Jewel Singh’s security career began at IBM, moving from sales to IT and data analytics. In 2015, Singh assumed the role as the India/South Asia CIO IT Business Operations Manager by leading the IT and analytics departments. Under Singh’s guidance, CIO ThinkDesks were set up across India for walk-in IT support. Singh was instrumental to building IT infrastructure across the region.
In 2019, Singh took a position to lead the India Employee Transport Safety & Operations department.
“The constant challenge, risks and uncertainties associated with Security made the role appealing. I see challenges as opportunities for growth, calculated risk-taking and a way to demonstrate our duty of care purpose, which I am passionate about,” Singh says.
Singh’s role involved ensuring a safe and secure nightly commute for women utilizing the transportation system, as required by India’s transport regulations. This included improving operations through software as a service (SaaS), strengthening regulatory compliance such as vehicle and driver safety regulations. In addition, Singh has worked to build up 24/7 control centers, panic alarms, incident reporting and response.
“We provide a safe, secure and compliant commute for thousands of employees across multiple cities across India, exceeding industry best on-time arrivals, on-time departures, employee trip feedback rating and other metrics,” Singh says.
With the rise in workplace violence and social unrest, it’s more important than ever for security leaders to place protections for their employees. This is especially true for night shift workers, who often work with a reduced staff and a unique set of security risks. Navigating densely populated cities creates its own challenges, as it can be difficult to thoroughly cover all of a building’s access points.
Singh’s role expanded to include corporate security operations, where she works to improve security risk culture, scaling access management and developing stronger crisis management.
“A typical workday begins with acute focus on the previous night’s employee transport operations, and any new or in progress critical events/crisis being tracked across APAC-J region and globally before getting down to prioritize tasks for the day,” Singh says. The scope of Singh’s coverage means a busy schedule, as there’s almost always something that requires her immediate attention. Singh also works with leaders across the area to coordinate system maintenance and ensure everyone is aligned with the current milestones and regulations.
“Technology and IT was never in my career plan,” Singh says, but that didn’t stop her from excelling with each position she held. Throughout her career, Singh learned to lead even when her team was scattered around the world. She worked to not only meet current regulations but to go above and beyond to protect her employees. Singh has led her team to win several awards for their service, safety compliance, and sustainable transportation methods. Her career has blended physical and cyber security to strengthen her organization and keep people safe.
