Asha R. Keddy serves as Corporate Vice President at Intel Corporation, responsible for next-generation technology and standards. In this role, she is tasked with forging the new technologies, business use cases, and partnerships that are ushering in the era of 5G wireless and connected computing.
With more than 20 years of experience in wireless, mobile broadband, and computing, Asha guides Intel’s efforts in developing future products involving the convergence of communications, computing, and artificial intelligence, as well as defining future networks that will enable a range of industrial, enterprise and consumer applications.
Especially for the WomenTech Network, Asha agreed to give an interview and share her story.
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Congratulations on winning a WomenTech Network Global Technology Leadership Award! How did it feel when you found out you had won?
Humbling and a tad surreal! I’ve won awards before but being honored by your peers is truly something else. I was also inspired by all the other women candidates! It gave me pause to look at the tireless efforts and volunteer work that went into this process, including the work of the jury. Drops of water make the ocean …
Finally, I learned a lot more about the efforts of the WomenTech Network and I’m in awe of what the organization does. It made me want to double down on the efforts to pay it forward as we have a long way to go.
Tell us about your background, journey in tech, and what inspired you to develop your career in this direction.
I believe I’m one of those increasingly rare individuals that have built their careers at a single organization. While I did lead software development teams earlier in my career, I’ve spent the majority of my time at Intel and most of that time focused on building the future of wireless communications technologies.
In the context of my business unit, Next Generation Systems, we have a vision of a world where computing intelligence is available wherever and whenever it's needed. In other words, a Fully Connected Mobile Intelligent Society. Without getting too technical, this means creating highly distributed computing architectures that are spread over great distances - literally the entire planet - enriching the way we live, work, play while doing so with an increasing focus on sustainability, green energy, etc. This probably sounds impossible, but that is the kind of project scope that really sets my passions alight. Doing the impossible (or at least very improbable) is what I signed up for here at Intel.
Any advice you would like to give to girls in STEM on pursuing their dreams?
I’m a big fan of the need to take risks as you develop your career. I do not want to share Mr. Frost’s regrets in “The Road Not Taken” - we should be taking risks to discover new things. And if that results in a setback, we need to be resilient enough to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off to move forward once again. This is just as important in life as it is in business - perhaps more so!
Of course, while I’m passionate about taking risks, we still need to measure success and be honest with ourselves about progress. That means we need to ID which solutions are, in fact, “moving the needle” and be prepared to pivot from approaches that are not contributing value.
Maintaining your integrity is another key piece of a great career. No matter where you work, all of us will face pressure to accept some decisions that we know are just not in line with the value system of the organization. I have been in multiple situations where I was asked to pass judgment in line with the group, even though I felt that the decision was not the correct one. Censure for me ranged from removal from the project in question to some very combative discussions.
I don’t feel I’ve ever had to compromise in that regard, and I know my career is ultimately better despite setbacks from some of these situations. With integrity comes respect and moral authority versus just positional authority…and fewer regrets. Beyond your job, it’s hard to go through life if you can’t respect yourself and the decisions you’ve made.
As a leader, this also means that I need to be prepared for those that work for me to disagree with my decisions. There have been many times when I had to accept constructive feedback and make changes. What’s important is these debates need to be mission/data-driven versus personal, as those situations are where integrity can be compromised. Heaven knows I have strong opinions, but I need to ensure I lead from a place where others are comfortable making their case for a different conclusion.
Another thing I would like to empathize with is servant leadership. People will remember not what you said, but how you made them feel. This is especially true when we must deal with bad news or restructuring to evolve organizations and shifting business needs.
Lastly, when the day is over, I try to remind myself that success is about how we live our lives based on what is most important to us as individuals. To this end, I have integrated practices such as gratitude practices, and daily self-reflection that have helped me grow. I’ve found the practice of generosity and helping others allows you to forget your own troubles and help with finding meaning in your efforts as well as uncovering new opportunities. The pandemic certainly gave us plenty of opportunities to practice this.
