BUILDING CULTURALLY SENSITIVE GLOBAL TEAMS OF PURPOSEFUL IMPACT

“Every problem is an opportunity to learn. Building culturally sensitive global teams is part of such a challenge that requires every member to be open minded to learn from each other. The key is to work together, collaborate and cherish each day,” says Dr. Durga Prakash Devarakonda, a Member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Staff Vice President - Technology, at Legato Health. Set up in 2017, Legato Health Technologies is a fully owned subsidiary of Elevance Health Inc that utilizes digital technologies and applied artificial intelligence healthcare solutions to simplify healthcare.

Dr. Devarakonda or DP as he is fondly called was born in rural Andhra Pradesh. His is a classic tale of a young boy’s rise from humble beginnings to great heights by sheer hard work, dedication and natural intelligence. Dr. Devarakonda lost his father when he was one-year old. Growing up in a family with limited means, he studied in local medium and government schools with guidance from his three elder brothers. Academically brilliant, he managed to complete graduation in Electrical Engineering and Master’s degree in Information Technology. What differentiated his story from others is that he set a record as the youngest Indian to complete all possible Microsoft certifications at the age of 21, receiving an award of appreciation from Bill Gates.

Having spent 25 years in the Indian software products and services industry, Dr. Devarakonda has wielded his expertise in setting up global capability centers for fortune 100 companies. He was part of JD Edwards ERP System Development, a highly complex, powerful, comprehensive ERP software that can bring increased productivity, efficiency and visibility to your business. He has also helped world’s largest reInsurance firm MunichRE in developing their end-to-end software. Dr. Devarakonda has earned great credit in the global reinsurance industry for building some of the most complex algorithms to predict any possible risks to underwrite, irrespective of the insurance packages of MNCs like CapGemini, Oracle, Accenture, Tech Mahindra, and Temenos. His expertise in building software platforms in a wide range of Consumer, Retail, Banking and Healthcare segments has made him unique, while his ability to understand and resolve difficult problems impacting the core business is his defining characteristic. His passion for Mathematics and Critical Thinking came to be recognized during his long stint in senior leadership roles with global healthcare firms and due to his work on developing Artificial Intelligence and Innovative Digital Platforms for major US companies.

“There is ample room for Digital and AI Platforms in global healthcare. This opportunity is a multi-trillion opportunity,” states Dr. Devarakonda, sharing his vision and motivation. “My passion is to drive value from India and solve world problems with Indian intellectual talent.”

For his leading role in expanding technology across the country and globe, Dr. Devarakonda has been honoured with several awards like: Asia’s Most Influential Business Leader 2022 by Asia One Magazine; Forbes India’s Tycoons of Tomorrow 2022; Global Achievers Forum Award 2021; GCC Visionary Award 2021; and Mahatma Gandhi International Leadership Award from the UK Parliament in 2018.

Speaking about his social commitments, Dr. Devarakonda states, “In the last 25 years, I have directly created more than 20,000 highly paid software engineering jobs in India, and guided thousands of people towards a better career. I have also worked with many schools, colleges and universities to help them navigate this complex world with the right curriculum and global exposure.” Keen to promote talent and help bridge the talent gaps in the job market, Dr. Devarakonda has been helping design some high-end leadership and business analytics courses for a leading global Indian business school and several top notch business and engineering schools in India and abroad as he strongly feels that given the right push and ‘helping hand’, India can become the centre of global opportunities.

Twitter - @PrakashDevarako

LinkedIn - https://LinkedIn.com/in/prakashdurgad