Women are reshaping tech sector with innovative problem solving approach: Veda Iyer

Adgully has consistently celebrated and acknowledged the accomplishments of women entrepreneurs and leaders in various sectors. One of our notable initiatives, W-SUITE, focuses on highlighting extraordinary women achievers in the Media & Entertainment, Advertising, Marketing, PR, and Communications industry. In this updated series, we aim to explore how women leaders adeptly manage their teams and overcome challenges in the dynamic landscape of their respective industries.

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Veda Iyer, Global CMO, Head Sales - APAC, Head Hyperscalers & Strategic Partnerships, Mphasis, speaks about leading with a vision to blend innovation and inclusivity. Driven by strategic marketing expertise, she champions women in tech, fosters next-gen leadership, and promotes sustainability. Her customer-centric approach, through solutions like Front2Back and “shrink the core”, underscores Mphasis’ commitment to diversity and transformative growth. Balancing a high-pressure role with authenticity, Iyer inspires resilience and progress in the tech ecosystem.

What motivated your transition from your role at your previous organisation to taking on the mantle of a Global CMO and Head of Sales APAC at Mphasis?

The transition from my previous roles to becoming the Global CMO and Head of Sales for APAC here at Mphasis was driven by a desire to lead at scale, a passion for customer-centric transformation, and the opportunity to build impactful solutions. As Global CMO, I envisioned unifying marketing efforts globally, while my role as the Head of Sales APAC allowed me to translate strategy into regional growth in dynamic markets.

This unique combination lets me bridge global strategy and local execution, aligning initiatives with customer needs. My commitment to building collaborative ecosystems and driving innovation made this role a natural next step in my career, enabling me to create meaningful change on both regional and global levels.

How has your experience in strategic marketing influenced your approach to driving innovation and customer-centric solutions at Mphasis?

Strategic marketing has been the cornerstone of my approach to innovation and customer-centricity. My expertise in Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has taught me to deeply understand customer needs, enabling us to craft tailored solutions that resonate. By leveraging data-driven insights, we identify gaps and opportunities, resulting in impactful innovations like AI-powered solutions aligned with client aspirations.

Moreover, collaboration across teams and with strategic partners has amplified our ability to deliver integrated, meaningful offerings. Our long-term vision ensures these solutions remain scalable and sustainable, driving lasting value for clients. This holistic approach that is grounded in understanding customers, leveraging analytics, and fostering collaboration defines how I drive innovation at Mphasis.

What, according to you, sets women leaders apart in the technology and IT services industry, and how do you incorporate these qualities into your leadership style at Mphasis?

Women leaders bring empathy, resilience, and collaboration to the tech industry. These qualities are intrinsic to my leadership style at Mphasis. My ability to deeply understand customer needs, honed through Account Based Marketing, reflects empathy in crafting customer-first strategies. Resilience has guided me through the dynamic challenges of a dual role in marketing and sales, while collaboration across teams and with partners like AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has amplified our results. Balancing attention to detail with strategic vision, I focus on solutions that are both impactful and sustainable. The aim is to foster innovation and inspire others to achieve collective success by leading with empathy, adaptability, and a customer-centric approach.

How do you see the role of women evolving in the tech sector, and what unique innovations do you believe women leaders bring to transformative solutions like Mphasis’ Front2Back approach?

Working in tech, we have witnessed the incredible impact of diverse perspectives on innovation. Women are increasingly reshaping the tech sector by transforming the approach to problem solving and client outcomes. In transformative solutions like Mphasis’ Front2Back approach, this perspective is invaluable. In my experience, women often excel in aligning technology with human-centric outcomes, ensuring that solutions are not just innovative but also practical and inclusive. The customer-centric focus of our Front2Back approach resonates deeply with this ethos. By blending technology with emotional intelligence, women bring unique insights into creating hyper-personalized customer experiences and driving meaningful engagement. As we continue to empower women in tech, we foresee even greater strides in innovation and sustainable transformation.

Balancing a high-pressure role in a fast-paced industry can be challenging. What is your personal mantra for maintaining a balance between your professional and personal life, and what advice would you give to women aspiring to leadership roles?

