Shilpa Kulkarni

I would say it's never giving up, because everybody in life gets ups and downs. I came from India, and when I came here, I got married and didn't have a job, and that bothered me for a couple of months. But I always wanted to be independent, financially independent, so that if I can take care of myself, then I can take care of others. That was always a driving force for me. I attribute my success to very good mentors, a supporting family, and having that driving force to do better, to be independent, to make an impact in society. You can't do it just by having one thing. You need a very supportive family. I've been fortunate to have that supportive system around me, whether it's my in-laws, my parents, always pushing, motivating me to do better, never seeking me with some limitations. I went to pursue higher education outside of India, and we were middle class. In my family, nobody had gone, so I was the first. My husband is very supportive. And then mentors - you need to have the right career mentors. In every organization that you work for, try to seek mentors and make connections. And then listen to your heart, listen to your instinct. There will be people saying thousands of things to you, but deep within, you know your instinct, you know your personality, what makes you happy. Go with that, and the rest will fall in place. I had a mentor tell me when I was considering a job change that came with a 50-mile drive but a bigger promotion - he asked, 'Do you want to do that? Forget about everything, whether it is 50 miles, how will your child feel, how will your husband feel. Do you want to do that?' And I said yes, I want to do that. He said, 'Do it, everything else will one day fall in place.' Within one year, a lot of things fell in place. Don't think you can fix everything or have a solution for everything. Do the right thing, listen to your inner voice, and slowly things fall in place.

The best career advice I ever received was from a mentor when I was considering a job change. I had an opportunity that came with a 50-mile drive, but it also came with a bigger jump and promotion. I had a young daughter at the time, and I asked my mentor, 'Should I do that?' He said, 'Do you want to do that? Forget about everything, whether it is 50 miles, how will your child feel, how will your husband feel. Do you want to do that?' When I forgot about everything else, I realized yes, I want to do that. He said, 'Do it, everything else will one day fall in place.' And within one year, a lot of things fell in place, and I jumped onto it. I think you should take the path. Don't think you can fix everything, you cannot have a solution for everything. Do the right thing, you know, you have your inner voice. Listen to that, and slowly things fall in place.

Listen to everybody - they all mean well and they're supportive - but somewhere down the line, you know yourself. So listen to everybody, do what makes you happy, be independent, and try to make an impact in society. You need a very supportive family, the right career mentors, and that driving force to do better, to be independent. In every organization that you work for, try to seek mentors and make connections. And then listen to your heart, listen to your instinct. There will be people saying thousands of things to you, but deep within, you know your instinct, you know your personality, what makes you happy. Go with that, and the rest will fall in place. Don't think you can fix everything or have a solution for everything. Do the right thing, listen to your inner voice, and slowly things fall in place. Also, you've got to take care of your health, otherwise nothing will be possible. All dreams will stay as dreams. Whether you want to take care of your kids or excel in your job, all that comes with physical and mental ability to be able to do that, to be able to stretch, to be able to think rationally when you have to make decisions.

The biggest opportunity and challenge in AI and technology right now is the incredible pace of change. Whatever we create this week, if we haven't rolled it out, it may become obsolete in another week. It's so fast moving. One day we have used a certain tool or created a tool, but then there is something in the market that we want to utilize and combine, so we have to redo it. I'm seeing a big transition within the last year that I've joined, because 2024, 2025, 2026 has seen a leap in terms of technology and what AI can do. Before that, I think everybody had heard about AI and was trying a few things here and there, maybe pilot projects, but the last year has been transitional within the organization. When I joined, it seemed manageable, but then the more I get into it, the more exciting it becomes. The kind of work we have accomplished within the last year is very, very great. The pace that we work at is awe-inspiring on a daily basis.

The most important values to me are independence, making an impact in society, and never giving up. I always wanted to be financially independent so that if I can take care of myself, then I can take care of others. That's been a driving force for me from seeing inequalities - female versus male in society. I always questioned why things couldn't be equal, like why a girl gets married and goes with a boy, why can't it be the other way around? These basic questions bothered me, so I tried to be prepared and be more independent. I also value listening to my instinct and doing what makes me happy. You know your personality, what makes you yourself happy. I listen to everybody, but somewhere down the line, you know yourself. I also deeply value having a supportive family and good mentors. I've been fortunate to have a supportive system around me, whether it's my in-laws, my parents, or my husband, always pushing and motivating me to do better, never limiting me. And I value taking care of my health, both physical and mental, because without that, nothing will be possible. All dreams will stay as dreams.