Aparna Srigiriraju

Applied Technology Services Delivery Manager

India

Aparna Srigiriraju, a mechanical engineer and management graduate by training, lives and works in her hometown of Hyderabad. Since a young age she has been involved in the arts, as a dancer and singer. She has a passion for Bharatanatyam dance which she has been doing since she was a young child and has been lucky enough to travel to the USA to perform and share Indian culture through dance and music. She is a very active person who loves playing sports with her daughters, particularly badminton, and has played volleyball at a high standard. She has worked with NTT DATA since July 2021 and is currently a Service Delivery Manager in the Applied Technologies department.

Uniquely special and supportive integration into a workplace I fell in love with.

Tell us about an interesting project

Although my background and experience were well suited to working in the Applied Technology Services department, I wasn't expecting my first significant project to be as challenging as it was. I was charged with managing a delivery project for a large sporting brand that was in a critical state in terms of escalations. The project deliverables were not on track to give the customer what they wanted. However, with the support of my excellent team we were able to get back on track. This freed up time for me to better understand the client's needs such as their expectations, their resources, and the key areas of focus of the overall well-being of the project. I'm happy to say that the project is a success, which I put down to teamwork and a very supportive attitude from all involved.

Describe a regular working day

As I joined NTT DATA during the pandemic lockdowns, I was like everyone else working from home. However, these days I go to the office every day. I love the personal contact of the stand-out daily interactions and thrive on the unique office environment. So, for me it's much better to be around people than to work solo at home. In that way I'm grateful to be able to have the full office experience.

Moreover, people in our office are a very sociable bunch. We have two social groups that I am involved in. One is called Nchant, which means enchanting, and it provides opportunities for social and cultural events that we can all get immersed in. The other is called Ndure, which refers to endurance or sports activities. As I mentioned, I'm quite a sporty person, so I love this group.

Why did you choose to work at NTT DATA?

I took a break from work for about 10 years to raise my daughters. Then in 2021 I decided I'd like to get back into the workforce. I researched several options and spoke to a number of my friends to get their advice about where I should apply. The name NTT DATA kept coming up as a special place that is welcoming and supportive, so I decided to apply with them and was successful in my application. On reflection, the reputation NTT DATA has as a unique and welcoming place to work is entirely justified.

At first, I was apprehensive about what working life would be like, given that I was out of the workforce for 10 years. However, I found that NTT DATA, particularly the Head of People for APAC and my Vice President who heads the Business Unit were instrumental in my successful integration into the company and very supportive of me at every step. What I quickly realized is that the people at NTT DATA are not just exceptions to the norm when it comes to being encouraging and supportive, they are unique in their exceptional support. I think I made the best choice possible for me.