Spotlight

Kavitha Srinivasulu Head Of Cyber Security & Data Privacy TCS In a constantly evolving digital landscape where cyber threats and data privacy concerns are at an all-time high, Kavitha Srinivasulu has emerged as a formidable force in cybersecurity. Her commitment to risk and compliance, coupled with her transformative leadership style, has earned her the prestigious accolade of “Most Innovative Female Leader of the Year” for 2024 by the CXO Global Team. Kavitha’s journey exemplifies resilience, adaptability, and a passion for overcoming obstacles to drive meaningful change in the field of cybersecurity. Selected for her Passion-Driven Journey into Cybersecurity Kavitha’s motivation to pursue a career in cybersecurity stemmed from her deep-rooted interest in risk management and compliance. Reflecting on her path, she explains, “I always had an interest and passion toward risk and compliance, and my journey has been a transformative process of change—both on a personal and professional level.” Kavitha’s relentless pursuit of excellence in overcoming challenges has allowed her to identify and harness her inner strengths, enabling her to succeed in the male-dominated field of cybersecurity.  Staying Ahead in the Ever-Evolving Cybersecurity Landscape She remains data-driven and customer-focused, continuously updating her knowledge and skillset to meet new regulatory demands and technological advancements. “I strongly believe in joining hands to build a threat-free environment and cyber-safe working culture,” Kavitha states, emphasizing her dedication to fostering awareness of cybersecurity at every opportunity. Her influence goes beyond the corporate world. Kavitha takes proactive steps to educate the public on data privacy, frequently participating in forums, schools, and colleges to spread awareness. She is recognized by experts in the field for her contributions and dedication to society, constantly working to shape how the cybersecurity domain is perceived and understood. Innovation and Leadership in Cybersecurity Being recognized as the “Most Innovative Female Leader of the Year” has deepened Kavitha’s resolve to push the boundaries of what is possible in cybersecurity. For her, leadership in this domain is not just about managing systems but about anticipating and adapting to emerging challenges. Kavitha emphasizes the importance of fostering collaboration and continuous learning, both within her teams and across the broader industry. “A cybersecurity leader must instill confidence in their team, inspire innovation, and promote a proactive approach to risk management,” she notes, highlighting how her strategic mindset and wealth of experience have allowed her to drive meaningful change. Overcoming Challenges with Resilience and Drive Kavitha’s professional journey is marked by resilience, adaptability, and a self-driven nature that has helped her overcome numerous barriers. As a woman in cybersecurity, she has faced her share of challenges, but she has consistently turned these obstacles into opportunities for growth. “Through the highs and lows of life, my mentors and friends have been firm companions,” she reflects, crediting her support system for instilling in her the value of dreaming big and working hard. Advice for Aspiring Cybersecurity Professionals Kavitha’s advice to the next generation of cybersecurity leaders is simple but powerful: resilience, passion, and hard work are key to success. “The more you do something with love and passion, the easier it becomes,” she advises. She encourages young professionals to embrace challenges, upskill themselves, and never give up on their dreams. In her words, “Take your first step, voice your ideas, collaborate, and believe in yourself. Only you can help yourself achieve your dreams.”

