NetApp product leader Anjali Munjal spotlights resilience and lifelong learning

Anjali Munjal, director of product management at NetApp, is being profiled for a 27-year technology career built on product leadership, customer focus, and mentorship. Her story centers on career growth through an MBA, personal resilience, and work on data protection, disaster recovery, and business continuity.

Why it matters: - Munjal’s career shows how technical expertise and business training can combine to shape product strategy in enterprise technology. - Her work at NetApp sits in data protection, disaster recovery, and business continuity, areas tied to data resilience and operational continuity for customers. - Her story also highlights the role of mentorship and continuous learning in advancing women in technology.

What happened: - Anjali Munjal, director of product management at NetApp, was profiled by Influential Women in Acton, Massachusetts. - Munjal has spent 27 years in technology and more than 25 years in the data protection and recovery space. - She started her career as a computer engineer in 1999. - She spent more than two decades at Dell EMC before moving into product leadership. - She later earned an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst while working full time and raising a young family. - Munjal now leads product vision and strategic roadmaps at NetApp and turns customer and market input into requirements for engineering teams.

The details: - Munjal’s role connects customers, engineering, sales, marketing, support, and executive leadership. - She has led product launches, supported market expansion, and helped develop technologies focused on data resilience and business continuity. - Her transition from engineering to product management came after she sought a broader view of customer needs and the business side of technology. - The MBA marked a turning point in her career and reinforced her belief that learning matters at every stage of life. - She completed the degree over four years while balancing work, parenting, late-night study, and weekend coursework. - Munjal credits family support, including from her husband, during the demanding period of school and work. - Her personal life included major hardship, including a miscarriage with twins and caring for her mother during stage 4 breast cancer. - Her mother died two months after the birth of Munjal’s elder son. - During that period, Munjal asked to work half-time and was told she would need to work full-time or quit. - She stayed in the job, continued full-time, and eventually became a director. - Her artistic background includes painting and art, with recognition from the Vice President of India during high school. - In college, she designed posters for festivals, and more than 100 copies of one design were displayed across campuses. - Munjal also enjoys traveling with her family to learn about different cultures and perspectives. - She has served as a former chair and member of Advancing Women in Tech and has been involved with the Boston chapter. - She has mentored aspiring product managers and professionals moving into leadership roles.

Between the lines: - Munjal’s profile underscores a common leadership arc in tech: deep technical experience paired with formal business training can open the door to product strategy roles. - Her emphasis on persistence, education, and mentorship suggests a leadership style shaped as much by personal adversity as by professional advancement. - The profile also reflects how women leaders in technology often navigate career growth alongside caregiving and family responsibilities.

What's next: - Munjal will continue leading product efforts at NetApp with a focus on data protection, disaster recovery, and business continuity. - She is expected to keep mentoring professionals and encouraging others to pursue education and leadership opportunities. - Her profile positions lifelong learning and resilience as central themes in her ongoing work and influence.

The bottom line: - Munjal’s career blends technical depth, business strategy, and personal grit into a leadership story centered on customer value and helping the next generation of tech talent grow. - More information