Chitra Natarajan, VP – Fidelity Brokerage Technology, Fidelity Investments India, reminisces about her journey to becoming a well-rounded technology leader and shares her key learnings and professional insights.

Describe your journey so far.

After graduating in Computer Science from the Government College of Engineering in Erode, Tamil Nadu, I began my career as a passionate C++ programmer with a technology startup in the telecom domain. Shortly after, I joined the Bank of New York Mellon and was introduced to the world of investment banking. Very soon, I discovered that I immensely enjoyed the combination of programming, problem-solving, and the fast-paced world of trading, and from then on, there was no looking back. In the following years, I got the opportunity to work across forex, equity and fixed income trading, back office technologies, and critical regulatory initiatives in multiple capacities and roles as a technology leader, which gave me exposure to both the solutions and delivery sides of technology.

What made you choose Fidelity as an employer?

After a long and successful stint in investment banking and trading, I was looking to expand my horizons and wanted to join an organization that operated in a complementary space.

I had heard of Fidelity earlier, but when I began researching about the firm, I was impressed by its diverse business lines and how Fidelity was a market leader in several of them. My respect for Fidelity grew further when I read about the strong values that are foundational to the firm’s culture. The cherry on the cake was the great leadership qualities exhibited by Fidelity’s leaders whom I had read about online and met during the hiring process.

Now that I have been with Fidelity for more than five years, I can say with certainty that it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

How would you describe your journey with Fidelity so far?

In my career journey with Fidelity, I have held multiple leadership roles within the Fidelity Brokerage Technology business unit (BU). Some of the key initiatives I have worked on are:

• Reengineering and modernization initiatives to enhance brokerage capabilities, including security references, pricing systems, and a cost-basis calculation engine
• The agile transformation initiative of the BU in India. We worked on establishing the charter and functioning of a new chapter area that covered the day-to-day aspects of critical brokerage capabilities that process millions of transactions every single day
• Defining and executing automation and non-functional test strategies for critical business programs and initiatives

Currently, I have taken up a global role within the Platform Engineering space of Fidelity Brokerage Technology. The global team I am a part of delivers critical solutions, platforms, and analytics that enable squads to deliver business capabilities at scale with high quality and resiliency.

Besides business-aligned initiatives, I was excited when I was roped into leading or co-leading high-impact organizational initiatives. A few years ago, I led an innovation-aligned technology hackathon program for India and Ireland associates, as part of the Women in Technology Special Interest Group (WITSIG). With its roaring success, the hackathon has since been scaled to the global level, with associates from the US, China, and Ireland participating as well to come up with innovative technology solutions to business problems. I also had an opportunity once to co-lead a startup collaboration event, which helped to further shape my perspectives on the technology ecosystem in India.

One noteworthy learning experience that I was thrilled about was being part of a global cohort on a leadership program designed to enhance the ability to address complex, systemic, real-time business problems. I was excited at the opportunity to be able to identify potential business use cases in the small business market segment.

Additionally, as part of the management development program offered by Fidelity through top business schools, I immensely benefitted from learning multiple topics, including digital transformation, strategic thinking, and data fluency.

In your view, what are the attributes that are required to be a successful leader at Fidelity?

In my view, success at Fidelity depends on one’s commitment to customer obsession, an investor mindset, innovation, collaboration, and teamwork. Fidelity’s core operating principles and its underlying cultural fabric enable and empower teams and individuals to focus on delivering outcomes that add value to our customers while having a thriving career.

The strategic business and organizational initiatives that I have been a part of have all required me to:

• Think and work across Fidelity, collaborating as one global team, leveraging and sharing learnings and best practices all along the way
• Challenge the status quo and focus on continuous improvement
• Leverage the unique perspectives brought in by talented leaders and individuals to identify and build innovative technology solutions to address business problems

Can you share your most cherished moment at Fidelity so far?

As an extended responsibility, I once strategized, conceptualized, and developed, along with a set of talented individuals, a cross-skilling program for a technology cohort. The technologists who were to take part in the program were sceptical of the effectiveness of the program as well as the ability to carve out bandwidth from their schedules to be a part of it.

Through thoughtful planning, collaboration, and effective execution, the program was a thumping success. However, what was most memorable for me was when some of the program’s highly successful participants approached and thanked me on different occasions, mentioning that the program had been a game-changer in their careers. It was so heart-warming to receive these appreciative comments, which inspired me to do even more in future on similar lines.

What is the best advice you have received as a professional?

I am fortunate to have had wonderful mentors and sponsors throughout my career which has helped me shape and grow my career. One of the best words of advice I have received is to constantly challenge myself at regular intervals to introspect and venture outside of my comfort zone. I am fortunate to have had multiple opportunities at Fidelity to take on stretch assignments or assume leadership responsibilities, which have helped me build new capabilities, hone my leadership skills, and expand my network within the organization.

What are some of the attributes you look for in a person you would want to hire for your team?

Excellent knowledge of the subject and an ability to articulate one’s thoughts fluently and with clarity and conviction are the basic qualities I look for.

In addition, I look for the following attributes:

• Eagerness to learn, as I believe skills can be taught if there is demonstrated passion and inquisitiveness
• Willingness to work and win along with the team and not be self-centered
• Ability to be flexible, adapt, and be reliable, dependable, and responsive

Describe a hurdle that you were proud of crossing.

I am not sure whether I should label the following aspect as a hurdle or an opportunity for improvement. However, early on in my career, one pivotal hurdle that I crossed was the determination to not limit myself by a narrow view of programs, initiatives, or roles I would be performing at any point of time. The ability to constantly take a step back at regular intervals and take a holistic look at my overarching goals at each stage has helped me move forward at a faster pace and positioned me well to take on bigger opportunities.

What is your favorite quote/saying?

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone.
But if you want to walk far, walk together.” – Ratan Tata

This quote is a personal favorite, and I draw my inspiration from it every single day.

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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