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"Building Global Women Leaders" Subject of Jan. 28 Address by Global Business Leader at Simmons School of Management

BOSTON (January 23, 2008) — Veteran computer industry executive Radha Basu, who launched Hewlett Packard's thriving operations in India and later became the chairman and chief executive of a highly successful software company, will speak about "Building Global Women Leaders with Powerful Impact," on Jan. 28 at the Simmons School of Management, where she is the new entrepreneur- and executive-in-residence.

The address begins at 6 p.m. at 451 Marlborough St. in Boston's Back Bay, and is open to the public. Simmons offers the only MBA program in the nation designed specifically for women.

Born and raised in Chennai, India, Basu spent 20 years at Hewlett Packard, first working on ultrasound imaging projects and then in 1985 starting and building the company's operations in India. By the time she left the company she had risen to general manager of the electronic business software division, which she had grown into a $1.5 billion business.

From 1999 to 2006 she ran SupportSoft, a California-based maker of support automation software. She took the company public in an initial public offering, and oversaw a second public offering, before retiring as its chairman and chief executive officer.

After retiring from the company, Basu and her husband Dipak established the Anudip Foundation to back humanitarian projects such as Linkage India, a project to create jobs by establishing resource centers for rural entrepreneurs in India. The couple twice trekked up Mt. Everest, reaching base camp on the north and south sides.

The Simmons School of Management is committed to advancing women of diverse backgrounds into leadership positions.  Simmons College is a nationally recognized private university in Boston.