Achieving Excellence with Naresh Choudhary

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 Introduction00:23 Early Career and Education02:00 Transition to Infosys03:43 Roles and Responsibilities at Infosys07:16 Mentorship and Career Growth10:28 Defining Great Work15:32 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome19:28 The Importance of Mentors24:23 Networking and Time Management29:19 Clearing the Mind for Focus29:51 Work-Life Balance and Breaks30:59 Organizational Change and Trust33:51 Planning and Transparency in Change34:51 Process Over Tools36:04 Sponsorship and Milestone Reviews37:46 Encouraging Knowledge Sharing43:58 Innovation and Idea Management47:33 Staying Grounded Amidst Responsibilities53:00 Personal Practices for Balance56:48 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsBio: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 enterpriseHe is a self confessed Foodie, History enthusiast, Amateur Chef, Motivational Speakerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nareshchoudhary/