Her Story
About Pallavi
I've been in the IT industry for over 32 years, spanning three decades of continuous evolution and learning. I started off as an engineer coding, and over the years I've moved through various different roles including technical account management, product management, and now I serve as a senior director of product data science. In my current role, I lead a team of data scientists and machine learning engineers to build an automation platform using Gen AI. One of my most notable achievements has been leading my team to turn a company from negative revenue to upwards of $10 million in a year. I've really seen tech change so drastically over these decades, and through continuous learning, I keep myself up to date on the latest in technology. I've also started exploring Gen AI, which represents the exciting frontier of our field right now.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Pallavi
01What do you attribute your success to?
What has made me so successful is passion and hard work. Passion towards learning has been key. I believe in working hard and working smarter - you can do whatever you wish to achieve. I don't let myself get stale, and I stay committed to continuous learning throughout my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received is don't think about the title, and just do hard work. Hard work basically pays off. You work hard and you work smarter, and you can do whatever you wish to achieve. The key is to be a lifelong learner and not let yourself get stale.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
In this fast-paced tech culture, it's tempting to want to skip straight to titles like directors and seniors and VPs, but the grunt work is not a distraction - it's a foundation to your future leadership. My advice would be don't be afraid to make a lateral move. Don't panic if stepping into a new department feels like starting over. For example, in my case, I moved from engineering to account management to program management, so it isn't a detour. It's how you build a foundation. Embrace being a beginner again, because that's where real growth happens.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that the tech field is changing so fast. You just have to keep catching up with it, especially with AI coming up - it can get very overwhelming. But at the same time, it is a very interesting time. Instead of staying closed off, be open-minded about it and adopt AI. Figure out how it's going to work best for you and for your organization. It is very interesting and amazing at this point where we are.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are empathy, hard work, and collaboration. As a single contributor doesn't work in our field - you have to be a collaborator. Working together as a team is essential to success in what I do.
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