WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0 00:01.320 --> 00:07.429 Hello and welcome to Deloitte's Women in Technology Media and Telecom series. 00:07.619 --> 00:14.100 In this series, we interview female leaders across Deloitte to share perspectives on 00:14.109 --> 00:20.379 industry on their career journey and to provide inspiring and 00:20.389 --> 00:25.639 practical advice on careers in technology media and telecom. 00:26.040 --> 00:30.899 I'm Jillian Crossin, the global technology sector leader here at Deloitte. 00:31.079 --> 00:35.580 And today it is my pleasure to introduce Grea. Krishna Murthy. 00:35.979 --> 00:42.779 Grea is a partner in technology media and Telecom and Deloitte consulting in the US. 00:43.180 --> 00:49.669 Um She is a leader of one of our largest global technology 00:49.680 --> 00:53.529 accounts. She's also the diversity equity and enclosure 00:53.540 --> 01:00.029 leader for consulting in the US, Greta and I have known each other for more than a 01:00.040 --> 01:05.430 decade and she is very much a role model for technology leadership. 01:05.440 --> 01:08.309 So welcome Grea. Thank you, Jillian. 01:08.319 --> 01:13.160 The feeling is absolutely mutual. I've considered you a role model for um just 01:13.169 --> 01:16.430 the form in general and our female practitioners in particular. 01:16.440 --> 01:18.750 So it's a delight to be with you. Thank you for having me. 01:19.500 --> 01:24.730 So, Greg, let's jump straight in. How did you get into TNT Tech? 01:24.889 --> 01:27.330 And what? Tell us a little bit about your area of 01:27.339 --> 01:32.309 expertise. So it's we'll have to go back in history a 01:32.319 --> 01:34.940 little bit. Uh Jillian to your question. 01:35.120 --> 01:38.010 Uh So, and, and all of that didn't happen by design. 01:38.019 --> 01:40.330 Actually, most of it by was by accident. 01:40.589 --> 01:45.120 Uh But going back in history, as I mentioned, like about 30 or so years ago when I was 01:45.129 --> 01:49.069 contemplating what I needed to do during, for my undergrad. 01:49.080 --> 01:51.769 Um You know, it, it, I was growing up in India. 01:52.019 --> 01:56.379 Uh there are very few choices really, if you wanted to have a meaningful career uh going 01:56.389 --> 01:58.889 forward, there were very few choices at that time. 01:58.900 --> 02:02.639 So I picked engineering and I went into engineering school. 02:02.650 --> 02:08.559 Um and it was my, one of my first sort of uh aha moments in terms of realizing that there's 02:08.570 --> 02:12.789 very few women from a stem standpoint. And that was sort of like the first realization 02:12.960 --> 02:19.029 that came about during my undergrad years. Um So fast forward a few years uh came to the 02:19.039 --> 02:22.779 States. Uh and, you know, got into the usual um 02:22.789 --> 02:27.830 teething problems that immigrants face and went through some assimilation uh issues and then 02:27.839 --> 02:31.899 got an MB A and then got into consulting, uh and, you know, 02:31.910 --> 02:36.779 in consulting, I started my career in finance transformations and I was in our strategy group 02:36.789 --> 02:41.960 doing finance work and then moved into uh er P and technology consulting. 02:42.160 --> 02:46.699 Uh and then somewhere down the line as I, you know, when I became a partner or I was close to 02:46.710 --> 02:50.720 becoming a partner. Um I started to be really get really interested 02:50.729 --> 02:56.440 in solving problems for, you know, clients that are truly shaping the future of our world. 02:56.570 --> 03:00.369 Uh And that led into TMT and, and technology. 03:00.570 --> 03:05.904 Uh And there began my interest and, you know, ever since I have stayed with TMT and tech and 03:05.914 --> 03:11.324 primarily because it was um it was truly working with some very exciting clients that 03:11.335 --> 03:15.044 are truly shaping, not just the future of the TMT industry, 03:15.054 --> 03:19.524 but really across all sectors as we see, you know, many of the companies in the, 03:19.535 --> 03:23.464 in the tech TMT and tech industry doing. So, that's sort of been the journey. 