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How Tesco Technology Drives Shareholder Value Through AI & Innovation — Transcript

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0:00We treat people how they like to be
0:02treated. 60%age of our technology
0:06workforce is in India.
0:07>> This was like a trend set up. It's
0:09always nice to map a journey and I'm
0:10sure it just takes you [music] back as
0:12well.
0:12>> Get a kick when you see your
0:14transformation coming to life and you
0:17know
0:17>> what does it take to build trust as a
0:20technologist? You've spent more [music]
0:21than 25 years leading transformations.
0:24Most of the solutions we build in supply
0:27chain distribution are very very planet
0:30conscious. They care about what they
0:33work for, whom they work for. Are we
0:35being socially responsible?
0:37>> This is the latest one that you saw
0:38which
0:39>> I'm watching the mentalist.
0:45>> Well, ladies and gentlemen, according to
0:47us, I believe technology isn't just
0:50about efficiency. It's also about
0:52empathy at scale. Hello and welcome to
0:55simulated reality and today we have with
0:57us a very very special guest uh Priya
1:01Darshini Ramas Subramanyam she of course
1:04is the engineering director for supply
1:06chain at Tesco technology uh a wonderful
1:11experience of more than two decades and
1:13I believe I won't be wrong in saying
1:16this uh that Priya's story is about
1:19engineering with purpose and leading
1:21with well empathy
1:23And of course we are going to be
1:25unveiling a lot more as we go along this
1:27journey of simulated reality with Priya
1:29today because uh I think Priya I would
1:33like to start with this a big welcome to
1:35the show. Do you believe that in a world
1:38run by algorithms
1:40uh you actually remind us that the real
1:42transformation still begins with people?
1:46Hi uh Sudi, thanks for first having me
1:49here with an honor. It's a true pleasure
1:51magazine. So pleasure to be here.
1:53>> Um
1:55for anything and everything in the world
1:57especially for large organizations
2:00>> their biggest asset even before
2:02technology is their people.
2:04Organizations are made up of people
2:06hearts and souls and their passion that
2:10makes them a great organization or what
2:12they are. So I truly believe that um
2:16people and therefore great leaders who
2:18can bring out the best in the people are
2:20the most important to drive technology
2:22and great organizations forward.
2:25>> Nice. Let's actually start with the
2:27start. It's always nice.
2:28>> Sure.
2:29>> More than 25 years of experience,
2:31>> right?
2:32>> Uh which is wonderful.
2:34>> No, you don't.
2:36>> The euphemism for old is experience.
2:38>> Of course. Yes. So uh the fact that what
2:42actually uh brought that spark Priya as
2:44far as your journey is concerned because
2:47>> I mean
2:48>> as a technologist you've spent more than
2:5025 years leading transformations as far
2:53as technology is concerned
2:55>> technology is very dynamic you know it
2:57changes it goes through so many aspects
2:59you've worked with Tesco you work with
3:01Coca-Cola you work with biggest brands
3:05and I just wanted to understand what
3:07were the early experienc experiences
3:10that actually shaped your approach to to
3:14well the transformation for today. What
3:18were those early aspects of those early
3:20learnings?
3:20>> Yeah, I get I get you. Um so I'm I was
3:23actually an electrical engineer. I
3:24learned to be an electrical engineer but
3:26uh during the spare time a couple of us
3:28learned computer science and it was the
3:31um love for problem solving. pick up a
3:35problem, apply some algorithmic
3:37thinking, um give it to the computer set
3:39of instructions and you had your
3:40answers.
3:41>> Which years was this? uh these were uh
3:431992
3:45to6 uh where that was a passion project
3:48uh during uh your holidays and weekends
3:51and
3:52>> you know why I asked you that right
3:54because in those days
3:56>> nobody really had that forward thinking
3:57of the fact that you know uh in terms of
4:00doing problem solving with let's say
4:02computers
4:02>> but then uh that's the passion that got
4:04me going uh then when I was working with
4:08Vipro that's when I had the opportunity
4:10to work with multiple retailers Right.
4:12>> So I was with Vipro. I was part of the
4:14retail center of excellence and working
4:16with multiple retailers and that's when
4:18I could see technology solving real
4:21world problems. Um so the passion for
4:23retail developed there and I could see
4:26how we could help solve problems for our
4:29customers make a significant impact for
4:31them and help the businesses as well.
4:34That's when that passion started. Sorry
4:36you were about to ask. No, I was just it
4:38just I was curious that you know it's
4:41it's such a a nimble mind at that time
4:44that you've had uh early days you're
4:47just starting up you're excited in terms
4:50of uh you know all the changes or the
4:52aspects that you're seeing something
4:54that you still remember that which which
4:56still brings like a little smile to your
4:58face that wow
4:59>> we could do this with technology
5:00>> technology yeah true very true and it is
5:03that uh combined passion then for uh
5:06retail and technology that attracted me
5:09towards uh Tesco. At Tesco's were very
5:12different being one of the world's
5:14largest retailer then we were solving
5:17problems at such a large scale that I
5:20couldn't even imagine or thought of then
5:23um give me a use case
5:25>> the the several millions of customers
5:28that shop with us. So whatever we do our
5:32technology solutions should be solving
5:36problems at scale and across the
5:38multiple countries that we operate in.
5:39So we operate in UK, ROI, central
5:42Europe.
