Audi Sakthi Vijaykumar, Director – Analytics, Research & Data, Fidelity Investments India, muses on the highlights of her career and the firm’s supportive ecosystem that has contributed to her enriching career journey.
Describe your journey so far.
I underwent an engineering course at University of Madras and like many aspiring engineering graduates was placed in a reputed services firm through a campus interview. I thoroughly enjoyed my first job as it offered me a plethora of opportunities to gain work experience, make friends, and nurture meaningful connections. I would say that this role laid a solid foundation for my transition from the campus to my first corporate job.
Shortly thereafter, I moved to Fidelity. I joined as an Angular and business intelligence developer, working across several technology delivery units at Fidelity Investments India. I have also had the opportunity to support the Leap Program, our flagship program for technology interns at Fidelity, prior to my current role with the Analytics, Research and Data (ARD) group in India as Squad Leader supporting the Fidelity Institutional (FI) business.
During my career, I have switched between individual contributor and people management roles, and these have helped me grow as an Individual. I have also been an active participant in championing diversity and inclusion at the workplace.
What was your reason for choosing Fidelity as an employer?
I did not make a planned career move to Fidelity. I had been contemplating a career move at the time, and it so happened that Fidelity was expanding in Chennai at the same time, and I happened to land a job with the firm. It was only after I received the job offer that I tried to get to know more about the firm, as I was making a move from a reputed services organization to Fidelity. One aspect of Fidelity that I had heard a lot about at that time and which I continue to experience every day in my 15-year tenure with the firm is its culture and values.
The firm stands by you for everything you need to succeed as an individual, be it shaping your career or supporting you in balancing your work and family needs. If I think about my 15-year journey here at Fidelity, I can say that it’s the firm’s culture and supportive ecosystem that has helped me truly grow as an individual in my career so far.
Tell us more about your journey with Fidelity so far.
I currently work as a Squad Leader with ARD at Fidelity Investments India in a global role where I am responsible for driving strategy and analytics for deriving digital insights for an FI platform, towards improving the client experience on the platform. FI supports wealth management and technology platforms for financial institutions, broker dealers and independent advisors.
Every aspect of my work involves the following on a day-to-day basis, which I thoroughly enjoy:
- Delivery Excellence: Playing a global role brings with it high levels of accountability and responsibility. Along with your team, you are responsible for the insights you deliver, and hence, ensuring the quality and integrity of these insights is of paramount importance.
- Domain Knowledge: As a technology leader, one must constantly strive to understand the business, its vision, key multi-year priorities, and the technology strategy, and blend all of it with analytical Insights to deliver value. Otherwise, all the data you get will remain just that –data, and not insights.
- Global Collaboration: Opportunities to collaborate and partner with team members across the globe and to be Lead for an enterprise resource group (ERG) have been extremely useful for sharing and learning best practices. Additionally, in my global role, I get to meet new people and learn from them every day. I always feel respected for my contributions and included in the decision-making process, even though I work at an offshore location. One is respected for what one brings to the table, irrespective of where one is located.
- Learning and Experimenting: Fidelity supports our learning journey by providing us facilitated sessions and courses through various providers. What’s more, Fidelity also provides us opportunities to participate in short gig projects to try our hand at new learning areas.
What are the attributes and aspects that define you as a successful leader at Fidelity?
I love being a part of Fidelity and fondly call the organization my second home. This is a place where I can bring my authentic self to work and be respected for it.
My career journey with Fidelity can be aptly summarized in 3 E’s:
- Exposure I have gained to the different business groups
- Experience that every role has provided me to become a better professional
- Enablement I receive from the firm to bring my best self to work
I know that when I need help, my trusted network of colleagues and supportive leaders are just a call away, for which I’m immensely grateful.
What has been your most memorable moment at Fidelity so far?
I can recall two experiences that are especially memorable for me.
The first was when Fidelity Investments India launched the Leap program in 2015. I had the privilege of being a part of the core team that designed, planned, and executed the new-hire program in India in partnership with global teams across the US and Ireland. It was extremely exciting being a part of the Leap internship and later its alumni launch. I spent three enriching years with the program, which provided me abundant opportunities to learn, experiment, and innovate.
The second moment was when I receive an FI Circle of Excellence Award in 2021. I was awarded in the leadership excellence category for setting up the digital practice for FI, India and proposing a solution in collaboration and partnership with various business units. I felt proud, valued, and truly content.
What is the best advice you have received as a professional?
Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do it.
I tell this to myself and anyone who asks me about my motivational mantra.
Do well in your current role, do it in the best possible way, and let your work speak for itself. People will be drawn to you for who you are and the value you add to your role.
What are some of the attributes you look for in a person you would want to hire for your team?
Besides the skillsets required for the role, I look for:
- Attitude – A curious and collaborative mindset
- Ability to learn new things and adapt
- Clarity in communicating one’s thoughts
Describe a hurdle that you were proud of crossing.
I made a deliberate choice to switch to an individual contributor role in the ARD group although I had been in a people management role within the technology group prior to this move. The transition from the technology domain to supporting the business within the ARD group in an individual contributor role was a major change for me.
It was a choice I had made, and I received tremendous support from the new team towards gaining new skills and having an encouraging and enabling environment to settle down into my new role and domain. I made a steely resolve to stay put, focus on my responsibilities, demonstrate accountability, and deliver excellence.
My best armor while working through challenging times has included patience, perseverance, and mental strength.
What is your favorite quote/saying?
To be successful in life, your attitude is as important as your ability. “Your attitude can take you forward or take you down. The choice is always yours.” It is also like a mirror. The attitude you project to others is the same attitude you will get back.
Views expressed are as of the date indicated and may change. Unless otherwise noted, the opinions provided are those of the author, and not necessarily those of Fidelity Investments.
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