Ramachandran Meenakshisundaram: Unlocking the Real Potential of Technology in Business through Disruptive Approach

Virtusa is a global provider of digital business strategy, digital engineering, and information technology (IT) services and solutions that help clients change, disrupt, and unlock new value through innovative engineering. The company serves Global 2000 organizations in Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Communications, Media, Entertainment, Travel, Manufacturing, and Technology industries.

Virtusa helps clients grow their business with innovative products and services that create operational efficiency using digital labor, future-proof operational and IT platforms, and rationalization and modernization of IT applications infrastructure. This is achieved through a unique approach blending deep contextual expertise, empowered agile teams, and measurably better engineering to create holistic solutions that drive the business forward at unparalleled velocity enabled by a culture of cooperative disruption.

A Go-To Technology Expert 

Ramachandran Meenakshisundaram is the Chief Technology Officer of Virtusa Corporation. Prior to this, he was with Cognizant for over 15 years as head of Delivery and Growth markets. During his tenure, Ramachandran was leading multiple business units across diverse, global teams to drive tech transformation. He was also the delivery head for Life Sciences, Information, Media, and Entertainment verticals, and an SBU leader in their Banking and Financial Services vertical.

As the CTO of Virtusa Corporation, Ramachandran is responsible for leading Lines of Service, including technology strategy and solutions, building digital competencies and capabilities, and working with Virtusa's alliance group to enable partner solutions.

Denting the Universe with Digital Transformation

A few key aspects that have shaped the course of Ramachandran's experience across organizations are complex engagements that required lateral thinking. He recalls that while working on several new and emerging technologies, Ramachandran ideated the best possible outcome. According to Ramachandran, multifaceted engagements that allowed him to witness the power of tech transformation on a real-time basis have been pivotal in shaping his journey over the years and continue to do so.

Filling the Void Between Business and Technology

Ramachandran says that working with several cross-functional teams, the fundamental challenge was to bring business perspectives into technology solutions. While business and technology are two faces of the same coin in the area Virtusa operate and integrating them in order to tie in with the overall organizational goal was a challenge in the initial days.

Executives should have a Strategic Frame of Mind

What really stands out in budding tech talent is their ability to think outside the box, a curious bent of mind, a willingness to learn, and being solution-oriented, claims Ramachandran. The rapid transformation in the technology space requires people to have a keen eye for innovative solutions, envision the future of technology from a holistic view, and execute viable solutions to meet the end goal.  

In Ramachandran's opinion, technologies such as AI, IoT, etc. provide immense opportunities for tech to be deployed at scale in newer areas of business, sometimes completely disrupting the existing businesses. A strong leader should possess the ability to leverage technology and create viable opportunities.  

Having said that, he adds that a strategic frame of mind to preempt future requirements is the very core of a successful executive. Ramachandran claims that strategic foresight plays a key role in integrating customer requirements with the overall organizations' values to deliver the best outcome from a long-term perspective.

The Digital Backbone Across Business Operations 

Ramachandran remarks that Virtusa helps businesses scale by combining deep industry expertise and frictionless technology delivery. In order to drive transformation business change, the company leverages its Digital Transformation Studio to deliver deep digital engineering and industry expertise through client-specific and integrated agile scrum teams.

Ramachandran avows that at the heart of it, Virtusa aims to drive a meaningful transformation journey for its clients at the pace of a startup, while ensuring expert execution on a global scale. He highlights that the company supports industries in Banking and Financial Services, Healthcare, Lifesciences, Information Sciences, Travel, and Hospitality to reimagine their strategy with the help of its robust tech acumen.

Inclusive Leadership as a Catalyst to Organizational Success 

Key technological advancements like AI, ML, IoT, and Big Data are vital drivers of the business, states Ramachandran. While they pave way for information processing and help make crucial business decisions, they also play an integral in shaping the overall strategy of a company.  

Speaking on the role of a leader, Ramachandra says, leadership has gained a broader perspective in the past decade. Leaders play the role of a mentor, working in collaboration with the team with a more people-centric approach. He adds that the true spirit of a leader is seen in the way they enable teams to work as one cohesive unit to achieve larger organizational goals. Today's leader is seen as a person who fosters collaboration, innovation, and overall development of their team.

Envisioning a Bright Future 

Ramachandran envisions Virtusa and the industry at large as a strong digital player, helping its customers through their digital transformation. He concludes by saying that being customer-centric, the industry will be aptly led by digital adoption by all segments of customers.