And for joining us today, um I myself am joining from the US. So for anyone else on the US um time zone with me, a very caffeinated cheers to you and for those who are joining from the rest of the world, uh another cheers to you as well.Um So uh like Anna said, I'm uh Ashley Peterson, a senior marketing manager here at Tata Communications. I'm very lucky to be working alongside this Trailblazer, Miss Janice Wong. Um And again, I'd like to say um a special thank you to the women in tech Global Conference for having us here. Um We're very excited to be able to contribute to this conversation. Um And let's get you guys introduced to, to genius. So there was a very nice introduction of you Janus. So we don't have to go too deep into your full title and role, but I think it would be helpful if you um tell the audience what your role entails here at Tata Communications and um what Tata does.

OK. Um uh First of all, I think um I'm, I would like to share with you that I'm based in Hong Kong. I'm the CTO for telecommunications and also I run the core and next gen connected business, the entering and product management team and functions as well as the service assurance that across all telecommunication service portfolio. So um in this function, you know, that's some exciting things about this developing services that actually enable customers, you know, through the transformation journey that actually most of the enterprises are also going through. And uh we are actually looking ourselves as their partner in this whole journey, all quite a short introduction. Yes,

it's so good. So one of the things I wanted to highlight today um since we are part of this amazing conference is um some of some of you that are are are joining, may have seen that uh we recently were recognized by the Economic Times as a best organization for women. Um And this is a huge recognition for us. Can you talk about some of the initiatives that Tata Communications is doing to create an equitable and diverse workplace?

Certainly. So in t communications, one of our strategic business imperative is the winning mix. OK, which is actually based on three key pillars uh which are including building an inclusive culture, creating a diverse talent pool and enabling policies and infrastructure. So in telecommunications, you know, all these initiatives and programs that we are creating on the winning mix are actually centered around these three pillars, for example, um you know, in the building an inclusive culture in telecommunications, we actually constantly review and ensure that we have a level of inclusive diversity because we do recognize the value that diversity has brought and will continue to bring for us.

So we place immense priority in ensuring our workforce is adequately represented. So, within our team of over 12,000 employees, globally, we have about 50/50 nationalities represented and a diversity ratio of 21.7% in some regions like A pe C, our diversity ratio increases to about 27.5%.

There's definitely, you know, a lot of, you know, room for improvement and we definitely continue our efforts to improve on this. And basically, for example, for the other initiatives that we actually look into, which is actually to create a diverse talent pool. This is one of the things that we actually were using, you know, um A I to help us to address some of the cognitive gender bias, right, from the initial stage of attracting talent towards the opportunities um you know, into other communications. This is where we actually, you know, um basically created the IA I enabled masking tool in our screening process. So the tool will mask all the gender related information. So when an evaluator receives the resume for screening until the candidates are shortlisted, you know, for interviews.

So no one actually knows basically the gender of whoever uh the resume actually represent. All right, we also are developing a lot of inclusive leadership learning journey for all the people, managers inside the communication, to mitigate unconscious bias. This is actually helping us to really create a much more diverse talent pool and also bring in, you know, diversity into our organization. And also one last one is basically the programs that aspire to inspire. This is a monthly role model series that you know, features women employees across our entire organization. So we interview women leaders about their career graphs and also aspiration and post the interviews on the company's newsletter, the linkedin Elders. So this create helped to create role models that other women in the organization can also identify with and also learn with. And recently we also enter into a partnership like with you, the, you know, with the United Women Singapore um to launch a mentorship program for all the young women, you know, under the wing. And this is not just limited to women, mentors everyone in t to communications, regardless of the gender will be actually encouraged to take a mentorship role, to actually get help to get women into this field.

I think that's amazing. And I think that's a nice segue into um another question that I kinda, I wanna get to in, you know, the mentorship and and how you got started in technology, right? So was there an aha moment or was there a mentor um that kind of guided you into technology? So how, how did you just decide that, oh, this is my path. This is my passion. This is where I want to be. How did you, how did you decide? Yeah, this is for me.

Well, um actually for my case, most of my family, relatives and members are actually in different fields of technology. So I guess I was actually influenced by all of them, you know, all the people surrounding me, you know, right from an early age. So as as a mentor, I actually always see my, you know, my father as my mentor because, you know, his love and passion for creating invention and also he's ready to actually try out new technologies, exploring new possibilities, you know, and how it can actually apply to all different area of business, you know, and also his, his, his hunger to learn new things in.

Well, I always see him as a true role model for continuous learning and continuous transformation is actually a great example that tells everyone that even when you are at 70 you should not be shy about learning new things, right? So it's never physically, you know, something that you, you, you can't say that this is too, I'm too old for it. All right. And also the key thing is that, you know, um you know, in our family, you know, uh basically, you know, we always see that and that is one of his, you know, the learnings I got from him is that whenever there's a challenge. We always believe that there's a solution to it. So he always says that when one door closes on you, there's always another one that is opened. So all you have to do is to find it. All right. So that is also the belief that I have taken with me in whatever role I have taken up through my, you know, career. And especially I believe in this field of technology, I find it, you know, very you can call it accurate because things are changing so fast. So you do not have a solution now, doesn't mean that you don't, there's no solution that can address the problem, you know, in the near on the term f you have to continue to explore, continue to actually, you know, and try out, you know, so in the field of technology, you know, that is what we do every single day.

