Chithra V
Chennai
Summary
Dynamic Technology Executive with 20+ years experience leading product development, engineering teams, and strategic technology initiatives. Proven expertise in scaling engineering operations, delivering innovative products, and driving AI adoption. Known for leading cross-functional teams, improving delivery velocity, and enhancing customer experience. Skilled in stakeholder management, strategic visioning, and executing under pressure in fast-paced environments.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Engineering
Freshworks (Freshservice)
Chennai
04.2023 - Current
- Led a team of 80+ engineers, improving retention by 95% and scaling by 15% annually
- Develop and execute the overall technology strategy and enhancements, ensuring alignment with business goals and industry trends
- Oversee product milestones, deployment cycles, and overall product roadmap
- Organized a company-wide hackathon in 2023, fostering innovation and collaboration across engineering teams
- Mentoring engineers as part of the Women Leadership Mentoring Program, contributing to the professional growth and advancement of women in tech leadership
- Increased release frequency by 20%, delivering 8 quarterly releases on time with a 95% on-time delivery rate
- Collaborate with product management and architecture teams to deliver market-leading products
- Achieved 30% reduction in production defects and 95% Unit test coverage for core components
- Drive AI strategy by integrating AI capabilities to address business challenges
- Spearheaded AI integrations, driving a 25% efficiency increase in operational workflows
- Delivered large-scale initiatives like Dubai region onboarding and EKS cluster upgrade, adhering to tight deadlines and budget constraints.
Sr. Engineering Manager
Freshworks (Freshservice)
Chennai
10.2019 - 04.2023
- Team Leadership & Growth: Started managing 2 squads of 10 engineers across functions and successfully scaled to manage 5 squads with 50 engineers, fostering a 20% growth in team members and motivating cross-functional collaboration
- Architected and delivered key product features, driving increased product adoption
- Led project planning and prioritization, optimizing agile development practices
- Conducted performance evaluations and provided mentorship to team leaders and engineers
- Designed and implemented engineering processes, ensuring adherence to best software development practices
- Managed technical concerns through code reviews and status reporting, reducing bug resolution time by 35% and lowering P0/P1 incidents by 50%
- Recognized for motivating engineers during company-wide hackathons, winning 2 hackathons.
Senior Manager
Tata Communications Ltd
04.2016 - 10.2019
- Managed integration of external APIs and developed the architecture for in-house tools
- Improved ITIL-based processes, increasing workflow efficiency by 20%
- Customized Salesforce workflows, optimizing third-party integrations and service delivery.
Technical Consultant
Self-Employed
10.2011 - 04.2016
- Created and led the development of a Learning Management System (LMS), consumed by corporates in the learning industry, improving corporate training effectiveness by 25%
- Delivered E-commerce and web applications using open-source frameworks, with a 95% customer satisfaction rate
- Customized and configured Salesforce to meet business needs, optimizing sales workflows and service delivery.
Project Lead
Lister Technologies
12.2009 - 10.2011
- Led a 14-member team for application delivery
- Developed a comprehensive Aggregator processing system
- Implemented quality control processes, improving case closure rates.
Development Manager
Sify Technologies Ltd
04.2007 - 12.2009
- Managed a 20-member team, improving change management and tracking, and achieving 100% resource retention
- Introduced a streamlined onboarding program, reducing production readiness cycle from 8 weeks to 3 weeks
- Achieved 40% productivity savings through process optimization.
Education
Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration -
Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA)
Master of Computer Applications -
Madras University
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics -
Madras University
Skills
- Technology Leadership & Strategy
- AI & Machine Learning Integration
- Digital Transformation & Innovation
- Agile Methodologies & Project Management
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Stakeholder Engagement Strategies
- Product Roadmap & Delivery
- Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement
- ITIL
- System Architecture
- Continuous integration
Personal Information
Title: Director of Engineering, Freshworks (Freshservice)
Awards
- ACE Award - Collaboration at Tata Communications Ltd
- Blue Ribbon Award - Innovation & Creativity at Tata Communications Ltd
- Individual Recognition Award - Excellence at Sify
Websites
Timeline
Director of Engineering
Freshworks (Freshservice)
04.2023 - Current
Sr. Engineering Manager
Freshworks (Freshservice)
10.2019 - 04.2023
Senior Manager
Tata Communications Ltd
04.2016 - 10.2019
Technical Consultant
Self-Employed
10.2011 - 04.2016
Project Lead
Lister Technologies
12.2009 - 10.2011
Development Manager
Sify Technologies Ltd
04.2007 - 12.2009
Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration -
Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA)
Master of Computer Applications -
Madras University
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics -
Madras University
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