5:42>> So developons deploy multiple times just
5:46now that it then became our core purpose
5:48is to help serve our customers,
5:50community and our planet. Look at the
5:53diverse aspects. So we just
5:56>> are just not thinking about our
5:57customers. We are thinking of how our
5:59technology should be solving our problem
6:02for our communities and serving them and
6:05the planet. Being a food retailer means
6:07we have to be very conscious about the
6:09planet and most of the solutions we
6:11build in supply chain distribution are
6:14very very planet conscious. So in
6:17summary that's what uh was my uh journey
6:20and how I landed into this and you will
6:23see some of this good work and the core
6:26purpose focus you know our half year
6:29results has been really good and along
6:31with customer service satisfaction score
6:33improvement you know um and keeping both
6:36balanced is really key to us
6:38>> which is wonderful because I mean the
6:40fact that what brought out this this um
6:44this aspect as far as the planet is
6:45concerned Because generally speaking
6:48>> uh you know it's it's it's driven by any
6:51big conglomerate or or corporate would
6:54end up thinking initially about their
6:56journey as far as satisfying the
6:57customer is concerned because that is
6:59the first thing
7:00>> and then maybe later on in the horizon
7:03one starts to say all right maybe we
7:05should add these elements or aspects to
7:08it because
7:09>> it's important that that responsibility
7:10is being shown and shouldered by Tesco.
7:13When did that kind of come through or
7:16was it something which was integral as
7:18far as the policy was concerned?
7:21>> So the thought and the responsibility we
7:23are a 100-y old company plus the thought
7:25and the responsibility has always been
7:27there but probably we started coining it
7:30very explicitly into our core purpose if
7:33I remember right from 2014 onwards.
7:36>> Fair enough. Um uh I could be slightly
7:38wrong with the timings but it was always
7:40uh just that we became very explicit
7:42about it because only when the core
7:44purpose is understood by the entire team
7:47behind us only then the organization
7:49powers uniformly in that direction right
7:51so we explicitly called it out saying
7:53was customers of course but our
7:55communities and our planet as well this
7:58ecosystem is really important
8:00>> and I'm sure there was must have been an
8:02enriching uh response that you might
8:04have received from everyone I'm sure
8:06everyone Everyone welcomed that thought.
8:08>> Of course. Yes. The younger generation
8:10these days and I'll talk about it when
8:11I'm talking to people. They care about
8:14what they work for, whom they work for.
8:16Are we being socially responsible? And
8:19if we are engaging such talent apart
8:21from what we should do socially, right?
8:23They care about it. So you might as
8:25well, you know, give them platform that
8:28they can build into and contribute.
8:30>> Nice. Which actually brings me to this
8:32Priya.
8:34How have those well early lessons that
8:37you that you have just walked us through
8:40stayed relevant in a world which is now
8:43being refined and redefined by data and
8:46AI.
8:47>> Tesco a key leverages our artificial
8:49intelligence, data analytics and
8:51automation. Okay. And we use that to
8:54enrich our customer experience make sure
8:57our operations end to end are very sele.
9:03So we have online stores, we have
9:04physical stores etc. Uh a lot of our AI
9:08use cases help drive our price
9:11optimization. The range and the kind of
9:14products we bring in and their quality
9:16is driven and backed up by artificial
9:19intelligence. Uh our online offers are
9:23powered by the breadth and reach and
9:25I'll give you a couple of examples as
9:26well. Yeah. uh is is powered by uh that
9:31uh and when it comes to supply chain and
9:34uh distribution the way we even predict
9:37our customer demand is all AI
9:38enablement.
9:39>> So I'll give you a couple of um examples
9:41and I'll start with supply chain as a
9:43use case. Um at supply chain it is it is
9:47it plays a core uh role uh because we'll
9:50have to accurately predict the customer
9:52demand to ensure that availability is
9:55not compromised and a customer walks
9:57into the store products are available
9:59but at the same point in time you'll
10:01have to be very conscious about waste
10:03just to increase availability you so
10:05>> we do um engineers develop a lot of
10:09machine learning algorithms which means
10:10crunching millions of uh data records of
10:14past history of sales, how does your
10:16weather look like, what are recent
10:18promotions you're running, which day of
10:21the week are you trading? So you see the
10:23number of aspects that comes in and
10:25that's all. So machine learning
10:27algorithms help us and of course these
10:28are all developed by brilliant engineers
10:31we have and uh that's how we predict the
10:33customer demand. Then there are a lot of
10:35optimized decision we make in ordering
10:38in how and what quantity we ship from
10:40our distribution centers into our
10:42stores. It's a very critical aspect as
10:45far as I'm sure the entire flow of work
10:47is concerned.
10:48>> True. And then moving on to our uh
10:51transport right these are intelligent
10:54metahuristic algorithms because we
10:56operate some of the largest fleets you
10:58know right from our primary transport
11:00from our suppliers into our distribution
11:02centers distributions into our stores.
11:04So we'll have to optimize for your truck
11:07pairing demand splits you know how do
11:10you effectively utilize uh drivers but
11:13these algorithms help us ship less air
11:17find the optimal routts and make sure we
11:20reduce our carbon dioxide emissions
11:22millions of tons of carbon dioxide
11:23emissions has been enabled by technology
11:25and that's the contribution we are
11:27making back into the
11:29>> planet could I request you
11:31>> sure
11:31>> because the scale at which you work
11:35>> would be nice. I mean, you're giving me
11:37supply chain, you're giving me
11:39>> uh, you know, uh, transport, you're
11:41giving me all of those wonderful little
11:42use cases.
11:43>> Would be wonderful if you could maybe
11:45ratify them with numbers because the
11:47numbers I'm sure
11:48>> are going to be well fascinating.
