In this podcast episode, Shiv is in conversation with Anees Haidary, Global Head, Operational Excellence, Data Privacy, and Global Workforce Management at Sasken Technologies.

In this engaging episode, Anees shares his remarkable journey in the IT industry, starting from his humble beginnings in a lower-middle-class family in India to becoming a prominent figure in various leadership roles. Anees discusses his educational background in engineering, his early struggles with job interviews, and the pivotal break that led him to a successful career. He emphasizes the importance of self-belief, continuous learning, and the role of mentors in professional growth. Anees also delves into his experiences with various organizations, including IBM, and his current role, where he oversees multiple portfolios including operational excellence and data privacy. Additionally, Anees highlights his involvement in Toastmasters and the BSPIN network, advocating for networking and professional development at any stage of one’s career. He also shares his personal methods for managing time and staying grounded. The episode is filled with practical tips and inspiring anecdotes, making it a valuable listen for anyone in the software industry.

Anees is a Storyteller, Problem Solver, Inventor, Game changer, and Data Privacy and ESG expert.

Being an industry veteran for 25+ years in IT Industry, his role in Leadership at Sasken has helped define a strategy, roadmap & governance mechanism to address business critical problems, Established and sustained the Demand Supply Framework sustaining the core of business, Integrating various cultures post-acquisition, establishing data privacy and information security practice at Sasken among few large initiatives. Being a strong project management enthusiast, and successfully delivered large initiatives jointly with PMI in South Asia, he has been able to deeply influence and integrate world class project management initiatives at Sasken, and various product and services organization in his role as a PMISA champion.

Apart from MBA in HRM, Anees has completed Strategy Thinking Course from IIM Kolkata. Certified in PMP, ITILv3, CSM, ISO 9K, 14K, 27K, 27701 Lead Implementer, ISO 26262 Process Expert, ASPICE v3.1 SME, he has been able to contribute greatly to his organization’s vision and mission 60x4x3. He is also an active public speaker, and chartered Toastmasters Club in his organization, and completed a decade long relationship with Toastmasters International. He is a Certified Public Speaker from Dale Carnegie Institute USA. He heads Project Management Academy, Quality, Customer Experience Management, Data Privacy Office, Audits and Certifications, Special Strategic Initiatives, Delivery Excellence, and Global Workforce Management at Sasken Technologies Limited.

Currently he is the Champion at PMI South Asia and Project Management Mentor at Sasken. He co-authored the PM Competency Development Framework (PMCDF) initiative of Project Management Institute (PMI) and integrated into HR competency management systems at Sasken, and mentored various organizations like CISCO, Cushman and Wakefield, Robert Bosch India, Nokia India on leveraging PMCDF for advancing the noble profession of Project management through continuous assessment of PM competency. Anees is the Core member of Risk Management Committee (RMC) at Sasken reporting into the Risk committee of Sasken Board.

His white papers are published in International and National Journals and Magazines, websites & newsletters of different forums. He received many awards and honors from different organizations in advancing the field of Project Management.

He may be reached at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haidary/

In this podcast episode, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Shubhangi M Josiam, Digital Head APAC of Alstom about her 18+ year journey across GE and Alstom, moving from core IT and infrastructure roles to customer-facing digital transformation leadership across APAC.

Shubangi shares candid stories about career pivots, leadership programs, Lean Six Sigma, building IT from scratch post-acquisition, and navigating cross-cultural teams—ending with powerful advice for women professionals to be bold and go for roles before feeling “fully ready”.

00:00 – 01:50 — Introduction to Shubangi’s APAC digital leadership role and IT’s shift from backend to customer-facing solutions.

01:52 – 04:41 — Early inspiration for engineering, switching from electronics to information science driven by a love for programming.

04:42 – 07:56 — Entering GE through walk-ins, starting in captive IT, and learning end-to-end infrastructure fundamentals.

08:20 – 11:49 — Discovering GE’s leadership culture and choosing Lean Six Sigma for outcome-driven career growth.

12:06 – 14:28 — Leading a consumer experience transformation project and early exposure to Agile and product thinking.

14:29 – 16:08 — Managing ERP operations and learning real-world supply chain complexity during system transitions.

16:08 – 18:09 — Navigating acquisitions, making tough career exits, and prioritising personal sustainability.

18:46 – 23:51 — Joining Alstom during post-acquisition chaos and helping build IT systems from the ground up.

23:51 – 25:50 — Building digital and analytics platforms, hiring data scientists, and scaling analytics maturity.

25:51 – 27:47 — Transitioning into regional IT leadership and driving large-scale digital change during COVID.

27:48 – 29:37 — Moving into customer-facing digital rail solutions across APAC and continuous learning from the market.

30:00 – 32:19 — Managing APAC time zones through clusters while maintaining work–life balance.

32:20 – 36:45 — Leading across cultures by balancing company values with local working styles.

46:46 – 48:36 — Building trust through direct feedback, transparency, and authentic leadership.

48:38 – 50:43 — Final advice: be bold, apply even if you’re not “ready,” and trust yourself to figure it out.

“If you want to do something, go for it. Help will come—and you will figure it out.”

“Men apply saying, ‘I’ll figure it out.’ Women apply saying, ‘I meet only five out of ten requirements.’ That’s what stops us.”

“I didn’t tick all the boxes, but I figured it out.”

“Worst case, you fail. Big deal. You learn. It’s not the end of the world.”

“IT is no longer a backend engine—it’s delivering real digital solutions to customers.”

Trusted Partner in Driving Impactful Digital Transformation & Empowering Businesses Through Technology.

As the Digital Services Regional Head for APAC at Alstom, I drive transformative digital solutions tailored to the rail industry, with a strong focus on operational efficiency and customer engagement. My efforts include collaborating with diverse teams to deliver cutting-edge rail digital solutions while ensuring advanced cybersecurity measures for robust data protection. By aligning technological initiatives with business goals, our team enhances service quality and builds scalable, future-ready solutions for the region.

With over 20 years of experience in IT strategy and transformation, I have a proven track record of delivering impactful results acro…

Shubangi can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubhangi-mj/