Anne Chahal

Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 | 6 a.m.

Anne Chahal

Age: 39

Current job: Co-founder, president and CEO, Janalent

Education: University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Science in material science and chemical engineering

About Anne Chahal: Anne Chahal is the brainchild behind Janalent, a consortium of companies that provide collaborative enterprise management, technology and software development solutions to the mid-market, enterprise and public sector. Founded in 2004, the company has grown from a home-based operation to an organization with an international presence. Janalent has sustained annual growth in the triple digits, with revenue increasing some 300 percent last year alone.

“Our biggest accomplishment was having triple-digit growth in a recession in an industry that was showing negative growth, and being headquartered in one of the hardest-hit regions in the country,” said Chahal, who garnered more than 15 years of experience consulting startups and major biotechnology and IT organizations of Fortune 500 companies on several continents prior to launching Janalent.

The company was recently awarded the 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year for unified communications and messaging solutions, and also won regional Microsoft partner awards for six consecutive quarters. A firm believer that business and community service go hand-in-hand, Chahal was invited last year by former President Clinton to join the Clinton Global Initiate for her vision of an innovative model that integrates philanthropy with business, across industries.

The most important issue facing the valley: Single-handedly, unemployment. The key to the city’s growth is diversifying across industries.

My mentor and why: I’ve had a number of mentors across my life. The first was my father, and I’ve been lucky to have other people help me along the way.

Favorite Web site: www.twitter.com

Hobbies: I ski, I used to sail when I lived by the ocean, and I love to travel and see different cultures. I’m also passionate about philanthropy

Fantasy job: I’m doing everything I’ve ever wanted to do, but in my fantasy I would love to be one of those kung fu masters like Jackie Chan.

One-word description of self: Passionate