11:51>> Sure. Um, so, uh, some of our use cases,
11:56for example, we have more than 23 24
11:58million customers shopping with us just
12:00in UK. I'm talking about I'm not even
12:02talking about
12:03>> would be nice how many
12:05>> 23 24 million customers who shop with us
12:10>> um uh and this is just for uh UK just
12:13the UK
12:13>> yeah and I'm not talking about we have
12:16uh our customer base in central Europe
12:18and all of that
12:19>> uh so if you have to uh personalize
12:23that's billions of search and
12:24recommendations that we are talking
12:26about
12:27>> uh and also millions of your delivery
12:30schedules around the clock for your
12:31customers to make sure online operations
12:33are uh smooth. And when uh your back-end
12:37systems will have to make optimal
12:39decisions, they're again going through
12:41billions of data points and records to
12:43come up with some of those uh decisions,
12:46you know. Uh so uh the scale is really
12:49really humongous and that's what uh
12:51makes the work very interesting for our
12:54colleagues and exciting you know. Uh and
12:56that's what probably makes it a great
12:58place to work personally for for me as
13:00well.
13:00>> And you say it with so much you know
13:02like yeah it's like a everyday it is
13:05been 25 years
13:07>> but these numbers are mindboggling.
13:09>> Yeah.
13:10>> Which actually brings me to this point
13:12and thought which is that
13:14>> as far as you know the change was
13:16concerned Priya.
13:17>> Yeah. what what uh drives that aspect in
13:21terms of you know the the technological
13:23transformation
13:25especially in retail
13:27>> what what gets that entire impetus and
13:30how did you envage that entire situation
13:33as far as retail was concerned
13:35>> sure and are you referring to it from
13:38the past until now or you're referring
13:40to it
13:42>> um
13:42>> because it's always nice to map a
13:44journey and I'm sure it just takes you
13:45back as well
13:46>> sure See it's both right. It's
13:50technology advancements but it is also
13:53that customers are becoming smarter.
13:56>> Yes.
13:56>> Uh for them convenience is key.
13:59>> Oh yes.
13:59>> So it's it's a bit of both. You of
14:02course technology advancements and
14:03therefore we learn grow experiment. Um
14:07there were uh days where we were still
14:10for example the customer demand
14:12prediction andor personalizing the
14:14offers were all you know heritage
14:16systems uh driven
14:18>> um and then when we had more data points
14:22and more globally available information
14:25available technology had to step up
14:27naturally okay and you needed big data
14:30platforms you needed cloud platforms you
14:33needed real time eventing
14:36>> um For example, now we shop across
14:39multiple channels. The customers truly
14:41want omni channel experience, right?
14:43Irrespective of whether it is uh they
14:45shop with the website, mobile uh in
14:48storere and within in store we've given
14:49them scan as you shop devices, they can
14:51do their selfch checkouts and all the
14:55offers that we offer to them are
14:57completely personalized. All this is
14:59possible only because engineers have
15:01been building those real time uh APIs
15:06that can transform these worlds. you
15:08know the whole real-time eventing
15:10architecture cloud platforms I'll give
15:12you an example when with when customers
15:14are moving across so many channels
15:17>> how do you ensure you know what's the
15:19right
15:20>> uh fate
15:21>> no the right quantity of stock you hold
15:24>> inventory management
15:26>> yeah um is so crucial and cannot happen
15:30unless you're doing it real time across
15:33these multiple
15:33>> food it's an impact and correct me if
15:35I'm wrong but also it's an impact as far
15:37as your own uh fund flow is concerned
15:40because I mean if you're overtly uh
15:43stocked with inventory,
15:45>> you're losing out in money.
15:46>> That's right. Yeah. Uh because unless we
15:48know what is the right amount [snorts]
15:49of inventory we hold and all the at all
15:51these different fulfillment points, we
15:53cannot make the right supply chain or
15:55condition. So you're bang on uh you know
15:57uh uh and that's the transformation you
16:00know. So of course your customer demand
16:02and of course what you would like to do
16:04as a responsible retailer for your
16:06customers
16:07>> and the uh people becoming quite
16:10techsavvy and technology enabled. So
16:12it's a combination of multiple factors
16:14that has enabled this transformation.
16:16That's wonderful because that you you
16:18talked about it from the point of view
16:20of the fact that you know is it the past
16:22or the future. Now I'd actually want to
16:24make it
16:26>> a little more aspirational or a little
16:28forwardlooking and I want to ask you
16:30this which is that
16:31>> what does it take to build trust in
16:34systems because we're talking about
16:35customers who are extremely aware very
16:38demanding
16:39>> and obviously there are so many
16:40different dynamics and aspects that
16:43you're constantly dealing with
16:44>> so I felt that it would be
16:47>> well poant for me to ask you this that
16:49trust in systems that actually millions
16:51of people depend on every day Priya
16:54that's a huge responsibility that you
16:57have
16:57>> that's right
16:58>> and it's also aspirational it's also
17:00exciting that the way the way things are
17:03changing moving
17:05>> you must be always looking ahead trying
17:07to understand
17:08>> that also having a peak into the future
17:10>> I'd love for you to shed light on that
17:12>> your your most interesting question is
17:14the first half but I'll cover it in the
17:16second half um so see the future for
17:20retail overall is very exciting Okay.
17:22And technology is going to be a key
17:24enabler. We are all talking um
17:28artificial intelligence but it's going
17:30to be more different. Um we are talking
17:34personalization. It's going to become
17:35hyperpersonalization.
17:37We are um talking about omni channel
17:40experience. It's going to become unified
17:43uh commerce.
17:44>> Right. But underlying all of this, as
17:46you rightly pointed out, Sudhi, it's
17:49going to be how retailers can become
17:52more responsible and become more
17:54sustainable and ethical in their
17:56offerings to their customers.
17:58>> So I'll I'll cover each of these uh
18:00pillars. Um so I know currently we are
18:04all digitally evolved. We start you know
18:06AI enabled etc. But it will all move
18:09into um domain specific language models.
