Mastering DigiTech to enhance Financial Services
Devakumar Bendukuri’s role is crucial to the two sectors that drive the modern world – Software & Finance. He’s currently a Senior Manager at Capital One, Illinois, USA. A seasoned IT leader in the financial services industry, Devakumar is a Software Solutions Architect and Project Manager with 18+ years of experience in implementing complex software applications for Fortune 500 companies.
“I am deeply passionate about contributing to organizational goals through servant leadership and solving people’s problems. The idea that programming or automation can help in overcoming some of the hurdles and help in business growth gives me immense happiness,” he says.
Devakumar’s journey began as a standout student in middle school when he was first introduced to the world of computer programming. From dabbling with FORTRAN and intrigued by ‘giving commands’ to a machine with a few lines of code in C++, his fascination for Computer Science and its advancements led him to pursue his undergraduate and graduate degrees in the same field.
His technologist career started with his first job at Capgemini India and continued with moving to the USA on various assignments. In the US, he joined HSBC Household Financial Corporation where he was involved in projects to improve the experience of handling title policy audits and streamline the processing of mortgage applications. Landing opportunities with Discover Financial Services and Capital One – two of the top financial institutions, accelerated his journey into project management and technology leadership.
Diligent and sharp, Devakumar won multiple Star Performer Awards while at Capgemini. He was the winner of Capital Communicators Club Speech Contest in 2019; runner-up at District30 Toastmasters International Speech Contest in 2019; and winner of the Circle of Excellence Award by Capital One in 2022. He has also been recognized for judging events like Business Intelligence Group Awards for Cyber Security and Sustainability, and Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards.
Further, he is a part of ToastMasters International and serves as an industry judge for recognizing experts, people, and products that meet the growing demand for technological excellence.
In that sense, Devakumar identifies as a tiger in the rat race. The drive for excellence and ‘doing the right thing’ fuels his inner desire to be bold and confident. He is also good at crisis management especially while leading critical projects. Learning from problems and imparting the knowledge gained from experiences drives his leadership style.
“The definition of a leader is to ‘guide and bring forth’. A true leader should help team members to build on their superpowers and channel their energies through mentorship and guidance. Servant leadership helps in building highly motivated teams and elevates the team members, including the leader himself.”
One of Devakumar’s biggest strengths is leading team members from diverse cultures and helping them bring their ideas together to create world class software applications. Providing opportunities for team members to excel by conducting hackathons, quizzes, and leading learning cohorts, provides him an opportunity to exhibit his leadership skills and share his knowledge.
On the other hand, he himself draws inspiration from charismatic leaders who have been a part of his journey. Hearing customer stories and experiences and the support provided during hard times also provides him satisfaction in the role of making their lives a bit better.
How does he face the challenges of such a dynamic industry, we ask Devakumar. “As an alien to a foreign land I had to overcome the challenges of sustaining in the rapidly changing world of technology and business. The advancement of new technologies and shifts from traditional ways of project management was a double-edged sword. Embarking into critical and time-sensitive projects and seeking new challenges helped in staying with the current trends and technologies.”
With hard-work, sincerity, and dedication, Devakumar overcame every obstacle. Today, his primary role is to provide solutions to critical business problems and lead initiatives for business growth of an organization while maintaining its ethical standards. His specialization is in providing highly secure and resilient batch processing systems which adhere to high standards of security required in the financial industry, streamlining business processes, and maximizing operational efficiency.
A strategic leader on a promising trajectory, Devakumar leaves us with a message for our readers: “In the technological paradigm shift from basic programming languages to advanced generative AI tools, education, knowledge, and experience play a key role in driving critical projects. As leaders and technologists, the need for embracing change and encouraging team members to experiment without ‘fear of failure’ has become an essential trait. Customer experience has become the quintessential standard of any successful software project, while improved collaboration between technology and product has become the need of the hour. Giving back to the community – through high school coding programs like Capital Coders and community shelter programs like PADS help in connecting with the human side of any leader. An empathetic leader always molds the minds of the younger generation.”