HPE India's MD on navigating economic uncertainty with innovative solutions
As India Managing Director, Som Satsangi leads HPE's second-largest employee base globally. With over three decades of experience in the IT sector, Som leads the management and revenue-generating teams in India to drive performance and execute strategic plans.
In this exclusive interview, Som shares insights into the company's approach to digital transformation, sustainable growth, and workplace flexibility.
Here are the edited excerpts.
As digital transformation accelerates and business sustainability gains greater importance, the role of leaders is constantly evolving. How do you envision your role as a leader evolving to drive success for HPE?
As the world changes at a rapid speed, individuals and organisations across industries are embracing digital transformation to succeed. They are reimagining the customer experience, driving efficiency, and placing a greater emphasis on innovation. HPE is at the forefront of this transformation. As business leaders, it is our responsibility to drive this shift in mindset and continually evolve our teams to stay connected with customers and adapt to the evolving landscape.
At HPE, we believe in our core purpose of being “Force for Good” and as a leader, I take pride in our collective efforts on giving back to society by way of healthcare and digital initiatives which have touched the lives of countless people in our society.
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Green tech is becoming a strategic play for corporates seeking sustainable growth, and we, as leaders, have a critical role to play in accelerating its adoption. Research suggests that companies linking digital and sustainable transformation are 2.5 times more likely to be among tomorrow’s strongest-performing businesses. At HPE, we recognize the circular economy as a global opportunity and are committed to helping our customers leverage it to their advantage.
How do you see HPE positioned to tackle economic uncertainty and opportunities in 2023?
As economic uncertainty looms in 2023, managing through it will be the biggest challenge for leaders. While various nations have projected difficult macroeconomic views, we believe that the Indian economy is resilient and poised for growth despite signs of a possible economic downturn. We see great potential in leveraging our innovative solutions like HPE GreenLake to help customers reduce CapEx investments and scale their business during these challenging times. Moreover, Covid has accelerated digital transformation and our edge-to-cloud strategy and outcome-based solutions are well-positioned to capitalise on this opportunity.
We were early in predicting the rise of hybrid technology solutions, and now we continue to lead by providing our customers with a seamless experience across public cloud and on-premise solutions.
How is HPE using the hybrid multi-cloud approach to simplify digital transformation for customers and drive business growth in a changing market?
Enterprises are adopting a hybrid multi-cloud approach as a key ingredient for their digital transformation strategies. They are looking for a way to unify their multi-generation IT strategy with a consistent cloud experience across all their applications and data. While doing so, they seek the simplicity of a turnkey hybrid cloud that integrates leading software, infrastructure, and services from the vendors of their choice, all delivered from a single strategic partner as a cloud service.
HPE GreenLake is our central platform for delivering IT as-a-service, enabling customers to gain more value, control, and adaptability through multi-cloud and workloads as-a-service, while providing visibility to manage spending and resource usage.
How is HPE driving sustainable and resilient business practices for the long term?
At HPE, sustainability is a top priority, and we are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint and innovating transformative sustainable solutions that benefit our customers and the planet. We have received recognition for our efforts, including being listed on the CDP Climate A List for eight years and the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine years. Our flagship platform, HPE GreenLake, offers consumption-based cloud services that minimize waste and reduce energy consumption. Additionally, we produce IT Eco Declarations for each new product, offer sustainable IT purchasing guidelines, and operate the world's largest IT manufacturer refurbishing facilities to extend product life and eliminate risk. We have processed 3.1 million assets weighing more than 35 million pounds in the year 2020. We remarketed nearly 90% of those assets and recycled the remainder in a secure, environmentally responsible way.
We believe sustainability and digital transformation go hand-in-hand and are essential for advancing our business goals.
How has HPE adapted to the shift towards hybrid work arrangements combining remote working and flexible work post the pandemic?
HPE has a long-standing history of championing workplace flexibility, which has been a key driver in cultivating a high-performance culture. Through continuous engagement with our team members and their valuable insights, we have been able to swiftly implement significant and lasting changes to our workplace vision.
By focusing on edge work, the physical office, digital experience, and a new mindset, HPE has designed a comprehensive plan that ensures all team members have the tools and resources needed to thrive in a hybrid work environment. Whether working at home or in an HPE site, team members have access to a comfortable and secure work environment that fosters optimal collaboration and communication. With HPE's commitment to workplace flexibility, team members can expect to have more opportunities for career development, a more inclusive workplace, and a better work-life balance.
This interview is part of an exclusive series featuring CEOs and MDs of top organisations sharing their perspectives on the ever-evolving business landscape and the future of work. Watch this space for more insightful conversations.
