Blackberry Brochure 2019

BlackBerry’s digital transformation roadmap for security, privacy and connectivity

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How BlackBerry is undergoing a legendary digital transformation and creating an inclusive platform for women in technology WRIT TEN BY

L AUR A MULL AN PRODUCED BY

CR AIG DANIEL S

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Following BlackBerry’s incredible turnaround, we talk to Neelam Sandhu, Senior Director of Business Operations Office of the CEO, about BlackBerry’s reinvented focus, the fast-emerging Enterprise of Things, and challenges faced by women in tech

‘Do what you enjoy the most and you’ll never work a day in your life’ – this 04

may be a well-versed platitude, but for Neelam Sandhu it has proven to be sound advice when navigating through her career. She knew that she reveled in fast-paced and dynamic environments, that she wanted to utilize her skills in business strategy, and most importantly that she wanted to work for a company for which she could be a genuine ambassador. This inevitably led her to the world of technology and ultimately the doors of BlackBerry. The rest, she says, is history.

Now, Senior Director of Business Operations Office of the CEO at BlackBerry, Sandhu describes her role as one which “touches every

function of the company in some capacity”. One day she may be meeting with government officials and customers, the next launching a new internal expense management system, or executing on initiatives like the BlackBerry Shield.

Sandhu has seemingly found her calling in the technology sector but unfortunately, women in this field are increasingly rare. A report by Accenture and non-profit Girls Who Code noted that women account for 34% of

Neelam Sandhu, Senior Director of Business Operations, Office of the CEO, BlackBerry

computing jobs today, down from 37% in 1995. Elsewhere, in the UK, figures from the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) show that just 15% of people working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) roles are women – and only 5% of leadership positions in the technology industry are held by women. The statistics make for disheartening reading, but Sandhu is optimistic that we could see change on the horizon.

“In my career, I’ve certainly experienced some bias from men and women alike,” she recalls. “However, I’ve been very fortunate that, for me, BlackBerry has been a great place to grow and learn and to advance my

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Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion RBC commends BlackBerry for their efforts to champion and promote women in technology. We share their drive and desire to encourage diversity and inclusion in the workforce across all industries.

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career, with support from both

can see that two leaders of General

genders. I wouldn’t be where I am

Motors – the CEO and the CFO – are

today without that support. There are

both women. The automotive industry

still a number of challenges that need

is one which is notoriously male-domi-

to be worked on in every industry, not

nated so we are seeing change right

just in technology, when it comes to

there. Betty Liu is another example.

gender diversity and equality,” she

She began her career in journalism,

adds. “But I think the conversation is

went on to start her own business and

changing – it’s becoming less taboo

now she is the Executive Vice Chair-

and men are getting involved in the

man of the New York Stock Exchange.”

discussion as well, which is critical.”

One of the biggest hurdles, Sandhu

Another hurdle, Sandhu believes, lies in education. Surveying over 2,000

believes, lies in the lack of female role

A-Level and university students in the

models in male-dominated fields.

UK, PwC found that only 3% of women

“Women don’t have those same role

say a career in technology would be

models or examples as men to look up

their first choice. “We need to increase

to or emulate,” she observes. “But I do

the pipeline of women in STEM and

think that's changing. For example, we

that starts with education,” notes Sandhu.

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“ At BlackBerry, we’re very focused on making sure that whatever we do is positively impacting society – that’s something that is not traditionally seen in or associated with technology” 10

— Neelam Sandhu, Senior Director of Business Operations, Office of the CEO, BlackBerry

“We need to work on creating an envir–

focused on making sure that whatever

onment where women feel comfort-

we do is positively impacting society

able learning STEM topics. Not only is

for the better – that messaging is not

the professional environment male

traditionally seen in, or associated with,

dominated, but the education environ-

technology,” says Sandhu. “Technol-

ment is too. So, creating that environ-

ogy is often seen to be a more rational,

ment or community where women feel

colder environment. If we can change

comfortable in STEM is important.”

the messaging to highlight the value

Sandhu also suggests that creating the right messaging that appeals to women and encourages them to get

that technology adds to society, it will attract more women to the sector.”

‘Impacting society for the better’: it's

involved in STEM could prove helpful.

an admirable statement, and it’s one

“For example, at BlackBerry, we're very

which BlackBerry is putting into practice

E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E

Neelam Sandhu Neelam Sandhu is responsible for the operations of the CEO office, including supporting the CEO in managing key customer and government relationships globally, management of and content development for internal and external engagements, and driving strategic cross-functional projects to deliver operational efficiencies.

