Take up diverse and challenging roles to get the edge
Written by Mala Gupta, Tanya Sah, Ishneet Ahuja, Saumya Tiwari
The following is an article taken from the Women Who Code Delhi Newsletter which is largely written and compiled by Network Leaders Mala Gupta, Tanya Sah, Ishneet Ahuja, and Saumya Tiwari. The article is an interview with Sudakshina Laha, a luminary in the tech industry who was kind enough to share some of her insights. After the text, a full copy of the newsletter can be seen so that you can check out all of the great content that is being produced regularly by this Network. To find out more, visit https://www.womenwhocode.com/delhi/
Sudakshina Laha is an experienced Telecom & IT leader, heading Industrialization, Automations & Tools in Ericsson Digital Services
Take up diverse and challenging roles to get the edge
Sudakshina, a remarkable leader in the Telecom industry, had been an integral part of 2G to 5G and Industry Automation Revolution. Reminiscing her journey, she shares, “I started my career as a Software Engineer in Telecom R&D field. Over the past two decades, I got opportunities to play a multitude of roles in the ICT world, heading Engineering Deliveries and Practices, Program Management, Customer Account Management, Pre-Sales, and Automations.”
She adds, “It has been a fulfilling journey; being part of Technology evolution, starting from 2G to 5G. There have been exciting moments, a lot of gruel and hard work of setting up a team, scaling up an organization and growing business or working with multi-cultural teams all over the world.”
On being asked about the challenges she faced as a woman, she shared, ‘Personally, the period after the birth of my child was challenging. To sail smoothly through the initial period, I ensured I had good support system at home. Professionally, I have been fortunate to work with great leaders, who helped me improve tremendously.”
She added, “It is unfortunate that unconscious bias still exists against women. It limits the opportunities for them to take up challenging roles. The solution is to have an honest and open conversation with your manager about your capabilities and roles you are ready for.”
She shared her concerns – "I believe women should stop considering themselves as disadvantaged. They must not feel less confident about their capabilities or the opportunities they get.”
A strong advocate of women in tech, she advises, “Women should take charge of their career and steer it towards their goals. Moving forward and succeeding in their career would be the impetus for them to own their career trajectory. Being in technology careers also needs continuous reskilling and scaling. Women must take up different kinds of roles – especially the challenging roles to get the edge.”
On a lighter, but, serious note, she advises women to choose their life partner carefully, picking someone who is confident and open-minded and will support them in their careers.
