Harsha Solanki, Managing Director, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Infobip

As managing director at Info­bip, Harsha Solanki supervises operations in India, Sri Lanka, Ba­ngladesh and Nepal. With ov­er 16 years of experience in the IT and telecom sector, she dep­lo­ys her expertise at Infobip to in­novate communications pl­at­fo­rm-as-a-service (CPaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS)-ba­sed offerings and solutions. Sol­anki joined Info­bip in 2017 as managing director and brought with her 12 years of experience and expertise in sales and marketing back then. Her long-term goal involves leveraging Infobip’s full stack of tech-based SaaS sol­utions and omnichannel communication ca­pa­bilities to build a go-to-market platform for brands in the cloud communication eco­system.

According to Solanki, companies of all sizes are rapidly evolving in terms of tech integration. “They are doubling down on innovation by leveraging advanced technologies to ensure that di­gital transformation drives revenue. However, even with an im­pressive portfolio of products and services offered, businesses lack an understanding of their core needs and are not able to create personalised customer experiences,” she notes.

Talking about the IT/technology sector trends, Solanki be­lieves that artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to dominate the industry. Metaverse is another trend that offers ample oppor­tu­nities and challenges across industries. Solanki believes that new digital channels and cloud technology have led the growth of ind­ustries, making it easier to provide end-to-end experiences th­rough everything, from chat banking to conversational comm­erce. That said, she also believes that the importance of the overall customer experience and security is bound to increase. “Orga­nisations must protect themselves with the best firewall solutions as frauds can devastate customers and organisations while impacting companies financially as well as its reputation,” she says.

Solanki is a computer science graduate with a PGDM in tele­com and IT management from the Symbiosis Institute of Ma­­nagement Studies. Describing her management style, Solanki says it is crucial to empathise with employees’ personal needs, given the uncertainties the pandemic has brought. “I en­sure to interact with at least two people everyday across the co­mpany and have candid conversations about their lives and challenges,” she says. Solanki comes from an army background, and her husband is an officer in the Indian Army. She en­joys travelling, and working with a global company with Euro­pean headquarters has brought her many such opportunities. She is also a fitness enthusiast and loves dogs.