A quote that resonates with Vodafone New Zealand’s head Of networks and platforms Sharina Nisha is something Tesla boss Elon Musk once said.

“Engineering is the closest thing to magic that exists in the world,” he said.

As a lead engineer at Vodafone, Nisha is passionate about bringing this ‘magic’ to the company’s many customers.

She is responsible for for defining and delivering the company’s mobile and fixed network strategy. This means being accountable for maintaining and improving the mobile network coverage, fixed network and international connectivity as well as infrastructure and cloud capability for customers,
consumers and Vodafone staff.

Last year she led the enormous project of creating a 5G network in New Zealand, making Vodafone the first and only Kiwi telecommunications company to offer commercial mobile 5G.

On this project, Nisha’s role has been to install the actual technology then spend thousands of hours testing it.

Alongside her work on the 5G network, she also led the creation of Vodafone TV, a standalone internet-enabled TV box that aggregates free-to-air and subscription-based apps onto one simple platform.

Launched in September, Nisha and her team were responsible for building the technology and ensuring customers have the best possible set-up, installation and ongoing viewing experience.

Outside of her work with Vodafone, Nisha also has spent time working on government initiatives to improve rural broadband services and she is also the chair of the Women in Technology STEM initiative.