Falguni Sudarsan, General Manager – Customer Project Officer, SEMEA Electrical & Automation FZE, International Operations, Schneider Electric.

Section 1: Personal Journey and Vision

With over 21 years of experience in the automation domain, spanning roles intendering, engineering, and project management, what inspired you to pursue a career in this field?

Having majored in Instrumentation Engineering; Automation those days was becoming an upcoming field in all sectors is what inspired me to pursue this domain. I started my career with Emerson Process Management in 2003, moved to L&T Control & Automation in 2004 and later this unit got acquired by Schneider Electric in 2020 – all key automation players. I developed interest in Control & Automation whilst in Emerson/L&T, the major applications being in oil & gas, water & wastewater, power & infrastructure projects. This came with several challenges as well as job satisfaction that I was contributing in different ways. I saw fewer women in the technical domain due to cultural stereotypes, work environment, networking opportunities, work life balance and leadership roles, and took it as a challenge and gave my best. Staying focused, committed and having perseverance has made it possible for me to be part of the Leadership Team at SEMEA Electrical & Automation. I owe this success to my parents and husband for always supporting and believing in me. Thanks to all my mentors and team members who have helped me grow professionally.

As the General Manager and Customer Project Officer at Schneider Electric, how do you ensure alignment between organisational goals and project execution strategies?

I am the Customer Project Officer for SEMEA Electrical & Automation BU and currently looking after both Selling (Opportunity Portfolio) as well as Execution governance (Project Portfolio).

Customer Project Process is the global end-to-end process framework of Schneider Electric for Customer Projects. CPP covers both selling and execution activities, from early opportunity identification till services after project completion. CPP is built to support key business objectives and transformations including customer satisfaction and profitability, with emphasis on risks, opportunities, contract management, services and continuous improvement. The CPP process is tailored to the complexity and risk of the projects to make our business profitable and sustainable.

The selling governance defines the rules, roles and responsibilities, supporting tools to be implemented to secure the sales of systems, solutions and services across Schneider Electric businesses. We have a Solution Opportunity Committee which is a periodic meeting organised at local, regional or global level, across all businesses and with the objective to decide and align all the stakeholders on the commercial strategy, the GTM (go-to-market) strategy, To Bid/No Bid decision for the main opportunities, and the adequate execution centre setup for Bidding & Execution.

The execution governance is about the principles, practices, roles and responsibilities to be implemented to secure proper project execution – risk mitigation, cash collection, customer satisfaction, variation orders and margin improvement of projects.

The mentioned processes ensure alignment between organisational goals and selling/execution strategies.

Section 2: Achievements and Contributions

You’ve successfully navigated industry transformations, including the transition from L&T Electrical & Automation to Schneider Electric. Could you share the challenges faced during this transition and how you overcame them?

Every organisation has its own business processes to achieve their goals and deliver value to customers. Post acquisition, we had to transition to the new processes which were different from the ones we were accustomed to. We had a plan in place in terms of transition to the new way of working. Implementation of new processes and various tools used widely across other Schneider Electric entities, training internal customers and adhering to them was the key focus. These processes in turn help improve business productivity and efficiency. Streamlining business verticals and GTM strategy, integrating cultures and synergy between various teams were few more challenges which were overcome by aligning teams within the business. I agree it was not a walk in the park, but the transition was well planned and executed. For sure accepting the processes was cent percent from Day Zero from my end and also helped others in the team to adapt to the new processes.

Having worked across tendering, engineering, and project management, which role has been the most fulfilling for you and why?

Role change increases motivation to deal with new challenges and boosts satisfaction. Moving across various functions be it tendering, engineering, project management has helped me grow professionally as well as individually. It has improved my business as well as financial acumen. In every function, you learn something new and come up with new ideas. To understand the overall business process, it is important to work in all functions.

When you are part of any leadership team the role automatically moves from me/myself/my department to the whole organisation and every act of your contribution affects the whole organisation. It has just been 2 years in this role, enjoying the same and hope to grow up the ladder in the organisation.

