Adaptability, Empathy, and Breaking Comfort Zones with Veena Rao

Today, as part of the women’s special series in March, 2025, my guest is Veena Rao, SVP & Global Head, Corporate Lending at Finastra with over 25 years’ of experience in financial services and banking technology.In this conversation Veena sharesHer early influences and being adaptableHer education and career pathHer philosophy re career growthInsights from her leadership journeyHow to handle work-life integration aspectsOn Global experience and being sensitive to cultural nuancesHow she stays resilient and some personal practices that have been effective for herAnd some tips for aspiring women professionalsVeena is the SVP & Global Head, Corporate Lending at Finastra with over 25 years’ of experience in financial services and banking technology. Veena started her career with India’s leading private sector bank, ICICI Bank, working in diverse areas like project finance, corporate banking, forex treasury and relationship banking. She managed Presales for FLEXCUBE at i-flex solutions (Oracle) followed by a stint in HCL Technologies to launch the product incubation unit for banking. In her current role at Finastra, Veena holds end to end accountability for the Corporate Lending business across product, engineering, services and support. She is passionate about nurturing innovation at the grassroots focusing on ideas that create positive impact for Finastra’s customers . She is also a mentor in Finastra’s D&I program, and an active speaker at various conferences on digital transformation and open banking.linkedin.com/in/veena-rao-profile