Technology Leadership through the Lens of a Woman In our technology driven times, our days are animated by the anticipation of the next cool shiny thing around the corner. If we ever doubted that people could be teleported from one place to another, that a robot could replace the cleaning lady, or that an aunt in Seattle could tutor her young niece in India on a daily basis, modern day technology has quelled such doubts. Modern life is immersed with technologies that advance at a breathtaking pace. In a candid conversation with Praveen Gonabal (Class of 2006; Strategic Engagements, Infosys, U.K.), Meher Afroz (PGPMAX Founding Class alumna and Service Offering Leader, Data and Mobile Experiences at Microsoft) – a global leader with over 20 years of experience in information technology – gives us a peek into her world, the underpinnings of which are an abiding love of technology. Early leanings Introduced to computers at the early age of 11, when her father was pursuing his PhD at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Meher was the first to enrol in a computer science class when it was introduced in her school curriculum. In those days, computing time was scarce and the cost of an error was so high that programmers would spend a lot of time doing dry runs to avoid compilation errors. Meher, who assisted her father in conducting dry runs of algorithms, went on to study Computer Engineering at Birsa Institute of Technology (BIT), Sindri. The solid base she gained at Tata Steel, where she started as a System Trainee, propelled her career forward in companies such as General Electric and Microsoft. From developing software to managing engineering teams, Meher not only progressed in her career, but also augmented her qualifications as she went along.  A big leap After graduating from the ISB, Meher took on her the role of Chief of Staff of Strategic Enterprise Services IT at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. “My Chief of Staff role was not a traditional role. There were a lot of risks, especially for somebody like me who has spent my entire life in technology running engineering teams. It was a challenge for me to let go of that and do something that was so broad in a different geography. But when that role opened up in my mentor’s own team, I just took it because I trusted her,” Meher recalls. Meher was responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of Enterprise Services for Microsoft, with a global team of over 1,200 people and a budget exceeding $300 USD. She developed the strategy and approach for enabling the technology (SMAC) Megatrends for Microsoft. Meher explains, “My responsibilities were essentially three-fold: running the organisation for the VP of Strategic Enterprise Services (my mentor), landing a strategy from a people and business perspective, and being the VP’s confidante and strategic advisor.” Meher’s success in the role rested on her ability to understand her VP’s priorities and style, build a network of subject matter experts, and relentlessly focus on the big ticket item, or as Meher puts it, “the five dollar item as against the five cent item.” This April, Meher assumed a new position as Service Offering Leader, Data and Mobile Experiences at Microsoft. A fan of technology While her career success pivoted around knowing the tricks of the trade, Meher says that technology played a major role in allowing her to multi-task on the professional and personal fronts. Nothing can replace time with family; and during her three years in Redmond, Meher leveraged technology so that she did not feel quite so distant from family events in India. “While we might live in a particular culture or geography, what we don’t notice is that we tend to carry our own bubble around us regardless of where we go. And that virtual bubble of technology tends to protect us from all these transitions,” she opines. She is excited about the trend that Gartner calls the "ambient user experience" — the experience that flows seamlessly across devices by transcending the limitations of time and space to blend the new physical, virtual and electronic environment surrounding a user when she changes her location. Meher is also an avid user of a piece of technology called Cortana, which is a virtual personal assistant or autonomous agent. The technology transformation is no longer taking place just in a distant laboratory, it is touching people’s lives every day. But the rapidity with which changes in technology are occurring can be mindboggling, even for a pro like Meher. How does she remain abreast of everything? “I do a lot of breadth reading. I leverage my virtual personal assistant to figure out what I like to read, and I get my daily feeds through it,” Meher responds. Women at the focal point Not only has Meher leveraged technology for her personal use, she has made it her goal to help people, especially women, realise their full potential through technology. To this end, she has dedicated significant efforts both in India and the US to supporting women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers by leading women’s groups and ensuring senior leader representation. She championed programmes such as Code for Her (which creates apps that help women) and Springboard (a platform for women to get back to work after a break). She has also launched programmes like DigiGirlz in India to encourage young girls to pursue careers in technology. In the dynamics of the current business ethos, does gender really play a role in career choice or professional growth? Meher responds by telling us about her formative years and her shift in perspective as she advanced in the professional world. Growing up in a family of sisters and supportive parents, she says, “You don’t really see a lot of — I would not call it bias, per se — but a difference. You are taught that everything is possible.” Meher continues, “Later in my career, I did realise that yes, the numbers don’t match up. When you look around, you are a minority.” Women leaders like Meher play a crucial role in closing this gap by opening avenues for young girls and female subordinates so that they can stand toe-to-toe with their male counterparts. In the pursuit of professional success, there are always trade-offs but these should not be made at the cost of an individual’s inimitable qualities. Meher shares a piece of advice from a former supervisor that left an impression on her and held her in good stead when she first arrived in Redmond. “He said, Meher, bring your diversity to the table,” she recalls. Describing how she always brings confidence and uniqueness to her work, Meher asserts that she is “proud to be a woman” and aware of the unique proposition she offers. “Be comfortable with your own individuality and use that, versus trying to emulate a man,” Meher advises aspirants. Cornerstones of success The skyline of Meher’s professional life has one high rise after another, but what is its edifice? Of course, working at Tata Steel and GE impelled her career forward, but what really stood her in good stead was her attitude. “In my most recent transition to Redmond and then back, the country was not new for me, but the work culture was. Going in with an open mindset and the enthusiasm to learn really helped me,” Meher explains. A strong proponent of taking time to know the environment in a new geography, she has never been shy to reach out to friends and mentors for help. The recipe for success, in Meher's view, is love for one's job. She says that by following someone else’s dream without really understanding what that means to them, what trade-offs they need to make, and what makes them really happy, people actually set themselves up for failure. She quips, “When you don’t love your job, you are not going to be as successful. It’s simple!” Taking out time (and money) for self development is as important as salt in a savoury dish. There are other, subtler ingredients in the recipe. Meher elucidates, “It is important to have people around that can push you, show you possibilities and avenues that you yourself may not see.” Meher’s growth trajectory pans across geographical movements, role changes and technology transformation, but by being confident, conscious and deliberate about her short-term goals, she has made her professional journey seem like a cruise. Never managing her career from one promotion to the other, she went after an opportunity if she was passionate about it and if it was in sync with her own values. “So if something does not feel appropriate, I don’t do it. I would also raise my voice against it. That is how I have played the game and I feel that it has helped me. That would be my advice, irrespective of gender,” sums up Meher. The interview on which this article is based, was conducted by Praveen Gonabal (Class of 2006), a London-based alumnus who is the moderator of the Technology Special Interest Group at ISB and Principal in the Strategy Enterprise practise at Infosys Consulting. The author of the article is Arohini Narain. Founder and Content Head of Writer's World. |