From HR to Head of Digital Assets: Suja Pramod of Fidelity Investments India shares her journey as a woman in technology

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Ms. Suja Pramod, Head of Fidelity Digital Assets, Fidelity Investments India

1. Can you outline your journey from a C++ trainer to your current role as the India Head of Fidelity Digital Assets? Please share some key career milestones

My journey from being a C++ trainer to my current role as the India Head of Fidelity Digital Assets has been a transformative one, shaped by a series of experiences and learning opportunities.

Beginning as an IT skills trainer, I quickly imbibed the values of resilience and craftsmanship. A year later, I secured a role as a software engineer at Logica, a pivotal moment in my career. Here, I immersed myself in banking product development, learning the crucial art of understanding customer needs for optimal support.

Over the next 12 years at Logica, I donned various hats in IT – developer, technical designer, business analyst, and technology project manager. This multifaceted experience exposed me to a gamut of challenges, both technical and interpersonal, helping refine my problem-solving skills.

My trajectory then led me to esteemed financial institutions like Deutsche Bank and ultimately to Fidelity in 2015. It was here that a shift in mindset occurred. My work transformed from a job or career to a calling. This marked the genesis of my understanding of leadership, with a resolute focus on making a tangible impact on both the business and the teams I led.

Today, as the India Head of Fidelity Digital Assets, I bring forth a wealth of experience and a fervor for leadership. My journey, from an eager IT trainer to a seasoned leader, serves as a testament to the transformative power of dedication, perseverance, and a steadfast commitment to excellence. This wealth of experience and passion for leadership is now directed towards driving the success and growth of Fidelity Digital Assets in India.

Some significant career milestones that shaped my journey include the massive learnings I gathered from being a technical designer and developer on a key implementation project in Logica in the early 2000s. Then came the big shift when I moved to London as a business analyst and project manager for an insurance client Aon. This two-year stint taught me everything about client experience and stakeholder management, technology transformation, and managing delivery remotely with an offshore delivery team. It also taught me how to manage multiple clients and projects at a time and develop a keen problem-solving capability.

In Deutsche Bank, I had the privilege of working with some great leaders who shaped not only my leadership style but also taught me how to take risks and set up our first agile team offshore that would form a new business process management (BPM) center of excellence (CoE) to influence business process automation across the organization.

Fidelity is where I learned how to address complex business requirements through dynamic engineering and creative solutions, along with a strong, empowered team in the Asset Management Fixed Income Technology division. This is where I was able to lead technology product development for a dynamic and demanding money market trading business through purpose and towards driving business impact.

Since the pandemic in 2020, one of my proudest moments has been about transforming a large agile product delivery organization to deliver highly complex investment compliance solutions for client teams across Fidelity.

2. How has your diverse background in product engineering, project management, and HR influenced your leadership style and approach to problem-solving?

I have developed an interesting leadership perspective throughout my 25-year career of undertaking a variety of roles across domains and fields. My experience in creating high-performing teams and building complex and critical technology solutions emerged from the various technology delivery lead roles I have undertaken in Logica, Deutsche Bank and most recently, the Asset Management business in Fidelity Investments India since 2015. These roles reiterated the need for strong engineering practices, an architectural mindset of building to scale for the future when designing solutions, and understanding problems better before jumping to building solutions.

Through an interesting career move, undertaking a three-year stint as an HR business partner, I found myself evolve as a leader and picked up a newfound passion for behavioral economics, human capital management, and agile transformation. Since the pandemic in 2020, I moved back into global technology and product leadership roles for the Asset Management Risk and Compliance team at Fidelity Investments India. Most recently, I took on my current role as Head of Fidelity Digital Assets, India, hoping to dive into this new and emerging space through building and leading a high-performing team of technologists to deliver on the business vision. This product leadership role strengthened my product management skills, mindset, and ability to make strategic decisions especially when making technology investment and solution decisions. It also honed my ability to leverage organizational design along with processes to influence change and bring efficiency in our delivery lifecycle.  My journey through a variety of roles and experiences has allowed me to serve as a mentor and career coach for upcoming leaders in Fidelity, while also undertaking pro bono coaching outside of Fidelity as part of my coaching networks.

3. As a leader in the digital assets space, what aspects of this evolving landscape are you most optimistic about, and how do you anticipate its impact on the future of finance?

As a leader in Asset Management Compliance and Risk Technology at Fidelity Investments India, I hold an optimistic perspective on the evolving landscape of digital assets. The integration of advanced technology is poised to revolutionize the finance industry, significantly augmenting operational efficiency and security protocols. Drawing upon a cumulative experience of twenty-five years, which encompasses roles as an HR business partner and driving agile business transformations, I have directly observed the profound impact of cross-functional collaboration. This collaborative ethos has been instrumental in the proficient delivery of solutions and has played a paramount role in helping me adapt to the paradigm shifts introduced by digital assets.

4. As a prominent woman leader in technology, what guidance would you offer young women aspiring to pursue careers in this field? What are some of the challenges as well as opportunities in store?

To young women aspiring careers in technology, I say, embrace your passion early and let experiences shape your path. Cultivate resilience, patience, and craftsmanship. Despite warnings, have confidence in your capabilities. Transitioning from IT training to a role like software engineering taught me customer-centricity and product fundamentals. When I moved to the financial services space, work truly became a calling, emphasizing impact and purpose.

Joining Fidelity was fortuitous, driven by a meaningful connection. It affirmed the immense value Fidelity placed on intellect and diverse perspectives. Today, leading Fidelity Digital Assets in India, I have been thoroughly immersed in the dynamic realm of blockchain and digital assets, and am enjoying the experience, complete with its challenges, learnings, and possibilities.

For aspiring women, prioritize continuous learning, challenge norms, and assert your voice. Surround yourself with a collaborative team. In hurdles, find strength and seek support. Each challenge surmounted is a testament to growth and resilience.

5. In your extensive experience, what are the shifts you have seen for women in the workforce, and particularly in technology? What areas do you believe require further attention to achieve greater gender parity in the workforce?

A significant shift I have noticed in the last 25 years in technology has been the focus and increasing awareness of the need to embrace diverse mindsets and styles and thus create way more opportunities for women to thrive. However, there are still pockets where people struggle to get mentorship and have representative voices to support their needs and help address challenges. I think it is important to consciously ensure forums, committees and groups that drive decisions in organizations have a diverse mix of people to advocate for women and other underrepresented groups.

6. If there was one key message you’d like to convey to young women contemplating a career in technology, what would it be

There is no better time than this. Opportunity is rife and technology is at its best for enabling solutions to interesting problems and helping change our everyday lives for the better. If you are keen to learn new skills and solve problems, you must find the best way to ride this wave!