Sukshma Rajagopalan
Head of GTM Products & Technology
ServiceNow
Sukshma Rajagopalan is the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Lamb Weston, a $5.3B, 9,000+ employees global manufacturing company for frozen foods and potatoes. She has over 25+ years of experience leading various technology functions, global teams and large scale transformation programs.
Sukshma grew up in Madras, a coastal city in South East India. In her spare time, she is a classical dancer proficient in the dance form called Bharathanatyam, she loves to travel and she would like to visit almost every country on every continent.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I discovered my love for technology during my Masters program (MBA). What attracted me to this space was the ever changing landscape; impact it has on the people, company and community; and opportunity to work with a diverse set of stakeholders. I started as an intern and had a variety of technology roles starting with infrastructure to business solutions, data, cyber, digital enterprise and large scale transformation programs. I have worked in CPG most of my career. I was lucky to be part of great companies like PepsiCo and Kraft that created opportunities to learn, lead and build the breadth of knowledge that led me to my current role as a CIDO. My passion is to build and enable high functioning teams.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Connect with empathy, Lead with compassion; Integrity is non-negotiable; Courage and transparency builds character and trust.
What is the greatest challenge CIOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
Some of the greatest challenges technology leaders must address are showing the value of technology in driving business growth, attracting and retaining the right talent post Covid, macro economics and geo-political volatility.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?
To be a success CIO, one must understand the business and the impact a CIO can have on the business, build relationships with the C-Suite peers, earn the trust of the team through clear and transparent communication and have alignment with the Board on the strategy and investments required – especially in areas like Cyber Security, Data and AI.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Setting a clear vision and distinct goals, building trust and fostering innovation and accountability.
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
I enjoy being a part of a broader community in my functional area to share, learn and give back. It creates a sense of purpose and builds relationships.
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