Across the world, the talented and creative women at Monarch Tractor are a driving force shaping the innovative AgTech that’s helping farmers and land managers. And while March is designated as Women’s History Month in the U.S., Monarch recognizes their industry expertise and creativity every month of the year.
Meet some of the women behind Monarch’s ag technology and be inspired by their words and motivations!
Chesley Austin
My name is Chesley Austin and I'm the Vice President of Global Quality at Monarch. Over the last three and a half years I've built the Monarch Quality Department and company quality strategy from the ground up based on my past experience in the automotive and sustainable energy industries. I hired a strong team of quality and dimensional engineers and technicians and together we built a quality management system that supports Monarch with improving quality through our full product lifecycle during design, sourcing, manufacturing, delivery, and service.
What I love about working at Monarch is learning about the AgTech industry and working every day to have a positive impact on sustainability in agriculture, improving food security globally. It's very satisfying to work with my team and my colleagues on preventing issues for our farmers and improving our products through excellence in problem-solving.
Yamini Sharma
My name is Yamini (Yah-Mi-Nee), and I am a Product Manager focusing on autonomous and digital solutions. I started as an intern in the Autonomy team and transitioned to Product to deliver the full lifecycle value of our ag technology to customers directly. By working cross-functionally with engineering, design, and sales, I’ve led high-impact initiatives that influence Monarch’s product roadmap and improve our customer experience. My work spans strategic initiatives from unlocking new markets like solar to enhancing our existing digital offerings and exploring new product opportunities. By combining technical capabilities with business impact, I ensure our solutions meet genuine customer needs and support Monarch’s broader vision. This includes defining product specs, aligning stakeholders, and launching initiatives with solutions that optimize labor, quality, and cost savings for our customers.
What I love most about Monarch are the people, the pace, and the purpose. Everyday, I gain a holistic view of advancing a deep-tech business while collaborating with mission-driven teammates dedicated to building a better, more sustainable future. I’m grateful for the opportunity to transform an industry that feeds the world, fueling my passion for impactful innovation.
Liz Earl
My name is Liz Earl, Sr. Director of Supply Chain and Program Management, at Monarch. I work at the confluence of engineering, supply chain, manufacturing and everything in between to drive teams to push the vision forward. I helped birth the MK-V by collaborating with technical teams, enabling and guiding our manufacturing partners and then bringing it to scale with our supply partners. I love the relationships I have been able to build at Monarch with truly amazing and inspiring people.
Sirisha Konduri
I’m Sirisha Konduri, working as a quality assurance (QA) and release manager at Monarch. I joined Monarch in July 2023 and have been handling QA for over two years. Along with QA, I also manage release management, enduring smooth deployments and maintaining high-quality standards for our software. My role plays a key part in delivering stable and efficient software solutions, supporting Monarch's mission to revolutionize autonomous farming. I work on WSAI and MOS applications, ensuring the quality, reliability, and smooth release of our software products. My responsibilities include designing and executing test plans, validating system functionality, and coordinating software releases across multiple teams. I focus on improving testing processes and streamlining release cycles to enhance the overall software quality and user experience.
What I love about Monarch is being part of a mission-driven team that's transforming agriculture through innovation. Working on autonomous and electric tractor (the MK-V) software allows me to contribute to the future of sustainable and intelligent farming. Through QA and release management I help ensure our software is robust, reliable, and delivers real value to farmers. It is exciting to be part of a company that is leading the way in agriculture technology.
Manjari Maheshwari
I’m Manjari Maheshwari, the lead user interface/user experience (UI/UX) designer at Monarch. For nearly four years, I’ve been creating intuitive, impactful digital solutions to bridge the gap between technology and real-world agricultural needs. As a designer, I translate complex features into seamless, user-friendly experiences, helping customers interact with and manage their MK-V fleet through the smart screen and Wingspan Ag Intelligence (WingspanAI) platforms. A core part of my work is gathering direct feedback to ensure our tools are not just effective but genuinely solve real challenges for the people who rely on them.
What excites me most about Monarch is the opportunity to redefine agriculture through technology, such as increasing efficiency through data-driven insights and autonomy. By designing tools that make sustainable farming more accessible, I’m contributing to a future where ag technology not only benefits us, but also the planet.
The Monarch Community
Monarch’s success and forward momentum is owed to its community of hardworking team members and customer partners. While we continue to elevate the role of the tractor for farmers and land managers, we’re honored that the women of Monarch are elevating our efforts, working and supporting our vision for a more sustainable and profitable agricultural future.
