Raj Sundaresan: A Visionary Leader in the Fintech Space

As the CEO of Altimetrik, Sundaresan is no stranger to the fintech world. His impressive journey, from leading roles at Visa and PayPal to his current helm at Altimetrik, has shaped him into a visionary leader who is redefining the contours of the fintech space. In an industry that’s constantly evolving and innovating, Sundaresan’s insights are both enlightening and inspiring. Join us as we delve into his experiences, philosophies, and the remarkable vision he has for the future of fintech.

Journey through the Fintech Giants

Raj Sundaresan, currently the CEO of Altimetrik, has earned a reputation as a visionary leader in the fintech space. His vast experience includes leadership roles in major financial service organizations like Visa and PayPal, providing him with invaluable insights into the digital landscape, customer behavior, and the intricacies of the financial technology industry.

“These companies understand the importance of technology, they lead digital business innovation, and tap into new tools and cutting-edge technology such as mobile payments, blockchain, data analytics, and cybersecurity,” Sundaresan shared. This experience has significantly shaped his approach to digital transformation and digital business methodology at Altimetrik, highlighting the importance of being customer-centric and outcomes-focused.

His unique approach involves leading the business through an incremental methodology within a collaborative agile culture, thereby simplifying end-to-end workflows into a Single Source Of Truth (SSOT) without disrupting the current operations. This innovative method has been instrumental in helping Altimetrik’s clients accelerate their digital adoption, demonstrating the power of data insights in navigating the challenges and opportunities of the digital landscape.

The Evolving Role of Data in Financial Institutions

Sundaresan strongly believes in the transformative power of data, particularly in the realm of risk management and regulatory compliance within financial institutions. According to him, the role of data has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, mainly due to the abundance of data, advancements in technology, and stringent data-intensive regulatory compliance requirements.

“Data now plays a pivotal role in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks, enabling institutions to make informed decisions and safeguard against potential threats,” he highlighted. Through sophisticated data analytics, financial institutions can analyze vast amounts of structured and unstructured data to identify patterns, detect anomalies, and forecast potential risks accurately. This evolution in data usage has empowered financial institutions to proactively manage risks, enhance regulatory compliance, and foster a more secure and stable financial ecosystem.

A Collaborative Agile Culture at Altimetrik

Fostering a collaborative agile culture is a hallmark of Sundaresan’s leadership style. He maintains that such a culture plays a significant role in driving success, as it enables teams to respond swiftly to changes and disruptions. The agility of Altimetrik’s culture became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Within a few days of the lockdowns, Altimetrik swiftly transitioned to a full remote work environment and was an early adopter in this paradigm shift,” Sundaresan recounted. This seamless transition, achieved without disrupting the organization’s commitment to deliver exceptional results for clients, is a testament to the robust collaborative and agile culture at Altimetrik.

An Incremental Approach to Digital Transformation

One of the core tenets of Sundaresan’s digital transformation strategy is the adoption of an incremental approach rather than a ‘big bang’ approach. He illustrated the effectiveness of this approach with an example from a leading financial services firm.

In a complex environment marked by a complex organizational structure, long-standing ways of working, and multi-faceted dependencies, the firm needed to refine how business, technology, and operations teams could align on a common business goal and work collaboratively. The firm embarked on an agile transformation, resulting in accelerated time to market from semi-annual to on-demand releases.

“Agile teams can now align on prioritized business goals every quarter and deliver outcomes every two weeks,” Sundaresan explained. “They can focus more on innovation, with faster feedback loops and full accountability of product features – from ideation to production launch.”

Vision as CEO of Altimetrik

As the CEO of Altimetrik, Sundaresan has assumed greater responsibilities for the company’s finances, marketing, sales, and strategic operations. He’s shared his vision for these areas and how they contribute to Altimetrik’s overall strategy.

In terms of marketing, Sundaresan focuses on creating brand awareness, attracting customers, and driving revenue growth through a clear strategy that leverages digital channels, all while ensuring effectiveness and return on investment.

Financial stability is of utmost importance to him. “We implement best practices and optimize resource allocation to support growth and profitability,” Sundaresan stated, emphasizing the importance of making informed decisions and strategic investments to drive sustainable growth.

When it comes to human resources, Sundaresan believes in attracting, developing, and retaining top talent. He works to foster employee engagement, empowerment, diversity, and growth. For him, robust talent acquisition, comprehensive training, and an inclusive workplace culture are essential in cultivating a high-performing workforce that drives innovation and supports the company’s objectives.

Sundaresan also works to streamline and optimize operational processes to ensure efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. He believes in continuously improving workflows, monitoring performance metrics, and driving operational excellence to meet strategic goals.

Final Remarks

Raj Sundaresan is a leader who believes in the power of technology and data, the effectiveness of a collaborative agile culture, and the impact of an incremental approach to digital transformation. His leadership style and vision, rooted in his experiences at Visa, PayPal, and now Altimetrik, are shaping the future of fintech. His commitment to building a customer-centric, outcomes-focused company that navigates the challenges and opportunities of the digital landscape with agility and innovation exemplifies his leadership in this rapidly evolving industry.

For those of you heading to Money20/20 Europe this June, don’t miss the chance to catch Raj Sundaresan and the Altimetrik team. You can find them in Hall 1, Booth D10, ready to share more about their work in the fintech space.

About Altimetrik

Altimetrik is a global digital transformation company that enables organizations to accelerate their digital journey. With a strong presence in 24 cities across 14 countries, the company is powered by a dedicated workforce of over 5,500 employees and 15 engineering centers. Altimetrik’s unique Digital Business Methodology (DBM) focuses on delivering outcomes with speed, consistency, and scale, helping clients navigate the challenges of digital adoption in a seamless, non-disruptive manner. Under the leadership of CEO Raj Sundaresan, Altimetrik continues to break new ground in the fintech industry, offering innovative solutions to drive business growth and digital enablement.