Latha D S, General Manager, Tata Consulting Engineers Limited.

Provide some background on your business journey and the progression that landed you in your current position.

My career spans its origin from John Brown Engineering (P) Limited – Bangalore, followed by Triune Projects (current rename: Saipem) and Lurgi – India (Current rename: Air Liquid) @ New Delhi, PT Sempec-Indonesia @ Jakarta and Tata Consulting Engineers Limited (TCE) @ Bengaluru.

 I started my career in Offshore Design and Detail Engineering at John Brown Engineering India (P) Limited (JBEI) in 1993. Working for 3 years at JBEI gave me exposure to the intricate design considerations of offshore well platform design like fire safe designs to API, importance of personnel and platform safety – prevention of catastrophes and mitigation, material to be considered, pneumatic shutdown panels, solar electric power supply system, standards to be adhered to which form an important basic configuration prerequisite. During my tenure at JBEI, I also gained exposure to polymer plant instrumentation. Working @ JBEI enhanced my confidence in working with national and international clients/vendors.

 In Triune, I was engaged in design and detail engineering for gas gathering station modifications, chemical plants – formulation and sulphonation plant.

 Further, Lurgi-India gave me an immense opportunity to work as an EPC contractor for the Refinery sector (multiple units in the refinery – Benzene, Butadiene and PGH units), Calciner, COS Hydrolysis unit. I was actively involved in EPC activities including Design and Detail Engineering, Coordination with multiple parties (Bidders, Vendor, Client for approvals, Sub contractors – to name a few), HAZOP and SIL study, implementation of first TMR ESD – F & G systems in India, Procurement services, Factory Acceptance Test of Control System in South Korea, Commissioning supervision services in Qatar.

 My next job at PT Sempec included detailed engineering of wellheads, fractionation units and fixed platform units.

 After globetrotting, I joined TCE (present job). TCE being a knowledge-based organisation provided me a platform to venture into the power plant sector with exposure to national and international gas based, coal based, nuclear, renewables including solar, wind, hydro projects. I have managed multiple projects and mentored futuristic projects – Flue gas desulphurization units, Basic engineering for Green Hydrogen and Green ammonia plants, Hydrogen fueling station, Optimisation/improvements in power plant heat recovery.

 In my current role – being a part of Chief Technology Office as Discipline Head, I am responsible for improvisation in utilisation of existing technologies, adopting emerging technologies and driving design innovations.

How do you define success in your professional life?

During my first 25 years of profession, I have performed various roles in field instrumentation and control systems engineering as Project Engineer, Specialist Engineer, and Project Manager. I have extensive experience in feasibility reports; Pre-bid engineering, basic & detail engineering, extensive use of industry software, FMEA studies, Inspection services of Oil & Gas industry including Offshore and Onshore platforms and Refineries, Petrochemicals, polymer, and power industry. I was also involved in independent site surveys and commissioning supervision.

 My current role involves being a part of the thought leadership team in the company with key responsibility for facilitating specialist support to projects and introducing modern technologies in the company. Key work areas include technology excellence and development, delivery excellence, operational support, productivity improvement, Networking and Image building, automation/development of newer software tools accessible to TCEites from anywhere in the world.

 I would like to understand success as being an ‘All-rounder’ in my field of work. Beauty of my successful career is that I have the wonderful opportunity to develop myself and contribute to the same field as I have studied and augment it with latest developments in technology, be it Artificial intelligence/Generative intelligence, applications of neural network and deep learning, etc.

 To me success in professional life means ‘Being Relevant’ as on date and help my Team grow with me, leaving behind a legacy for future generations to strive for a better tomorrow making our planet a sustainable and happy place to live in.

Tell us something of the challenges specific to being a woman in a leadership role and the methods you employed to overcome them.

TCE is an equal opportunity employer with policies like flexi working hours, provision for childcare, etc. I have been involved in national and international projects of significant importance and have been travelling across the world exploring my professional potential whether it is Tehran or Muscat or South Korea in addition to a multitude of local travels. I had the privilege to climb atop a completely assembled Offshore Well Platform during my training days. I was also involved in data collection and review of revamping and reengineering Skids in the scorching hot sun at a sire in the Middle East. I was also involved in data integration of the massive existing refinery control system and newly commissioned power plant control system wherein the existing control system was supplemented with required hardware and software to have an integrated control system for the entire plant operation. We also have implemented Fieldbus in one of our plants and have harnessed wireless technology for data transfer from remote intake systems.

 However, there were inspections where I faced tricky situations to conclude wherein, if I reject, my plant schedule could suffer, whereas an acceptance at the factory could have posed quality issues. However, based on system design and site deployment requirements, amicable technical solutions were suggested by self to ensure quality as well as on time delivery of equipment. Minor challenges at erection sites were professionally managed. These situations remind me of the quote, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’.

How do you approach risk-taking and decision-making in your entrepreneurial journey?

Risk taking and decision making are routine segments of project execution in design and detail engineering as well as EPC (Erection, Procurement and Commissioning) projects. Mostly during pre-bid jobs and cost estimation, calculated risks and competitive costing play a vital role. Decision making is specifically important in first of its kind projects like Green hydrogen/Ammonia plants, Small modular reactors, and renewable sector. Based on risk assessment, Market survey and deliberations within the organisation, a practical solution is chartered and implemented by team.

