Women's Day Week - Deepa Ganapathy, VP, Quess IT Staffing

We are entering into the week preceding the International Women’s Day. We are interviewing some women leaders in the IT sector to understand their achievements and challenges. Deepa Ganapathy, VP, Quess IT Staffing spearheads large IT Managed Services for strategic clients. she primarily focuses on revenue growth. Here she talks to us about her work.

What are the challenges in helping the IT sector to grow revenue in today's perspective?

Deepa Ganapathy - Although the IT Industry is one of the fastest growing of all sectors, with advancement in technology there is a huge talent shortage. The skill gap is widening, and the demand v/s supply gap is a real time challenge. Fewer opportunities in Tier 2/3 cities are clearly one of the deterrents, and there is immense pressure on the need for overall infrastructure development and support in these cities.

Second, today, more than ever, there is heavy dependency on technology; adults and children use gadgets for virtual meetings, e-learning, online shopping, other transactions, etc. Almost every interaction and activity is tech-based without which daily life is non-functional. As a society we have embraced digital transformation. However, this advancement has brought with it its own predicament - Cyber Security.

Further, due to the on-going global health calamity in the last two years, there is a huge concern for business continuity planning and execution. Government regulations are a proving to be a limitation toward enhancing agility in an ever-changing environment.

What new perspectives are needed to resolve these challenges?

Deepa Ganapathy - Following are the key points to strive towards -

• Tech education must be made available for all, along with awareness of cyber-related risks.
• There is an immediate need to invest in training to develop in-house tech talent.
• Adapting to Platform engineering will help Organisations become more agile.
• Creative ways to engage with employees will see better results in retaining talent.
• One size doesn’t fit all. Organisations must analyse what is required for employee stability. Focus on mental health & well-being, restructuring perks & benefits, will help in countering the great resignation wave.
• Remote working has clearly created a dent in synergy. Professionals develop and grow when working in a collaborative environment & exchange idea. It is time to embrace the new normal, get back to physical offices, which will in turn develop the overall economy.

How did you make the transition from Humanities to your current role?

Deepa Ganapathy - I did my masters in English Literature, while Economics was my core subject in graduation. My first job as an Analyst in Accenture gave me a lot of exposure to Technology. My managers helped me identify my strength i.e., Client Engagement and Business Development. This encouraged me to undergo several training sessions to hone my skills and pursue the role at hand. I was assigned responsibilities to migrate projects from onshore to development centres in India. Over a period, it became evident that the adrenaline rush was in working in high intensity client driven projects.  When I moved to IT staff augmentation Industry this gave me an opportunity to use my learning and enhance my experience.

My family stood by me in every step of this journey. I was able to dedicate my time to work extensive hours when required and travel for business. I have been fortunate to have good mentors and coaches who encouraged me at every juncture.

When you have a goal post set in mind, you will figure out a way to get there. However, it is not a solo journey. It takes several years of hard work, patience and persistence. I believe the best is yet to come.

How do you keep yourself updated with the ever-evolving IT industry?

Deepa Ganapathy - There is something to be learnt every day and everywhere. Interaction with clients, peers and candidates give me abundant on-ground insights into technology. I strongly believe self-learning is the best thing one can invest in; during the Pandemic, I completed an online course from the Harvard Business School on Global Business & Data Science.

My father has been in healthcare for 45 years now and I have seen him seamlessly switch from physical consultation to Remote Patient Monitoring and Tele-Health Technology. This reiterated the axiom that you are never too old to learn. All you need is the zeal! I have also learnt quite a bit from my teenage son; with him it is a creative sort of learning which is exciting.

I read extensively on my Kindle, as well as on Audible. We humans are creatures of habit, so developing the right habits early in life helps.  I have always been curious to understand technology and learn more to stay relevant. One has to sail with the tide, this helps us stay ahead of the curve.

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