So I think that is where it excites me. Actually, it marries very well with my own personality and my own interest.

That's awesome. And I, I hope everyone has that type of, you know, mentor and um support system, you know, where they can. Yes, like learn, keep growing and keep, you know, keep experimenting, you know, keep doing that. Um in your role, you have a lot of teams that report into you. So how do you communicate your vision um clearly effectively but also um passionately and get, get everyone engaged and um excited about these new, um, changes or new and I wouldn't say changes and it's, it's just new adventures that, you know, like, ok, these are new things that we're gonna do or we so experiments different things.

How do you communicate your vision?

Yeah. So, I have over about 2000, 200 plus employees, you know, um, you know, only 2000, 2000, 200 plus only. Yeah. And it spread over over, I think 30 plus countries, right. So it is actually very important for us, you know, to communicate clearly to all the leaders in the groups of our company, you know, our vision and our strategy and also our core our own functions, you know, our vision and strategy. So because it is very clear that, you know, important that everyone understands this and the objective that we want to actually achieve as a team. All right. So because it is about, you know, how each of the different units under us can contribute to that vision and strategy.

So, you know, um so that we have to create our own, you know, functional strategy and plans to how to enable that, you know, a lot of times that, you know, you know, people are all ready to contribute. But I see is that, you know, don't just stay with the fish strategy. It's how they cannot participate in actually building that execution plan. All right, this is very important in order to enable and actually you know, achieve that fish and strategy, you know, so the execution plan to me is what can get people really excited because just imagine you have basically 2000 plus people over 35 countries a lot of times and also strategy, you know, so I'm, I'm getting my cool for the OK.

Um You know, so I'm, I'm seeing that, you know, um a lot of times it's like what it means for the people, all right, because we have people that is actually spreading across all different, you know, uh functions and also different work levels, right? So how do they, how can they relate to it? That is once they can it, they will be able to get, you know, excited. This is how I can contribute to the company's over vision and strategy. This is the execution roadmap that actually enables to achieve that. And these are the key milestone that we can all achieve together. So this is something that we do, we spend a lot of time on within my team, you know, how to cascade, you know, the visionary strategy and how to basically build this execution road map. All right. And that's how, you know, you know, and we can actually, once we have the a road map, there will be a lot of changes. How do we actually, you know, um be agile enough within our road map to adapt to the changes as required. So this is, you know, we, we spent a lot of time with our teams to enable this actually clearly communicated. So, within my team, I'm glad that basically our, you know, E A scores has been basically constantly pretty high in the, you know, hitting the 88 or nine already. All right. So, you know, this is something that we actually continue to invest our time on.

Um Awesome. So, and then I have a two part question you for. So talking about getting excited. So as a CTO, you do have to keep up with trends. So it's a two part. So what are you reading or what are you studying to keep up, keep up with trends and then what keeps you excited? So what, what is in a part of technology that keeps you like, oh, this is super interesting or oh you know, like, like what do you geek out on, you know, like what makes you like? Oh, this is cool.

Yeah. So um one of the most interesting, exciting and I think that's exhausting part of this job is the continuous change in technology, right? You know, um you know, all this continues, you know, and also the potential disruption, you know, that all the new technology can bring to your business. All right. And also what is the timing that it could actually happen? So this is something that we have to keep a very close eye on because, you know, you know, how do you apply someone, you know, um how do you actually, you know, like what can actually change the way that you currently conduct business? All right. So, you know, one thing good about in our company is that we do have a strategy team that helps to monitor the overall trends in the market. All right. And what is the, what are the new start up in the industry and what new technologies are being introduced? And also what is the number of start ups that's working on each new technology? OK. You know, so this is something that we actually track very diligently um within the company. And this is where basically, you know, those, you know, um information are shared with, like for example, with me and basically we look at where we actually jointly decide on which is going to be more blue sky and which is going to be in the near future, you know, that will actually affect us.

So a lot of these analy that we actually, you know, we will be doing together to ensure that we don't lose sight of what is potentially coming our way. All right. And in each of the business units functions, we will also pay attention to the new technology trends that will basically have an impact to us in the near future. All right. So there will be a team that actually looking at more longer term um you know, implication that, you know, some of the technology may bring. Now some of the new exciting space that we are looking at is definitely, you know, we all talk about it is on A I, right. A I is not just that network A I, there's A I, there's dark room operations. I mean, there's tons of things that, you know, we are actually doing every single day that, you know, it will actually affect how we actually service our customer, how do we actually, you know, um you know, basically, you know, um improve our, you know, the c the experience that we can provide to the customer.