03:23.475 --> 03:28.115 It was like one thing that led to another and sort of where my interests aligned and that's 03:28.125 --> 03:29.925 what led me to TMT and tech. 03:30.639 --> 03:36.820 So Greta, you know, you talk about tech and serving those clients that transform our world 03:36.830 --> 03:39.020 and you give us a little bit of a history lesson on you. 03:39.029 --> 03:45.100 Let let's let's look forward where do you see the future of tech going in the next five years? 03:46.300 --> 03:52.179 You know, Julian, that's a great question. Uh The future for TMT and tech is extremely 03:52.190 --> 03:55.440 bright. Uh notwithstanding, of course, some of the 03:55.449 --> 04:00.880 issues that we're facing currently with uh inflation uh Forex, 04:00.889 --> 04:05.240 as well as uh you know, uh potential, the possibility of a recession. 04:05.580 --> 04:11.630 But all that, aside, the the longest recessions globally have been approximately two years. 04:11.679 --> 04:15.039 Um So I know that we'll get through it and we'll get through it really well. 04:15.330 --> 04:19.350 Um And I think that the, the change we'll see within TMT and tech, 04:19.359 --> 04:24.070 the innovation that we'll see in the next five years is gonna be way more than what we've seen 04:24.079 --> 04:25.869 in the past 25 years. 04:26.070 --> 04:30.500 And that's because there's a confluence of technologies as you are well aware that are 04:30.510 --> 04:35.140 coming together. So everything from five G to crypto to 04:35.149 --> 04:41.540 Blockchain to quantum computing, to the metaverse, all of these technologies in and of 04:41.549 --> 04:47.410 themselves have the power to really shape and uh create some uh unimaginable uh 04:47.420 --> 04:52.980 innovative uh you know, uh changes in our society for the foreseeable future. 04:53.220 --> 04:56.600 But all of these coming together at the same time will have a really, 04:56.609 --> 05:02.265 really dramatic impact uh on what we will see within the world and it will impact everything 05:02.274 --> 05:06.084 it will impact uh health care, it will impact auto industry as we're, 05:06.114 --> 05:08.875 as we're beginning to see already, it's going to impact the government, 05:09.005 --> 05:12.924 it's going to impact space. So the confluence of all of these things coming 05:12.934 --> 05:15.845 together I think is going to be absolutely amazing. 05:16.170 --> 05:20.049 Um And the other thing, the other side of things which I'm really excited about, 05:20.190 --> 05:25.029 and I know you're really passionate about this area as well as underlying with all of this is 05:25.040 --> 05:28.429 a recognition that ESG is critically important. 05:28.839 --> 05:33.779 Um So, while you know, really embracing these technologies that are going to truly change the 05:33.790 --> 05:38.239 future in a really exciting way. Uh But the importance of doing that in a 05:38.250 --> 05:42.869 socially responsible way and having ESG uh as sort of like the uh the, 05:42.880 --> 05:47.970 the North Star, if you will is something that companies in tech and worldwide are beginning 05:47.980 --> 05:52.089 to embrace. So I'm really excited about what the potential 05:52.100 --> 05:56.549 for the future is in the next five or so years with these confluent of technologies, 05:56.720 --> 05:59.769 but also doing it in a way that really is in a socially, you know, 05:59.779 --> 06:04.010 responsible and um uh uh way impacting the society. 06:04.019 --> 06:10.429 So, so picking up on that kind of socially responsible point and ESG you know, 06:10.440 --> 06:14.369 diversity, equity and inclusion is a big piece of ESG as well. 06:14.630 --> 06:20.329 And, you know, technology for many years has been an industry where we've not really had 06:20.339 --> 06:24.869 enough female leaders in tech where we're not nearly at parity. 