Her Story
About Purna
Purna Rajdeo serves as Senior Manager of Enterprise Data and Business Intelligence at BECU, the Boeing Employee Credit Union, a credit union based in Seattle, Washington. In this role, she oversees enterprise data provision for analytics teams and business units, supporting business intelligence, analytics, AI, and ML initiatives while managing a major migration from legacy systems to a modern cloud platform. She collaborates with stakeholders to identify data needs and gaps, creates data models for teams such as marketing and digital analytics, and ensures data supports organizational priorities. Rajdeo brings 15 to 20 years of experience in the data field, having begun her career as a UI and back-end developer before transitioning into data roles approximately 18 to 20 years ago while working at a consulting firm. She advanced into management positions 13 to 14 years ago, where she leads teams by example and mentors others. Originally trained as a mechanical engineer, she started as a design engineer in India before pivoting to IT roles, including work at CGI, as an independent contractor, at Earthlink, and as Director of Data Engineering at Republic National Distribution Company. Her approach emphasizes empathy, integrity, commitment, and a focus on diligent work, and she attributes success to prioritizing tasks with the greatest organizational impact. She previously participated in Women in Technology and volunteers with YMSL, Meals by Grace, local daycares, and park cleanups.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Purna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I always believe that one needs to focus on the work that we do, and do not worry about the outcome, it will follow. If you do your work diligently, success will follow. It's your integrity, your commitment, and your attitude to your work that matters.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Always make sure that you speak your mind and do not hesitate in asking questions.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
People are willing to help those who help themselves, so always make an effort to do your work diligently, sincerely. Demonstrate a willingness to learn, mentor, be eager to learn new things. Take ownership of the work that you're assigned, and growth will follow.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
A lot of business users want a lot of things to get done, and it's always very scattered. The most difficult part is to get those priorities right, because everybody wants to get everything done. But realistically, you can only get a few done, so having that insight into what would be the most impactful work and the best use of your or your team's time, and then prioritizing that accordingly.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
To be empathetic. Everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes. So I always am empathetic towards my own team members when things don't go as planned. I extend some grace to the team, as well as to myself, because mistakes are our greatest pieces, right? We learn from your mistakes, and as long as you don't commit that same mistake again, you'll only grow from there.
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