IT Industry and BFSI technology domain leadership: Independent IT Advisory, Consultancy

More than three decades of IT Consulting and Technology Leadership.

I led technology at Bank of Maharashtra as Chief Technology Officer for three years, and spent more than fifteen years before that at Barclays leading enterprise business transformation and architecture. I am now in independent practice, available as a Board Advisor, Independent Director, IT Advisor or Fractional CTO, and for enterprise-level architecture reviews, IT consulting and technology recruitment assistance, in domestic and international markets.

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Portrait of Pradeep Srivastava
Chief Technology Officer Bank of Maharashtra, 2023–2026
Years in IT and technology leadership
Thirty-two plus
Years at Barclays leading enterprise architecture
Fifteen years
Technology professionals led
Several hundred
Technology investment directed
A thousand crore
Availability of critical services
Near‑continuous
Infrastructure and licensing cost reduction
About a quarter

Open to engagement

Available as Board Advisor, Independent Director, IT Advisor and Fractional CTO, and for enterprise-level architecture reviews, IT consulting and technology recruitment assistance. Domestic and international engagements, each shaped to the organisation's need and requirement.

The transition

From bank CTO to independent advisor

Pradeep Srivastava is an information technology executive with more than thirty-two years of leadership experience across banking, financial services and the IT software and hardware domain. He has developed and deployed enterprise architecture and enterprise-level transformation in a number of top-notch organisations in domestic and international geographies, including regulated enterprises. He served as Chief Technology Officer of Bank of Maharashtra from 2023 to 2026, where he led a technology organisation of several hundred professionals and directed technology investment running to more than a thousand crore. He advised the Board and executive leadership on technology investment and transformation, and led the critical banking platforms on which the bank's availability, resilience and security depended.

He was a System Executive at NIPS Computer Services from 1994, and by 2005 was Head of IT at Grasim Industries, part of the Aditya Birla Group, managing an SAP implementation, and then at Birlasoft, where he implemented ISO 27001 and ITIL practices in a 24/7 global delivery environment. After a delivery assignment serving Credit Suisse, he joined Barclays Global Technology Centre in 2008 and spent more than fifteen years there as Vice President, CTO Lead Enterprise Architect, shaping technology strategy for global banking platforms serving millions of customers and strengthening disaster recovery, operational resilience and governance across critical platforms.

After a career leading technology from inside institutions, Pradeep now advises independently. The judgement formed over those years — on what to fund, what to retire, where resilience is tested and how to meet regulatory expectations without stalling delivery — can now be drawn on by more than one institution. He is available as a Board Advisor, Independent Director, IT Advisor or Fractional CTO, and for enterprise-level architecture reviews, IT consulting and technology recruitment assistance, in India and internationally, with the form of each engagement set by the organisation's need and requirement. Boards and leadership teams get the perspective of someone who has carried the accountability himself.

Ways to engage

Roles and engagements I take on

Over thirty-two years in IT, including leading technology as a bank CTO, can be engaged in the form that fits the organisation. Each role below is open to organisations in India and internationally, across banking, financial services, insurance, technology companies and the public sector.

  • Board Advisor

    Advisory support to the Board, IT Strategy Committee or Risk Committee without a directorship: technology oversight, cyber posture, programme assurance and the questions to put to management.

  • Independent Director

    A Board seat with genuine depth in technology, cybersecurity and operational resilience, for banks, financial institutions, insurers, fintechs and listed companies.

  • IT Advisor

    A trusted sounding board for CEOs, CIOs and leadership teams on technology strategy, investment priorities, major programme risk and the trade-offs behind them.

  • Fractional CTO

    Part-time, senior technology leadership for organisations that need a CTO's judgement without a full-time hire: strategy and roadmap, vendor and platform decisions, team leadership and Board reporting.

  • Enterprise-level Architecture Review

    Independent review of enterprise, solution and cloud architecture against business goals, scalability, security, resilience and regulatory expectations, from a TOGAF-certified enterprise architect.

  • IT Consultant

    Engagement-based consulting on digital transformation, cloud and API-first modernisation, IT operations, resilience and cost optimisation, from diagnosis through to a delivery plan the organisation can own.

