Alpna Doshi is one of a growing group of women leaders who are breaking through corporate India's glass ceiling and increasingly calling the shots. Before joining the Reliance ADA Group, the dynamic new CIO (RCOM) and CEO of Reliance Tech Services spent nearly two decades in the US working with global leaders such as Verizon and Deloitte Consultancy.

At RCOM, Doshi's responsibilities focus on keeping the overall business agile, and ensuring effective use of technology with a view to retaining customer stickiness. She says, “We are ready to roll out our 3G services; however, 2G optimisation is also very important." She stresses that technology is rendered purposeless if not understood properly; hence, the need to educate end-users. She also sees mobile number portability playing a big part in the telecom sphere.

With a strong academic background, she majored in computer science as well as international business administration, and diverse work experience spanning telecom, media and entertainment, Doshi claims that it is the “marriage of IT and communications" that has brought her this far. She is a frequent industry speaker and was first invited to speak at the prestigious ATM Forum in Berlin in 1995, when the technology was just catching on. Her oratorical skills have taken her to almost every part of the world at various international forums.

One of her most memorable assignments was setting up network services in Thailand, which was a cultural eye opener and unique learning experience. She feels that engaging with people at the ground level is essential to understanding their proablems and tackling larger organisational issues. At RCOM, she interacts with her entire staff in what is called “coffee with the CIO" and also ensures that the environment is conducive to new ideas and work by organising fun internal programmes.

Doshi believes that she has been a brand ambassador for every company she's worked for, each stint being a step up in the ladder of success. She has a rich pool of experience to draw strength from; her intelligence and fearless attitude in taking on new challenges is more than welcome at her new job.