In today’s fast-evolving digital economy, successful enterprises demand leaders who can bridge the gap between legacy systems and future-ready platforms. Balaji Conda Shankar, Associate Vice President at Mphasis, stands at the forefront of this transformation. With over 20 years of global experience, Balaji is a proven expert in digital transformation, enterprise modernization, and cloud strategy—driving large-scale initiatives across banking, capital markets, and IT operations.
Leading Digital Transformation at Scale
Balaji currently heads the Optis Modernization Program at Fiserv, one of the most ambitious transformation projects in the financial services industry. This program involves re-architecting a 40-year-old system landscape with over 260 applications, where Balaji leads strategy, governance, and technical implementation.
By leveraging Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), low-code/no-code accelerators, microservices APIs, and next-gen developer tooling, he has enabled faster client onboarding, reduced system complexity, and saved millions in licensing and operational costs. His approach is reshaping the future of financial IT infrastructure—making it scalable, agile, and cloud-native.
A Track Record of Success Across Financial Giants
Before joining Mphasis, Balaji led merger integration technology efforts at Morgan Stanley, streamlining the tech stack post-E*TRADE acquisition. He modernized over 100+ core Java applications, ensuring performance, compliance, and business continuity.
At HCL America, Balaji served as Group Manager, managing 250+ enterprise applications across high-stakes domains such as finance, HR, and compliance. His work included:
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Advanced analytics implementation (OBIEE, Hyperion, OFSAA)
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ETL modernization and platform reliability
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Financial systems automation for clients like TIAA-CREF, Deutsche Bank, and GE Healthcare
Driving Strategic Impact with Technical Excellence
Currently managing a team of over 100 senior technologists, architects, and engineers, Balaji oversees:
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Cloud transformation and platform reengineering
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Agile delivery and risk governance
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Multi-cloud strategies and IaC deployments
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Revenue management and operational accountability
His portfolio exceeds $50 million in value, and he is known for aligning technical execution with business priorities, driving end-to-end modernization initiatives with exceptional delivery precision.
Core Expertise and Tools
Balaji’s digital transformation arsenal includes:
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Digital Core Modernization & Multi-Cloud Architecture
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Agile Program Governance & Value Stream Management
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Enterprise Data Warehousing (OBIEE, Hyperion, Informatica)
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Containers & Cloud-Native Tech (Docker, Kubernetes)
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Java, REST APIs, Microservices, and DevOps Toolchains
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Client Onboarding & RFP/RFI Solution Engineering
Leadership with Vision and Execution
Balaji’s leadership style blends hands-on mentorship, stakeholder alignment, and a strong focus on measurable outcomes. His teams deliver across complex verticals while ensuring data security, compliance, and system reliability—core tenets in financial services.
He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Applications and is a frequent recipient of performance and innovation awards, recognized for delivery excellence, cost efficiency, and technical innovation.
Powering the Next Wave of Digital Finance
Balaji Conda Shankar is more than a transformation leader—he is a trusted advisor to CIOs and enterprise architects, enabling Fortune 500 clients to compete in the digital-first economy. His ability to modernize systems, reduce costs, and accelerate delivery makes him an invaluable asset to any organization aiming to scale intelligently in the financial services sector.