the way. The book, along with her United Nations advocacy and mentorship, reflects her mission to help underrepresented people find their footing and thrive, and it forms the backbone of her most popular keynote.
What topics does Raji Rajagopalan speak about?
Raji Rajagopalan speaks on daring to be different and leadership in tech, women in technology and breaking through bias, leading through change in the age of AI, and resilience and reinvention. Her keynotes suit events on leadership, women in tech, diversity and inclusion, technology and AI, and personal growth, for corporate and general audiences. To book Raji Rajagopalan as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Raji Rajagopalan as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Raji Rajagopalan as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Raji Rajagopalan's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Raji Rajagopalan or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Raji Rajagopalan speaking fee?
Raji Rajagopalan speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Raji Rajagopalan to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Raji Rajagopalan.
How can I contact Raji Rajagopalan?
We only work with Raji Rajagopalan on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Raji Rajagopalan and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Raji Rajagopalan speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Raji Rajagopalan for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Raji Rajagopalan for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Raji Rajagopalan is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Raji Rajagopalan for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
