Rajeev Sharma: A Trailblazing Cto Leading The Convergence Of Business, Technology, & Innovation
Rajeev Sharma
CTO
Let's learn more about Rajeev's unique approach to leadership and technology innovation.
You possess over 30years of experience. What has been your path to success and what is your success mantra?
My life path is laced with amazing experiences passing through different careers. While each of these careers appears disparate, there is a consistent storyline that binds them all together: a story of relentless pursuit of learning, courage and determination under adversity, the traditional values of honesty, integrity and the highest order of professional competence at all times.
My success mantra is a mix of personal mastery through self-awareness, clarifying my life's purpose, and continuously learning and evolving professionally and personally. Intrinsically, I am self-driven and do not rely much on external stimuli for motivation. For me, the simple dictum is, 'The only way is through!' My inner propulsive power comes from the desire to share my learnings with others, build more leaders that can shape the destiny of any organization, and create a lasting impact on everything I touch. To achieve these aspirations my vehicle is Engineering and Technology and a business-first mindset is my raison d'etre.
How would you define Grid Dynamics as an organization and its position in the market?What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to clients?
The polite-yet-firm culture of our company means that opinions are respected, but it’s the data and facts that are valued over titles.
Our diverse global workforce of computer scientists, electrical engineers, mathe maticians, economists, physicists, chess players, and artists is fearless in expressing engineering opinions and obsessed with building solutions backed by data and structured hypotheses.
Our diverse global workforce of computer scientists, electrical engineers, mathe maticians, economists, physicists, chess players, and artists is fearless in expressing engineering opinions and obsessed with building solutions backed by data and structured hypotheses.
Tell us about your leadership approach. What are the guidelines or methodologies you follow to lead your team?
In my view, leadership has a paradox associated with it. One side is about personal accountability and professional competence (while avoiding the trap of dogma and conventional wisdom), and the other side is about leading the world outside and sculpting an audacious vision that fires up everyone around you and inspires them to push the boundaries of excellence.
In the army, I was trained to follow my subordinates and lead my superiors. This means I pay heed to people on the ground and remain connected to the brass tacks while supporting the upper echelons in making strategic decisions. As a leader, I speak with maturity, avoid ambiguity, and maintain professional decorum. Communication with my team is always simple and honest, without any pretense of knowing everything
Any great organization is an orchestra; an offshoot of people with exceptional skills, passion, and talent coming together to create something larger than themselves.
What is the future destination you are heading towards?
It's said that if you wish to measure the quality and impact of your life, look at the intensity of the problems you are solving. Over the past 30+ years, I've had a fulfilling journey
Our diverse global workforce of computer scientists, electrical engineers, mathe maticians, economists, physicists, chess players, and artists is fearless in expressing engineering opinions and obsessed with building solutions backed by data and structured hypotheses.
Our diverse global workforce of computer scientists, electrical engineers, mathe maticians, economists, physicists, chess players, and artists is fearless in expressing engineering opinions and obsessed with building solutions backed by data and structured hypotheses.
Any great organization is an orchestra; an offshoot of people with exceptional skills, passion, & talent coming together to create something larger than themselves
Tell us about your leadership approach. What are the guidelines or methodologies you follow to lead your team?
In my view, leadership has a paradox associated with it. One side is about personal accountability and professional competence (while avoiding the trap of dogma and conventional wisdom), and the other side is about leading the world outside and sculpting an audacious vision that fires up everyone around you and inspires them to push the boundaries of excellence.
In the army, I was trained to follow my subordinates and lead my superiors. This means I pay heed to people on the ground and remain connected to the brass tacks while supporting the upper echelons in making strategic decisions. As a leader, I speak with maturity, avoid ambiguity, and maintain professional decorum. Communication with my team is always simple and honest, without any pretense of knowing everything
Any great organization is an orchestra; an offshoot of people with exceptional skills, passion, and talent coming together to create something larger than themselves.
What is the future destination you are heading towards?