Lionel Lodge Founder, CEO at SyncLodge Kindly brief us about the outset story of your career. I have been connected to or worked in the entertainment industry for all my life. My father (Tom Lodge) was program director and main DJ on the first pirate radio station Radio Caroline that is cited for starting the British music explosion in the 1960’s. For most  of my career my main focus has been as a music writer, performer, producer, and recording artist. I have written hundreds of songs and co-written many more. I have played thousands of shows in many countries. But,  along the way I have also founded and managed a number of successful companies, all inspired by seeing distinct needs in the industry and setting out to answer those needs. As a successful leader, which three personal qualities do you believe contributed most to your success? It is always a different set of points depending on the challenge, timing is one, hard work is another but I think the main elements that have contributed to me being able to build companies that realized their goals is: Recognizing talent needed to build cohesive and productive teams. Listening to others, especially critical perspectives that have reason. And, not shying away from climbing tall mountains. I think if you are going to climb a mountain, why climb a small one? What are the aims and ideals that guide you as an individual and a professional? Having a positive impact is always key. For a company to grow and survive in the long term it needs to offer tangable, positive benefits for all whom it engages. The only good deal is where both sides win. This is not an easy thing to do, a win/win deal. There is always the fear of the other side’s motives. Are they being honest with their intent and their motives? I find taking the chance, being the lead with honesty in negotiations is a great way to move things forward in a positive way. It is also a great way to relieve tension and let the other side know you are at the table to build a long term, positive business relationship. This is also the same way to build long-term personal relationships, showing who you are. While starting your journey, what challenges did you encounter and how they were overcome? When working towards a vision of a better future, it isn’t an easy task to have others recognize and believe in that vision. Enthusiasm for a goal is easy when things run smoothly, which really is very rare. It takes digging in and doing the heavy lifting when the climb is steep and the top is not in sight. Keeping clarity on the “why we are doing this” is very important, for the whole team. When problems happen, which they always do, not making them a personal failure is very important. If someone dropped the ball it is the job of the rest of the team to pick it up and carry it to the goal line. Inspiring this ethic is the one of the jobs of the team leader. In addition to that, it is a very big business world that has tens of millions of companies all pushing to climb to the top of their sector, all racing to be the head of innovation. I think the trick is staying focused on your road map, while being open to adjusting, pivoting to the changing needs of the market and the changes that other’s innovations bring. Again, the why, the long term why, is very important. Who is your biggest inspiration in life? I have many and it has changed along the way. My father and my mother have been, major and, obviously, initial inspirations who have  taught me things that I carried through the years. My wife Karin is a big inspiration to me. She is a larger than life exponent for the truth and reality, not ever feeling sorry for yourself but proving what you are made of when things seem impossible. I also have had many heroes through my life, people I have admired for their ability to conquer obstacles and adversity, to go against the odds and keep pushing on a vision. One of my favourite quotes is from Benjamin Franklin,  goes something like this, 98% of human failure is from giving up just before success is obtained. This is a little frustrating as you never know if the current wall you face is the last one before success. But it does give the perspective of pushing through, continuing on and not stopping the climb till the top is reached. What would be your future endeavours and where do you see yourself in the near future? I am deeply focused on what SyncLodge is doing and the goals we have for the long term future, the positive effect we have and will have on the creative industries. Our roadmap is long, with some very steep climbs. I mark my future on SyncLodge obtaining these goals. I believe heavily in cooperation, not competition. Though competition can be healthy, cooperation breathes oxygen into an industry. I see SyncLodge being a part of a very energized ecosystem of companies all delivering positive change in a cohesive, involved, tide raising drive towards a healthy, creative world. We have the vision to end paperwork and move the sync industry into the digital world. Although incredible, the sync licensing is still reliant on manual, human, time intensive administrative tasks while the world is getting ready for an AI revolution. We will not only keep pace but we will lead the change. Mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your organization and person. We have won some very flattering recognitions over the year since we launched including winning the 2022/23 Specialist Media Platform Of The Year. I am very proud of these and am consistently very surprised that we have been noticed and recognized. I have won business

