Published on May 20, 2024
Tata Communications (TCL) recently hosted the first quarterly meeting of the Tata Data Excellence Forum at its lush, 700-acre facility in Dighi, Pune. Over 70 data practitioners from more than 40 Tata companies attended the event in person, while over a 100 delegates connected virtually.
Setting the stage
The day kicked off with a welcome address by Sanjeev Singh, Vice President & Head, Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG). He highlighted the importance of data and the Tata Best Practices programme, emphasising how the forum can leverage the collective strength of the Tata group in this domain. Ramesh Sadasivan, AVP and Head of Business Excellence, TCL, followed suit by welcoming the participants and outlining the day's agenda.
TCL’s data transformation journey
Karthikeyan Subbiah, VP, Global Operations - Technology & Platform Development, TCL, took the stage to present TCL’s data and digital transformation journey, diving deep into AI use cases and the company’s approach to data-enabled AI adoption. Thereafter, Gurdeep Singh, GM, Global Operations - Technology & Platform Development, TCL, shared in detail the company’s AI project execution framework, providing valuable and practical insights for attendees.
A.S. Lakshminarayanan, MD & CEO, TCL, addressed the challenges faced by companies in creating cloud-based data islands. He emphasised the need to move towards a hyperconnected ecosystem driven by intelligent solutions.
A glimpse into the future
Following his address, delegates visited TCL’s private 5G Global Centre of Excellence (CoE). Here, Taha Shafi, Senior Manager, 5G Technology & Private Networks; and Manish Tiwari, Manager, 5G Technology & Private Networks, showcased how TCL utlises Industry 4.0 applications to deliver a robust digital fabric. Examples included:
- Clutch Plate: Quality Inspection
- PCB Inspection: Quality Control
- AR-VR set-up
- Robotic Arm: Logistics
- PT-X
The afternoon session featured presentations from industry leaders within the Tata group. Santosh Vuppala, Head - Analytics and Insights, Titan, shared their AI use cases, while Vikash Srivastava, Chief Data Office, and Dinesh Kumar, Head Data Governance from Tata Steel, presented their data excellence journey. Jiji Kunjan, Head - Data Governance Practice; Raja S., Chief Strategic Initiatives; and Fehrzard Patel, Chief Customer Centricity Officer from Tata iQ, shared in detail their learnings on data strategy and governance.
A forum for shared growth
The forum concluded with closing remarks from Deepak Deshpande, VP & Head Customer Experience, TBExG. He thanked and felicitated the speakers and the TCL team for providing an enriching experience. He highlighted the importance of not only taking back learnings but also exploring ways of implementing the learnings in the respective companies.
The event garnered enthusiastic feedback from participants who lauded the informative sessions, insightful speaker experiences, and the seamless organisation by TCL and TBExG teams.