Say yes and try new things: Asif Poonja’s path from Waterloo to Fujitsu CEO
Asif Poonja shares the milestones that helped him grow a successful career and become a global business leader
When Asif Poonja (BMath ’96) looks back on his career, he doesn’t describe a carefully plotted path to the c-suite. Instead, he talks about curiosity, saying yes to unfamiliar opportunities and connecting the dots between people, business and technology.
Poonja came to the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics without a fixed career plan. A co-op term at Nortel gave him some direction.
“I hadn’t really decided what I wanted to do,” he recalls. “I loved computers, I loved programming. But what I really liked was the intersection of business and technology.”
That realization led him to study Business Information Systems, a demanding mix of math, computer science and business courses split between Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.
Collecting experiences, building skills
Throughout the program, co-op terms taught him what he didn’t want to do. Those real-world experiences were invaluable. At the Toronto Stock Exchange, he coded systems tied directly to trading activity.
“That connection between business and technology really hit home for me,” he says. “I wanted to apply my skill sets to business and work with business teams to define requirements.”
With each step of his career, Poonja collected new experiences, driven by his willingness to try new things. After a couple of industry-specific jobs, he moved into consulting at Deloitte, which sharpened his people skills.
Over 12 years at Deloitte, Poonja progressed from analyst to senior manager, gradually taking on more responsibility. He credits his curiosity with that progression. When new opportunities arose, he was willing to try different things and made a conscious effort to relate all his work back to the business.
Path to CEO
Eventually, he joined CGI, where he led the SAP business in Canada. For the first time, he owned a full profit-and-loss statement and set strategy end-to-end.
“That was a defining moment,” he says. “If you look at a CEO role, I probably had 50 per cent of the required skills from Deloitte. I developed the rest at CGI.”
In 2014, Poonja joined Fujitsu to lead its SAP business across North America. Over the next decade, he took on a succession of roles — strategic accounts, Head of Delivery for the Americas, Regional CTO and Head of Sales — each expanding his view of the organization. The common thread, he says, was a willingness to step into the unknown.
“One of the things I’ve learned in my career is don’t say no. Try the different skill sets, try different things.”
That breadth of experience prepared him for his current role as CEO, Americas Region at Fujitsu, a position he assumed four years ago. Thanks to all the leadership roles he’d done with the company, becoming the CEO was less of a shock.
Of course, the role has come with some challenges; this time, they’re cultural. Fujitsu is headquartered in Japan, and Poonja has navigated several cultural differences across the global team. He credits patience, listening, mentorship and working with a Japanese coach to help him bridge expectations across regions and connect with people.
Advice for students navigating what’s next
If he could give advice to his younger self, Poonja says he would tell himself to stay curious. He encourages current students to shift their focus away from job titles and toward continuous learning.
“Don’t be set on the end goal of, ‘I want to become a CEO,’” he says. “Focus on the skill sets you are building. You don’t know the horizon, but being curious and open makes all the difference.”