Balancing a demanding leadership role with personal priorities requires discipline and intentionality. I focus on ruthless prioritization, identifying what truly matters and setting boundaries to avoid distractions. A structured routine provides stability, but also leaves room for flexibility to adapt to unexpected demands. Energizing activities like family time, exercise, or reading help me recharge and sustain my performance. Leadership is also about empowering others – trusting my team reduces my load and develops their skills. For aspiring women leaders, my advice is to own your ambition, build a support network, invest in growth, set boundaries, and focus on impact over perfection.

As a woman leader, how do you nurture the next generation of women leaders within Mphasis, particularly in areas like cloud, cognitive, and engineering services?

Being a woman leader in tech, I believe nurturing future women leaders goes beyond skill-building, it’s about creating an environment where emerging leaders feel empowered, supported, and challenged. We focus on developing technical depth and strategic thinking in areas like cloud, cognitive, and engineering services through mentorship, cross-functional exposure, and continuous learning. At Mphasis, we also encourage experimentation and pushing comfort zones to cultivate a growth mindset, while promoting diversity and empathy-driven leadership in order to build inclusive teams. This aligns leadership development with business goals, and ensures leaders understand the broader impact of their work. By sharing my journey and commitment to championing visibility, recognition, and purpose-driven leadership, the hope is to inspire others to also lead authentically.

Mphasis emphasizes an integrated sustainability approach in its solutions. How do you see women leaders playing a pivotal role in driving sustainability within the tech industry?

Women leaders have a unique role to play in driving sustainability within the tech industry, as they often bring empathy, collaboration, and a systems-thinking approach to problem-solving. As leaders, we are at the forefront of championing diversity-driven innovation and ensuring that inclusive decision-making fosters creative approaches to greener technologies. Advocating for tech-led solutions, such as AI for energy optimization and IoT for real-time emissions monitoring, in turn enables impactful change. Empathetic leadership further aligns technology with societal goals, like reducing the digital divide. Women leaders can also influence an organization’s corporate responsibility strategy by embedding sustainability into its business objectives. By mentoring the next generation, we can ensure sustainability becomes a competitive advantage, while empowering a diverse talent pool to shape a greener future.

Over the years, how have you seen the contributions and presence of women evolve within Mphasis and the broader tech ecosystem, and what progress still needs to be made?

The contributions and presence of women at Mphasis and in the broader tech ecosystem have evolved significantly, driven by societal shifts and deliberate organizational efforts to foster diversity. Today, we see women in leadership roles, shaping strategy and innovation, and serving as role models and mentors. Their unique perspectives and empathetic leadership styles help create inclusive workplaces and drive innovation. However, challenges remain, including under-representation in top leadership, pay disparities, unconscious biases, and insufficient support for work-life balance. To address these, we must implement targeted programs, transparent evaluation systems, inclusive policies, and focus on intersectionality. By sustaining these efforts, we can ensure gender diversity becomes a driver of innovation and growth, shaping an equitable and inclusive future.

How has Mphasis’ focus on customer-centric innovation through solutions like ‘shrink the core’ impacted diversity and inclusion efforts within the company?

Mphasis’ Shrink the Core solution modernizes legacy systems with agile, cloud-native architectures, leveraging APIs and micro-services for faster, cost-effective results. Beyond technology, it drives diversity by creating opportunities for underrepresented talent.

By automating repetitive tasks, it enables diverse individuals to excel in AI and analytics. Cloud-native flexibility supports remote work, benefiting women and caregivers, while upskilling programs help non-traditional talent transition into emerging tech roles. Shrink the Core also fosters inclusive hiring and leadership development, amplifying diversity within Mphasis and client ecosystems. By prioritizing flexibility, innovation, and equity, it helps shape a more inclusive and diverse tech future.

What strategies do you use to engage and inspire younger generations, particularly women, in the rapidly evolving tech space, and how do you see this shaping Mphasis’ future?

At Mphasis, we engage and inspire younger generations, particularly women, in tech through strategies that focus on education, inclusion, and empowerment. We provide early exposure to STEM through partnerships, scholarships, and hackathons to spark interest in technology. Our inclusive culture ensures that women feel valued by offering mentorship opportunities and showcasing diverse leadership role models. We also emphasize targeted recruitment and career development programs to highlight growth opportunities and support work-life balance through flexible work models. 

By amplifying the visibility of women-led initiatives and advocating through industry forums, we foster innovation, build a strong talent pipeline, and enhance our employer brand. These efforts enable us to shape a more inclusive, innovative, and future-ready organization for long-term success.

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