Career Code

I work with leaders to unlock their potential, build high-performing teams, and drive real business growth. As a Workplace Experience Expert and Leadership Coach, I help leaders at every level break through barriers, reach their goals, and grow their people.

For AI leaders, the focus is clear: increase revenue, maximize time, eliminate roadblocks, and capitalize on new opportunities.

I’ve helped AI leaders sharpen their skills, strengthen their teams, and scale their businesses. 

✅ Accelerate career growth – guiding mid-to-senior leaders toward executive roles
✅ Enhance leadership presence – improving executive communication, influence, and strategic thinking
✅ Navigate career transitions – moving into AI leadership, product roles, or scaling their impact
✅ Build high-performing teams – optimizing decision-making, delegation, and stakeholder management
✅ Overcome burnout & imposter syndrome – developing resilience and confidence

The leaders who invest in their own growth expand their capacity, elevate their teams, and make a lasting impact. 

Who I Work With:
🔹 Tech professionals stepping into leadership roles
🔹 Engineering & Data Science leaders transitioning to executive positions
🔹 AI & Product leaders looking to scale their impact
🔹 Founders & executives aiming to optimize their leadership performance

Leadership & Executive Coach

Kenvue

- Manage a cross functional team to build data & AI products for a 5 billion commercial business.
- Drove an end-to-end data program of technology, people and platforms platforms, to derive business value.

Senior Manager, Data & Analytics

H2O.ai

- Drive a cross functional team of data scientist, engineers to execute for 40+ customers across APAC
- Manage c-suite and executive customer relationship to help generate insights from data.

Customer Success Lead

Pfizer

• Manage a cross-functional team to build data product expertise that generates 2 million in revenue/yr.
• Design organization data roadmap, analytics strategy, data product development across 100+ markets, 200+ applications and many data sources. 
• Collaborate and influence technology trends, commercial strategy through data for 2 billion commercial business operations and reporting to Head of Commercial IT, EM.

Senior Manager, Upjohn Emerging Markets Technology Business Partner

Teradata

- Enable the organization to drive efficiencies and improvements through data driven decisions
-Support the creation of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence and strategy
-Identify inefficiencies, optimize processes and data flows and make recommendations for improvements
-Subject matter expert for several analytic engagement internationally
-Analyze data to identify trends and opportunities, surface actionable insights, and help teams set    goals, forecasts and prioritization of initiativesscientist in key engagements in a variety of domains banking, automobile, oil and natural gas, transportation, telco. Built state of art machine learning models at scale to solve interesting problems.
- Helping the C-suite to build their AI roadmap and helping them through their journey.
- Share analytic knowledge to a wider community through speaking engagements at
leading analytic conferences.

Senior Data Scientist - International

Highlights:

- Enabled and drove the research of Smart Transportation systems
- Utilized knowledge to design software for large complex multi-processor systems
- Mentored junior and external (contractor) software development team members-
- Worked with customers to do joint research and deliver business value
- Managed a  highly technical project that developed a traffic decongestion system which predicted occurrence of incidents on the road network and the impact on the road network

Staff Software Engineer

Tata Consultancy Services

Banking – Data Warehouse application 
- Led a team of 5 engineers who built and developed the recovery system for the Data Warehousing platform of Bank of America
- Worked with team members to ensure zero downtime involved in designing systems to protect 5B worth of data.
- Wrote technical specifications definition based on conceptual design and stated business requirements
- Supported, maintained, documented, and wrote unit tests for software
- Analyzed code to find causes of errors and revised programs as needed

Assistant System Engineer

I have been in the trenches, building high performance tech teams for the last 15 years. 

I have been working with AI way before it became mainstream and realize first hand its true potential and where it’s going. 

As a side hustle, I’m an Executive Coach who helps teck leaders gain career clarity, build confidence, leverage executive presence to accelerate their careers.

And that often looks like getting that exciting promotions faster and successfully navigating your role. 

But that also means, overcoming self-doubt, imposter syndrome and and anything getting in the way that you might not see. 

