In a compelling conversation on CXO XPERTS’ “Women in Tech” series, Ms. Lekshmi Nair, Global Capability Head at NTT Data and the founding member of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), shared valuable insights on inclusive leadership, AI strategy, and cybersecurity compliance. With over two decades of experience and a reputation as one of India’s most influential voices in cybersecurity, Ms. Nair offers a grounded yet visionary take on the future of enterprise tech.
Tech Disruption with a Purpose
Reflecting on her early days in the Y2K era, Ms. Nair traced how technology has consistently pushed industries to evolve—from floppy disks to cloud and now AI. She emphasized the importance of aligning innovation with clear intent. When integrating technologies like agentic AI, she advises leaders to start with a purpose, roll out in phases, empower change agents, and tie success to measurable outcomes.
Moving Beyond Checklist Compliance
On the topic of security, Ms. Nair highlighted common blind spots where organizations confuse compliance with security. She warned against superficial fixes such as multi-factor authentication without securing APIs or conducting awareness training without tracking outcomes. Instead, she urged leaders to implement compliance through the lens of real-world risk and resilience.
Championing Real Inclusion
A consistent theme in Ms. Nair’s leadership journey is inclusion. From being in a rare women-majority engineering class to often being the only woman in high-level discussions, she’s seen both progress and stagnation. Ms. Nair stressed that diversity goes beyond hiring—it must be culture-driven. She called on organizations to invest in returnee programs, flexible mentorship, and environments that support women throughout their careers.
Her message was clear: innovation must be human-centered, inclusion must be intentional, and resilience must be built from the ground up.
Also read: Rachita Kapoor: Zero-Trust and the Evolution of Security Audits
