Name & Surname: Fiona Anirudh
Designation: Director
Company: Omnia EdTech Solutions
What do you do every day?
I improve the way education is delivered across South Africa, by empowering education providers with 21st century teaching & learning methods that leverage technology, design & innovation.
How did you get into the tech space?
My journey of discovery began at the age of 6 when I won my first computer. I soon discovered a visual game development tool that I used to build a maze challenge, which would have given Minecraft a run for its money.
My computer was also a key part of childhood play dates, especially during pretend grocery shopping, where the calculator was my point of sale system, the optical mouse light was used as a grocery scanner and keyboard was used as a card swipe machine. My ‘customers’ would even hear a little beep sound denoting payment validation, thanks to sticky keys.
It was then only fitting that I pursued IT as an area of study in High School, where I was 1 of 2 girls in a class of approximately 30 boys, who continuously got the highest marks in IT. I furthered my studies in College where I did a 3 year IT Diploma and graduated with 15 Distinctions & a Top Achiever award, all while interning at a large corporate (EOH – Oracle Services).
I then studied Project Management in London, and was very quickly promoted to IT Project Manager & then Head of Strategic Projects at one of SA’s largest private education providers, where i got to work on Digital Transformation projects globally across the group.
Corporate life was great, but I was ready for a new challenge with no limitations on creativity, and the freedom to design your own destiny. So in 2018, with a huge leap of faith , passion and determination, I embarked on my Technopreneurial journey and established Omnia Solutions, which did an incredible 7 figure revenue within its first year of operation.
There is nothing more satisfying than watching your business grow and contributing to economic growth by being a creator of jobs and opportunities.
What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
“Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you will land among the stars”, it’s something my dad told me when I was young, that inspired me to always think big.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
Technology is not just a job, it is a way of life.
Due to the rapid rate of advancements in the industry, especially in cloud computing, robotics, cybersecurity, IOT, AI & the virtual reality space, IT skills in-demand today would be completely different 5 to 10 years from now. So, if you enjoy innovating, problem solving & have a passion for technology, now could not be a better time to start your journey.
Also, don’t be afraid to combine your humanitarian or social passions with your flair for innovation & technology. Technology is at its best when it solves problems in a meaningful way!
What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
I have the best job on the planet! – I get to use my passion for technology & innovation to create meaningful impact, by transforming the face of education across South Africa. There is nothing more significant than education.
An example of the type of work I do can be found in the link below which takes you through a virtual tour of our latest project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AnExViAwkk
Website: www.omniasolutions.co.za
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-anirudh/
Email: fiona@omniasolutions.co.za
About The Author: Samantha
Samantha Perry is the owner and founder of SJ Perry PR, a small, independent agency that specialises in providing public relations and media relations services to small to medium-sized businesses. She recently served as the JHB Agency Lead for Irvine Partners, an integrated public relations and marketing agency. She has over 20 years' of experience writing for a range of media - print and online - mainly in the ICT sector including Computing SA (editor), ComputerWeek, and Brainstorm magazine (editor). In her capacity as a PR professional and consultant, she has and does work with a variety of companies including Google (South Africa & Nigeria), Salesforce, CLEVVA, Euphoria Telecom, Paymenow and Tiger Content (UK). She also has a Masters degree in ICT Policy & Regulation. She served on the IAB SA Marketing Council as the PR rep, has worked as an independent telecoms researcher for some of the analyst houses in that field and was regularly called upon to comment on telecoms issues in the press. Nowadays she can be found commenting on women in tech issues in the press and speaking at conferences on the subject and the issues women in the sector face.
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