“Just take that step and you’ll find your way”

Blessy Perumal Chacko, Head of AI technologies, first joined Scania as a Java Developer and has since taken on several different roles. Blessy encourages girls and women out there to pursue work in the tech industry. “Just take that step and you’ll find your way”.

Currently, Blessy manages a team of 13 colleagues in the Autonomous Research & Pre-Development department. “Their knowledge and experience is something I’m in awe of everyday”, exclaims Blessy proudly. The team’s work primarily involves using data-driven methods to enable autonomous driving

In her school days, Blessy knew she wanted to do work related to physics and mathematics since the other subjects didn’t motivate her. She found solving problems by breaking them down and describing solutions in simple flow diagrams interesting. That was how she got into the world of IT and programming.

It’s more rewarding solving problems by writing code when fixing a bug in the system – it was more within her control. When working as a Developer, “I always had managers who challenged me and gave me the flexibility and space to try things. It was from their coaching that I took my first manager role”, reveals Blessy. She then moved on to lead a team of Java Developers, developing applications to handle test vehicles and test processes. “It is not just about getting the right solution to the customer, but it’s important to get customers’ feedback so that developers can iterate and improve”.

Being a woman in the tech world has its challenges. “We generally tend to doubt ourselves more. But to be open and share is something I actively work on”, says Blessy. Adding to the demanding role, Blessy also juggles her time between work and being a mother of two children.

The Head of AI encourages girls and women out there to pursue work in the tech industry. “Don’t be afraid of technology. You don’t need to know all the answers before you start. Just take that step and you’ll find your way”.