Harish Chowdhary
Chief Product Officer
Harish holds the office of Chief Product Officer at Adroit Vantage and this pioneering professional has been able to instill a culture of excellence and innovation within the company. Over his long and illustrious professional career, Harish has past impressive milestones and won numerous awards including being awarded the ‘Award of Excellence’ during his stint at JP Morgan. With that said, when asked about what is the one other recognition that he holds close to his heart, Harish says “I do a lot of philanthropic works and getting a thank you note from one of the NGOs that I worked with recently is one of those moments where I felt really happy”.
In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights, Harish talks more about his journey and the uniquebusiness operations of Adroit Vantage.
CanYou Talk More About Your Educational And Professional Background? Also, What Motivates You To Strive For Sustained Success In The Industry?
My educational background is very diverse and even though my Master’s is in Math, I have done programs in both computer application and hardware. My professional journey spans between two companies which are JP Morgan and Northern Trust. Both these companies operated in the asset and wealth management space. After gaining nearly two decades of experience working in this space, I felt like the next evolution in my journey should be in the product management space and I should come out with digital solutions that would benefit the entire asset and wealth management industry.
For me, the motivation has always been the ability to bring change at an end user level. And I believe that I brought in significant amount of change in both my previous jobs. At Adroit Vantage, the product that we are developing will disrupt the industry as a whole. Thinking about
that excites me and ensuring that product’s success is my motivation now.
Can You Give Us A Brief Overview About Adroit Vantage And What Is It’s USP?
We are creating a technology product in a very dynamic and niche market space where it is hard to have sustained success. I believe that when our product gets into the hands of the end users, it will drastically impact the landscape of the entire industry. People have already started noticing us through our prototypes and we have ‘Beta-launched, with our 1st B2B customer. As of now, we have our clients in Singapore and Dubai and I believe that once we get noticed even more, we could develop into one of the market leaders in this vertical.
When it comes to our other services, we have two focus areas which are B2B and B2C. In B2B, our product is called AV suite which has six software in them and they have been designed to help the clients and the wealth managers throughout their asset and wealth management journey. ‘In B2C, we plan to offer AV Suite to IFAs (individual financial advisors), enabling them to provide a world-class experience to their clients and at the same time helping them meet regulatory & compliance mandates.
We have a clear vision of what we want to do and we have spent a lot of time and resources into finalizing our vision, mission and purpose. Once it was finalized, I explained it to our team by defining our four core values of curiosity, integrity, courage and inclusion. All this means that we have a clear idea of what we want to achieve and even though, we have an empathetic way of delivering our product, we never stray away from the business side of things. This balance is what we bring to the table.
How Did You Achieve Success In The Industry? Also, Elaborate More On Your Current Role At Adroit Vantage?
I strongly believe that modern day leaders have to be contextual leaders and I strive to be just that. Then, as far as I am concerned, hard work is important and nothing will ever replace it. For me, anything and everything revolves around methodologies and processes. There are industry recognized processes that you have to follow to develop your products. And the multiple decades of experience that I have had in this industry helps me to develop our digital product leveraging certain methodologies.
One of the primary methodologies that we are using is design thinking principles which allows us to
Can You Give Us A Brief Overview About Adroit Vantage And What Is It’s USP?
We are creating a technology product in a very dynamic and niche market space where it is hard to have sustained success. I believe that when our product gets into the hands of the end users, it will drastically impact the landscape of the entire industry. People have already started noticing us through our prototypes and we have ‘Beta-launched, with our 1st B2B customer. As of now, we have our clients in Singapore and Dubai and I believe that once we get noticed even more, we could develop into one of the market leaders in this vertical.
When it comes to our other services, we have two focus areas which are B2B and B2C. In B2B, our product is called AV suite which has six software in them and they have been designed to help the clients and the wealth managers throughout their asset and wealth management journey. ‘In B2C, we plan to offer AV Suite to IFAs (individual financial advisors), enabling them to provide a world-class experience to their clients and at the same time helping them meet regulatory & compliance mandates.
The Asset And Wealth Management Market As Well As End Users Have Also Become More Dynamic Over The Years, So If You Are Not Contextual, It Will Be Very Hard To Succeed In The Market
We have a clear vision of what we want to do and we have spent a lot of time and resources into finalizing our vision, mission and purpose. Once it was finalized, I explained it to our team by defining our four core values of curiosity, integrity, courage and inclusion. All this means that we have a clear idea of what we want to achieve and even though, we have an empathetic way of delivering our product, we never stray away from the business side of things. This balance is what we bring to the table.
