From Backend IT to Frontline Digital Transformation with Shubhangi

In this podcast episode, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Shubhangi M Josiam, Digital Head APAC of Alstom about her 18+ year journey across GE and Alstom, moving from core IT and infrastructure roles to customer-facing digital transformation leadership across APAC.Shubangi shares candid stories about career pivots, leadership programs, Lean Six Sigma, building IT from scratch post-acquisition, and navigating cross-cultural teams—ending with powerful advice for women professionals to be bold and go for roles before feeling “fully ready”.00:00 – 01:50 — Introduction to Shubangi’s APAC digital leadership role and IT’s shift from backend to customer-facing solutions.01:52 – 04:41 — Early inspiration for engineering, switching from electronics to information science driven by a love for programming.04:42 – 07:56 — Entering GE through walk-ins, starting in captive IT, and learning end-to-end infrastructure fundamentals.08:20 – 11:49 — Discovering GE’s leadership culture and choosing Lean Six Sigma for outcome-driven career growth.12:06 – 14:28 — Leading a consumer experience transformation project and early exposure to Agile and product thinking.14:29 – 16:08 — Managing ERP operations and learning real-world supply chain complexity during system transitions.16:08 – 18:09 — Navigating acquisitions, making tough career exits, and prioritising personal sustainability.18:46 – 23:51 — Joining Alstom during post-acquisition chaos and helping build IT systems from the ground up.23:51 – 25:50 — Building digital and analytics platforms, hiring data scientists, and scaling analytics maturity.25:51 – 27:47 — Transitioning into regional IT leadership and driving large-scale digital change during COVID.27:48 – 29:37 — Moving into customer-facing digital rail solutions across APAC and continuous learning from the market.30:00 – 32:19 — Managing APAC time zones through clusters while maintaining work–life balance.32:20 – 36:45 — Leading across cultures by balancing company values with local working styles.46:46 – 48:36 — Building trust through direct feedback, transparency, and authentic leadership.48:38 – 50:43 — Final advice: be bold, apply even if you’re not “ready,” and trust yourself to figure it out. Quotable Quotes “If you want to do something, go for it. Help will come—and you will figure it out.”“Men apply saying, ‘I’ll figure it out.’ Women apply saying, ‘I meet only five out of ten requirements.’ That’s what stops us.”“I didn’t tick all the boxes, but I figured it out.”“Worst case, you fail. Big deal. You learn. It’s not the end of the world.”“IT is no longer a backend engine—it’s delivering real digital solutions to customers.”Trusted Partner in Driving Impactful Digital Transformation & Empowering Businesses Through Technology.As the Digital Services Regional Head for APAC at Alstom, I drive transformative digital solutions tailored to the rail industry, with a strong focus on operational efficiency and customer engagement. My efforts include collaborating with diverse teams to deliver cutting-edge rail digital solutions while ensuring advanced cybersecurity measures for robust data protection. By aligning technological initiatives with business goals, our team enhances service quality and builds scalable, future-ready solutions for the region. With over 20 years of experience in IT strategy and transformation, I have a proven track record of delivering impactful results acro…Shubangi can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubhangi-mj/