In this episode, Shiv is in conversation with Naresh Choudhary, Senior Vice President, Quality & Productivity, Infosys Ltd. Naresh shares his career journey starting from humble beginnings in Mumbai, studying engineering at VJTI, working at Arvind Mills, and eventually contributing to Infosys for 25 years. The discussion covers his transition from manufacturing to IT, the influence of mentors, various roles at Infosys, and the importance of reframing roles. Naresh also emphasizes the value of great work, networking, mentorship, and maintaining a work-life balance. He talks about driving innovation and change management effectively within a large organization through transparent communication, planning, and continuous feedback. Finally, Naresh offers personal practices like journaling, exercising, and separating work from family time to stay grounded and calm. 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:23 Early Career and Education 02:00 Transition to Infosys 03:43 Roles and Responsibilities at Infosys 07:16 Mentorship and Career Growth 10:28 Defining Great Work 15:32 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome 19:28 The Importance of Mentors 24:23 Networking and Time Management 29:19 Clearing the Mind for Focus 29:51 Work-Life Balance and Breaks 30:59 Organizational Change and Trust 33:51 Planning and Transparency in Change 34:51 Process Over Tools 36:04 Sponsorship and Milestone Reviews 37:46 Encouraging Knowledge Sharing 43:58 Innovation and Idea Management 47:33 Staying Grounded Amidst Responsibilities 53:00 Personal Practices for Balance 56:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Bio: In his stint at Infosys over 2 decades, Naresh has worked in different roles in Software Delivery, Consulting, Quality Assurance, Open Source, Enterprise Platforms, Products, Tools & Technology that have provided him opportunities to work on key transformation programs. Naresh has experience in Software Development, Quality System Design, Process definition, Implementation and Consulting, Product & Platform Engineering, Software Reuse, Knowledge Management, Training, Audits and Assessments. He possesses a sound understanding of various quality models, methodologies and frameworks like CMMI, ISO, Six Sigma, MBNQA, AI, Automation, Agile, DevSecOps & SRE. Naresh participates on several product councils and advisory boards with Infosys’ global technology partners and is currently leading the effort on reimagining the tooling, engineering excellence, digital platforms, Lean and automation landscape for the enterprise He is a self confessed Foodie, History enthusiast, Amateur Chef, Motivational Speaker https://www.linkedin.com/in/nareshchoudhary/
