Sharlene Thiagarajah

CEO @ TM Research & Development

About

Experienced Chief Executive Officer, with a demonstrated history of working in the telecommunications industry. Skilled in Leadership, Innovation, Digital Strategy and Business Transformation. Strong business development professional with a PhD in Computer Systems Engineering, Masters Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia, and a B.Eng in Electrical Engineering (1st Class Hons) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Currently the Chief Executive Officer of TM Research & Development Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Telekom Malaysia Group. Responsible for RM65mil revenue to bring new technology and innovation to the Group with special focus on advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, IoT and digital platforms. Was appointed Chairman of the R&D Value Stream for ACASIA Communications Sdn Bhd (2016-17), a unique ASEAN collaboration among 7 leading telecommunications provider in the region. Currently also serves as a Committee Member in the Faculty of Science (Material Science) at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Started my career as an RF Research Engineer at TM in 1995, before promoted as AGM at TM Corporate Strategy and then General Manager of Strategic Planning and Business Development for the Group. In 2013, I was appointed Head of Strategy for VADS Bhd, and in 2014 appointed as Vice President of Technology & Innovation, before assuming my current role in 2016. I am also the co-founder and director of a company in the Automation and RFID space since 2007, serving a niche market to this day.

Country

Malaysia

City

WP. Kuala Lumpur

Industry

Telecommunications

Skill

Management, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Business Strategy, Strategy, Telecommunications, Technology & Innovation, Digital Innovation

Experience

CEO

TM Research & Development

2016-7 - Present · 10 yrs 3 mos

Cyberjaya, Malaysia

Key Responsibilities: •Responsible for RM65mil revenue to bring new technology and innovation to TM Group with special focus on advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, IoT and digital platforms. •Responsible to raise organization profile and commercialize research output domestically and globally. •Increase Intellectual Property assets (IPRs). •Talent development in core areas aligned to digital and Industry 4.0 strategies. Key Achievements: •Transformed the culture and mindset of TM R&D from a basic research facility to an innovation power house focused on commercialization and value creation.

Vice President, Technology & Innovation

Telekom Malaysia

2014 - 2016 · 2 yrs

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

•Responsible for tech refresh of CPE, including inventory, supply and delivery (e2e) of all Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) for RM5.2bil TM mass market segment (home and SMEs), including distribution centers and contractor sites. •Responsible to reduce CPE fault rate by 60% within two years, by successfully identifying root cause of isues. •Rationalized global submarine cable links for capacity, route and diversity; with RM50mil in savings over 2 years. •Successfully transformed the procurement process for CPE from 3 year fixed model type (i.e. 3 year outdated models) to a refreshed model list every 6 months; savings of RM60mil/year.

General Manager, Head of Strategy

VADS Berhad

2013 - 2014 · 1 yr

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Head of Strategy for VADS Bhd. A wholly owned subsidiary of TM Group. VADS is the ICT arm of Telekom Malaysia with the largest BPO Call Center Operations in Malaysia.