What 16 years at Ericsson taught me about growth and leadership

A bit about my work

I'm currently leading a strong team of automation experts who are delivering zero-touch or one-touch deployments of Ericsson products in customer environments. We do deliveries across all the market areas in the globe, including the Americas, the Middle East and Asia, Northeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. What truly inspires me is the scale, complexity and responsibility of this work building intelligent automation solutions that help the telecom networks operate more efficiently, reliably for a sustainable future. 

Anima Dey with her colleagues.

How my career evolved over time

I joined Ericsson in 2010 as a project manager for a complex cloud project in Latin America. From there, I moved through diverse leadership roles including senior project manager, program manager, domain lead for media and applications, head of OSS adaptations, and head of the Agile and DevOps Center of Excellence. 

While moving across these roles, I got insights into how to deliver complex project, work with different global talents, help in managing the risks in the solutions due to technological advances. Through this journey, I learned the importance of balancing agility with strong architecture.  

I was enabled and empowered to take roles across different domains including core network, cloud platforms, and billing systems. What has been amazing throughout is the trust Ericsson places in leadership, enabling me and providing opportunities for global customer exposure.

What has kept me committed for 16 years

What has kept me inspired throughout my 16-year journey at Ericsson is the freedom to explore, continuously learn, and create meaningful value, all within a highly supportive environment. A strong learning culture, combined with genuine encouragement from leaders and peers, has been foundational to my growth. Whenever I wanted to build new capabilities whether it be in cloud, automation, AI, or leadership, Ericsson provided the right platforms and opportunities.

The Degreed learning pathways have been instrumental in helping me strengthen both my technical expertise and leadership skills. What makes the experience even more impactful is the opportunity to apply what I learn. Through initiatives like the Project Marketplace, Hackathons, and Technology Days, I’ve been able to turn learning into action. These platforms have made development tangible and accelerated my professional growth.

I also deeply value the culture of innovation and openness. The strong speak-up culture and internal mobility opportunities have allowed me to rotate across roles, explore new domains, and contribute in diverse ways. This flexibility has played a significant role in shaping my career path.

Equally important has been the support from managers and mentors. There has always been a consistent focus on setting meaningful development goals, tracking progress, and providing guidance throughout the year. Ultimately, what has kept me committed to Ericsson is the empowering environment. It's one where you are encouraged to grow, and more importantly, where your growth is truly enabled.

Anima Dey working at her desk in the office.

Inclusion as a foundation for strong teams

For me, inclusivity means providing everyone an equal opportunity in the team. This includes considering the point of view of a fresh hire, an experienced architect, or a new graduate from college. A strong speak-up environment and respect for each other are critical values that form the foundation of Ericsson’s culture.

The evolution of work in the AI-driven era

AI will empower the workforce by elevating skills, giving people more time for creativity, and enabling leaders to focus more on strategy rather than constant firefighting—ultimately helping build future-ready organizations. It also creates opportunities to amplify and elevate our capabilities.

At the same time, with connected ecosystems powered by IoT, 5G, edge computing, and cloud-native platforms, we’re entering a world where systems, data, and people work seamlessly together.

Skills that matter more today

Today, having an end-to-end view of solutions has become far more critical than before. The ability to think beyond silos and apply systems thinking, understanding how different components connect and impact one another is essential. Equally important is adaptability. With technology evolving rapidly, embracing an iterative mindset allows us to experiment, learn quickly, and continuously improve.

Being comfortable with change and staying agile enables us to keep pace with the advancing technology landscape and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Anima Dey and her colleagues in the office.

Career advice for young talent

You are the designer of your career. Shape it with clarity, experiences, opportunities, failures, and successes. Learn from every assignment, you can bring value in every assignment big or small. Leverage your strengths and keep working on  the weaker areas to gain the momentum. 

Leading teams toward limitless possibilities

Ericsson has provided me opportunities to build knowledge in areas such as AI, automation, cloud, and leadership. I encourage my teams to take these opportunities and move toward limitless possibilities. What continues to motivate me is the ability to learn, apply, and create impact together with a global team.

Interested in a career at Ericsson?

If you're looking for a place that doesn't just enable but actively encourages you to grow into the best version of yourself, explore open opportunities on our jobs page.