Many of my clients are ambitious technology leaders who:

➤ Feel stuck or uncertain about their next career move.
➤ Are dealing with conflict, high-pressure decisions, or team challenges
➤ Struggling to navigate organization politics.
➤ Lack clarity and a roadmap for the next chapter of their career.
➤ I have an inner critic that is using up too much time
➤ Want to strengthen their confidence, communication, and leadership presence


That’s where I come it. 

I help you through a 3 month intensive 4P Leadership Compass program, which enables you to expand your leadership in dimensions of Purpose, People, Presence & Progress

✔ Purpose: Gain clarity in complex situations and make confident decisions.
✔ Presence: Develop the leadership presence, influence, and communication skills to thrive.
✔ People: Family, Navigating influence, organization politics, work-life balance.
✔ Progress: Understand and plan how to make this next step.

This means less second-guessing, stronger leadership, and more control over your career.

What My Clients Achieve:

✅ Faster, clearer decision-making in high-pressure situations
✅ Stronger leadership presence & influence in critical conversations
✅ Sustainable career success without stress, controlling the pace

If you’re a tech executive or ambitious professional preparing for the next phase of your career, let’s connect.

📩 DM me “4P” to learn more!

Most AI leaders I know are grinding 60+ hour weeks building models, shipping features, and putting out fires.

But when I ask them about their promotion plan? Blank stares.

Here's the harsh truth: Working hard without a promotion goal is just expensive hope.

You're essentially betting that someone will notice your effort and reward you accordingly. That's not a strategy. That's a lottery ticket.

Working WITH a clear promotion goal looks completely different:

• You know exactly what skills the next level requires
• You document wins that matter for advancement
• You build relationships with decision-makers intentionally
• You ask for feedback tied to promotion criteria
• You create visibility around the RIGHT work, not just more work

The AI space moves fast. New roles are being created every quarter. If you're not actively shaping your path, you're letting someone else decide your ceiling.

Most people wait for their manager to bring up promotion. Winners bring a plan to their manager.

Here's what I mean:
"I want to hit Senior AI Lead by Q3.
Based on the role requirements, I need to lead 2 cross-functional initiatives and mentor 3 engineers.
Can we align on what success looks like?"

That's ownership.

You didn't get into AI to be passive about your career. Stop treating your promotion like it's out of your control.

Map it. Plan it. Own it.

Karthik Bharadwaj

The AI Tech Leader Coach - I make it easy for tech leaders to get career clarity, develop executive presence and fastrack their careers in months not years

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Your CEO just approved your $2M AI initiative.

You're already planning the tech stack

The strategy.
Team structure,
Deployment timeline.

But you're not thinking about what happens 

In month 4 Finance questions the ROI metrics.
In month 6 VP of Sales changes her workflow.
In month 6 your biggest champion leaves.

And suddenly no one remembers why this matters.

I've watched this play out 47 times.

The project succeeds technically. And fails politically.

Because most data leaders are playing chess one move at a time.

They solve the problem in front of them. 
Build the model. Fix the pipeline. Deliver the dashboard.

But the leaders who make it to the C-suite?

They're seeing the whole board.

They know the Sales VP will resist before she resists. 
They're building her into the win early.

They've already mapped who loses budget when AI wins. 
And they've got a plan for that conversation.

They're not waiting for Finance to ask about ROI. 

They're framing it before Finance even knows what to measure.

This is what separates directors from VPs. VPs from C-suite.

It's not better technical skills.

It's seeing what's coming before anyone else knows to look.

The question isn't whether you can solve today's problem.

It's whether you can see the problems that don't exist yet.

And lead like someone who already has.

If you're ready to stop playing checkers while everyone else plays chess, let's talk.

I’m walking a small group of data and AI leaders who know they're missing moves they can't see yet.

If that’s something you want in on, DM me "NEXT" and let's see if this fits.

Not a course. Not a framework.

Real work for your growth.

If you’ve hit that ‘something has to change’ point, don’t scroll past. 

That moment is rare. Use it!

"I can't figure out what my new boss needs from me. 
Our meetings feel strained. I'm not sure how things will play out."

