Rita Virdee | Commercial Manager | M&G

 

I work as a Commercial Manager for M&G – a leading global investment manager. I have a BEng (hons) in Materials Engineering and an MSc in Engineering Management.

I consider myself a pathfinder in the field of technology and supplier relationship management and am a very passionate advocate for women’s empowerment, diversity, and inclusion. With over 15 years of experience in account management and supplier relationship management in the financial services sector at a global level, I think I bring a unique perspective to the tech industry.

I have a reputation for being able to build relationships, and I believe that strong partnerships are the foundation of achieving mutual growth and innovation. I have good interpersonal skills, coupled with my industry knowledge, have allowed me to cultivate fruitful collaborations with tech vendors, ensuring seamless delivery of cutting-edge solutions to the organisations I have worked with.

My career has been ‘squiggly’ and I started in consultancy – my first tech role was at DTCC as a product manager, where I consolidated my experience of syndicated loans from my previous role at Goldman Sachs to work with banks and lenders to help develop Loan/SERV an industry wide reconciliation platform; helping automate and streamline the processing of syndicated loans. As my career progressed, I transitioned into commercial roles leveraging my technical skills to drive business strategies and revenue growth. My current role at M&G involves managing the crucial supplier relationship for one of M&G’s largest tech vendors and helping us become cloud only. My diverse experience allows me to speak the language of technology professionals and business stakeholders, facilitating effective communication and collaboration between teams. I have extensive experience in account management and supplier relationship management, and understand the intricacies of maintaining successful partnerships and driving collaborative innovation. My ability to bridge the gap between business objectives and technical requirements has proven instrumental in ensuring the delivery of high-quality solutions. I have been at the centre of leading a process to re-baseline commercial arrangements and tallying that against M&G’s expectations have made a material difference to in our partners ability to deliver service and the growing strength of the partnership. As we look to the future I am playing an instrumental role in supporting one of our largest tech vendors work with M&G on our strategic priorities.

Whilst I don’t have a formal technology background, my determination and adaptability have allowed me to quickly get up to speed and excel in this initially unfamiliar industry