Meet NTT DATA People
Ritu Malhotra
Director of Global Resource Management
Ritu Malhotra is originally from Delhi, India, where she attained a post graduate degree in Human Resources before entering the workforce. She is married with two grown up children, and when she isn't working, she loves nothing more than to unwind by cooking her favorite foods, curling up with a good book or getting stuck into the latest action movies. She has been with NTT DATA since 2010 and is currently in charge of global resource management.
Freedom to take my own decisions and to set my own path
Tell us about an interesting social project
A project in which I was involved highlights the true sense of what NTT DATA means to me. During the covid pandemic, things were quite bad in India, so we started an initiative to help our fellow employees whereby if someone told us that they or their family was in need we tried to do things like source hospital beds or provide medicine or oxygen.
What happened in effect was that we started a WhatsApp group and mobilized people according to region so that we could help pretty much anyone regardless of where they were in the country. People were very happy to help with this project where they could, and a great many employees benefitted from our collective effort. When you save one life the satisfaction it gives you cannot be explained in words.
Describe a regular working day
I manage two different practice lines within the Human Capital division, which includes working with our partners in the USA. This means that I effectively work in two time zones, India, and USA. What I tend to do is get up early and work locally, so to speak. Then I take a break in the middle of the day to do my own thing, whatever that might be. Finally, I'm back online for when USA starts work so that I can manage the workflow for there too.
As I generally work at home, that split day set up is great because I can do my work and my personal things while feeling productive and efficient at the same time. When I'm not at home, I go into the office, but that is only once or twice a week so that I can speak to my team face to face to maintain camaraderie and set targets and plan work. Overall, it's a great balance I'd say between home and work and work and private life.
What do you like about NTT DATA?
To be honest it's all about the people and the way we interact and support each other. I mentioned the covid project before, and that was an exception, but I think that is a good reflection of the general attitude. One example I can give about my personal situation is in how my development has been managed. We all know that people talk about autonomy and having the freedom to make decisions where that is rarely the case in reality.
However, at NTT DATA my experience has been that whichever manager I have had, I have been treated with respect and not been subjected to micromanagement. That attitude from my managers has helped me tremendously to learn how to take my own decisions and to be accountable without the pressure of someone constantly observing me. It's a great place to work, to be honest.
