Archana Soni is the Director of Engineering at Lowe’s India. She is a seasoned technology leader having nearly 19 years of software experience including 10+ years in leadership roles. As an Engineering Leader, Archana is responsible for envisaging, identifying & driving the strategic product roadmap initiatives that foster & drive engineering / operational excellence. 

Can you tell us about your AI journey? 

My career has been an intriguing journey marked by continuous growth and exploration. I have played pivotal roles in designing, implementing and maintaining software systems, identifying and driving the strategic product roadmap initiatives that drive engineering excellence. As I delved deeper into developing data strategies, ensuring data quality and integrity and optimizing data pipelines for efficiency, I recognized the potential of AI and automation to enhance data infrastructure and foster innovation. Over time, I moved towards enabling data-driven decision-making and driving business success through effective data management and engineering practices. I fully embraced AI and automation, facilitating productivity improvements for internal business users and positively impacting top-line growth. 

What is your area of expertise in AI, and what made you choose it? 

In today’s world, enterprises big and small are leveraging varying amounts of AI not only to make better business decisions but also to predict what will delight customers. Lowe’s has been at the forefront of using AI in omnichannel retail and that further led me to hone my skillsets and impact it’s AI vision. With a strong foundation in building software solutions and an interest in driving innovation, transitioning into AI felt like a natural progression. Today, I am part of our Data Analytics and Computational Intelligence team, driving AI-driven solutions to eliminate manual processes around supply chain aspects like procurement, inventory volume, labor capacity by systemically representing and consuming the data associated with these facts.  

How important do you think skilling and upskilling is, in a country like India? 

The complexities across diverse geographies, linguistic variances, and socio-economic differences present vast opportunities for innovation and progress. And we are seeing this since the last decade in so many aspects of our daily lives – from education to retail to e-commerce. Consumer preferences are changing and therefore, business strategies as well. In this scenario, talent becomes key- training the workforce in the right skills that effectively work for fast-paced evolution. Every individual and business must invest in upskilling to stay relevant and ahead for what’s to come. 

Describe some challenges you have faced in reaching where you are now. 

Balancing household chores, office and caring for a newborn in the early stages of my career proved particularly challenging. Support systems like daycare and flexible working options for women were scarce back then. A lack of female leaders who could relate to my situation further compounded the pressure. This led to moments of burnout, as I struggled to manage the demands of my job and personal life.  

Understanding the need to prioritize, I chose to take a career break. However, returning to the workforce revealed newer challenges, predominantly, technological changes and cultural changes in the corporate landscape. Thankfully, we have returnship programs today that help to address this issue and enable career integration. But back then, updating my skills and re-entering the technical field, demanded significant effort. The combination of my determination, mentorship from leaders, allies and the support of my family further pushed my journey in the right direction.  

In what direction should companies in the AI sphere move, to ensure more female participation and leadership? 

The progress in women’s leadership has seen significant needle movement however, to improve its pace and scale, organizations in every sphere need to commit to diversity at the hiring stage as well as build an equitable workplace where diverse talent can build thriving careers. This involves opportunities to grow, to prioritize wellbeing and ensure holistic growth of women. Today we have the benefit of having technology as a partner and enabler to identify and fill gender diversity gaps. For instance, AI analytics can help move to pay parity smoothly, boost employee engagement and retention. By empowering more women to lead, we create additional role models, attract greater women participation and foster diversity.  

At Lowe’s we provide effective learning and development paths for women, ample networking opportunities and offer best-in-class policies and benefits. As a culmination of holistic efforts, we have seen our diversity ratio and career progression of women associates improve. 

In a country like India, where the women are bound by societal constraints, how do you think that they should break the stereotypes? What are your words of wisdom to young girls who wish to build careers in AI? 

With every opportunity, societal constructs and individual barriers will act as limiting factors for growth. However, women supporting women is an important element in breaking these barriers. At Lowe’s, we have several programs that encourage mentorship, networking and connections and I firmly believe that fostering such a diverse and inclusive workplace is essential for growth.  

Here’s my message to the young girls aspiring to be in the field of AI is: 

• Be persistent and resilient in the pursuit of your goal!  
• Seek Mentorship and build your network of support system to help you meet your aspirations. 
• Continue learning and developing new skill sets to stay relevant.