How Did You Achieve Success In The Industry? Also, Elaborate More On Your Current Role At Adroit Vantage?
I strongly believe that modern day leaders have to be contextual leaders and I strive to be just that. Then, as far as I am concerned, hard work is important and nothing will ever replace it. For me, anything and everything revolves around methodologies and processes. There are industry recognized processes that you have to follow to develop your products. And the multiple decades of experience that I have had in this industry helps me to develop our digital product leveraging certain methodologies.
One of the primary methodologies that we are using is design thinking principles which allows us to
understand exactly the way the clients want us to understand their problems and design solutions that they require.Also, when developing our product, we ensure that we are doing it in an agile manner and I believe that if we fail fast, it is ok and we iterate.
"Be Contextual And Stop Looking At Things From A One Dimensional Point Of View
When it comes to my role at the company, I run the entire organization with the help of very talented teams, support functions and a leadership who trust me hiring the talent to product development and management. I have to do product discovery which is a lengthy process and once it is done, we have to design the product, then develop it by coordinating with the technical team and once it is developed, we have to ship it to the clients. So, I have to oversee all these stages and make sure that we stay aligned with our clients’ requirements. Apart from all this, as the first employee of the organization, I also have to wear multiple hats at the same time.
How Did You Deal With The Pandemic And Its Negative Implications In The Market?
Post covid, the asset and wealth management industry has changed on multiple levels and this includes changes in client behavior as well. People have started to take a different approach towards asset and wealth management and they now wish to be more educated on this subject.
Post pandemic, we see immense market potential owing to the increasing shift towards digitization. That is exactly what we do and through our services, we are aiming to digitize the entire asset and wealth management journey of the customers. With that said, one of the biggest challenges that we faced in the post pandemic market is talent acquisition owing to the fact that the demand for talent has reached an all-time high now which makes it harder to find the right candidates for your organization.
What Would Be Your Advice To The Coming Generation?
Be contextual and stop looking at things from a one-dimensional point of view. The asset and wealth management market as well as end users have also become more dynamic over the year, so if you are not contextual, it will be very hard to succeed in the market. As a business leader, you should also be empathetic towards both your clients and your team. Also, I keep myself updated with the latest trends and news from around the world and use this knowledge in developing our offerings. So, make sure that you remain current with the latest changes in the industry.
Harish Chowdhary, Chief Product Officer, Adroit Vantage
Harish was born and brought up very close to the Bombay Stock Exchange and his humble beginnings have helped him to understand the importance of hard work and persistence. This upbringing has played a crucial role in shaping him to be the person and professional he is now.
"Be Contextual And Stop Looking At Things From A One Dimensional Point Of View
When it comes to my role at the company, I run the entire organization with the help of very talented teams, support functions and a leadership who trust me hiring the talent to product development and management. I have to do product discovery which is a lengthy process and once it is done, we have to design the product, then develop it by coordinating with the technical team and once it is developed, we have to ship it to the clients. So, I have to oversee all these stages and make sure that we stay aligned with our clients’ requirements. Apart from all this, as the first employee of the organization, I also have to wear multiple hats at the same time.
How Did You Deal With The Pandemic And Its Negative Implications In The Market?
Post covid, the asset and wealth management industry has changed on multiple levels and this includes changes in client behavior as well. People have started to take a different approach towards asset and wealth management and they now wish to be more educated on this subject.
Post pandemic, we see immense market potential owing to the increasing shift towards digitization. That is exactly what we do and through our services, we are aiming to digitize the entire asset and wealth management journey of the customers. With that said, one of the biggest challenges that we faced in the post pandemic market is talent acquisition owing to the fact that the demand for talent has reached an all-time high now which makes it harder to find the right candidates for your organization.
What Would Be Your Advice To The Coming Generation?
Be contextual and stop looking at things from a one-dimensional point of view. The asset and wealth management market as well as end users have also become more dynamic over the year, so if you are not contextual, it will be very hard to succeed in the market. As a business leader, you should also be empathetic towards both your clients and your team. Also, I keep myself updated with the latest trends and news from around the world and use this knowledge in developing our offerings. So, make sure that you remain current with the latest changes in the industry.
Harish Chowdhary, Chief Product Officer, Adroit Vantage
Harish was born and brought up very close to the Bombay Stock Exchange and his humble beginnings have helped him to understand the importance of hard work and persistence. This upbringing has played a crucial role in shaping him to be the person and professional he is now.