Alumni Spotlight: Shruti Sharma

Shruti Sharma is a Portfolio Analyst at Siemens Financial Services, Inc., where she manages a portfolio comprised of 100 companies, ensuring accurate customer service. Working in operations, Shruti manages a high volume of cash transactions, along with her team’s digitization and automation initiatives. She mixes finance with data and technology, balancing both for her team.

Lifelong learning at Siemens is focused on developing, empowering and increasing both employability and resilience among its employees. Shruti was part of a cohort of more than 25 Siemens Financial Services’ employees who participated in the Siemens-sponsored Data Driven Management mini-MBA program. Within this cohort, teams completed capstone projects that leveraged data to optimize current projects or pursue new opportunities with Siemens Financial Services.

How has your learning been applicable in your current role?

The Risk Management Certificate Program gave me more in-depth insight into the industry’s best practices, regulatory requirements, and trends. This knowledge helped me become more proficient in identifying potential risks, whether they’re related to borrower creditworthiness, interest rate fluctuations, or inefficiencies. I feel more confident touching upon those topics at work now.

As for the Data-Driven Management Mini-MBA program, I’m part of large transactions that take place in the operations phase, and a data-driven approach allows me to understand better and streamline processes, figuring out where I can come in and reduce manual interventions and automate tasks. Learning how to analyze and utilize data to improve operations helps me contribute to an overall more efficient workflow while also cutting down on processing time and operational risks.

It has also refined my ability to communicate more effectively with colleagues in different departments, provide valuable insights, and help make more decisions, especially when it comes to the data analytics or IT team. I already collaborate with them on a regular basis, but now that I have a better and deeper understanding of data, it makes communication more convenient and easier than before.

What motivated you to pursue these programs?

Learning is a priority at Siemens, and we’re encouraged to invest in our development. When I learned that Siemens Financial Services was sponsoring this program, I was immediately interested. Being effective in risk management is essential to minimize credit and market risks, and I thought that a certificate program would help me deepen my knowledge of assessing, managing, and mitigating these risks, specifically in syndicated loans.

For the Data-Driven program, we are seeing that the financial services industry, in general, is becoming so data-centric, and banks and other financial institutions are making huge investments in big data or machine learning and other analytic tools for decision-making, customer insights, and operational improvement. By developing these skills, I wanted to make sure that I stay just as competitive and relevant in the industry.

What was your biggest personal or professional gain from taking this program?

My biggest ROI has to be successful collaboration and teamwork. A data-driven mindset and the deeper knowledge that I gained have helped me align with cross-functional teams around common goals, since we participated in many in-classroom discussions. Not only was I learning what the course could do for me in my position, but I also learned more about how other teams operate and how we can collaborate and benefit from each other. Completing these courses also gave my manager confidence in me, as he knows I’ve been taking these courses, which are very customized to Siemens in collaboration with Rutgers, so there was the trust in me to take initiative and lead, which was pretty great, too.

What does “reinvention” mean to you?

Reinventing, to me, is about facing new challenges with a newer mindset – both acquiring new skills and building up the existing ones. This helps to expand and break away from old habits by becoming more equipped to the ever-changing landscape of this profession.

What does the term “lifelong learning” mean to you?

Lifelong learning is always seizing an opportunity to grow, both personally and professionally. It’s about pushing myself to embrace new challenges by learning beyond what I’m already comfortable with. It could be learning a new language, picking up a new hobby, or learning new skills for my job. Ultimately, it helps me boost my confidence while keeping me competitive in today’s fast-moving work environment.

In looking back on your program experiences, what stands out to you?

It was the attention to detail in the programs and how customized they were. For the Risk Management program, we worked on a real case study, which gave us scenarios we encounter at work daily. I also liked how curated the programs were, with each module adding equal value for us. Every module was very much connected to what we do in our individual positions and what Siemens does as a whole. All the instructors made sure to tie in their content with the company and used relatable examples to help us navigate through the content easily and facilitate a better understanding for us.

How do you think your learning has benefited or could benefit your broader organization as a whole?

Having employees trained in risk management and data-driven management helps them make more informed decisions that improve the company’s overall growth and efficiency. For example, in the context of Risk Management, we learned how to identify and assess risks, followed by how to mitigate them. Using data to understand trends or measure performances and forecast the outcomes is likely to reduce the overall likelihood of costly mistakes while maximizing opportunities. It also exposes employees to new ideas, tools, and approaches that they can now apply to their work. Siemens already encourages innovation, and offering these programs is a great example of an organization that takes the initiative to foster creativity and a learning culture.

What advice would you give to fellow professionals or colleagues that might not have considered these types of programs?

Prior to enrolling in the programs, one of my concerns was the time investment. However, the substantial return on knowledge advancement makes it well worth it. I learned skills that will help me in my current role that are transferrable across industries, making me better equipped for career advancement. These certifications are not just about adding a credential to my resume or a badge on LinkedIn, but they also give me the opportunity to expand my professional network, develop a growth mindset, and boost my confidence. Everything in the market is changing rapidly, so it’s always good to keep up with current market and technology trends. This alignment with market trends also makes it so much easier to work with different generations since everyone is aligned to the same goals, making it a more collaborative work environment.