It’s been almost six months since Sudhish emigrated and took on a new role leading TranUnion’s technology transformation across the UK and Europe. The move happens to be a return to his former employer, and he explains why.
Sudhish Mohan is the newly appointed UK and Europe chief information officer (CIO) at TransUnion, a global information and insights company, and one of the UK’s leading credit reference agencies. Among Sudhish’s other responsibilities is identifying and developing new strategies to advance technology systems and products in the UK and Europe.
According to Sudhish, TransUnion is on a modernisation journey, adopting new technologies, building new data businesses, and leveraging AI at a rapid pace. “Being part of such a journey and a steep learning curve is what really drew me back to TransUnion,” Sudhish explains. “We are building a platform that capitalises on the company’s authoritative data assets, cloud-enabled infrastructure and AI and machine learning (ML) capabilities to drive a more complete and persistent picture of consumers across the globe.”
Across the pond
Sudhish has always had international aspirations, and when the opportunity with TransUnion came up,he saw the new opportunity as a chance to put those ambitions into action. “This isn’t my first stint with TransUnion (TU), however, this time I get to return and lead TransUnion’s European business, across the continent and India,” he says. He previously led the Africa business for almost three years.
It comes as no surprise that Sudhish found moving abroad incredibly difficult. “We have such a beautiful country, in so many ways, and leaving the amazing banking team at Old Mutual made it even harder,” he says. Notably, Old Mutual was where Sudhish led the technology build of the new bank.
Sudhish went on to explain that it was an exciting time to come back to TU and lead the new modernisation journey across the European portfolio. As CIO, Sudhish leads the transformation to AWS and Google (engineering, data and analytics). “Today, I am deeply embedded in large financial services businesses such as HSBC, Santander and Barclays by assisting them with technology strategies.
“Transformations are always hard work, but the experiences leading massive transformations for other global giants has built a methodology and resilience which few others can mimic,” Sudhish adds. “I owe that to South Africa and our ‘vasbyt’ mindset.
He also took the opportunity to thank Mike Bowden, global CIO of Anglo American, Lee Naik, Shawn Ellis, Rolf Eichweber and Royden Volans, who he describes as excellent mentors that have shaped his way of thinking and work ethic.
Some turbulence, but a safe landing
It takes some serious contemplation before moving overseas and some adjusting after you’ve landed, Sudhish explains.
“It's never easy to leave your home and all that is familiar to you,” he says. “The grass is not greener on the other side, it’s just different. Finding a new home, applying for a bank card, having no credit history – all things I have taken for granted – have all become a challenge in a new country. It’s like literally starting your life from scratch.”
Sudhish says that South Africa is always on his mind: “You never really appreciate our beautiful country until you are no longer living there,” he adds. Sudhish also mentions how fortunate he is to work in TU, and a huge plus is how the company is investing heavily into South Africa and creating jobs via the credit reporting agency’s Global Capability centres (GCCs).
“Our UK business has many operations and security functions led out of South Africa, which is a wonderful testament to the resilience of our nation, but shows the potential that really exists.”
