Ranjana Deopa, COO, Biz Divas Foundation in conversation with Uma Ratnam Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Shared Services (BSS) India.
Uma Ratnam Krishnan is the Chief Executive Officer of BSS India. She joined Barclays in June 2015 as the Head of Finance, India and took on the role of CEO in 2016.
Uma has a diverse experience and started her professional life as a diplomat with the Indian Foreign Service. A degree in Business Management in Finance and Marketing from IIM Bangalore followed and she started her career in financial services. Having spent most of her the time in commercial roles for ANZ Grindlays Bank, HDFC Bank and more recently RBS in India and the UK, she also had a brief entrepreneurial stint as CEO of a Business Services start up for a financial services technology company.
Uma combines strong customer and commercial skills with Process, Lean and Operational Management. She has been a part of senior leadership teams over many years in India and the UK and has worked across functions and geographies.
She is well networked with industry forums like Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Nasscom. She is a strong champion of diversity and mentors young adults in her free time. She is also an avid fitness and outdoor enthusiast with a love for the mountains.
1. You are a role model for many working women. We would like to know more about your journey as a Career woman as well as your personal journey?
As a student I always wanted to make a difference through effective policy making. I completed my BA in Economics and then joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), with my first posting being in Paris. After a stint of two years I enrolled into the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) for an MBA. I got my first placement with ANZ Grindlays, and after having spent most of my time in commercial roles for ANZ Grindlays Bank, HDFC Bank and more recently RBS in India and the UK, I had a brief entrepreneurial stint as CEO of a Business Services start-up for a financial services technology company. I joined Barclays in 2015 as the Head of Finance, India and took on the role of CEO in 2016.
2. You are working as an Independent Director on Boards, how has the board experience been so far and what is your advice to aspiring Board Members.
For me, being a board buy generic zithromax us member is quite an enriching experience as one gets to learn from so many different business leaders from diverse backgrounds. It makes me feel responsible towards people whose lives would be affected by the decisions we make. For aspiring board members, I can say that stretching your mind, and of course understanding one’s statutory responsibilities are essential to do this job well. Adaptability, coupled with the consciousness to do the right thing are, in my opinion, the two most important attributes to imbibe and practice.
3. What have been the key challenges faced by you during your career and how did you overcome them.
When I look back on my career a few key themes stand out – did I take the right decision about the opportunities in front of me (you go with some, you say no to some), whether I believed I was good enough to do the next bigger job and live up to its requirements, and have I learnt from failures and was I resilient enough to keep going. Working in different cultures, and being comfortable in doing so, also brought its own set of challenges. Always getting to the real issue and seeing it in perspective, being authentic and calling on my mentors and those I trust, have helped me get through the challenges during different phases of my career.
4. Who have been your role models/ mentors / supporters in your journey and what roles have they played in your success.
My earliest supporters were my parents who gave me the freedom and the opportunity to go where I wanted to so that I could fulfil my potential and break the barriers that came along the way. In my choice of a life partner I realised I chose a very important ally for my career. My husband is a true example of #HeforShe and supported me even when we had some very difficult decisions to make about our careers. Lastly, a few of my colleagues and managers who believed in me and were willing to bet on me for a role or who were there for me as sounding boards when I had a tough situation at work. And of course my friends and family members who have been there when I needed their help to deal with some of the challenging situations that are part of being a working mother.