18:13Uh and with that use it will become very
18:15context heavy so that we can serve the
18:17customers better.
18:19>> Um automation will play a key role. For
18:21example, even now in our warehouses we
18:23are experimenting with uh fresh your
18:26automo robots. They are completely
18:29autonomous. They can do their own
18:31picking. Uh no fixed paths
18:34>> and
18:34>> Oh nice. Interesting. And that's helping
18:36our core food mission and be more
18:38efficient. Um, now that will slowly move
18:42just not in warehouses. It'll get into
18:44your stores, right? The physical AI and
18:47automation uh and of course we'll have
18:49to be very responsible about it.
18:51>> Absolutely.
18:52>> Um and that will become it will play a
18:55key role. personalization uh will become
18:58hyperpersonalization where you know just
19:00imagine Sudi you are um walking into a
19:03store you're shopping online uh the
19:06system realizes the your intent for that
19:09day and it is giving you a personalized
19:12uh offer so that you can make some
19:14shopping decisions. Um but and of course
19:18you know that's the extent of
19:19personalization and convenience will
19:22reign. Um you can shop online, pick up
19:26in store. You your shopping list will
19:29transfer to your uh device at store. The
19:32shopping list will even be ordered by
19:34the layout of the store so that if you
19:36want to pick uh you just pick and go,
19:39you know, all of these are in the
19:40horizon. But customers are also looking
19:43to and we have a great responsibility as
19:46a retailer to make sure we do all of
19:48this in a very sustainable manner. Um
19:51people would want to know how are these
19:54being ethically sourced.
19:56>> True.
19:57>> Um to the extent of we care about
19:59deforestation. We ensure that um
20:03>> we are careful about sourcing products
20:06from deforestated areas right u so
20:08customers will want to know hey where
20:10are these sourced from um are they done
20:13in an ethical manner. So
20:15>> howly responsible are you?
20:16>> Yeah. So technologies like all your uh
20:19QR codes you know um IoT and um to a
20:24large extent you know our simulation
20:26platforms and digital twins will help us
20:28simulate all of this and you know make
20:30sure we offer um products to our
20:34customers in the most ethical manner we
20:35can. AI governance will play a huge
20:39role. ethical AI is the need and um we
20:42have a a very responsible governance
20:44body at Tesco up to the highest levels
20:47to ensure that
20:48>> whatever we deploy through artificial
20:50intelligence is very ethical and
20:52governed carefully. So those would be
20:54some of the um key driving factors.
20:58>> Not too much I feel. [laughter]
21:00>> Right.
21:01>> But tell me this.
21:02>> Yeah.
21:02>> This this immediately just kind of you
21:04know came to mind the fact that it's
21:07>> 100 year old company
21:09>> uh
21:10>> defining in terms of the experiences as
21:12far as retail are concerned.
21:13>> Sure.
21:14uh one of the market leaders you just
21:17mentioned in terms of all of the aspects
21:19that are going to be well a part of the
21:23experience for the consumer
21:26>> at large moving forward
21:29>> how much of [snorts] uh importance uh
21:33Priya does it play as far as Tesco is
21:35concerned as far as you and your team is
21:38concerned to remain let's say market
21:41leaders
21:42>> in terms of always trying to put these
21:44experiences that you just talked about
21:47>> making them uh uh a lot more well
21:50relevant to the people in terms of your
21:52consumers your customers making it as
21:55the fact that okay wait a minute
21:57>> Tesco did this first or you know we
21:59brought this experience first to you how
22:01much is it uh at the core of of of the
22:04thinking as far as the teams and
22:06everything is concerned it's just
22:08something which I thought that
22:09>> can I paraphrase your question if you
22:12don't mind to make sure I understood
22:13Sure, sure, sure.
22:14>> Um, if you're asking, hey, in order to
22:18make all this happen for our core
22:21purpose, how much of focus are we laying
22:24on our people and how are we helping
22:26them? Oh, brilliant. Okay.
22:28>> Uh, so um I believe as I told you
22:31earlier, all organizations are powered
22:35by people. That's a big asset for us.
22:37>> Absolutely.
22:38>> And um that's true at Tesco as well. We
22:41are a very very people focused company
22:43and that's one of the reasons I've
22:45probably stayed with Tesco for a long
22:47time now 17 years.
22:48>> Speaks volumes about the culture of the
22:50company.
22:51>> Yeah, it's a uh work is exciting but at
22:54the same time we have a great culture
22:57and that's why you know I think it's a
22:59great place to work. However, um so I
23:02for example at the position I sit, I
23:05have a larger responsibility and
23:07therefore I'm part of several natural
23:09working teams whose focus is only about
23:12people and career development. Um
23:15I can name a few. For example, um we
23:19ensure that we have a team that has
23:23focused on bringing in the right talent,
23:25has the right um hiring standards, looks
23:29for the right fit, just not technical
23:30skills.
23:31>> But what does the word right mean for
23:35you?
23:35>> Um yeah, so um of course the right
23:38technical skills, but more importantly,
23:40are they a fit into our culture? So
23:43there is definitely a leadership round
23:45even for the lowest levels that we bring
23:47in to make sure
23:48>> which is wonderful.
23:49>> Yeah. And um our practices are pretty
23:51much standardized across the globe. So
23:53it's not India specific as well.
23:55>> Um then we have NWTs that look at can we
24:00make sure our career paths are very well
24:02defined. If you as an employee so they
24:04are walking into Tesco
24:06>> you should just be able to open a portal
24:07look at hey what's the career path for
24:09you? What's next in line for you? what
24:11are the skills expected at that level
24:13and how can you groom yourself into
24:15those skills. Okay,
24:16>> so those are all very well documented.
