CEO Insights Magazine

Technology has disrupted the way businesses operate in recent times. Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Bigdata, IoT, Analytics and Automation are some of the major technologies that are changing the business landscape globally. Thus, it becomes imperative for companies to stay abreast of the latest technologies to stay ahead of the competition. As a result, the role of a Chief Technology Officer(CTO) has gained massive prominence among companies in recent times. A CTO has a wide range of responsibilities to take care of in an organization. Along with taking care of the entire technology division of the company he/she will also be responsible for the company’s entire R&D efforts. Reporting to the CFO, a CTO is an integral part of the decision making process in an organization, and any mission-critical decision pertaining to technology will have to go through a strict scrutiny by the CTO.

Handling such critical responsibilities is no piece of cake. One has to be very skillful in every step he takes. As a result, it is always expected of a CTO to be constantly updated with the latest technologies & trends, study them in depth about their various use cases, ascertain the costs associated with that technology implementation, and many other aspects. Yet another major responsibility a CTO shoulders is the training of resources on any technology being implemented.

One such CTO who is successfully driving his organization to success through indepth tech expertise and outstanding leadership qualities is Sourabha Kolhapure, CTO, Mahindra Home Finance. CEO Insights had the privilege to have an exclusive conversation with Sourabha about his leadership journey so far and his role as a CTO in Mahindra Home Finance. Below are the selected extracts of the conversation.

How has been your professional journey so far?
Prior to Mahindra Home Finance, I

haveworked with big financial corporations such as Bajaj Finserv, HSBC - Global Technology, Green field NBFCs like SvaKarma Finance, Community Finance and Technology companies like R Systems International. Over the years, I have successfully delivered many tech projects for banks and NBFCs across India, Europe and the US. Program Management, IT Applications, Infrastructure, NBFC Operations, Strategy & Tactical Planning, IT Roadmap, Budgeting, IT Operations Vendor Management and Sub contracting are the major areas I specialize. All through my career so far, I have had multiple instances of successful implementations such as core banking, lending suites, lead management, single customer view, ERP for SMEs, Data Analytics, CRM and many others.

I have also successfully implemented niche technology projects such as mobility, CBS, UI/UX, Datalake/Tableau and DMS as well as setup onpremise, cloud and hybrid data centers. Partnering with business leaders to plan, develop and implement cutting edge IT solutions that are efficient in every aspect has been a major strength of mine.

What are some of your major traits that define as the leader you are today?
Ability to collaborate with various business teams, vendors, consultants and many other stakeholders is very essential to be a successful business IT professional. Also, the mindset with which you approach any situation is what defines the kind of leader you are. Thus, I am always open to change and learn new things by experimenting with different solutions. My ability to grasp & learn new things quickly, along with my vast industry domain knowledge have helped me immensely in my journey so far.

How do you put your vast industry expertise to use in your daily life as an industry leader?

Having close to three decades of experience working with multi cultured organizations of varied sizes has given immense experience of dealing with various kinds of situations. For me, every day is a new day, and there is always something new to learn. This mindset has enabled me to solve any complex problems in an efficient manner.

Firstly, ‘Learn to listen, listen to learn’. This is very much important to achieve high customer satisfaction. Only when we start listening to ‘what’ the customer’s main challenges are, understand the reason ‘why’ it is occurring, and then come-up with a suitable solution as to ‘how’ those challenges can be tackled. Secondly, as a solution provider, one has to always be ready for change and amend their processes according to customer’s expectations and demands.

Thirdly, the inhouse tech team must always be ready to provide quick & simple solutions to solve customers’ demands, as they rely on us and put their trust in us. This goes a long way in gaining their trust. Lastly, ensure that the solution you offer to your customers must reduce their time and efforts to the maximum extent possible. Practicing all these principles in my daily process has not only enhanced my productivity as a business professional, but also helped drive my company towards success.

You see lot of unsuccessful implementations in industry because of lack of all these principals.

What is the future roadmap set for your company, and yourself as a business leader
Going forward, we aspire to scale rapidly and grow further by offering the urban customer's experience in rural, semi urban & under served regions as well We have all the blueprints ready for our digital journeys and are confident of achieving all our targets in the next 2-3 years. Also, the major focus areas will be UX/ EX, AI/ML, cutting-down on product launch times, credit with alternative data, process automation, databased decision making Cloud,Integrations and sustainability.

Sourabha Kolhapure, CTO, Mahindra Home Finance
Hobbies: Reading and travelling
Favourite Cuisine: Indian and Italian
Favourite Books: Da Vinci Code and The Immortals of Meluha
Favourite Travel Destination: Konkan, Goa