For 2020 the FierceWireless editorial team has selected a diverse slate of wireless executives who are on the rise in their careers. We’re doling out the names of our winners, two per day, so that our readers have the time to enjoy reading their profiles. Next week, we’ll post our popular Rising Stars poll, giving everyone the opportunity to vote for their favorite top executive to watch in wireless.
A professional letdown, like missing out on a big promotion, can make or break you. Just ask Samsung’s Jisha Hall.
“I didn’t get a promotion at a previous organization, and it was something that was very disheartening at the time, but what happened was that it drove me to try something very different, which resulted in my driving across the country for a job with Samsung,” she said. “It guided me to essentially push myself and move across the country and out of my comfort space. It was the best decision I ever made in my career in terms of my professional and personal growth.”
Hall learned that growth opportunities can arise in many ways, including from the dust of disappointment. Now, as senior director of program management and operations for the network division at Samsung Electronics America, she manages teams that are involved in the testing and rollout of new technologies with major carriers.
“I’m involved in the complete lifecycle of rolling out new technologies. So, the last four years, I have seen 5G technology go from very limited trials to customers actually walking around with devices with the 5G icon on them,” she said.
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However, completing a 5G launch does not mean the job is done for Hall. “Rolling out new technology is a really great rush, and achieving historical milestones is always fulfilling, but honestly for me when you are dealing with something as dynamic and innovative as 5G technology you always run into issues and challenges. For me how you solve those issues and challenges and get to that end goal is what makes it truly rewarding and exciting.”
Hall believes that the chief strength she brings to addressing such challenges is a sense of accountability to customers, as well as to her colleagues at Samsung, while working toward the goals of meeting customer expectations and expanding Samsung’s network presence in the world.
“Supporting this diverse group of engineers, project managers and experts from all different backgrounds, coming together to solve these challenges,” she said, “is the biggest thing for me.”