If ever there is a biography written on her, I would title it as – The Bookworm & The Sportsman. It will be about how the bookworm with ‘positivity in her DNA’ climbs the career ladder higher and beyond guided by the tenet that her sportsman husband follows – ‘dust off and get back on track’ if you stumble. Sarada Vishnubhatla finds out what makes up Sonal Ramrakhiani, the leader who is currently the COO – Americas, Tata Technologies and comes away impressed!
Exposure to different regions, people, and cultures across India in her formative years came by courtesy her father’s career as an IAS officer. And that is why Sonal has never met a stranger – be it then or now.
She reminisces: “Interacting with intellectually forward people helped develop a certain worldview in me. Since we moved so much, I learnt that I thrive on taking on new challenges and because of that I have evolved as a person.”
Born in April 1975, Sonal was always the quintessential bookworm through her school and college years and highly appreciated by her teachers. Yet, she also participated in extracurricular activities including theatre, swimming and organized cultural festivals with equal enthusiasm. A biochemistry graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, Sonal topped both her college and the university the final year and received the Vikram Sarabhai award for all round excellence. She finished her MBA in General Management in 1999.
It is her father’s positivity and inspiration that Sonal has imbibed in abundance and it is what she has always shared unconditionally with her co-workers and teams throughout her career in different companies of the Tata Group – be it her first job with the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in 1999, or in her current role as the COO – Americas in Tata Technologies to handle new markets since 2016, and every other job she has held in the Tata companies in between.
Sonal accepted her current role in 2016 and threw herself in the task of taking Tata Technologies forward in the North American markets. Like any other woman professional, Sonal also juggles with her work and familial responsibilities both back in India and now in the US: “I was in TCS for the most of my kids’ childhood and the backup system was always there. There was always someone to pitch in when your kids are unwell or something. But in the US, my husband and I have learned that we are, more or less, our own support system. So, we both align our work calendars and do our best.”
In life, it is the lows more than the highs – whether in profession or in general – that teach new aspects of one’s personality. And Sonal has learnt to handle it by following her husband’s ‘dust off and get back on track’ attitude. She relates: “In academics, the results are always binary. You either top the class or you do not. But in sports, you can lose a match but still can win the championship. So even if I feel emotional about a loss, I apply my husband’s tenet and rise back up. And he has always championed and encouraged me to grow.”
It is her inherent ‘people connect’ skill and belief in her instincts that has helped Sonal succeed in her career: “An individual and a team cannot be mutually exclusive. My own belief is that it is always the team that wins and loses together.” And for sure, Sonal is an enthralling combination of being a strong leader and a reliable team player!