Susmita is helping secure the digital landscape of energy systems with inclusive collaboration

I am Susmita Roy, Project Manager for Grid Automation business unit. We work with technologies that create cybersecurity services for our end-customers. Along with that, I also work on projects that help improve lifecycle management of our customer’s installed base. In summary, I am responsible for helping utilities become more efficient, secure, and reliable.

This is a place where stereotypes are broken as everyone has equal opportunity to develop and grow. I work with diverse teams, from team members who are fresh out of college to experienced ones, people with vast experience in the domain while others who have great command of the technologies. Working with them has helped me grow personally as well as professionally. We respect each other. We are honest and transparent, which creates a healthy environment to work in.

For many decades, women in India faced several challenges in moving up the academic ladder particularly in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). But recently there has been a shift in mindset and awareness in society. As a result, we can see a lot of improvement such as an increasing number of female students in STEM. While gender diversity has always been a focal area within the organization, it is also in the larger interest of scientific progress and society.

I am fortunate to have such supportive parents and colleagues who have always encouraged me to break barriers and contribute positively in my work area. Very recently, I am thankful to be recognized by being given a ‘X-tra Miler award’ for my contributions towards various project deliveries. During my years of service with the company, I have always been complimented for being highly organized. As well as my detail-oriented approach to problem solving or analyzing any issue and to supporting my team in everyday activities. We achieve this by bringing in collaboration and trust.

Be ready for great collaboration

My advice for any new joiner is to be ready for great collaboration, which then equals great learning experiences. There are ample learning and growth opportunities for anyone with an enthusiastic spirit. It is also important to have a mindset of quality, safety, and integrity, based on everything we do here. 

We actively work on cybersecurity solutions, a key focus area in the industry today. It is important that our customers’ infrastructure is protected by being security compliant. Our solutions like critical online patches and software updates help in keeping the systems up to date to keep our power grids secure. We do this through substation automation systems using remote connection and monitoring infrastructure like our Grid Automation Shield program. These collaborative portals help us manage assets and minimize the risk of any operational interruptions or downtime.