Sign in to follow 's advice will appear in your account when you log in. Follow specific Community Members and never miss out on their views and insights. Build a group of Members who you want to listen to.

Email: Password:

Don't have SiliconIndia account? Sign up Forgot your password? Reset

Ask Rajiv Sukumar for Advice

If your advice request is relevant to other Community members, our Editorial team may choose to send this request to all Experts to attract a wider range of answers and share them with the Community. Rest Assured, we will protect your privacy (unless you recommend otherwise).

Advice Request

Submit Cancel

Rajiv Sukumar

Next Member >>

Rajiv Sukumar

Sr. Manager - Technical Program Management

DELL

Rajiv Sukumar is a member of:

- Expert

Family Background

I come from a family where my mother is a doctor and my dad an industrial engineer. I chose the path which no one from my family had selected and joined IT. My wife was a Resource Manager and now a full time mom. We have a 9 month old daughter now. My brother is an Analyst working in UK.

Role Model

This may sound a little self-centered but I have always followed my heart and what I have had passion in. There have been many people who I have come across in my life and I have learnt a lot from them and helped me mould myself into a better person.

Changes in the industry

I havent been in QA or Testing. But I have been involved in orchestrating launches and UAT. Things have surely evolved over the years and now there are better processes in place.

A Fine Balance:

Its one of the truths that we need to accept that being in India, working / overlapping into US hours is inevitable. Sometimes work takes precedence and families do make sacrifices. But companies and managers do give the freedom to employee to best manage his time and work-life balance.

Essential Advice

If they can think outside of the system and prescribed paths, then they can better test the system.

Nominee for Top 10 IT Manager Awards in Bengaluru

The Journey So Far

It has been little over a decade and I have donned the hat of a Software Engineer, Programmer Analyst, Business Analyst and now Product Manager. I have been involved in a wide variety of business applications in the industry. My main areas of interest being enterprise web applications, online Customer experience and ecommerce platforms.

Currently working at

As Product Manager, I help drive the development and communications of product definition and solution plans to optimize the company’s portfolio.
I use my experience of company’s product/service capabilities and competitive environment to identify new growth areas, new technologies etc.

Points of inflection

Each time I have stepped ahead and into the next stage, it has been a turning point. I have switched roles to move ahead into a new are i.e from being a Programmer Analyst to Business Analyst and from Business Analyst to Product Manager.

Most Important Decisions

One decision was to shift my job to a different company even if it was a junior position that was offered. But the opportunity I saw in it made me grow into a Senior position in no time. There was no looking back after that. Sometimes its ok to take a step back to gain the momentum to surge ahead!

Most Important Lessons

Be aware of what your passion is. You need to be sure of what drives you, what makes you get out of bed and head to work or anything that excites you. Thats when you will succeed. Following the crowd doesnt always help. Stand out !

Plans for the Future

I see myself evangelizing and promoting a capability that will form the foundation of a new platform for the next level of growth !

Degrees that Matter

Parting thoughts

There is no better strength than knowledge and facts. Be sure and no one can get in your way. Its ok to question things and see things differently. Thats how you get noticed and thats what helps you grow.

Connect with Rajiv Sukumar on Linkedin