Anushree M. Bag is a cybersecurity executive, published author, and leadership advocate who believes leadership belongs to everyone—not just those with titles. Through mentoring, speaking, and community leadership, she is passionate about helping women recognize their potential and create opportunities for others.
Fun Facts
- I am a published author. I wrote MicroPivots — a leadership book built on the belief that leadership belongs to everyone, not just those with corner offices or fancy titles.
- I am a woman leader in cybersecurity and technology who has worked extensively in both the private and public sectors — and made it my mission to mentor and sponsor other women into STEM.
- I am the unofficial “password czar” for my family and friends — the person everyone calls when they get locked out, hacked, or just need to be reminded that “password123” is not a security strategy. Occupational hazard of being a cybersecurity professional.
Q & A
“Elevate” is this year’s theme. What does elevate mean to you, and how are you living it out right now?
Elevate means pulling someone up with you as you rise, not waiting until you’ve “arrived.” Right now, I’m living it through mentoring and sponsoring women into STEM, serving on boards like Ronald McDonald House and TechPoint Youth, and writing and speaking about leadership that starts before anyone gives you permission.
Describe a moment when you stepped into a new level of confidence or growth?
The book launch of my debut publication, MicroPivots, was that moment. I had spent decades working with and advising leaders in the private and public sectors, but the opportunity to share my thoughts in a book and saying “leadership belongs to everyone” required a different kind of courage, and resulted in the feeling of a different level of empowerment.
What empowerment advice would you give a woman who’s ready to take her next step?
Stop asking for a seat at the table; create your own table.
Find someone who will sponsor you, not just mentor you. That sponsor will bring up your name in rooms with opportunities, even when you are not there.
Then, be that sponsor for someone else, too.
What brings you the most joy or energy outside of your work?
Travel. New places, new people, new cultures. The architecture, the customs, the local cuisine, the traditions I never knew existed. There is something about standing in unfamiliar locales that is equal parts humbling and electrifying.
Travel leaves me speechless, then turns me into a storyteller. It makes me modest because I realize just how tiny a place I occupy in this magnificent world. And perhaps most powerfully, I find travel to be an antidote to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.
It is, quite simply, the best education there is.
Tell us about any unique skills, talents, or interesting hobbies.
- I’m a passionate traveler — there’s something humbling and electric about standing somewhere entirely new and realizing how beautifully big the world is.
- I’m also a speaker and writer who believes stories are the most underrated leadership tool we have.
- I am also an art-fair enthusiast: my spaces are filled with handmade pottery, blown glass statement pieces, artifacts from travels around the world, custom lamps, original paintings, potted plants, and fresh flowers. Every corner tells a story.
The event is called Stepping Out in Style. In one sentence, how would you describe what ‘Style’ means to you?
Style is the courage to show up as exactly who you are—unapologetically, intentionally, and in full color!!
How and why do you support the Dress for Success Indianapolis purpose?
I believe that economic mobility for women isn’t charity—it is justice. Dress for Success understands that confidence and opportunity are intertwined, and that sometimes the right blazer and the right network can change the entire trajectory of a woman’s life. I support this mission because I’ve seen what happens when women are given the tools and the belief that they belong in every room.
