With this year’s IWD theme of "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality", Ms. Sanjeeta shared her experience about the challenges and opportunities of working in a male heavy teach domain
"Currently, I am a part of Corporate IT team, which is also referred to as IS team in the applications domain. Our team is handling applications for processes pertaining to procure to pay, finance, capital investment, real estate, master data, and SAP access authorization management. The primary responsibility is for delivering knowledge-driven solutions for business problems touching both internal and external stakeholders. If I have to summarize it in one line, I will say that we innovate to build digital tools to make business processes simpler and easier within the framework of process, compliance, governance and enhanced user experience," she says.
Being a gender-neutral organization, opportunities come without any bias at BPCL for both the genders.
"I have had a lot of opportunities all along, and working in this field has been very exciting as well as eventful – and that has kept me going. It has been a very exciting journey. It has truly been an enriching experience to be a part of Corporate IS team of Bharat Petroleum. BPCL as an organization has always been ahead in using technology,” she adds.
Technology and Gender Diversity
Sharing specifics on BPCL being an early mover in cutting-edge digital information technology, she says, "We were one of the first organizations in the oil and gas sector to have implemented ERP, which integrated all our business processes on a single platform. It was a major milestone which effectively started the digital journey of BPCL.
IS team touches every facet of BPCL’s business empire, being pivotal in opening the "digital door" for all functions and processes.
Pointing out a specific advantage of this domain, Ms. Sanjeeta says, "Being a part of the IS team has helped me in learning business processes across the organization, as we cater to all businesses and entities. Whether it is a new business process or change in the existing process, the IS team has a role to play. Even when new people join or existing people move from one business to another, the IS team gets involved in knowledge sharing as well. This in turn helps us to assess and pinpoint areas for improvement. I am extremely thankful to the organization for providing me immense opportunity to be a part of this digital journey without any gender bias whatsoever. I have, in fact, been part of teams responsible for implementing some of the path-breaking digital initiatives which laid a solid foundation for the Corporation’s digital transformation journey. In fact, I have also had the opportunity to lead some of these project implementations."
As they say, it is never a dull moment working in IS department. One always has the opportunity to learn something new and share it in an application-specific way with others in the organization. Her enthusiasm is apparent when she talks about tapping into the power of the digital world and marrying it with the Corporation’s business world.
"Currently, we are focusing on creating digital tools for ease of working, business analytics, and automation. So, working in the IS team has been eventful, as we harness digital technology to solve business problems. A lot of thinking, creativity and effort goes into delivering solution and rolling them out, for example, say, a novel mobile application,” she says.
"Now coming to the second part of the question of whether gender was ever a challenge, the answer is a simple "no". In fact, this thought has never crossed my mind in all these years. I have always had all the support and freedom to innovate and experiment in these 28 years," she adds emphatically.
Ms. Sanjeeta also shares key takeaways from using technology for gender equality in the society at large.
To elucidate this point, she says, "I believe technology is a very powerful tool which can be used to empower women in multiple ways. One of the first and foremost ways and an important area where technology can make a huge difference is education. Not having access to education has been a limitation for many girls and women in various sections of the society. Education has now become more accessible, thanks to the digital devices in the hands of people. Technology has enabled learning from anywhere and at our own convenience. This is one of the reasons why e-learning is gaining big popularity. Going forward, this will help in removing many barriers and obstacles in accessing quality education. Access to education, in turn, opens opportunities of employment and financial independence and many more avenues."
Beyond education, the digital world is helping women to break many barriers and play far more participative roles in the economy.
"Digital technology is opening up opportunities for women to start their own businesses, mainly due to the enabling of easy to use in the marketplace, with digital payment platforms, etc. Another noteworthy thing is that post-COVID, there have sprung up many opportunities for women to work from home wherever it is possible. And this has definitely helped those women who face constraints in working away from home. Technology has given women a reason to aspire and achieve, and I am confident that this is going to be a game-change,” she says with a glitter in her eyes.
Opportunities for Women
With relentless advancement of technology in the digital world, the future of work is evolving. Upon asking her how this phenomenon will pan out in terms of gender equality and diversity, Ms. Sanjeeta replies:
"Technological advancements are changing the work dynamics and presenting new opportunities. I am sure more and more woman will come forward in taking up such new challenges. This, in turn, would benefit organizations as well as the society because diverse teams have their own benefits. Diverse teams are more productive, they perform better, boost creativity, while innovation and decision-making are also improved. And it also helps us in creating a wider talent pool at the workplace."
"Generation Y" is influencing the world in various ways. Young women joining the workforce are bringing a new level of energy and there are a lot of expectations from the new generation.
In this regard, Ms. Sanjeeta has inspiring words for the young aspiring women: "You will be becoming a part of a great organization once you join BPCL. There will be many opportunities that will come your way. So, grab them and don’t be hesitant. Do not pre-occupy your mind with any kind of limitations. This organization will always support you and help you to excel in your professional roles."