Leaving Rolls-Royce

Today is my last day at leading Corporate Innovation activities for R2 Data Labs at Rolls-Royce.

My journey of seven and a half years with Rolls-Royce comes to end.

A boring take on what I’ve done in my career is here on LinkedIn.

Leading various streams from technical and commercial perspectives was fun. And challenging. 4 roles in 7.5 years require a lot of flexibility and adaptability.

We’ve gone through lots of change at Rolls-Royce and what really sticks out are the people. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing people, from hardware to software. Rolls-Royce builds some of the most complex machines. And maintaining those products need critical technology software that is resilient and futuristic.

In 2019, I was part of a small group of Agile coaches that ran a wild agile session with Rolls-Royce’s enterprise leadership group. In this image, we see the team along with Warren East, Caroline Gorski, and Jürgen Winterholler.

I’ve been hands-on in tech, and also more commercially minded. There are folks who ask me why I spent so long at Rolls-Royce.

And the answer is simple – I woke up every day wanting to put a dent in the universe. And Rolls-Royce gave me the opportunity and freedom to do that.

It was rather simple.

So why am I leaving?

Adventure is a good thing. A good team makes that any adventure more fun. The crazy ones – that’s what you should look for. I remember trekking with some crazy folks, some who’ve left a lasting impression.

Because it’s time to go through a new adventure. For those wondering, I am not going straight into a new role.

I want to take some time to find my second act.

Taking on a new role or venture isn’t a job for me. When I do something, it’s to put a dent in the universe. I need to find that second act.

I like building partnerships.

I like supporting startups work with corporates.

I want to support more corporates to engage with startups.

I want to try building my own venture someday.

And underpinning this is my love for customer-centric technology innovation.

I am proud of lots of things at Rolls-Royce. From working with data across countries to enable the longest flight to take place on time. To delivering tangible returns through corporate innovation, POCs, Hackathons, and innovation challenges.

Enough work stuff to be proud of.

But I am most proud of the people I worked with. I learnt so much from each one of them.

A picture speaks a thousand words. A perfect example of corporate innovation with the Smartia team (sitting) getting mentorship from Rolls-Royce team at the Manufacturing hackathon (AMRC Sheffield).

I still remember my interview with Laura and Richard. To this day, I am not sure what clinches the interview as I vividly remember saying “I actually don’t know much about gas turbine”. But they gave me my first substantive break.

So I’ve always been aware of how fortunate I am. And every single day I’ve made sure that luck is passed on. To anyone who needs it.

I never dreamt of working for Rolls-Royce. I am grateful that I did.

And now, it’s time to move on.

Spread that knowledge.

And pass that luck on.

I am here to talk to anyone.

Drop me a line and let’s talk.

But most importantly, know that we all got lucky in some way. Let’s pass that on.

Now, to get lucky again 😉

Credit: Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash