“So long, and thanks for all the fish!”

Close to 4 years ago, I joined this great place called Thoughtworks. Today, I look back and remember the values that first amazed me when I joined the company - pursuit of excellence, being inclusive, people first - process next, being courageous, passionate, and curious. I’m still baffled by how an organisation can preserve and practice these foundational values yet continue to grow at an exponential rate. 

ThoughtWorks has had this effect right at the beginning,  the interview process is extremely illuminating and helps build the necessary bridges between individuals. And helps ease a lateral into this culture-driven company. I got to meet all my stakeholders, most my team as well as my global counterparts in the interview process. In fact the process was so transparent, that people laid out the pros and cons of joining ThoughtWorks and the challenge ahead. I haven't seen a leadership team being so open and transparent about their organisation. The other thing that took me by surprise, was a personalized note when I joined Thoughtworks. It had mapped my interview notes to the objectives and the outcomes expected from the team and self. No one across all these years had taken so much interest in welcoming me to their team. This truly wowed me! Thank you Nag and Savita. 

When I joined ThoughtWorks, I was presented with a great paradox; ThoughtWorks was a thought leader who held premium positioning but, with very little articulation of what this premium was. This perplexed our clients, media, analysts, advisors and prospective technologists looking to join ThoughtWorks (similar to a blackbox). It was an interesting challenge to build a brand where people understood what we did and how we did it differently than the market, which led to competitive advantage and the premium position. 

The team that I inherited and also built was my source of inspiration, guiding force, teaching me to navigate the intricate ThoughtWorks culture, values and also helped build bridges with stakeholders. 

The team always had my back and implicitly trusted me. They always gave more than 100%, be it with the Vapasi or Interning with Pride campaign or ThoughtWorks Live or building a brand in Mumbai. They have always been supportive and got through the hurdles placed in front of us of while trying to build a brand in this crowded place, alongside helping the company evolve  on its growth trajectory. 

The leadership team of Sudhir, Sameer, Sapto, Sagar, Savita, Tina, Jayesh, Manish, Deepak, Gunjan and many others trusted me and gave me confidence. This empowered my team and I with the  space to build a brand that now is well recognised amongst our target markets and audience. 

ThoughtWorks India is now a brand that resonates with being a digital native and is one of the very few players that have been able to bring true digital transformation to their clients. The company is a haven for passionate technologists who want to positively impact society with software. This is the collective impact of the entire organisation working together on goals set year after year by the India leadership team. 

The journey will continue as we invest in building a great sustainable brand in the market, and it's going to be an interesting time ahead. Unfortunately, I will not be able to be a part of this journey, but I am wishing the team the best in this growth story. 

Thank you to my team for always believing in me and also to you for supporting me in the many decisions I made. 

Thank you once again! Till we meet again!