06:25.149 --> 06:30.809 Um Where do you think you've truly made a difference as a woman in TMT? 06:31.970 --> 06:36.769 That's a really, that's a great question again. Um Jillian and um you know, 06:36.779 --> 06:41.510 one of the areas I feel like women don't really raise their hand and, 06:41.519 --> 06:44.880 and aren't vocal enough. And, and I've seen this with my, 06:44.890 --> 06:48.010 you know, you can use my own experience to sort of demonstrate that. 06:48.380 --> 06:53.029 Um but, you know, growing up in the firm and I see this with many women in the firm, 06:53.160 --> 06:57.570 um you feel like your work should speak for itself and many of our women are really hard 06:57.579 --> 07:02.059 working, uh do a tremendous job in, um, you know, sort of, 07:02.070 --> 07:07.630 uh delivering whatever they have taken on with excellence, but never really talking about 07:07.640 --> 07:11.299 their story. So never really telling the story and telling 07:11.309 --> 07:14.549 it in an impactful way because it can be seen as bragging. 07:14.559 --> 07:18.179 And I see women kind of falling into the trap a lot and not sort of, 07:18.190 --> 07:20.880 you know, telling the story to the right set of people. 07:21.119 --> 07:25.649 Um So, uh you know, as compared to our male counterparts, I see them do that way more 07:25.660 --> 07:29.390 effectively, uh and being much more proactive about doing that. 07:29.660 --> 07:36.070 Um So, you know, um what I feel that I've done for so many of these women is really kind of 07:36.209 --> 07:41.440 coach them to think about what the future holds, not just be buried in what they're doing today, 07:41.450 --> 07:46.040 but really thinking about what they want to do for the future and also really encouraging them 07:46.049 --> 07:49.630 to think about their story. Uh being a sponsor for them, 07:49.640 --> 07:52.450 sponsorship is a concept as, you know, as, as you well know, 07:52.459 --> 07:57.015 Jillian and you been a sponsor for many of our female practitioners and leaders, 07:57.024 --> 07:59.894 you know, being a true sponsor and not just a mentor. 07:59.904 --> 08:03.665 And we see a big difference, you know, we talk about this in the form extensively where 08:03.674 --> 08:08.225 there's a real difference between mentorship and sponsorship and sponsorship is where you're 08:08.234 --> 08:11.415 actually being an advocate for the people uh for the, 08:11.424 --> 08:14.255 for the people that you're mentoring and sponsoring. 08:14.470 --> 08:20.029 So kind of taking that to the next level and taking that story to the right leaders that can 08:20.040 --> 08:24.250 make a difference. So it's not just a small incremental uh change 08:24.260 --> 08:28.790 in their careers and their career growth, but really enabling them to get to a much bigger 08:28.799 --> 08:31.079 audience and being able to sponsor women. So I've been, 08:31.390 --> 08:35.390 um I've been fortunate to have some pretty amazing women that I've worked with. 08:35.400 --> 08:39.979 Uh and one of the things that, you know, I feel like I've made the most difference is being 08:39.989 --> 08:42.820 that sponsor and then, and an advocate for women. 08:43.070 --> 08:46.260 Um The other aspect and I know you do this very effectively too. 08:46.270 --> 08:53.000 Jillian is, um, you know, women in general, I feel get viewed with a very narrow bandwidth of 08:53.020 --> 08:58.840 acceptable behavior if you will, you know, she's either too soft or she's extremely loud 08:58.849 --> 09:01.369 and obnoxious. You know, she's either, you know, 09:01.380 --> 09:04.830 overconfident or she's, you know, a wallflower. So there's, 09:05.049 --> 09:08.669 there's never, you know, to fall into that bandwidth of what's acceptable is, 09:08.679 --> 09:10.450 is tends to be really narrow. 