Allison Arandez on Opportunity, Confidence, and a New Era for Women in Tech
Allison Arandez didn’t set out to build a career in HR technology. Like so many of the best stories, it started with a nudge. A new payroll system needed implementing. It was added to her job. And somewhere between the spreadsheets and the system screens, Allison discovered something important about herself: she didn’t just like […]
Chris Collins on Sliding Doors, SAP, and Never Narrowing Your World
It only takes a moment. A lift that isn’t delayed. A bus that arrives on time. A lecturer walking down the same corridor at exactly the right second. For Christopher Collins, that moment happened during his Masters of IT at QUT — and it quietly shaped the next 20+ years of his life. “If my […]
Amitya Sharma on Golf, Grace, and Getting Back Up Again
“You don’t forget the days you felt like giving up. But you remember the quiet voice inside you that said, ‘Try again.’” When you speak with Amitya Sharma, you don’t immediately hear grand declarations or big, boisterous opinions. What you hear is steadiness. A calm voice. A patient pause before every answer. But behind that […]
Bala Lakshmanan on Building with Grit, Grace, and Foundations You Can’t Always See
Not all foundations are visible. Some of the strongest ones lie underground—unseen, uncelebrated, but absolutely essential. Balachandar “Bala” Lakshmanan knows this deeply—not just as a mechanical engineer and SAP expert, but as a person who has built his life, career, and sense of purpose from quiet strength, deep humility, and the contributions of many. A […]
Saurabh Kerkar on Showing Up, Staying Grounded, and Leading with Quiet Strength
He was never the loudest in the room. But he always stayed. Long before Saurabh Kerkar led complex ERP rollouts, he was standing on people’s doorsteps in the scorching heat of Mumbai, asking for donations. It was his first job in India—door-to-door charity work—and it built him for the future and taught him something that […]