Neelam also manages BlackBerry’s travel strategy and operations.

Since joining BlackBerry in 2009 Neelam has held various positions, based out of the company’s United Kingdom, New York and California offices. Her responsibilities have included Brand Management, Brand Messaging, Marketing Operations, Go-To-Market for the Curve and Porsche Design products and Corporate Strategic Initiatives. Neelam holds a bachelor’s degree, with honors, in Business Management, from the University of Leicester and an Executive Certification in Financial Analysis from the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

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“ BlackBerry represents the ambition in diversity and inclusion that RBC seeks out in our business partners, with its leaders fundamentally recognizing the power of humanity – and human values – in our tech-driven age. As a thought leader, Neelam is showing how this approach is esse–ntial to ensuring that we create technology for good, for all of our employees, customers, clients and communities ” — Bruce Ross, Group Head of Technology & Operations, Royal Bank of Canada

ever since it shifted its roadmap following a mammoth transformation. To say BlackBerry has reinvented itself in the past decade would be an understatement. At its peak, its smartphone was in the hands of almost every corporate and business professional, with sales reaching a crescendo between 2009 and 2011. As the competition heated up, BlackBerry’s device sales slumped and it decided it needed a new roadmap.

This is where John Chen, BlackBerry’s current Executive Chairman and CEO, entered the fray. A well-known turnaround expert, Sandhu says that Chen helped to herald in a new era for BlackBerry. “He stabilized the company financially and put us into growth mode.

To do that, he had to develop a strategy which would take us into the future,” she says. “He decided to focus on what we do best: security and connectivity.”

Recognizing that the market was shifting towards a software model, Chen helped to spearhead a new chapter in BlackBerry’s history, pivoting it from a smartphone hardware firm to an enterprise software and services company. “He led the company through a complete shift culturally, operationally and strategically,” notes

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“ At the center of financial markets, the NYSE plays an important role in helping great companies such as BlackBerry raise capital so that they can innovate, create jobs and drive purposeful programs that advance the global workforce and the communities around them.

We commend BlackBerry for its work to foster the growth of its leaders, and we congratulate Neelam for being a strong role model for women in technology” — Betty Liu, Executive Vice Chairman, NYSE

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“ At KPMG, inclusion and diversity strengthens our business, enriches our culture and enables us to develop relationships with our communities.

We accelerate productivity by tapping into diverse talent and new markets.

We are proud to team with BlackBerry in their commitment to unlocking the power of diversity and driving innovation.

I am thrilled to recognize Neelam for representing BlackBerry, a company committed to supporting women in leadership and for being recognized as a powerful example of female empowerment in business and technology� — Tony Malfara, Partner, Risk Consulting Services, KPMG in Canada

Sandhu. “The future of the tech industry and the connected world lies in software, not in hardware, so we’ve evolved to become a software company, focused on connectivity and security. Chen also identified a new market called the Enterprise of Things (EoT) which we have positioned ourselves to lead.”

Just as BlackBerry mobilized the workforce with smartphones – allowing employees to send emails on the go, for example – so too have other technologies and tools transformed the way we work. As more and more devices and tools enter the enterprise workflow, there is a greater need to make this workflow secure and this is where BlackBerry is making its mark.

“The Enterprise of Things isn’t just about the assets that your employer provides you; the enterprise workflow is expanding to include other Things that aren’t provided by the enterprise.

For instance, an employee might use a file sharing solution that isn’t provided by their employer or a device like an Amazon Alexa speaker. There are more Things being connected into daily work processes that aren’t under the enterprise’s control. This means that enterprises will demand BlackBer-

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“ BlackBerry is a company driven by strong corporate ethics. I believe there is strength in diversity and am committed to leading an inclusive organization. In an increasingly integrated world it is unification that unlocks the power of our platform and I am proud to be a champion for women and minorities in technology leadership positions” — John Chen, Executive Chairman & CEO, BlackBerry

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ry-grade security for more and more

do,” Sandhu explains. “We are keen

connected Things. We also expect to

to make sure that everybody who is

see the same request from consumers,

connected to a ‘Thing’ is benefiting

as they become increasingly aware

from BlackBerry's best-in-class

of their privacy landscape and demand

security, BlackBerry's data privacy

greater transparency from technol-

promise, and our legacy and reliability

ogy companies.”

when it comes to connectivity too.”