24:18We have a central talent planning
24:20exercise that we do along with our
24:21people partners where we identify high
24:24potential talent, make sure they have a
24:26personal development plan and we help
24:28them with training opportunities,
24:30mentoring, grooming, coaching and more
24:33importantly giving them larger roles so
24:35they can experiment it and take it on.
24:38So tell me this
24:39>> for example as you just mentioned that
24:42an employee has a a general well idea of
24:45the landscape
24:47>> terms of okay this is how I'm growing
24:48this is how I'm going etc
24:50>> which is great
24:51>> but we as humans tend to want to uh you
24:55know over exceed
24:57>> or overachieve
24:59>> so are there is there room for uh the
25:02the people working at Tesco that all
25:05right there is a creative flare And it's
25:08not just okay straight jacketed that I
25:10go from here to there and then from
25:11there to there.
25:12>> You get my thought then at least I hope
25:14that that career path can branch out. I
25:17I have the flexibility of doing
25:19>> I I forgot uh the saying there your
25:22career is more like a jungle rather than
25:24a ladder. Right?
25:26>> That is very true at Tesco. So we have
25:28something called as a open job portal
25:31>> where we can apply into any of the
25:34opportunities we want and across the
25:36globe as well.
25:37>> Great.
25:37>> So I can be a product manager today,
25:40tomorrow if I would like to become an
25:42engineer, so be it. There is of course
25:44an assessment that checks your fitment
25:46into that skill. Um so you can move
25:49across several roles and there is no
25:51timeline restriction on when you move
25:53from one role to another. as long as
25:55you're ready for the next role, you sit,
25:58have a great conversation and then you
25:59move forward. Uh so it's as open and as
26:03convenient as that for our uh colleagues
26:06at
26:07>> 17 plus years. Bri,
26:09>> you I'm sure have mentored some fabulous
26:13future leaders.
26:15>> You've done all that. So I want to
26:17understand since you would since we're
26:19just talking about this
26:21>> what's what's the key in your mind or
26:23what is what are those things that you
26:25would like to uh imbue people with as
26:29far as uh mentoring them giving them
26:32maybe certain um uh certain certain uh
26:36keys to work with
26:38>> for building their future paths for
26:40building themselves up into the roles of
26:43let's say future leaders what would you
26:46share with them.
26:47>> Sure. Um, of course you you you work
26:53with talent that have great uh
26:55potential.
26:56>> So um some of what
26:58>> well not all of them but yeah
26:59>> of course
27:00>> those are the challenges.
27:02>> Yeah.
27:03>> If I was working at Tesco I would have
27:04been one of the other ones.
27:06>> You know everybody has potential just
27:08that their potential lies in different
27:10aspects. That's the only sweet way of
27:12putting it. Humans you failed in class
27:15but it's okay. You have potential.
27:16>> No, no. Everybody you can excel in
27:20something. Yeah, this might not be the
27:22right thing. Something you always excel
27:23in. Humans are that way. Innately gifted
27:25I feel. Um, so
27:28I would have a good conversation with
27:31them to first understand where their
27:33heart lies
27:34>> because passion is important. Without
27:36passion then you can't do anything else.
27:38>> Absolutely.
27:39>> And then you look at um what do they
27:42think their gaps are? have a
27:44conversation on them on what do the
27:47organization wants. See where there is
27:49the right fitment.
27:50>> Um and then help coach them in that uh
27:53direction. It's important to give them a
27:56lot of psychological safety and make
27:59sure you're open to failures when they
28:00are trying new things and give them a
28:03safe environment for them to try,
28:05experiment, grow
28:07>> and it's okay to fail.
28:08>> It's okay to fail. I've had a lot of
28:10leaders support me. I've made mistakes.
28:13>> Everyone does. Yeah. So, uh the leaders
28:16who said it's okay, it's important you
28:19tried and I would like to give that back
28:21to my uh teams uh and and that's pretty
28:25much the uh recipe, you know, um have
28:29confidence in them, have great career
28:31conversations with them, encourage
28:33psychological safety, be vulnerable,
28:35show them
28:36>> nice
28:37>> what you know,
28:38>> I think that's the need on their head.
28:40True.
28:40>> Uh you know, and help them with it. than
28:42that.
28:42>> Yeah. Because I mean, you know, when
28:43when you look at seniors like yourself
28:46probably, I mean, your teams,
28:48>> so you tend to feel, okay, wait a
28:50minute, here's a person who's been here
28:52for so long.
28:53>> U
28:54>> I've seen the vulnerable side of this
28:56human, and it's a it's a it's a human,
28:59>> a brilliant human,
29:00>> still a human.
29:01>> All of us have gives you a certain
29:03amount of solace and says, "Okay, fair.
29:05That's my pickme up. I can carry on."
29:07>> That's right. Is that one of the aspects
29:11Priya which is at the core of keeping
29:13people motivated especially during these
29:16long transformations that tend to take
29:19place especially with the area that
29:20you're working at.
29:22>> How do you keep that uh you know at the
29:24helm of things that that motivation is
29:27very important?
29:28>> Yeah.
29:28>> So what's what's the what's those
29:32>> secret source? So for me personally um
29:36large transformation
29:38you do a transformation for a reason
29:40right so the kick that I get out of it
29:43apologies if the language is wrong it's
29:46not absolutely fine
29:47>> no you get a kick when you see your
29:49transformation coming to life and you
29:52know
29:53>> that gets that keeps me going give me an
29:56example I mean give me something that
29:58you remember that maybe a transformation
30:00that had taken place that that you kind
30:02of still maybe think about I mean I'll
30:04give you a very recent one would be nice
30:06>> um we are uh transforming our uh
30:10complete text stack that is helping us
30:14uh the whole supplier ordering yeah
30:16ordering from our suppliers into our
30:17distribution centers
30:19>> um we framed our own ambitions what
30:22timeline we wanted how would we do it
30:24etc
30:25>> then we face into technical challenges
30:27right you you've built your own
30:28ambitions and um you have a capable set
30:31of leaders but there There are so many
30:33moving parts that need to come along and
30:35make this happen.
