Devayani Wandrekar is Director Programs at Sage with more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry, with the last 10 years focused on program management and operations. She has a strong foundation in people management, revitalizing troubled groups, and driving process efficiency. She specializes in quality system implementation, defining mission goals, aligning people to the company’s goals, and managing shared resources for consistent result delivery. She was part of the UCLA PGPX 2021-22 cohort and shares her experience of the program.
How was your overall program experience?
PGPX is one of the best programs from UCLA that helped me with my personal transformation in all aspects of my life. We learned from the best professors and shared the process with an amazing cohort. Overall, it was a great experience.
Did anything in the program stand out for you?
I took away a few key learnings from this course, which are as follows:
- Do not get overwhelmed with data, rather understand it with context.
- Read the balance sheets, income and profit and loss statements to know your organization better.
- Mergers and acquisitions are successful if you care about the people and culture.
- Storytelling is the best way to express your thoughts.
- Negotiations are tough, but the process can be simple if you think beyond just winning.
- Different kinds of problems need to be tackled differently. A small issue can turn into a huge problem if not handled on time.
- Entrepreneurship is not easy but with the right team it is sustainable.
- Marketing can make or break your position in the market.
- Knowing yourself is the first step to success.