Tigran Hass Lab Director, Associate Professor, Guest Research Scholar at KTH Royal Institute of Technology The mother of all things, according to most great leaders, is the courage to dare to see and act when others do not. One such inspiring figure is Tigran Haas. He is the associate professor of urban development, planning and design and sustainable urbanism at KTH – The Royal Institute of Technology. Tigran maintains clear action items, goals, and objectives in the form of KPIs and CSFs, or Key Performance Indicators and Critical Success Factors, respectively. Along with an optimistic outlook, a clear goal, a fairly easier approach, and multitasking, he places a high value on respect and reward! The Story of an Inspirational and Charismatic Leader   Tigran’s childhood dreams included being a top-tier architect and, afterwards, an elite urbanist. After high school, his aspirations of becoming an architect began to materialize. Later, when the complexity of cities and the spaces between them, rather than a single building, became an enormous magnet, these ambitions transformed into urban planning and urban design, also known as urbanism. Tigran completed his post-graduate and doctoral studies in environmental science and regional planning & development in the USA. He mentions, “The fact I got drawn into academia by pure chance or maybe by some strange set of circumstances was maybe a blessing in disguise. I guess those that cannot make it in the real world, they end up teaching, or those riding tiger cannot dismount.” While his mother worked as a lab researcher, chemist, and biotechnology specialist at MIT and the FDA, among other places, Tigran’s father was a university professor of theoretical physics and philosophy of science who used to visit the US frequently. This may have had some influence, but in some ways, his own path and the allure of academia—particularly the work with students, the thrilling exploration of gaps across courses, and the complexity of cities—were what truly captivated Tigran. The tenure-track position at KTH, where he is currently an Associate Professor of urban planning and urban design, is undoubtedly exceptional, and so is his research scholar position at MIT in Cambridge/Boston, the most esteemed and top-ranked university in the entire world. Tigran is currently working as a guest research fellow at the esteemed MIT Norman B. Leventhal Centre for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU). Prestigious Achievements Tigran lives by the 5Ps: Passion, Perseverance, Professionalism, Persuasion, and Playfulness! These are the five pillars of his professional life. Also, he feels that it is extremely important to use one’s talent to its fullest, to be courageous, and persevering while believing in one’s ideas. Talking about his greatest accomplishments, Tigran says, “I have written over 100 scholarly articles, 50 Conference Papers, 10 books, 3 Research Anthologies, and have been involved in teaching in International educational programs in urban planning, urban design, real estate development, environmental science and project and strategic management. I have supervised over 15 Ph.D. students as well as over 125 masters’ students.” He states his most rewarding experience was teaching project and strategic management for over 8 years at KTH (Stockholm) and ZSEM (Zagreb), where he learned the key elements of how to run projects, work with teams and people as well as lead and strategically assess the work and business environment, all which has helped him in running centres, labs and projects. Tigran takes great pride in serving as a steward to four honorary doctors at KTH, including Richard Florida, Saskia Sassen, Edward Glaeser, and Manuel Castells, one of the greatest urban thinkers of today. He has a Ph.D. and is currently pursuing postdoctoral fellowships at UC Berkeley, MIT, and the University of Michigan. Apart from that, he is now writing five new books for 2022–2025! KTH – Encouraging Sustainable Urban Development Tigran mentions, “Together with business and society, KTH is working on sustainable solutions to some of humanity’s greatest challenges: climate change, the energy supply of the future, urbanization and quality of life for a rapidly growing, aging population. KTH’s research and education cover both science and all branches of technology as well as architecture, industrial economics, social planning, history and philosophy.” Haas asserts that the institution views the evolving role of urban planning and design within broader interdisciplinary fields, as well as its consequences on people’s surroundings and social lives, as its primary professional concern. The mature story, in his opinion, began with CAL LAB and continued at the Centre for the Future of Places, which was founded to advance sustainable urban development by changing the focus of urban discourse from objects to places in order to advance healthy and liveable cities, within the fields of urban planning and urban design. The Mission and Objectives of KTH KTH – The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, founded in 1827, has grown to become one of Europe’s top technical universities and a significant hub for knowledge growth. Diversity-Equality, Internationalization & Sustainability are the three pillars of KTH’s vision, according to President Sigbritt Karlsson. From these ideologies, Tigran draws a handful of conclusions. First, it must demonstrate a dedication to breadth and brilliance in all areas of human inquiry, not just one specific one; second, world-class universities do cutting-edge research while simultaneously instructing the next generation, its students. Third, top universities must provide their researchers with the flexibility to try new things, succeed, and sometimes fail. Last but not least, barriers are permeable at leading institutions. KTH, Sweden’s largest institution for technical education and research, brings together students, researchers and faculty from all over the world. Additionally, the innovative climate promotes versatile solutions and its education creates a new generation of engineers, architects and teachers! Hardships brought on by Covid-19 In this new digital age, institutions are better positioned in a network society. Universities and college campuses, like those at MIT and KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, are places where students learn, interact, and live close to one another. They are also the centre of social and cultural hubs, bringing together students from all over the world to create social and human capital.