09:10.760 --> 09:15.210 And when these conversations happen, you know, whether it's during performance review 09:15.219 --> 09:19.500 processes, whether it's in general when we're thinking about um uh you know, 09:19.510 --> 09:25.789 next gen leadership um being a voice for those women and being a voice to say that are we 09:25.799 --> 09:29.440 really looking at this the right way? It's not that a woman has done all of this, 09:29.450 --> 09:34.169 but uh when a conversation about the guy as well, he's done all of these different things. 09:34.179 --> 09:37.760 And so, you know, kind of changing that conversation. 09:37.770 --> 09:41.219 So we're providing, again, being a voice to sort of like, 09:41.229 --> 09:44.950 you know, broaden that bandwidth in which, you know, women are viewed from. 09:45.169 --> 09:48.950 I think, I think are some of the areas that I feel like I've made a difference. 09:48.969 --> 09:55.000 I love that Grea, I mean, as we think about sponsorship, people actually thinking, 09:55.010 --> 10:00.039 you know, the leaders who are listening in on this, what is the political capital that we all 10:00.049 --> 10:06.039 have that we can use for that next generation? And I love the point about, 10:06.049 --> 10:12.369 you know, uh speaking up because there's a lot of different styles of leader, 10:12.380 --> 10:15.729 right? I, I know I've, I've certainly been criticized 10:15.739 --> 10:20.830 in the past and, you know, this is, this is something, there's a lot of different styles, 10:20.840 --> 10:26.809 there's a lot of different people who can, who can be successful as leaders within the firm. 10:26.820 --> 10:30.340 So I'm just gonna finish with 11 glass in Grea. 10:31.239 --> 10:37.219 You know, what would your advice be to other women considering a career in tech? 10:38.000 --> 10:40.030 Great question. Um Jillian. 10:40.039 --> 10:45.619 Um you know, first of all, as you, well know, there's a dearth of women in tech and, 10:45.630 --> 10:48.900 and we definitely need more women in TMT and tech. 10:48.969 --> 10:53.200 Um So, you know, women that are really passionate about it really ought to raise their 10:53.250 --> 10:57.179 uh raise their hand and, and speak up and, um and I think this is, 10:57.190 --> 11:02.210 this is not a, this is not as, uh you know, feminist that we're saying that this is the 11:02.219 --> 11:04.859 right thing to do. But as economists, this is the right thing to 11:04.869 --> 11:06.900 do from a profitability standpoint. 11:07.250 --> 11:11.309 Um So, you know, raise your hand if you're interested, uh you know, 11:11.320 --> 11:15.320 uh make it known and again, you know, speaking up on what you're passionate about, 11:15.500 --> 11:19.289 and then lastly, I'd say, and I've learned this from personal experience is that, 11:19.549 --> 11:23.109 um, you know, don't be afraid. I think having the confidence that you'll 11:23.119 --> 11:26.770 figure it out because we all do eventually. So having the confidence, 11:26.780 --> 11:30.500 even if it's uncharted territory and if it's completely different from what you're doing, 11:30.789 --> 11:34.799 I'd say to the women, you know, if this is a pass, if this is of interest and this is what 11:34.809 --> 11:38.940 you're passionate about, there's so much potential, have the confidence that you'll be 11:38.950 --> 11:42.369 able to figure it out and raise your hand and, and, and sign up to, 11:42.380 --> 11:44.090 to be a part of TMT and tech. 11:44.760 --> 11:47.729 Thank you so much, Grea, that is a great point to leave. 11:47.739 --> 11:54.570 Leave us on and thank you for the conversation today and be on the lookout everyone for the 11:54.580 --> 11:57.619 next in our series, which will be coming along soon. 11:57.710 --> 11:58.659 Thank you. Bye bye. 11:58.739 --> 12:00.659 Thank you so much, Julian. Bye bye bye, 12:00.669 --> 12:01.169 everybody.