Sudha Jagadish: Glass Ceiling Smashed

Sudha Jagadish, chief executive officer, Dax Networks is a visionary and has reached the pinnacle of success with her sheer hard work, right attitude and a positive spririt

"The journey from Systems Associate to the CEO has been very exciting and fulfilling. Starting with the technical side and moving across to the corporate side of the company, skills needed to be enhanced. While moving up the ladder, it is always a challenge to prove that one would be able to handle added responsibilities of various departments and that would now be a part of your portfolio. Managing multiple roles gives a lot of exposure and a broader perspective of the business," says Sudha

Educational Background

An honors graduate in Mathematics with Diploma in Computer Science, Sudha exceled in academics.

Family Background

Born in a middle-class family, I was the youngest child in the family with three brothers and one sister. We were taught to respect the core value systems and that remains the thread whatever heights you may achieve. Married to B Jagadish who also is in the same IT field. The families, husband and my son have been of great support and encouragement in my professional career growth.

Working in a male-dominated field of IT

India's booming IT and IT-enabled services industry is a favorite destination of job-seeking women, whose employment in the industry is set to rise dramatically to 45% from the current 30%, according to an industry survey. This is due to the inclusive human resource policies of Indian IT firms, which recruit, train, retain and promote women employees as a strategic business plan. The number of female employees is on the rise, not only in IT but across sectors. And it is a healthy trend that I see.

 

Irrespective of men or women, today there is flair to work for IT companies, as it is the happening field, technological and more importantly pay also plays an important role. So the young stars prefer to be in the IT field. I feel the choice should be made on the individual's passion, interest and determination. Hence, any field in that case, is good for women.

Does a glass ceiling exist?

Sudha, herself an achiever and a leader par excellence does not believe in Glass Ceiling'. She says, "It is what we perceive. There is no limit for learning and growing."

Advice to working women

"Irrespective of IT or any other field, there are lots of opportunities. One should be willing to put in the hard work and be determined to climb the ladder. If one is passionate and dedicated, results will follow. The key is to have a clear career plan and work towards it. It is important to balance home and career. However, the most important thing is to enjoy what one does," says Sudha.

Hobbies

Inspite of a hectic schedule, reading books, shopping, watching movies with family helps Sudha unwind.

Future plans

 

We are getting aggressively into the IP Surveillance and that would be our expansion plan for the coming years. IP Surveillance is now becoming an important part of corporate, government & financial sectors. We have already had great success in financial and government sectors and will continue so.

 

Ekta Saxena

(ektasa@cybermedia.co.in)