In this episode, we hosted Mr. Vineet Rao, Head of Technology at Magnolia and an IT veteran with over three decades of experience. Vineet shares his journey into technology, pivotal moments in his career, and the universal truths of technology leadership in this episode. He also shares insights on balancing short-term and long-term strategies, navigating conflicts between business and technology, and the importance of learning and mentorship. The conversation also delves into the challenges and opportunities presented by AI transformation, and Vineet’s thoughts on leaving a legacy as a technology leader.
Vineet Rao, Head of Technology at Magnolia, is a seasoned technology leader with over two decades of experience driving digital transformation across global enterprises. He focuses on aligning IT strategy with business outcomes, driving enterprise transformation, and enabling growth through data and automation. Vineet is passionate about building high-performing teams, simplifying complexity, and delivering value on a scale.
Technologists win when they deeply understand the business they serve, not just the tech.
A technologist’s job is to solve business problems with technology, industry to industry, the core problems are similar because customers are at the center.
Ask first: what problem are we solving? Before chasing new tools, validate ROI, adoption ease, and fit within the existing ecosystem.
Quick scripts can unblock today, but sustainable data platforms keep you scalable tomorrow.
Speak the language of ROI to earn buy-in. Reframe tech choices in revenue, risk, and timing terms to align business and IT.
Adopt AI where it’s repeatable and human-light. Chatbots, finance entries, and personalization are ripe areas.
Leaps in leadership came from challenging self-imposed limits and taking calculated risks.
Let go of “my way” and empower smarter specialists; don’t become the bottleneck.
Measure legacy by how much your team grew because of you, coach first, command later.
Never stop learning. Continuous learning and open communication are non-negotiable for modern tech leaders.
Learn your business, not technology
You hire smart people so they can tell you what to do not the other way around.
Anything that you have a repeatable task, go and do it
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