Social media handle(s): LinkedIn
A few words about me:
Hello! I'm a Telugu techie (she/her) who has explored tech-industries in India and Norway before settling in London. I am a mobile app engineer and get very excited when my work can be seen in the hands of my friends and family.
I'm also a creative person and feel replenished by creating podcasts, acting in improv shows, painting and dancing (I have performed improv in 4 languages and 5 countries so far).
My calling is to create safe and equitable spaces for women in the professional world, and as part of this mission I've taken on the role of President for the London chapter of the International Association of Women.
Are there any professional experiences you've had that are quite unexpected compared to what you do nowadays?
My creative side seeps into my work often. At Microsoft, I spearheaded a podcast that was listened to by 800+ colleagues around the world. This created a platform for people from different cultures, leadership levels, job roles to present their stories. My podcast was particularly popular when the company went fully virtual during the COVID lockdown.
I also often reverse-mentor people in higher leadership roles, to bridge the gap between senior leaders and lower-level employees. This has led to several changes in how we conduct diversity hiring, define allyship and make the company more inclusive.
Is your background more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) or non-STEM related?
I'm a STEM woman in both my educational and professional backgrounds.
Where did your professional journey start?
It started with my undergraduate degree in M.Sc(Tech.) Information Systems from the Birla Institute of Technology And Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) in India.
How did you get into tech and what motivated you?
My curiosity about tech started from two places. The first was my father, who was an engineering professor in a university. As a young girl, his professional world was always appealing to me.
My second source of inspiration was my school. We had a mandatory computer science subject from as young as age 10 and were exposed to different programming languages like Logo and BASIC. I became even more confident in coding when we started solving complex problems in Java from grade 8 (age 13).
Have you experienced any 'career in tech' challenges / stereotypes?
Several! Early in my career, one of my managers was a bully. Even a complaint to HR didn't deter him from harassing me. That crashed my confidence as a software engineer in the early days.
In my university, there was a computer science professor who always talked to my breasts and not to my face. This made the few girls in the classroom so uncomfortable that we used to take turns to approach him for class assignments and deal with the humiliation.
In one of my previous teams, I mentored and built a team of mobile engineers and we successfully delivered multiple projects. However, the company leadership decided to secretly promote (a promotion without announcing to anyone in the team) one of my mentees to being my boss. He was with the company longer than me, but very new to mobile engineering. When I questioned the intentions of the company's leaders, I was coloured as jealous.
"I love that tech can make the world more equitable, through solutions accessible to all."
What you wish you knew before getting started in tech...
That at every step, there are people trying to question my skills and experience and I have to stick to my guns and not let them deter me from growing in an industry I'm strongly qualified for.
What has been your biggest 'wow!' moment related to working in tech so far?
It's difficult for me to pick the biggest so I'll share my first and latest 'wow' moments:
First: I shared an Uber with a stranger who was a new mom and I learnt that she was using the new parents networking app that I was building at the time. That showed me the power of being a mobile engineer!
Latest: I gave my first conference talk outside work in August 2024. Some of the attendees quoted my talk on LinkedIn and that started very inspiring conversations. This was a pleasant surprise and has given me encouragement to do more such talks!
What do you like / not like about working in tech?
Tech solutions have the power to reach all corners of the world, solving unique problems. I love that tech can make the world more equitable, through solutions accessible to all.
What I do not like is the uphill battle to make the workforce fair, equitable and inclusive.
"You'll find excellent mentors, sponsors and allies who may not look like you but support your tech journey and boost your momentum."
What's been your favourite / most memorable / funniest 'career in tech' moment so far?
My most memorable 'career in tech' moment was getting headhunted for a role in Microsoft Norway from India. I wasn't even aware of Microsoft's presence in Norway until then. It was a dream come true when the recruiter invited me for interviews in Oslo and then offered me a job there. If I wasn't a techie, I probably wouldn't have been exposed to working in different countries and or been able to transform my life.
And to wrap up, is there any advice you'd like to give to others interested in a career in tech?
If you're a minority like me, it is difficult to find role models in tech that look like you. Let that not deter you from pursuing your career. You'll find excellent mentors, sponsors and allies who may not look like you but support your tech journey and boost your momentum.
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