As someone deeply involved in project execution governance, what innovations or processes have you implemented to enhance operational efficiency?

Schneider Electric Project Management tool is used globally to manage and monitor the customer projects. We have implemented the tool to monitor the whole Project Portfolio and Risky Projects. These reviews are initiated on a regular basis to anticipate both technical as well as commercial risks. The tool gives visibility to the management on the project performance during execution phase through business dashboards and KPIs, enabling focus on risk mitigations, cash collection, customer satisfaction, variation orders and margin improvement.

Your career reflects a strong commitment to adaptability and excellence. Could you elaborate on how these qualities have shaped your success in key roles?

Change is the only constant and it's inevitable. Adaptability enables me to handle change, adjust to new situations with fresh ideas, innovative approaches, and continuous improvement. It has helped me accept new opportunities and ways of thinking. Teamwork is the cornerstone of achieving excellence, as it fosters diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving.

Section 3: Perspectives and Recognition

How do you envision the future of automation and its role in creating sustainable and efficient industries?

Automation will continue to be a critical driver of productivity, efficiency, innovation and transformation across industries and home. Automation is on the uptick, driven by advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Sustainability is becoming one of the most crucial growth factors for business. As industries focus on sustainability, automation is playing a key role in reducing environmental impact. Companies are leveraging automation for energy efficient manufacturing processes, waste reduction, integration of renewable energy systems in industrial operations and reducing carbon footprints. At Schneider Electric, we continue to accelerate our commitment to sustainability. SE strategy has 6 long term commitments – Climate, Resource, Trust, Equal, Generations, and Local.

·         Act for a climate positive world

·         Be efficient with resources

·         Live up to our Principles of Trust

·         Create equal opportunities

·         Harness the power of all generations

·         Empower local communities

What advice would you give to professionals aspiring to excel in customer-centric roles in the automation sector?

To excel in customer-centric roles in the automation sector, it is important to have a solid foundation of technical skills and knowledge as well as soft skills. Networking and community are also essential since networking can help you to expand your contacts, to learn from others, to share your insights, and to find new opportunities. Community can help you to belong to a group of like-minded people, to support and inspire each other, and to contribute to the field. At Schneider Electric, “IMPACT Starts With Us – Inclusion, Mastery, Purpose, Action, Curiosity and Team Work” is our foundation belief. Impact Makers are exemplary customers, partners, employees, suppliers, communities, who choose action, turning sustainability ambitions into actions at the intersection of automation, electrification and digitisation.

Extras: Reflections

What is your opinion on the role of Industrial Automation magazine in showcasing industry trends and empowering women in technology and automation?

Industrial Automation magazine offers detailed insights into the industry, technical trends and technological advancements across businesses. The perfect blend of analysis, marketing and interviews shared in this publication makes it an authentic source of information. Every year, interviews of women who have made their mark in the field of technology and automation are published which is really inspiring for all of us. As an enriched information source, this magazine has made it to the list of one of the best business technology magazines.

What are the three words that best describe how it feels to be a finalist in the Women in Tech 2025 competition?

Elated. Empowered. Recognised.

4th word … Thank you for being part of the finalists.

Falguni Sudarsan is B.E (Instrumentation), Dip in Business Management (DBM) and Human Resource Management (DHRM), as well as Master – Engineering & Project Management (European Continental University, Delaware, USA).

In her own words: With over 21+ years of work experience in the field of Process Instrumentation & Automation, my role spans across various functions – Tendering, Engineering, Project Management & my current role as Customer Project Officer in the Leadership Team. I am the Customer Project Officer for SEMEA Electrical & Automation Business Unit, and currently looking after both Selling (Opportunity Portfolio) as well as Execution governance (Project Portfolio). Establishing a governance framework that embraces disruptive technologies and encourages innovation while ensuring risks are identified and managed is essential to survive and thrive in a digital world. I bring a unique blend of technological insights and governance to this BU.