A Chief Data Officer shared this with me during our coaching session, 
struggling to put words to what felt off.

She'd prepared for our session. Brought notes. Had examples ready.

She walked me through a recent conversation with her boss, 
and something shifted.

"My new boss takes consensus from everyone and 
  schedules 90-minute meetings to discuss 
  what I'd handle in a Slack thread."

As she talked, I noticed something.
Every time she described someone else's input, 
she'd quickly follow with why it was incomplete or 
missed the bigger picture.

Then she said it:

"I have a broader experience than my peers. 
Given my experience, I can easily say 
what they are doing would not work."

She genuinely believed she was being helpful. 
Saving time. Using her expertise to prevent mistakes.

But I heard something else entirely.

I stopped her.

"You're dismissing every perspective that isn't yours," I said.

She went quiet.

"But I'm usually right," she said. "The data proves it."

She was often right. 

She was so focused on driving toward the best solution 
that she'd stopped making space for others to contribute.

But being right had become a reflex that was 
undermining her relationships. 
The blind spot wasn't her expertise. 

It was how she showed up in the room.

She'd spent years building credibility by being 
the smartest person at the table. 

The leader with the answers. It had served her well.

Until it didn't.

At the C-suite level, having the right answer isn't enough. 

Your boss and peers need to feel heard, not just corrected.

We worked on a simple shift. 

When someone shares an idea, pause. 

Find the kernel of value first. Then build on it or redirect.

Not as a political game. As genuine collaboration.

A month later, she sent me a text after a leadership meeting.

"My boss told me the quality of our conversations has completely changed. 
He said I'm finally leading like a true partner."

The pattern she couldn't see from inside was the very one blocking her from the influence she'd earned.

This is what I see across the 100+ tech leaders I've worked with this year.

The answer isn't working harder or being smarter. 

It's seeing the pattern you've been living inside.

What might you be too close to notice about how you show up?

I’m I need to get this off my chest.

Every time I coach there's that voice.

"You don't know enough yet."
"Someone's going to call you out."
"You haven't coached that many leaders"

Yesterday, at Tech Week a VP was asking me.

Can you coach me for 15 mins?.I said yes.

But my mind was saying.

Wait he has 25+ years of experience.
And you have 15 years.
And you think you can coach him?

I was about to freeze up and prove the voice.

Then i heard my mentor's voice:

Serve your clients, Karthik

Then I went ahead and coached.

The thing nobody tells you:

Confidence doesn't come first.
Action creates confidence.

I don't wait until I feel ready anymore.
I don't wait until I'm an expert coach.
I don't wait until the fear goes away.

I just serve.

Because the people who come to you, aren't looking for perfection.
.
The are looking for 

Someone who gets their story.
Someone who is present for them.
Someone who can facilitate growth.

Your "I'm still figuring this out" is more valuable 
than someone else's "I have all the answers."

What's one thing you've been scared to share or do?

Drop it below.

Let's normalize being beginners who take action anyway.

99% of technology leaders struggle with one thing.

It isn't skill or talent.

After coaching dozens of them, I learned what it really is.

Fear is stopping your growth.

Fear of failing.
Fear of being wrong.
Fear of being judged.

The 1% of successful leaders?

They're fearless and confident.

Good news: confidence is already in you.

You just need to be aware of your potential.

Here are 3 ways tech leaders rebuild confidence:

1. They ship imperfect work consistently.

Waiting for perfect kills momentum.

Microsoft didn't wait for Windows to be flawless.

Windows 1.0 was clunky. Critics hated it. They shipped anyway.

They collected feedback. Iterated. Improved.

Today? Windows runs on over a billion devices.

If they waited for perfect, we'd still be using command lines.

Ship the MVP. Get feedback. Iterate.

Done beats perfect.

2. They reframe failure as data collection.

Google Glass flopped hard.

Critics mocked it. Privacy concerns killed it. Dead by 2015.

But Google didn't see failure.

They saw data on wearables, AR interfaces, and consumer behavior.

That "failure" became the foundation for Google Lens, AR navigation in Maps, and their current AR glasses project.

The data from Glass is now worth billions.