30:36>> So we've had our moments you know as a
30:38group of people arguing debating
30:41discussing but still that passion
30:43exists. So there are days like why does
30:45it feel like this and you know what can
30:47I do about it and I'm sure that's there
30:49for my team as well but then because we
30:52are aligned on that goal and we want
30:54collectively to make that happen. we see
30:57through next day we are all the best of
30:59friends cracking jokes and having
31:01coffees together. So
31:03>> any challenges that you've probably
31:05sensed tend to kind of crop up in uh
31:09these kind of uh events or these kind of
31:12situations which your experience over a
31:15period of time has uh helped you now to
31:19smooth over a lot quicker than probably
31:21what it used to be like earlier.
31:24Um see I feel the most important reason
31:27is difference of understanding and the
31:30ways and means people want to get there
31:33that's what brings in
31:34>> the differences I think
31:35>> or a friction or agree to disagree kind
31:37of a deal.
31:38>> Yeah. So as long as we are
31:41getting onto the same table having those
31:43conversations and thrashing out those
31:45differences
31:47and you go align right if you have to
31:49agree to disagree finally you've
31:51understood each other
31:52>> and that's what makes it very smooth so
31:54communication is really early really
31:56really for leadership
31:58>> there's one important skill that I would
32:00like to call
32:01>> recommend and talk about
32:02>> communication
32:03>> big one for sure
32:06>> culture and belonging which is naturally
32:09what I would like to go ahead and speak
32:10about since
32:12>> you have so perfectly segueed into that
32:14that communication. Yeah.
32:16>> Uh do you believe that that is at the
32:17cornerstone of the culture that you have
32:21probably been able to embellish over a
32:23period of time or build
32:25>> and what I want to talk about is this
32:27that
32:28>> uh you have led a lot of culture
32:30building initiatives
32:32[clears throat]
32:33>> but what stands out
32:34>> and how have you made in uh the entire
32:37aspect of the experience
32:40>> Mhm. of of working at uh at at such a
32:44huge uh company because according to me
32:47I think
32:48>> experience is something which stays with
32:50you Priya.
32:51>> Yeah, that's right.
32:51>> Instead of just it being you know well
32:53another metric or another thing that I
32:56just
32:56>> chocked out on the checklist.
32:58>> So has that been something that that you
33:01felt that you wanted to bring and you
33:04have been able to to bring out?
33:06>> No, no, true. Uh very true and a very
33:08valid point that you're bringing out uh
33:10Sudhi. So um currently I'm also playing
33:14the role of a co-sponsor for diversity,
33:16equity and inclusion at Bangalore. It's
33:19very close to my uh heart and it's
33:22really important because
33:25great companies are built by ideas
33:28boughten by a diverse set of people. You
33:30just cannot have a diverse team and not
33:33be inclusive. So inclusion is more
33:35important than just having your
33:37diversity numbers. And for inclusion to
33:39happen, you need to have equity measures
33:41as well.
33:42>> Fair.
33:42>> And that's what brings in great people.
33:45People should feel a sense of belonging,
33:49acceptance.
33:51Everybody is different. It's okay to be
33:53different. Everybody will have different
33:54ideas. It's they should be comfortable
33:57voicing it out, disagreeing, voicing
34:00their opinions, you know. And for that
34:03you need to have very inclusive
34:05leadership team right from the junior
34:07manager level and we make sure we
34:10actively talk about it uh at Tesco and I
34:14think that's what drives a great culture
34:17and u the managerial capability that we
34:21have who are very inclusive
34:24>> is what makes uh you know a very
34:26inclusive organization. So that's really
34:28important
34:29>> but it's since it's it's so close to
34:31your heart Priya and I'm sure
34:33>> and and and you know this is something
34:35which I have uh experienced on my own.
34:37>> Sure. You used the term feel, right?
34:40Which I think is so important
34:42>> for people to well on a very granular
34:45level feel that yes, this this
34:47organization means what it's talking
34:50about because a lot of times it's just
34:53maybe just a template that people end up
34:55thinking and people are sharp,
34:57>> people are working as uh understand that
34:59okay, wait a minute, this is just part
35:01of a template. This is just part of one
35:03of those things. Yeah.
35:04>> What is it that that extra mile that you
35:07probably like you said inclusivity is
35:08important
35:09>> and it's being discussed in terms of
35:11management all across the board
35:13>> but I'm sure there would be another or
35:16there would be other aspects that you'd
35:18be bringing in to make sure that people
35:20realize that no this is not just
35:21something that is a template this is
35:23actually what we believe in. This is
35:25actually what the culture is about for
35:28and and for people to start to kind of
35:29then say okay fine we genuinely agree we
35:32feel it. See that's also
35:35>> because there's a sense of resistance no
35:36pri people humans tend to have a little
35:38sense of resistance in terms of
35:41>> will I be able to accept it will it will
35:43it happen will do do they really mean
35:45this kind of a deal you get my thought
35:47>> yeah see it's right there in in our
35:50Tesco values for example one of our most
35:53important values is we treat people how
35:57they like to be treated
35:58>> nice
35:59>> not how we like to be treated
36:00>> very nice
36:01>> so uh that's one statement you know that
36:04>> I think speaks volumes
36:05>> speaks volumes and
36:07>> that's our values are something you know
36:09that [snorts] we keep sharing with all
36:11our uh colleagues so that you know we
36:14all embody that we are all equal at the
36:16end of the day uh whether you're the CEO
36:19or whether you're a junior engineer as
36:21long as all of us are looking into that
36:23value and following that that's all it
36:26takes
36:26>> and I think testament is clear bria more
36:29than 17 years at a company
36:30>> yeah sure
36:31>> and I'm sure there's so many others like
36:33that.
