Gauri Bajaj brings to the table over 15 years of experience, ranging from consumer-oriented services to the IT and telecom domains. She started her career as a program analyst at Cognizant Technology, before joining the Tata Group. “I have worked in several roles, right from a management trainee at Tata Administrative Services to a brand and product manager at Titan and Tata Tele Services,” she says. In her current role as director, Cybersecurity (APAC) at Tata Communications, Bajaj is responsible for planning and executing the security strategy for the company’s APAC operations. She primarily focuses on enhancing customer engagement, identifying business needs, driving growth in the market, and building partnerships and services to deliver solutions.
Bajaj’s association with the Tata Group dates back to over a decade now. She recounts her most memorable assignment as Tata Communications’ product manager for MDDoS service. “There were many firsts for me in this assignment. It was the whole process of working closely with the business development, engineering and operations teams, and watching the practice grow steadily, crossing one milestone after another,” says Bajaj.
She believes that the telecom industry has undergone a sea change, witnessing events such as the shift from a voice-centric to a data-centric market and the early adoption of technologies such as AI, IoT and automation. “5G, when clubbed with these technologies, will potentially become the backbone for connecting all devices, as it will revolutionise the current performance in mobile connectivity, bring down costs and increase speed,” she adds. However, implementing new technologies presents its own set of challenges such as exposure of sensitive data to cyberthreats. This is amplifying the need for businesses to look at cybersecurity as part of their core strategy and shift the focus from prevention to resilience. “New regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation have made enterprises rethink their data protection policies.”
Bajaj believes in practising a participative management style. “I strive to create a conducive work environment where my team has the freedom to share views,” she says.
An engineer by training, Bajaj holds an MBA degree in marketing and finance from XLRI Jamshedpur. She is an avid reader and likes to explore new places. Her family comprises her husband, who works with an FMCG company, and their six-year-old daughter.
