Soma Sarkar is Head of Edge Cloud Platforms at Nokia where she is responsible for Nokia’s Cloud RAN solution and the company’s Edge Cloud portfolio. An enthusiastic senior leader, Soma is passionate about building high-performing diverse teams which provide equal opportunities to all.
Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do – Nadja Comaneci, former Olympic gymnast
Choosing my path
As a child to parents who were renowned University professors, one teaching Mathematics and the other teaching Biology, I was always surrounded by intellectually curious people and discussions about science. My parents were my role models during my childhood and had a significant influence on me. In the early 90s technology was not yet an integral part of everyday life as it is now, but science did attract my curiosity as well as a hunger to learn and explore more. However, it’s not just mathematics and physics that interested me, I loved life sciences too and the idea of becoming a doctor to help people was a thought that kept coming to my mind. And then I was fascinated by famous literature by the likes of William Shakespeare and John Keats where I would often dream of becoming a famous writer. And then there was music and dance which I also wanted to pursue!
Despite this, I ended up studying Electronics and Communication Engineering and I soon realized that I loved learning more about how technology can be used to build products or systems that can solve problems and how it can make a difference in people’s lives. I felt motivated and passionate to learn as much as I could. The field of telecommunications was evolving and so was software programming I took an interest in writing code to solve problems which took me down the path of starting my career as a software professional in a telecommunication company.
Building my career
I had the opportunity to start my journey at Siemens Communications and joined the Mobile Networks business which later merged with Nokia in 2007 to form a joint venture called Nokia Siemens Networks. In 2013, Nokia acquired 100 percent of Nokia Solutions Networks. As a young engineer, while technology and the innovations around me were exciting, I also realized that I loved working with people, motivating, coaching, encouraging, and inspiring them. After a few years when my manager decided to move to another role, I was presented with an opportunity to take a leadership position. Ever since I’ve grown and developed in different roles: from an engineer, technical lead, to manager to senior director, with teams of various sizes and across different geographies, leading large-scale global R&D teams and ultimately taking on the Global Unit Head role. I found that my passion is helping to build innovative telecom products that impact the world but none of that would be possible without the close collaboration of the team and people with whom I work. I am very people-oriented and love working closely with others – it’s what I love about my job the most. Of course, creating and delivering products successfully is fun and rewarding, but doing it with a team makes it so much better!
I have been at Nokia for more than 25 years and it’s been an incredible journey! I feel grateful that I have been able to explore many different areas and take up various, often challenging roles. Nokia has always supported my professional growth.
Finding our purpose
Why do we do what we do?
I believe this is of utmost importance, the cornerstone of everything. It is about our continuing pursuit of being more than we ever dreamed we could be. Following our passion and fulfilling our potential. Knowing the bigger picture is so essential to me and gives me a sense of purpose and how I can make a positive change in my everyday work. Don’t be afraid or intimidated, give your best in all you do. At Nokia, we have a culture of being Open, Fearless, and Empowered. It is through this culture that we can fulfill our purpose.
Excited about the future
I am currently responsible for driving the development of Nokia’s O-RAN and Cloud RAN technologies. In this role, I have established an Edge Cloud partnering ecosystem across Nokia’s global businesses as well as through partnerships with international Cloud companies to drive innovation and position Nokia as a global leader. This is an extremely challenging but also very exciting role as this impacts the future of Nokia’s Mobile Networks. I need to know how Cloud technologies are evolving, how Radio Access products can benefit by moving to the Cloud and generating new business for Nokia. For example, part of my role is understanding what the technical complexities are and how we can engineer the products to meet the end customers’ expectations and ensure the delivery of solutions on time. I need to also ensure that people working on these products are empowered and have the needed skills, and knowledge, and are fully engaged to give their best. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity to work with such talented people and to engage with colleagues who are incredibly bright and inspiring!
Soma Sarkar, Head of Edge Cloud Platforms, Nokia
A work in progress – the importance of learning opportunities
I call myself a “work in progress”, as I continuously strive to improve my skills and broaden my experience. I’ve been in business for more than 25 years, but there hasn’t been a single day in my career in which I haven’t learned something new or met a person with a different way of thinking and been introduced to novel ideas from which I could benefit. This is what makes life worth living: learning new things every day and making things happen.
You need to be open to new things: a new technology, a different approach – and what is even more important, you need to have the opportunity to widen your horizons. That is why I constantly try to open up new ways for the people around me. It is my ambition to empower our talent at Nokia and help them to grow. It tells our people that we should never stop learning and that it is perfectly okay to make mistakes if we learn from them. So, we can all be a work in progress.
Be inclusive and care for people
Nokia is a big company with offices across the world. Our teams are very diverse, in terms of background, age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, and many other aspects. And we encourage and celebrate diversity. To quote our Chief People Officer, Amy Hanlon-Rodemich: “Let’s together create a working environment that doesn’t just pay lip service to our inclusive essentials but embodies them, helping all of us to feel valued and accepted. Just as we are.”
In my organization, a unit of more than 800 people, we have an amazing team of Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) ambassadors who are role models of inclusive behavior and foster a fruitful I&D culture across our teams. Thanks to their ideas and proposals, we have all become more aware of other people’s needs and what it means to create a workplace where everyone feels safe and fully welcomed.
Achieving together
In my experience, feeling psychologically safe and accepted in everything we do is key for people to be happy to venture out and take the next step in their careers. While technical proficiency and expertise are very important for a company like Nokia, we wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without people with the right social skills who support and encourage one another. Only together can we achieve great things. This is the spirit that I promote across our unit and beyond when talking to our colleagues in their various roles. I also endeavor to lead by example and be a caring leader. It would be great to hear back from other leaders about how they have implemented inclusive and caring leadership at their workplace. Please let us know about your thoughts and experiences.
I would like to leave you with these thoughts which I truly believe and which have been a guiding light for me as I navigate through my life’s journey.