36:34>> Yeah. Uh there are um but you know um
36:38what can I say? It's a Tesco is really a
36:40a nice organization just not exciting
36:43work but a warm culture as well and
36:46probably that's where I
36:47>> that's finally what matters.
36:48>> Yeah brings me to this aspect that uh do
36:52you feel that diversity of perspective
36:56>> shapes a better
36:59technological outcome?
37:01>> Of course. Yeah.
37:02>> Um
37:04without diversity of thought and ideas
37:09as early as your design thinking.
37:11>> Sure.
37:12>> Um something fantastic doesn't emerge,
37:15right? Um you should see our design
37:19discussions. You should come sometime
37:20into Tesco flows and you would see the
37:23>> I'd love to be like a fly on the wall.
37:25>> Yes, please. You would you would see the
37:28difference of thoughts and opinions from
37:30right from which tech stack to how we
37:32should build um and some emotions flying
37:36but all of that is what emotions who we
37:39are of course who we are the uh great
37:42products we build uh uh because finally
37:45everybody what are they aligned they're
37:46not taking anything home they're all
37:47looking at
37:48>> how do I build the best for our
37:50customers community and planet right as
37:52long as we are aligned there everything
37:54else is good welcome come.
37:56>> Yeah. Which is nice. Which is
37:58>> nice and open. Future horizons.
38:00>> Yeah.
38:00>> Have to get there because I mean I've
38:02been very my
38:04>> curiosity and excitement has been peaked
38:06by
38:07>> little things that you talked about
38:08hyperpersonalization. You talked about
38:10constantly tweaking the systems. So I
38:13want to obviously get into the fact that
38:15how do you see technology Priya and of
38:18course more importantly human creativity
38:21>> uh coming together to shape the next
38:23well let's say decade
38:25>> as far as go global supply chains are
38:27concerned. So I've covered this
38:29partially uh as part of my uh previous
38:33um
38:33>> the cue to deep dive
38:36>> right um so um just bringing in all
38:40those points together um just not supply
38:44chain even within all the other areas
38:47>> sure
38:48>> I think um the penetration of artificial
38:51intelligence in a different shape or
38:53form like I said your uh DSLMs and being
38:57more context driven they will play a
39:00role. um supply chain right now we are
39:03working on how can we simulate ourselves
39:05you know rather than looking at local
39:08optimizations how do we go across global
39:11optimizations right from the suppliers
39:13to the shelf to the customers
39:15>> and that means your algorithms cannot
39:17look at local minima they have to look
39:18at global minima which is a very
39:20complicated technical problem to solve
39:22>> then comes all your uh digital twins uh
39:25and of course with the difference aspect
39:29of personalization even within supply
39:31chain we'll have to react into it very
39:33intelligently right imagine I'm uh
39:36spinning up a personalized offer for you
39:38for that day and your mood
39:41>> and think your supply chain has to be
39:43ready so very ahead to you know
39:46>> uh just mindblowing isn't it if you were
39:48to tie all of this to uh together
39:51>> so just the sheer scale of that
39:53>> yeah yeah so in summary um
39:55[clears throat] you know a lot of
39:57artificial intelligence digital twins
40:00um uh for you to be ethical a lot of QR
40:04code driven technologies you know um
40:07being making tracking end to end uh
40:10possible and whatever technology is
40:11going to enable it all of that is key
40:14>> global of course we've discussed that
40:16time again it's a wonderful reality that
40:18you are
40:20>> everyday dealing with
40:21>> sure
40:21>> but obviously I have to ask you this
40:23>> which is how is India contributing to
40:25that future
40:27>> as far as a hub of both engineering and
40:29innovation at Tesco is concerned
40:32>> 60%age of our technology workforce is in
40:36India that should say something about
40:39how much as an or we believe in
40:43>> uh you know uh the talent present in
40:45India um the some of the great
40:49engineering talent we have there uh the
40:52just not the volume the quality of uh
40:54the talent we get from some of the great
40:56engineering uh institutes and uh their
41:00acummen plus the senior leadership here
41:03>> even globe many of the global leaders
41:05you see u India's presence so uh India
41:08is very well poised and at Tesco we
41:13truly work like a global organization
41:16>> it doesn't matter where you're sitting
41:19uh which region you're sitting for
41:21example if I'm sitting in Bangalore um
41:25if I am owning supply chain engineering
41:27the buck stops with me there is no other
41:29counterpart you know so it's all truly
41:31global roles
41:33>> and absolutely accountable for
41:35everything
41:35>> for everything you do so um just such a
41:38great talent pool here and the accumment
41:41that they are coming with in terms of
41:43their technical skills business
41:45knowledge attitude uh that's why I feel
41:48that uh the technology center is very
41:50well placed to help Tesco
41:52>> and what innovations or trends uh will
41:55probably excite you the most right now
41:59>> and maybe going forward also
42:01>> the fact that it would be nice if maybe
42:03you could share has there been incidents
42:05I'm sure there have been loads of them
42:08where uh the Indian uh the team came up
42:12with uh the breakthroughs which were
42:15probably uh implemented across the globe
42:18>> or there were maybe some interesting use
42:20cases that you can share with us
42:22>> that that okay this was like a trends
42:24setter
42:25>> and this is why the Indian talent is
42:28considered to be the best and that's why
42:30it is well 60% of Tesco's workforce.
