BOSTON–Sunita Kanchinadam, an IT executive at State Street Bank, is chair of TiE Boston’s flagship annual TiECON East 2023, New England’s largest entrepreneurial conference. She has built her career in the financial services industry.
Ms. Kanchinadam was born and raised in Mumbai, India where she did her schooling and bachelors in Computer Science. She continued her education in Boston at Northeastern University and completed her Masters in Computer Science.
“I see myself to be someone who persists over challenges and especially those are the times, I feel most energized fueling my determination,” says Ms. Kanchinadam. “I do believe this to be one quality that prevails and pushes me over the last mile to any achievement I have had.”
Ms. Kanchinadam is passionate about helping other women professionals or students and over the years been part of organizations that assist women and girls. She has participated in teaching college students from low income areas the basics of financial independence and technology for nine years. She has then actively been involved in helping women from Nirmaan organization for Orphans to assimilate into workforce by helping with resume building, interview preparation and finding their first job. More recently for the past one year, she has been involved in a non-profit company that helps women refugees in getting translation services for various daily interactions in society in the New England area, especially for hospitals and other government offices.
She is currently actively engaged in TiE Boston, an organization that fosters entrepreneurship and helping advocating its core mission through the TiE conference. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family. She also enjoys refurbishing furniture by refinishing and painting, as a hobby.
INDIA New England News: Please tell our readers about your work and what you enjoy most about it?
Sunita Kanchinadam: I work within technology in State Street Bank and have been working in the financial services sector for many years across different investment banks. I very much enjoy what I do for a living as well as reading up in my spare time on latest technologies.
The most important part of my job is people interaction and what value they bring and I consider it as a learning experience both professionally as well as personally that enriches me. Since I have always worked right out of college, it has been a big part of my life and identity.
INE: What does success and failure mean to you?
SK: I believe both success and failure should be reflected on – one is to pause and enjoy it while the other is to reflect and be humble from the learnings life brings to you. And a little more philosophically, both are passing phases. As most people, I have had both of them but most importantly I have been surrounded by people fortunately which whom I could share both phases.
INE: The one thing you attribute your success to?
SK: Grit and perseverance. I see myself to be someone who persists over challenges and especially those are the times, I feel most energized fueling my determination. I do believe this to be one quality that prevails and pushes me over the last mile to any achievement I have had.
INE: To which charitable, community and professional group do you belong and why?
SK: Something that is top of my mind I am currently very heavily involved is the TiE Boston non-profit organization that I am very much enjoying being the chair to the upcoming conference. I am passionate about technology and enjoy just listening to the various ideas and entrepreneurship endeavors that people have. Bringing this together within our Indian community has been really interesting and fun.
INE: In what way you feel you have most positively influenced or served the local community and your company/organization and professional field.
SK: I enjoy coaching, mentoring women in whatever profession they are embarking on. In that aspect, I not only am involved in my own company in women in technology committee, but also outside in non-profit organizations. Recently, I worked with these group of women who grew up orphans, just finished college and looking to enter workforce. It was truly rewarding and personally inspiring to see the drive and enthusiasm they had. Even though I was mentoring, I came out learning more from them.
I have also worked with another non-profit for the last one year that helps woman refugees who do not know English in getting translation services to help them in their daily interactions within society. So much that we take for granted, is what these women have to struggle for. Truly a humbling experience.
INE: Any aptitude/gift or talent that not many people know about you?
SK: Very few people know – I have been a classical dancer and learnt Bharat Natyam for about 15 years and have given numerous public performances. Largest audience has been for 1,200 people.
INE: What are your hobbies and interest?
SK: I picked up a new hobby lately to refurbish furniture while listening to podcasts. Otherwise, I enjoy travel with my family and close friends.
INE: Your favorite books?
SK: I enjoy autobiographies and especially when they are audible books read by the author himself/herself.
INE: Your favorite quotes?
SK: “Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.”
INE: The one person you would like to meet and why?
SK: I would be very excited to meet Bill Gates. Not just for the fact that he has revolutionized the technology world but really more for the philanthropic work he is doing. His work has touched countless number of people for global health, clean water projects, climate change, education and poverty alleviation and much more. For one individual in the modern world to have made such a large impact through his work is in itself so commendable – it is fascinating to me that he still continues to work hard using his influence to give back to the society at such a large scale.
INE: Your core value you try to live by?
SK: Whatever you do and touch, leave it in a better place than you got it. No job is too small or too big.
