I did my Masters in computer science, and then right after the master's degree, I joined an IT organization, back in Bangalore, India. With that job, I got good exposure to some of the digital technologies, at the early stages of client-server and digital technologies. I got so passionate in that area, and then I started, evolving my career in digital. As part of that career progression, after working a few years in India, I moved to the US. In the US, I started working with the consulting industry. I had a few years of consulting career with organizations like Gardner, Acxiom, and IBM. After that, I joined MasterCard initially as a consultant, and then later I took a full-time career opportunity and the last 18 years I am with MasterCard.

The technology industry and digital space itself is going through a major transformation. So you have to stay on top of that in terms of what is changing in the industry? Does it make sense? Is it too early? Is it mature enough to adopt a certain technology or channel? Also having a constant focus and a good understanding of what's happening in the industry and bringing that "outside-in" perspective and connecting that with your current need. So that requires some research and some external consulting. A clear understanding of what are some of the key areas that require new solutions, prioritization aspects, and the ability to adapt and bring new solutions in a secure and scalable manner. So a lot of things we focus, It's not just about finding a tool and launching that tool it's more about validating and answering questions say, is that the right solution? Is that architected well? Is that going to provide a secure solution? how is this tool or the solution going to evolve? So managing that whole journey with an end to end understanding of the need, prioritizing, aligning the talent, and then focusing on that end to end value delivery, that's the opportunity. That presents its own challenges too.

You know, in general, it depends on the nature of your project. Normally, you'll be interacting with a variety of different roles. I spent a lot of time with my team in terms of making sure they're working on the right things, I'm learning from them, they're learning from me, coaching the team, giving them the right opportunities, career conversations, innovation, and solution discussions. So I am pretty involved in that process. Secondly, I spent a lot of time with leadership discussions. Strategy, planning, investment decisions, prioritization, value communication, etc. Another area I invest my time is with the core business partners. Building that relation, gaining that trust, and that value partnership, right? So, I would say team, leadership, and business partners are the areas I invest the majority of my time.