  • Technology Recruitment Assistance

    Helping organisations hire CTOs, architects and technology leaders, and shape or scale delivery teams, drawing on experience building technology organisations several hundred strong.

  • Due Diligence and Vendor Evaluation

    Objective assessment of technology estates, platforms and partners ahead of transformation programmes, vendor selection, outsourcing decisions, mergers or investments.

Not sure which form fits? Describe the situation and I will suggest the right shape of engagement.

Discuss an engagement

Board and governance readiness

What thirty-two years in technology brings to the boardroom

Nomination committees look for directors who can ask the right questions of technology and understand the answers. Pradeep brings both, with a governance lens shaped by a career across banking, financial services, IT and regulated enterprises, suited to a Board, IT Strategy Committee or Risk Committee.

  • Technology Judgement at Board Level

    Translates architecture, cloud, cybersecurity and AI into the language of strategy and risk, so directors can question technology investments with the same confidence they bring to credit or capital, separating durable value from fashion.

  • IT Strategy Committee Contribution

    Independent scrutiny of technology roadmaps, investment planning and programme delivery, grounded in experience directing enterprise-wide technology investment of more than a thousand crore, so that committees can challenge management proposals with informed confidence.

  • Risk Committee Perspective

    Practical understanding of cybersecurity, operational resilience, business continuity and disaster recovery, and of the questions a Risk Committee should put to management on each, grounded in years of direct accountability for platforms where an outage or a breach becomes a Board matter within the hour.

  • Regulatory and Governance Fluency

    Familiarity with technology governance and regulatory compliance in highly regulated financial institutions, and with what management must put before a Board for its oversight to be evidenced, drawn from years of advising boards and executive committees and engaging directly with regulators.

  • Building Technology Organisations

    A record of building and leading high-performing technology organisations several hundred strong, so that oversight is rooted in what actually works inside a delivery organisation rather than in theory.

  • Domestic and International Experience

    Senior technology leadership inside both an Indian public sector bank and a global banking group, giving a Board a reference point that spans domestic and international practice.

Advisory services

Areas of advisory

Independent advice for banks, financial institutions and public sector bodies, drawn from a career leading technology inside regulated enterprises. Each area is offered through a Board-level, advisory, Fractional CTO or consulting engagement, shaped to the institution's need, governance model and regulatory context.

  • Technology Strategy and Roadmap

    Independent review and shaping of enterprise technology strategy, modernisation roadmaps and architecture direction, so that investment decisions align with business priorities, regulatory expectations and long-term enterprise value.

  • IT Governance and Regulatory Compliance

    Advisory on technology governance frameworks, policy, operational risk and compliance readiness for regulated financial institutions, drawing on experience of stakeholder management with Boards, senior executives and regulators in highly regulated environments.

  • Cybersecurity and Operational Resilience

    Independent assessment of cybersecurity posture, disaster recovery, business continuity and high-availability arrangements, informed by an Enterprise Resiliency Operations Centre delivered under his leadership at Bank of Maharashtra that lifted availability of critical services to near-continuous levels.

  • Technology Investment and Cost Optimisation

    Objective scrutiny of technology budgets, business cases and investment prioritisation, informed by directing technology investment of more than a thousand crore and cutting infrastructure and licensing costs by about a quarter through cloud-native transformation and technology rationalisation.

  • Cloud, API and Platform Modernisation

    Guidance on cloud adoption and API-first architecture for digital banking platforms. Where automation and AI/ML are proposed, advice on the controls a regulated environment requires before they go live.

  • Vendor, Outsourcing and Partner Oversight

    Advisory on strategic vendor and outsourcing governance, commercial discipline and service quality, to help institutions protect service levels and hold technology partners accountable.

