Grown up in the town of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Tilak Doddapaneni was intrigued towards IT while working at his father’s factory. Performing shifts at the factory, he found himself attracted to engineering. The interactions with the workers and days spent on understanding the tech field strengthened his decision to pursue it professionally and made him the first graduate in his family.
“I used to spend a lot of time with my father at work and, I always interacted with workers. I was drowned in the everyday tasks and, I enjoy spending time with my father. There used to be local engineering students interning at the factory as I interacted. I was keen to know more and, the seed of engineering was generated. So, I got interested and took it up as my path,” EVP and Global Head of Engineering & Technology, Publicis Sapient, says.
Being the first graduate in his family built the burden on his shoulders, but he overcame the hurdles by acknowledging the ups and downs and successfully took off for the journey of success. Describing his college days, he recalls himself not as a student of straight a’s in all subjects. Upgrading himself from a clueless young boy, he learned the lessons which shaped him as an adult with passion.
“The subjects I liked I used to excel, but the subjects I did not like, I didn’t keep up that well. I realized that it is necessary to pursue and do things which you love to perform your best. If you fail, that is okay as you can do it again. One should focus on things which are in control instead of worrying because it won’t give you results,” Doddapaneni says while running through the memories of the past.
With his interest rising in the IT industry, he got influenced by his professor to study abroad for his master’s. Along with specializing in AI and databases, Doddapaneni developed a long-lasting friendship from his college life. He says, “I am glad as I still have my friends with me from my college, we had a lot of fun and, our bond is still alive. It is one of the longest-lasting friendships I had in my life”.
Growing from the experiences with his mates, Doddapaneni faced the vital opportunity which settled his future direction. Offered a job from one of the most prestigious companies, he found himself hesitating to make a decision. “I was scared I didn’t know but, I missed the feeling of what I felt at my father’s company. While I was making a decision, I heard about a company stating by talented MIT graduates. I felt that belongingness and, I decided to join Public Sapient”, he shared.
Working at the Public Sapient, he successfully executed his roles and responsibilities as an EVP and Global Head of Engineering & Technology. He believes the position he held as a first-time manager to be the life-changing laps and spoke, “I had a great team and team included people from top universities. Just being around young talent was incredible and, they push me to the higher levels. It was great and, I learned a lot. It was a good experience. We think of bringing the talent in sapient to grow together”.
Spending his time exploring with the technology and handling clients, Doddapaneni enjoys reading and listening to music, “I think I listen to music more than I watch T.V. at home. My younger son and I go for a drive while playing good music in the car,” he pondered. Along with being an avid reader, he loves playing golf with his friends and finds him attracted to the sport. Striking the perfect balance of life, he shares his insight on clarity.
He speaks, “It is important to have clarity in life. Commitment means people are putting all in, but you have to be clear that there are some problems in personal life and, that phase is important. When my first son was being born, that was very tough. I made it clear that this is all I can do currently. It does not mean that I am not committed to my work. When you give the space when required, it will work out well.”
Flouring in professional and personal life, he is all set for the upcoming events with a healthy attitude. When asked about future trends in technology, he expressed his view on the current scenario and said, “I don’t think in the next five years we are going to see any brand-new things. I think what is coming is that everyone is scaling up the digitalization and, the company that can do that is becoming a norm. People are going to figure out the ways to do faster and cost-friendly digitalization and will find tools. In the next 3-5 years, I think that the rising of either consulting companies or corporates will be big”.