So, you know, this is definitely, you know, going to be one of the key area of development for us across the board because one of the priorities we do have is that, you know, we have to embed A A I in all the products and services, um engineering and solutions and processes that we do.

All right. So um a lot of work is going to happen in that area and that is extremely exciting and other areas will include basically quantum computing and also like digital toys, you know, so this is also another ex exciting things on actually how to actually design your service, how you operate the service and how you visibly, you know, um you know, manage the service for the customers.

So these are some of the exciting things that, you know, um I think um out is actually working on

Well, that is exciting and I'm sure it, it keeps you, keeps you motivated, right? Uh What's another question? Um Another question um throughout your career, what concept or technology would you say has had the most drastic or most important impact um on it if you could name one?

Uh I think, um in the recent, I think that to me is more, I think the explosion on internet with the rich and capable of capacity and reliability. And also I think the movement to cloud, right? Because frankly speaking, just imagine if, you know, if the internet is not as reliable as what we are having now and also there's not the move into the cloud, what will happen to all of us in the last three years during the pandemic, right? All right, you know, because then I don't think that, you know, um you know, economy, you know, basically can actually survive, right? All the ecommerce, all the basically the remote, you know, meetings like this one if internet and also, you know, um you know, you know, the SAS application is not actually available. II, I honestly can't imagine what would have happened to us. All right, because this has opened so much opportunities that actually completely transform the ways of how each industry conduct business and enabling different, completely different business models. So, you know, I think, um and, and also definitely remember during the COVID times, the remote working the hybrid workspace, I mean a lot of this is gonna be possible. So just be one, this is where, what I think about. Right.

Very true. And this is our last question for you. But I think probably um one of the most important for the audience, um what are some takeaways? What are three, you know, three sage advice, um that you would give to the audience here. And it could be for those who are just starting out like starting their careers in the technology space or those who've been, you know, um in the space for quite some time, is there some advice that you would leave them today? Just anything that comes to mind that could help them in their careers?

Oh, well, um in general, I think, um you know, you know, whoever is really working in this space or who thinks about coming into this space, I mean, this is definitely an exciting areas because just imagine you will be actually playing a pivotal role in defining and enabling all the new business transformation because, you know, that this is a basically um questions that no one completely has said I consider I have the perfect answer, right?

So, you know, to me that, you know, the sky basically is the limit of the possibility and opportunity it can bring. So, um however, you know, if you actually get into this space, you know, first of all, you know, I think um you, you have to be actually ready. Um really, you know, you have to be agile and also be very ready to actually adapt to changes. All right, because the one thing for sure is that the, the the changes, the pace of changes so fast in this area. All right. Um But however, if you visibly love to innovate and also create and you want to basically really play a critical role in defining, you know, um some of these areas with transformation then definitely you are in the right place. All right. Um So to me is that, you know, constant continues to actually monitor what is it, you know, um be I can be much more open because there's no one solution that can fit all those challenges and problems. All right. So, you know, but enjoy and just don't get anything, you know, um that lets you down.

All right, because I can tell you as my, you know, experience is that, you know, if something doesn't work here, you know, some something else will actually can actually be a potential solution. I've gone through that many times, right? So therefore, you know, you know, just, you know, just get ready. It's hard work in this space. Uh One of the hardest thing is to manage your work life balance, I think, you know. So, uh and this is something I'm, I'm still actually doing my best but, you know, um but it's so exciting that, you know, there's sort of kind of sacrifice you will have to give in, I think. Right. Yeah,

I agree with you that work life balance. It's, it's, you know, and, and I, and, you know, you and I have talked about this and I have two girls but it's also very nice to see that they see how strong their mothers are and, and their dedication to work. You know. So, but I, I think, oh, there's Anna. Yes. And I think thank you, Janice so much for um joining the fireside chat today. I think it was um, very special and, and very, um it's such a great experience to hear from a CTO like yourself, especially for, for individuals who are just joining the, the career path or, you know, been around for quite some time and it's, it's a different perspective. So I appreciate it. And so, and I'll turn it back over to you

and thank you. Thank you so much, Ashley for the masterful moderation. Thank you genius for being with us for making times. We know how busy you are. And thank you so much. Your experience is impressive. And at the same time, you, you were so authentic today with us, you shared so, you know, important tips and lessons learned and you know, something that you said is resonated with me, truly, you said something about being open. And I think, you know, when you're open, if the things don't go the way you expect, you still make the most of it. And because we cannot expect you all the things to make, to make perfect sense at the perfect time, you know, so we need to make the most of what we have. But it's so important that you said those words today and other important tips and inside that you shared with everyone who is also get inspired to be a CTO one day themselves. I'm sure you inspired some leaders and aspiring leaders today to uh take and make the most of their opportunities that they have on their way. Thank you so much, genius. Thank you so much Ashley for being with us today. It was an honor and a pleasure. Thank you.

Bye

bye.