Name: Anushree Pandey
Date of birth: May 1986
Title: Lead IT Architect
Company: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
Degree: BTech (Engineering) in Information Technology. UP Technical University, India.
Fun fact: My family & friends call me ‘Digital diary’ as I have very good memory and tend to remember a lot of things/dates that people otherwise use diaries and calendars for. I also have a creative side to me which I keep satisfied by taking food pictures and doing video editing. In my free time, I work as SoMe Manager for my husband’s Instagram food blog.
Was there a specific moment/reason when you realized you wanted to pursue a leadership (or STEM) career?
While I was growing up, 90’s was the time when Information Technology was booming, and as a kid I always found the world around computers and science fascinating. Programming for me, like kids of my generation, transitioned from Logo to Basic, from C to C++, Java, SQL & JavaScripting. I loved making science projects and participating in various science symposiums. Being good with programming and mathematics made me feel very confident. I come from a family in which there is a lot of emphasis on education and on being independent, so I chose to pursue my higher education as an Engineer in Information Technology, a specialization about which I was very passionate. For past 14 years, I have been working in various areas in IT and my ability to leverage my technical knowledge in my interactions with various stakeholders has been a key element in achieving results
What has been crucial to get you to where you are today?
To achieve my personal or professional dreams, these three P’s have been enablers:
Perseverance – Be it my work or my personal life, I tend to stick to this virtue, and it never fails me. For me, hard work has been the key to success.
Pragmatic – Rather than being stuck in a situation and being baffled, I try and channel my mind to look at facts before moving ahead. Even during the most conflicting situations, I can stay calm and find an optimal solution.
Personal life – I am very dedicated and passionate towards my work, and I equally love my personal time too. For me it is possible to attain this as I have a very supportive partner. My husband and I do not believe in gender specific roles, so we keep stepping in for each other in our daily chores and that enables us to achieve the work life balance we need.
What advice did you receive as a student/early in your career that you still carry with you today?
There are so many wise words from my mother that stay with me in whatever I do, but these two stand out. Very early in my life, I was guided to believe whatever one reads & learns always comes handy sooner or later, and I fully resonate with that thought. I believe in never stopping to learn new things. There must be no limitation and no inhibitions about learning new things.
The other thing she stressed, was to never be ashamed of being inquisitive. Being curious keeps your hunger ‘to learn more’ alive. Continuous learning & being inquisitive are two pieces of advice that I stick to and would also encourage every young mind to follow.
Tell us about a female role model and the impact this person had on you – either personally or professionally?
Most female role models I admire have similar qualities:
Resilience
Empathy
Self-assurance and confidence
Decisiveness
Hardworking
I was nurtured by my mother, who was a highly educated lecturer and cultivated in me the importance of education and the need to have a professional career. My elder sister has been my constant role model for personal or professional choices and is my perennial cheer leader. My younger sister never ceases to inspire me by her zeal and hardworking attitude to do more in life. In my professional life too, I have been inspired by some exceptionally talented, supportive & driven colleagues and my previous manager, Astrid Louise Munk is the epitome of a good leader. I have always felt fortunate to be surrounded by women who have inspired me with their go-getter attitude, shown their confident self and given me a positive boost to always believe in myself.
What do you enjoy most about your work today?
My current work includes building a new area within IT, so together with specialists from different areas, we are designing a new solution conforming to IT leadership strategies. This task requires for me to identify business needs and create a bridge between context and concept. In the process, I am exploring a whole new area of work, organizational change management, which is crucial when implementing any new solution.
What I enjoy the most about my work is that I get to work with latest technologies, highly talented and dedicated colleagues and an opportunity to design a new team that can then scale up as the initiative matures. I get great satisfaction that with our work we are introducing solutions that will accelerate our organization’s digital future.
What does good leadership mean to you?
For me good leadership means empowering your team and believing in them to make the right decisions. There is always a reason why someone takes a certain decision and as a leader one must be open to all points of view. It is important to be trustworthy, empathetic, and have a sense of direction as a leader and you must be the one who walks the talk.
What did you imagine your life and career would be like when you were 25?
In India, one steps into the professional world very early in their life . I was campus recruited while I was still studying in my engineering college and have been working in a professional job as a software developer in leading Indian MNC since I was 22. I am a person who loves to have a plan in life. Even though not all plans get fulfilled, my goals stay put. I always imagined myself working in field of IT but with my experience, now I have found my area of interests within IT.
I started as a software developer and I aimed for leading a development team. I also aspired to have global work experience and broaden my perspective towards life. I have relocated a couple of times within India, visited various countries, lived, and worked in Australia for few years and now settled in Denmark. Relocation always comes with its own challenges, but I always embrace the changes. I strongly believe in these lines, “Good thing about the stones I encounter in my path is, when I cross them, they become my milestones”. I have enjoyed every phase of my journey so far and it continues…