What strategies do you use to motivate and empower your team members?

Few strategies I implemented to encourage my peers and team members include providing growth opportunities support, lead by example, giving constructive feedback, empowerment through delegation and trust, interactive communication, foster collaboration and provide a positive work environment, continuous learning, and development of latest technological trends.

How do you balance being assertive and collaborative in a leadership role?

Being a collaborative team-player, leading by example plays a pivotal role. Encouraging my team to share their ideas and perspectives, providing clarity and guidelines to achieve desired results builds an inclusive team culture. Collaborative decision-making helps build agreements and ownership among team members. Setting clear expectations reduces misunderstandings and encourages teamwork to achieve the intended goal(s). Also, I adopt strategies based on situational circumstances like active and patient listening, open communication, selective work allocation based on skills and strengths of the individual, assertive expression of thoughts and expectations, delegation of tasks empowering task ownership to individuals creating a positively productive work environment while achieving organisational goals.

Share your methods for staying informed about industry trends and actively pursuing the development of your skills.

Instrumentation and Controls is an ever growing and evergreen field with multiple multi-layered opportunities. With the advent of automation tools and augmentation of trending Artificial Intelligence (Adaptive AI, Generative AI, etc.), it is imperative to keep ourselves upgraded about the latest technological developments and deliberate on meaningful implementations improvising plant or product efficiency while saving time and cost. Magazines like ISA, Chemical Industry Outlook, Industrial Automation, Automation.com; websites of World Economic Forum, India Brand Equity Foundation, reading newspapers, attending seminars and exhibitions, and interactions with OEMs; feedback surveys with plant owners regarding the existing system operation and upgradations implemented after plant commissioning, plant owner’s upscaling requirements in an operational plant, etc., provide an in-depth insight regarding trending requirements and associated advanced technology solution engineering for the same upgrades current capabilities.

 I am glad to have authored Technical Papers and articulated trending topics like 5G integration with industrial automation, automation and remote monitoring trends in solar PV power plants, role of cloud-based solutions, smart cities in national and international journals like Automation.com of ISA and forums like ARC Advisory Group, and Indian Infrastructure.

Outside of work, what activities or hobbies do you engage in to maintain a work-life balance?

Well, music is my favourite pastime to unwind myself. Reading, movies, singing, workouts, socialising are other activities enabling work-life harmony. Being well aware that our lives are quite complex, wherein personal life and work intertwine and impact one another, I have embraced their interconnection, allowing them to augment and reinforce each other.

What book, podcast, or resource has had a profound impact on your professional growth?

Bhagavad Gita, academic textbooks, and journals, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, The 48 Laws of Power, Atomic Habits, TEDx inspirational talks and encouragement from family and seniors @ my workplace have had a phenomenal effect on my professional growth.

What words of advice do you have for other women with aspirations for leadership positions or entrepreneurship?

Maintain a well-balanced work-life; be agile, learn, unlearn, and re-learn. Develop on your communication skills and work on your positives, reinvent your technical skills and stay relevant in your field of work.

 ‘Go for it’ what your heart says and what the company wants.

 Believe in yourself and what you do…and Think Big!

How would you describe your life in 3 words?

Happy. Proficient. Progressive.

What would you write on your own fortune cookie?

You Will Live Long Enough To Open Many Fortune Cookies!

Latha D S is the General Manager, Tata Consulting Engineers Limited. She holds a B.E in Instrumentation and Technology. Ms Latha has nearly 30 years of experience in process and power plant engineering, including Field instrumentation and Control systems – Conventional Distributed control systems as well as state-of-the-art Fieldbus/Profibus-based control systems.

Ms Latha also has experience in Emergency shutdown systems, Programmable logic controllers; Emergency shutdown systems, Fire and Gas detection systems, Pneumatic shutdown panels in Offshore well platforms, and more. She has extensive knowledge of industry software – PRODOK, Smart plant instrumentation and 3D tools.

Ms Latha has contributed to various technical papers in national and international journals, including “Smart Automation in Rural Development” published by Viewpoint, Consulting Engineers Association of India in 2023; “Contract management Automation” and “Integrated Automation from Command Control Centres” published by Viewpoint, Consulting Engineers Association of India in 2022.

Ms Latha is an avid speaker and a panelist in national and international conferences and webinars, such as “5G integration for industrial Automation” @ Annual Conference on IT & OT in Oil & Gas” by Indian Infrastructure magazine and “Automation and Remote Monitoring Trends- Solar PV power plants” @ 21st Annual ARC advisory group India forum in 2023.

Ms Latha has worked on many initiatives like the implementation of TMR SIL control system for the petrochemical industry and HAZOP for power plants in India, Failure mode effect and analysis study for power plants. She has also been involved in advanced process control implementation in coal-based plants and worked on special projects in multiple sectors (oil and gas, chemical industry, power plants).

Ms Latha is a member of the Electronics and IT department at the Bureau of Indian Standards (LITD 04, 07,12,14). She has mentored associated project team engineers, peers and trainees in the organisation for quality designing and engineering of solutions.

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