At Kindred, we are passionate about Diversity and are committed to building a diverse team with an Inclusive and Equitable experience for all. We spoke to Prathiba Sadagopan, who has recently been promoted to Platform Development manager about her career and her thoughts on women in business.
Tell us about your career at Kindred?
In June of 2018, I joined Kindred as a Line lead to take care of two awesome teams in Development. Kindred culture is what brought me here and it is what makes working here an absolute pleasure. I take joy in building trust and bringing people to work closely together across the company. The people here are very friendly and easy to talk to. The teams have changed a lot since my joining, people have grown and taken on new responsibilities
The teams have grown with the business and have taken on new responsibilities, so I have had to set up new teams from scratch and by splitting up existing teams without losing the essence of what made these teams great. With the introduction of the hub and spoke experience model, there has been a need to transform the teams to take on more of an end to end ownership of the customer journeys within the team – this required transforming the developers to take on full-stack responsibilities.
There have been innumerable challenges to face and conquer along the way. Now a new journey has started for me from July 2021 with taking on the Platform Development Manager role in Stockholm. The responsibility that comes with this role is very wide and I am trying my best to excel at it as it unfolds. My amazing line managers in Stockholm and Serbia will work together with their development teams to drive the company strategy forward. Together we will shape the platform to deliver on the market needs.
Tell us about yourself, what do you like to do when you are not working?
I enjoy everything my nine-year-old girl likes to do with me because it means spending time with her. Reading books is something I have in common with her, so we spend hours doing that. I am learning to play the piano along with her and we are also into gardening this summer. What I do outside of work depends a lot on what my girl, my husband and I decide to do together as a family. I have a few weekly calls with close friends and keep in touch with my family on daily basis. As part of my alumni network, I also love to stay in touch and contribute to my alma mater.
What is the best thing about your job?
The best thing about Kindred is that everyone is genuinely trying to do the right thing – both for the customer and for the Company. People are logical and listen to reason and, when you have an explanation, people get on board with the idea and then wonderful things happen. Here we get the people who have the best knowledge and interest about a certain topic to make the relevant decisions. Working in this environment, I can be myself. I enjoy being in a place where people, technology, and strategy intersect, which makes my role interesting for me.
One of our values is Dare To Challenge. What does that mean to you?
To be a role model for the next generation: to show that they can do anything they set their minds to and to inspire bravery in their hearts, I need to be courageous myself. I need to stop being ok with staying in my comfort zone and walk the narrow path few choose to walk in. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. If I want to challenge my little girl or my team members to get out of their shells and take the next step, I first will need to measure up to the same standard. So, for me “Dare to Challenge” simply put is – challenge yourself continually and then keep challenging others to be the best they can be.
What is the biggest challenge you have overcome in your career so far?
Maintaining the balance between work, family and my interests. When I take on new opportunities at work, it requires time to explore, learn and gain expertise. So, I alternate between periods of learning and performing to be able to focus on different aspects of my life.
What do you think needs to improve to get more women into senior positions in business?
I believe in starting small and influencing for positive change in the immediate circle. Look for women in your close network, encourage them, mentor them and help them grow. Don’t wait for them to reach out and ask for help take the first step. To make a difference to an entire generation, we can start by helping a few in our circles right now!
If you could give one piece of advice to other women looking to progress up the career ladder, what would it be?
Stop second-guessing yourself when you get a chance to try something new. If you try something new, you will learn from it and by doing that continuously, you keep adding to your toolbox and skillset. It may not be easy, and you will definitely not be in your comfort zone but do it anyway! Take on new opportunities give it your best shot and suddenly you will find that you will be the most qualified person for that next step up the ladder.
