DOLLY OBEROI

“Be unafraid.”

That’s the top advice that Dolly Oberoi, CEO of McLean-based technology company C2 Technologies Inc., has for up-and-coming leaders because women are largely underrepresented in both the tech and defense industries, she says. C2 Technologies provides online learning services for aerospace and defense clients.

“If you are confident in your domain expertise and ability to lead, there shouldn’t be barriers,” Oberoi says. “Sometimes as women, we get a little underconfident when we’re underrepresented or in the minority or in a male-dominated environment such as the defense industry.”

Oberoi has certainly listened to her own advice. At C2 Technologies, her leadership has earned her and the company more than 200 awards. Oberoi herself was named one of Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards’ executives of the year in 2011 and the National Defense Industry Association’s Kathleen P. Sridhar Small Business Executive of the Year in 2022. She also was a regional finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011.

Outside of the office, Oberoi serves on George Mason University’s board of visitors and led an entrepreneurship workshop in May for the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. She previously served on the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Advisory Board. She was also appointed to the Small Business Advisory Board for Asian Americans during the Obama administration.

Read more about the 2023 class of Virginia Business Women in Leadership Award winners.