Humans of Telecom

Episode 59: Tina Donaldson, VP Strategy at netnumber

Listen on

Episode notes

"I tend not to live in regret, because I truly believe every life experience helps shape who we are today."

— Tina Donaldson, VP Strategy at netnumber, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Founder of Humans of Telecom

In this captivating episode, Tina — an early innovator in the world of 'platform communications' — shares how a chance encounter at her mother’s charity baseball game and a lost bet led her into the world of telecom!

She walks us through a remarkable career that includes pioneering work like enabling text and voice capabilities for phone numbers in Google Cloud, helping birth a new era of messaging that went beyond mobile numbers. After holding leadership roles at heavyweights like Google and Twilio, Tina has come full circle and is now leading the charge in redefining how the industry can trust phone numbers across networks.

A firm believer in the power of 'human connection', Tina opens up about her life beyond telecom — including managing a modest count of five children, her newfound love for floristry, and her surreal experience meeting Mother Teresa, who even tried recruiting her to the Missionaries of Charity! And yes, she still plans to visit Antarctica one day!

🎧 Tune in to this inspiring episode on your favorite podcast platform, and don’t forget to follow Humans of Telecom for more such stories from the heart of the industry.