My 15 years at Tesco Technology

My 15 years at Tesco Technology

Venkata Nagaraju Acchuta

Head of Software Development

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My 15 years at Tesco Technology

April 29, 2020 3816 Views

Hi, I’m Raju, Head of Software Development at Tesco Technology Bengaluru.

I was recently asked to reflect on my role at Tesco Technology in Bengaluru, I hope that my journey and experiences inspire others to think about a career at Tesco Technology.

My role..

I have been part of Tesco Technology for fifteen years and currently, as Head of Software Development, I lead a passionate team of engineers. Together, we play an integral role in system transformations which simplify work for colleagues at our stores, head office and distribution.

At the time I joined Tesco, I had moved to India temporarily for personal reasons and was expecting to stay for six months. Well, that plan soon changed! Since then, I have moved around various parts of the business, and managed a wide spectrum of large projects, fifteen years have flown by. Career mobility and opportunity to handle a diverse portfolio, some in uncharted areas, inspires me to come to work every day! Tesco is genuinely a place to get on.

Working in Tesco Technology..

While Tesco has embraced best practices of Agile, Cloud and DevOps to revolutionise day-to- day operations, we continue to explore and invest in building technological capability in newer areas as well. Customer needs are evolving fast and we plan to keep up. I love to see an idea take shape and come to life. For example, my team ensures that half a million colleagues at Tesco get paid accurately every time as they have the flexibility to choose their work hours. Another example is the launch of our non-food website. Customers who have traditionally shopped at Tesco for food, can now shop with us for other needs. This has allowed us to serve our customers a little better every day while increasing our wallet share. That’s a win-win!

Not only is my day job fulfilling because I have opportunities to work at pace on the latest engineering practices, I also get to prioritize my personal development. I enjoy coaching, mentoring and challenging my team to keep pace with changing technology. I would eventually like to become a Director here, so building and sustaining a high-performing team is top priority. However, I am always hands on with Technical work which means I continue to learn and collaborate with other experts.

My typical day..

Every little thing we do is at enterprise scale which is a huge challenge. We need to get it right first time and every time around the world because millions of customers count on us.

My day-to-day responsibilities can be quite wide-ranging, which keeps things interesting! So, whether I am reviewing programme plans to make sure we have the right people doing the right work or evaluating budgets or liaising with vendors, there is never a dull moment.

But it’s not all just about work. Tesco’s culture makes it possible for me to balance my work with my other priorities. I have time to recharge my batteries with family vacations after which I return refreshed to take on the next challenge.

My spare time..

I love to travel to remote places and experience different cultures. It’s not for everyone, but I love camping! There’s something about being outdoors and meeting new people that really appeals to me. In my last ‘forest vacation’, I trekked seven kilometres, stayed in a tree house and photographed wild animals at close quarters. It was such an eye-opening experience!

I’m really into renovation projects too. One of my proudest achievements was building my home, ground up. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but seeing your dream come to life makes it so worthwhile. I do try to sit back and relax whenever I can. I’m a big movie buff and love to unwind by watching the latest blockbusters.