It's said that if you wish to measure the quality and impact of your life, look at the intensity of the problems you are solving. Over the past 30+ years, I've had a fulfilling journey
working on challenging engineering and business problems at an enterprise level. Looking ahead, my journey is far from over.
My immediate focus is on Grid Dynamics' GigaCube strategy and strengthening our 'follow-thesun' global engineering model. This entails achieving $1 billion in revenue through the confluence of three key geographies, three industry verticals, and the convergence of business, technology, and data. However, more than a mere numeric value, it’s about shaping the institutional frustum that propels our organization into the future. To accomplish this, I'm dedicated to building institutional capacity, establishing a robust ecosystem of solutions and accelerators in our Grid Dynamics Lab, implementing efficient processes, and investing in exceptional talent and R&D for emerging technologies.
Beyond that, I feel a calling to dedicate my time to writing, teaching, and engaging in my spiritual pursuits. I have many topics to explore; for example, the intersection of socio-economic political structures and their impact on technological innovation at both national and organizational levels. It’s also my desire to learn to play the saxophone!
What advice would you give to budding
industry leaders?
I would like to offer five valuable pieces of advice for aspiring industry leaders. Make continuous learning and reading a habit; Work hard, and ensure that you are dependable, especially when the chips are down picking up the gauntlet under adversity is where true leaders show their mettle; Allow others to shine and be comfortable with not knowing everything; Keep the company of exceptional people and exceptional inner thoughts. Your reality is what you create Roll with the punches. If success isn’t permanent, well, failure is a fleeting experience too.
These principles have worked well for me, but its important that youfind your own symphony.
Rajeev Sharma, Chief Technology Officer, Grid Dynamics
Rajeev Sharma, CTO at Grid Dynamics, is an expert in Building Intelligent Digital Products & Platforms. He was awarded the Scientist of the Year award for his work on the Design of Agni-III Solid Rocket Propulsion systems. Rajeev holds an SM in Management & Systems Design from MIT Sloan and a Master’s degree in Space Engineering & Rocketry from BIT, MESRA. He enjoys writing poetry and is a published author; his book titled “Intuitively Rational” was published in 2014.
My immediate focus is on Grid Dynamics' GigaCube strategy and strengthening our 'follow-thesun' global engineering model. This entails achieving $1 billion in revenue through the confluence of three key geographies, three industry verticals, and the convergence of business, technology, and data. However, more than a mere numeric value, it’s about shaping the institutional frustum that propels our organization into the future. To accomplish this, I'm dedicated to building institutional capacity, establishing a robust ecosystem of solutions and accelerators in our Grid Dynamics Lab, implementing efficient processes, and investing in exceptional talent and R&D for emerging technologies.
Beyond that, I feel a calling to dedicate my time to writing, teaching, and engaging in my spiritual pursuits. I have many topics to explore; for example, the intersection of socio-economic political structures and their impact on technological innovation at both national and organizational levels. It’s also my desire to learn to play the saxophone!
What advice would you give to budding
industry leaders?
I would like to offer five valuable pieces of advice for aspiring industry leaders. Make continuous learning and reading a habit; Work hard, and ensure that you are dependable, especially when the chips are down picking up the gauntlet under adversity is where true leaders show their mettle; Allow others to shine and be comfortable with not knowing everything; Keep the company of exceptional people and exceptional inner thoughts. Your reality is what you create Roll with the punches. If success isn’t permanent, well, failure is a fleeting experience too.
These principles have worked well for me, but its important that youfind your own symphony.
Rajeev Sharma, Chief Technology Officer, Grid Dynamics
Rajeev Sharma, CTO at Grid Dynamics, is an expert in Building Intelligent Digital Products & Platforms. He was awarded the Scientist of the Year award for his work on the Design of Agni-III Solid Rocket Propulsion systems. Rajeev holds an SM in Management & Systems Design from MIT Sloan and a Master’s degree in Space Engineering & Rocketry from BIT, MESRA. He enjoys writing poetry and is a published author; his book titled “Intuitively Rational” was published in 2014.