With more endpoints comes greater

The BlackBerry Spark platform is

risk and this is where BlackBerry’s

designed to tackle the growing EoT

expertise in security and connectivity

market. It delivers ultra-secure hyper-

come into play. “Today we’re very

connectivity from the inside out.

focused on securing all EoT endpoints

“There’s a scientific theory called the

and ‘all’ is the keyword here because

‘grand unification theory’ and it states

we are platform agnostic in what we

that everything in the universe can be

brought together by a single unifying force, and that's how we describe BlackBerry Spark – it’s a single platform that unifies every connected ‘Thing’ securely, reliably, with user privacy at the forefront.”

As more hacks and cybersecurity threats make the headlines, security has become a pressing concern for any firm. It’s a top priority for BlackBerry too. Sandhu describes the firm as one which “lives and breathes security”, proven by the fact it works closely with famously secure organizations like 20

the G7 governments, NATO, and some of the world’s largest banks and medical institutions. On top of this, BlackBerry also uses its own technologies and products, ensuring its internal security is of the highest caliber. “We can't have a single conversation at BlackBerry without the word ‘security’ coming up,” she observes. “We live and breathe security so that the end user and the enterprise doesn't have to worry about it. Our security expertise has been built into our platform since day one. It’s been built into every layer of our solutions, from the kernel to the edge, and so I’d say security is definitely one of our key competitive tenets.”

“ As Canada’s flag carrier, Air Canada takes pride in projecting Canadian values such as equality and inclusiveness around the world and we celebrate these qualities every day at our airline, as shown by the prominent role women play in all parts of our company.

We are always pleased when we see other major Canadian companies, like BlackBerry, also promote these values and we congratulate Neelam on her remarkable accomplishments” — Catherine Dyer, Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Air Canada

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“ B ell is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace that provides all team members with the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are proud to partner with BlackBerry, a fellow Canadian company that proudly promotes women to key technology leadership positions, and congratulate Neelam on being recognized by Business Chief�

BlackBerry’s customers seem to agree with this sentiment. Today, BlackBerry’s software is embedded into more ‘Things’ than it was when it had its peak of smartphones in the market – and at that point of time, it had the largest smartphone share in the global market.

One of the most notable examples of its widespread use, Sandhu points out, is its mass notification solution called BlackBerry AtHoc which is used by organizations like the G7 governments and the Red Cross, in emergency situations like natural disasters or manmade threat situations. “They use BlackBerry AtHoc to collaborate and send mass notifications or alerts to other users.

In the last year, the solution has been used to send around half a billion messages around the world. It enables users to be safe in their environment and to be warned of potentially unsafe situations.” This clearly harks back to the company’s core ethos of wanting to make a positive impact on society.

BlackBerry’s turnaround is well evidenced and, for Sandhu, it has been thanks in part to the company’s security, its interoperability and, most importantly, its stance on privacy. “From the offset, we've promised data privacy,”

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BLACKBERRY CO–OP TESTIMONIAL’ 24 she says. “We don't monetize people's data. We believe that the data belongs to the person that's generating it, meaning the end user. We've had that promise since day one and we continue to commit to it.” This has allowed BlackBerry to foster sincere relationships with its users built on trust which may have given the firm a leg up in the sector. “People have to trust the solutions that they're using and that's one of the key reasons why BlackBerry is still successful and still a key brand name. People trust us,” she adds.

On the road ahead, BlackBerry is keen to keep its finger on the pulse of

“ At Sullivan and Cromwell, we believe fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment is vital. I am delighted that Neelam has been recognized by Business Chief as a woman in tech leadership and we are proud to partner with BlackBerry, a company that supports women in key leadership positions” — Alison Ressler, Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and a member of the firm’s management committee.

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the latest innovations in the sector – for instance, as quantum computing comes more commonplace, security will have to get smarter too and so

“ At Torys, we strive to uphold an inclusive and diverse workplace. The work we do for clients is fueled by individuals who are empowered to bring their best selves to work each day. It’s great to be able to work alongside like-minded companies such as BlackBerry who share the same ethos” — David Chaikof, Partner at Torys

BlackBerry has launched a new quantum security solution to get ahead of the curve. Most importantly though, Sandhu points out that as the landscape changes the firm will continue to remain focused on the three-word mantra which got it where it is today: security, privacy and connectivity. “In the future, we'll maintain our data privacy promise and we'll continue to come up with solutions like BlackBerry Shield that help keep people safe,” she says. “We'll do whatever we can to make these solutions available to the whole market by remaining platform agnostic, and we’ll try to integrate all connected ‘Things’ into our platform.

We will continue to stay true to our core tenets.”

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