Experience

Thirty-two years of technology leadership

  1. –

    Chief Technology Officer

    Bank of Maharashtra

    • Defined and executed enterprise technology strategy, architecture roadmap and digital transformation aligned with business and regulatory priorities.
    • Led technology operations and critical banking platforms, with emphasis on availability, scalability, resilience and security; oversaw governance, operational risk, cybersecurity, vendor management and regulatory compliance.
    • Advised the Board and executive leadership on technology investment, innovation strategy and digital transformation; led enterprise-wide investment planning, prioritisation and governance.
  2. –

    Vice President, CTO Lead Enterprise Architect

    Barclays Global Technology Centre

    • Led enterprise architecture and technology strategy for global banking platforms supporting millions of customers and high-volume transactions.
    • Delivered large-scale application modernisation using microservices, cloud-native architecture and API ecosystems; strengthened disaster recovery, business continuity and technology governance across critical platforms.
    • Managed global engineering and architecture teams, technology budgets and strategic vendor relationships, partnering with executive leadership on investment planning and EA governance.
  3. –

    Delivery Manager IT

    Credit Suisse Bank (via Optimum Solutions, Singapore)

    • Managed IT service delivery transformation initiatives, ensuring business continuity and service excellence.
    • Coordinated infrastructure, application and integration teams across critical technology services.
  4. –

    Head IT / Manager IT

    Birlasoft Limited, Hyderabad

    • Led IT infrastructure, operations and enterprise technology services in a 24/7 global delivery environment.
    • Managed enterprise systems, networks, operations and information security; implemented ISO 27001 and ITIL practices.
  5. –

    Head IT / Deputy Manager IT

    Grasim Industries (Aditya Birla Group), Karnataka

    • Led enterprise IT infrastructure and systems, including an SAP implementation.
    • Oversaw IT budgeting, SLA management, vendor coordination and disaster recovery across end-to-end IT operations.
  6. –

    Earlier roles

    Virendra Swarup · UPTEC Computer Consultancy Limited · NIPS Computer Services

    • Programme Coordinator / System Administrator, Virendra Swarup (Jul 1998 – Aug 2005).
    • Manager, UPTEC Computer Consultancy Limited (Feb 1996 – May 1998).
    • System Executive, NIPS Computer Services (Aug 1994 – Feb 1996).

Selected impact

Outcomes a Board can measure

  • Near‑continuous

    Availability of critical services improved

    An Enterprise Resiliency Operations Centre at Bank of Maharashtra, delivered under his leadership as CTO, lifted the availability of critical banking services to near-continuous levels.

  • About a quarter

    Infrastructure and licensing cost reduction

    Cloud-native transformation, platform optimisation and technology rationalisation reduced infrastructure and licensing costs by about a quarter.

  • A thousand crore

    Technology investment directed

    Led enterprise-wide technology investment planning, prioritisation and governance across strategic programmes, with commercial discipline over partners, vendors and outsourced services.

  • Several hundred

    Technology professionals led

    Built and led a technology organisation several hundred strong while strengthening governance, risk management and resilience across critical banking systems.

Credentials

Certifications, education and recognition

Certifications

  • Registered with the Independent Directors' Databank
  • TOGAF (Level 1 & 2)
  • AWS Cloud Practitioner
  • ITIL Foundation
  • ICAgile
  • Cyber Security
  • CISSP Training

Education

  • MBA from CSJM University
  • MCA from M D University
  • B.Sc. (Mathematics) from Kanpur University

Awards and recognition

  • Indian Banks' Association (IBA) Award for Bank of Maharashtra, received for the third consecutive year under his technology leadership
  • "Banking Icon" Award, Core Media Group
  • Selected for the CTO Leadership Training Programme, ISB Hyderabad
  • Long Service Recognition Award, twice, at Barclays
  • Best Team Award for the IT team, Birlasoft

Engagement markets

Where the experience applies

  • Domestic India

    Board, advisory, Fractional CTO and consulting roles for Indian banks and financial institutions navigating modernisation, resilience and regulatory expectations, informed by leading technology as CTO of Bank of Maharashtra.

  • Government and Public Sector

    Independent technology advisory and consulting for government bodies and public sector enterprises on governance, oversight of large programmes, vendor discipline and secure, resilient platforms.

  • International

    Board, advisory, Fractional CTO and consulting engagement for international BFSI institutions, drawing on more than fifteen years shaping global banking platforms at Barclays and earlier delivery work serving Credit Suisse.

Contact

Start with the decision you are facing

If you are searching for a Board Advisor or Independent Director, an IT Advisor, a Fractional CTO, an Information Technology Consultant, or someone for an enterprise leadership team, who has carried the accountability inside a domestic and international IT organisation, a regulated bank or a broader BFSI organisation, I would welcome a conversation. Write to me with a few lines on the situation and I will suggest whether, and how, I can help. I am available now.

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