Track what doesn't work. It's your competitive advantage.

3. They surround themselves with people who challenge them.

Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook in a dorm room.

But he didn't scale it alone.

He brought in Sheryl Sandberg. Someone with more experience who challenged his thinking on monetization and operations.

She pushed back. Questioned his strategies. Made him defend his decisions.

That tension turned Facebook into Meta.

A company worth over $800 billion today.

If Zuckerberg surrounded himself with yes-men, Facebook might still be just a college directory.

Find people who make you uncomfortable.

That's where real growth lives.

Growth happens outside comfort zones.

Leaders who seek tough feedback and different perspectives build unshakeable confidence faster.

Which of these resonates most with where you are right now?

Last week, a client sat across in silence.

When she spoke, her voice still echoes in my mind.

"I feel like I don't belong here.
I always had the drive in me.
But now something is missing."

She stared at the table.

She has accomplished a lot.

Respect. Title. Salary.

Driving 15M AI P&L.

Everything is there.

But the silence in the room spoke volumes.

I could see what she meant.

The battles aren't about capability.

The battles are deep within.

We worked on finding her true element.

Understanding her balance.

A week later, her message made me smile.

"I am in my true element."

She didn't change her skills.

She changed how she saw herself.

She stopped performing for acceptance

and started showing up as herself.

Most leaders won't admit this out loud.

They show it quietly..

By trying to do more.
By trying to perform.
By trying to be smart.

In their effort to prove themselves.

In moments where they question if they're good enough.

If you've ever felt like you don't belong in the room, you're not alone.

Remember :
✨ You don’t have to carry them alone.
✨ There is strength in being seen.
✨ And when you’re ready, I’ll walk with you

P.S. When was the last time you felt alone In room you actually belonged?

Three years. Countless technical wins. Zero promotions.

And six months later, you're still at the same level?

I learn't it the hard way.

Chances are, it's not your technical execution.

The model works. The data's clean. The pipeline's solid.

But here's what I've noticed after working with hundreds of data and AI leaders:

You delivered the recommendation engine that increased revenue by 18%.
Your team reduced churn by 23% through predictive modeling.

But when promotion decisions happen, your name isn't in the conversation.

It makes sense that you'd focus on the work.

After all, that's what you were hired to do.

Ship the model. Prove the ROI. Solve the problem.

But somewhere between your Jupyter notebook and the boardroom, the narrative gets lost.

Your VP talks about "driving digital transformation."
Your peer in product talks about "unlocking customer value."
You talk about "training accuracy and model performance."

One of these things lands differently.

This is what I call The Cost of Silence.

Not the silence of having nothing to say.

The silence of having everything to say, but saying it in a language that doesn't carry weight outside your team.

Think about the last time you presented your work to leadership.

Did you lead with the technical architecture?

Or did you lead with the business problem you solved?

Did you talk about the model?

Or did you talk about the million dollars it protected?

Chances are, you led with what you're proud of 

The technical brilliance.

And it makes sense that you would.

But here's what's likely happening:

While you're explaining gradient boosting, 
they're checking email.

While you're walking through your methodology, 
they're wondering about next quarter's numbers.

Not because they don't care about your work.

Because they need to understand why it matters to the business.

And right now, you're not making that translation.

The brutal truth:

Execution alone won't unlock your next promotion.
The model that increased conversion by 31%?
It's impressive.

But it becomes undeniable when you can stand in front of the executive team and say:
"We identified that 40% of our highest-value customers were at risk of churn. The model we built now flags them two months earlier, giving sales time to intervene. That's $2.3M in retained revenue this quarter alone."

This isn't about becoming a salesperson.

It's about speaking with enough clarity that your ideas land with weight.

Because right now, every time you default to technical jargon...

Every time you bury the business impact in slide seven...
Every time you let your work speak for itself...

You're making it easy for leadership to overlook you.

The question isn't whether your work is good enough.

You already know it is.

The question is: How much longer are you willing to watch 
less technical people get promoted while you stay invisible?

The most successful leaders don't just solve problems. 
They translate solutions into business impact.

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