42:34>> Um see I wouldn't put it to glorify
42:38anything but just [laughter]
42:40>> no see I would I I would rather put it
42:43uh this way irrespective of where your
42:46technology team is all of them are doing
42:49their brilliant work in taking that
42:52course forward. Sure.
42:53>> For example, if my supply chain
42:54engineering team is predominantly based
42:56of India, I have presence in central
42:57Europe and UK as well. My teams are
42:59based there as well.
43:00>> But let's talk about that customer
43:03demand forecasting. Yeah.
43:04>> Uh that was a simple rule-based
43:07algorithm.
43:08>> Yeah.
43:08>> Um and then we realized oh the art of
43:12possible and it is this team that came
43:14in and built completely AIdriven
43:18customer demand predictions for the
43:20future. But it is based on hey the
43:23talent pool was here they were part of
43:25my team because I am sitting here. So it
43:29doesn't matter which part of the globes
43:31the team are sitting
43:32>> because all of them are passionate about
43:34the cause and they want to help make a
43:36difference. That's how they
43:37>> Well put Priya
43:39>> well [snorts] done
43:40>> right
43:41>> which of course has now got me to that
43:44point because I think you're warmed up
43:46enough
43:46>> sure
43:47>> to deal with the rapid fire.
43:48>> Okay. Uh fine. I would love for you to
43:52just fly with this and say whatever
43:54comes to your mind.
43:55>> Yeah.
43:56>> And feel free
43:58>> one piece of career advice you wish
44:00you'd received earlier.
44:02>> I know this is supposed to be rapid fire
44:04but still um I am a big fan of Indranoi.
44:09Okay.
44:10>> Um from her and from from one of my
44:12ex-managers I realized that work life
44:16balance is not real. It's all about
44:19prioritization. Yeah, fair.
44:21>> Prioritize what you need for that phase
44:24of your life. Which project is going
44:26live? What your kids want. So hardcore
44:28prioritization. I've tried to do this
44:31work life balance and I'm being burnt
44:32early on.
44:33>> Okay.
44:33>> But then you know of course there are
44:35these great leaders who teach you and
44:37you then you become a bit smarter
44:38>> for prioritization.
44:39>> Prioritization.
44:40>> Okay. Your go-to stress buster during
44:43long transformation projects. Do you
44:45sing? Do you play the instrument? Do you
44:49>> uh Right. I love to read books.
44:51>> Uh especially fantasy novels. I love to
44:54watch.
44:57>> Harry Potter is fun. Uh thriller series.
45:00>> Okay. Nice. Which is the latest one that
45:01you saw which you love?
45:02>> Um mine is very old. I'm watching The
45:05Mentalist. U Yeah. Have you seen it? I
45:09thought Okay. That's a old series.
45:10>> No, I have. It's it's really nice.
45:12There's another one which I'll suggest
45:13which is called Person of Interest.
45:15>> All right. I should bother.
45:16>> That will be another podcast.
45:17>> All right.
45:18>> You and I'll start doing if we get into
45:19that zone. Anyway, so a leadership
45:22quality you admire in others but had to
45:24work hard to develop yourself.
45:26>> Art of storytelling. I've seen
45:28>> you have done well I must say today
45:30>> I I' I've worked on it to be honest. Um
45:33I've seen leaders do it brilliantly well
45:36and I've been big fan and I've
45:37consciously worked upon it. Not still
45:39there but you know
45:41>> you're there. Eye of the tiger. Believe
45:43in yourself.
45:44>> Yeah. Sure. [laughter]
45:45So one myth about supply chain you'd
45:48love to bust once and for all.
45:52>> It's not a cost center.
45:53>> Okay.
45:54>> It is your heartthrop that is helping
45:57retailers operate very efficiently.
45:59>> Fair enough.
46:00>> Not a cost center. Yeah.
46:01>> And finally
46:02>> sure
46:02>> this is only a one word.
46:04>> Yeah.
46:04>> The first word that comes to mind when
46:08you think of innovation
46:11>> creativity.
46:12>> Nice. First word that comes to your mind
46:15when you think of Tesco.
46:16>> Exciting work.
46:17>> Nice. Well, it's been a true honor,
46:20Priya.
46:21>> All right. Before we let you go,
46:23>> I would love for you to give a message
46:25to everyone because you have been doing
46:27this for so long and it would be nice
46:30for you to maybe share maybe something
46:33which uh has inspired you constantly
46:37through this journey and the fact that
46:39today you're on simulated reality which
46:42is a true honor. No, I'm just kidding.
46:44[laughter]
46:45>> I I I've enjoyed this Si. Thanks for
46:48making this so comfortable. never felt
46:50out of place and truly a pleasure. Yeah,
46:53thank you so much.
46:55>> Um my one message would be whatever
46:58you're doing uh be passionate about it,
47:02enjoy it. Um
47:05enjoy working with uh people to make
47:07things happen and um as long as you're
47:11passionate and you're enjoying things
47:13will fall in place.
47:14>> Beautifully said. very simply put, but
47:17Priya I believe has been doing this and
47:20she is continuing to do this and she's
47:22inspired so many of her team members and
47:26uh she is definitely leaving a wonderful
47:28footprint and will continue to do so
47:30>> and here's wishing you and your team
47:34>> all the best, all the luck, all the
47:36positivity, all the creativity
47:38>> and please watch the men list.
47:41[laughter]
47:43Wishing Analytics India magazine the
47:45same not just for the recording great
47:47growth and success.
47:48>> Thank you so much. Thank you.

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