Over more than two decades in IT recruitment, Deepa Jagarlapudi has witnessed and actively shaped the transformation of India’s technology talent landscape from its early growth wave to today’s AI-driven ecosystem. From building Siebel CRM teams in the early 2000s to leading large-scale hiring across cloud, data, and digital platforms at Valtech, her journey reflects a broader shift in how organisations define, evaluate, and deploy tech talent. What began as a function focused on sourcing and scale has evolved into one that directly influences business strategy, culture, and long-term value creation.
- You’ve been in IT recruitment since the early growth wave of India’s tech ecosystem. How has the definition of “great tech talent” evolved over the last two decades and how has that evolution changed you as a leader?
- From hiring Siebel CRM teams to AI, Cloud, DevOps, and Digital Commerce talent, what has been the most difficult hiring shift to navigate strategically and personally?
- You’ve led talent acquisition across IBM, Wipro, and now Valtech. At what point did recruiting stop being about filling roles and start becoming about shaping business outcomes?
- What differentiates women leaders who scale with the business from those who remain functionally strong but strategically invisible?
- Which subtle behaviours in engineering-heavy ecosystems still prevent women from being seen as strategic equals?
- When mentoring young women entering tech recruitment or HR, what mindset shift do you encourage early if they want to operate at a strategic level?
- Looking ahead, what responsibility do senior women leaders in tech carry that goes beyond their functional role?
In this conversation with Kathakali Dutta, Editor, StrongYes Media, Jagarlapudi reflects on how the definition of “great tech talent” has moved from language expertise to system thinking, why hiring today demands balancing global expectations with cost realities, and how recruitment leaders are increasingly becoming cultural architects within organisations. She also offers a candid perspective on gender dynamics within engineering-heavy environments, the invisible barriers women continue to navigate, and the mindset shifts required for the next generation of HR leaders to operate at a truly strategic level.
You’ve been in IT recruitment since the early growth wave of India’s tech ecosystem. How has the definition of “great tech talent” evolved over the last two decades and how has that evolution changed you as a leader?
Deepa: The definition of “great tech talent” has fundamentally shifted from syntax to systems.
Earlier, hiring focused heavily on specialists who were deeply skilled in a specific programming language or technology. Today, the expectation is far broader. Organisations are looking for system orchestrators who can navigate complex ecosystems, work across platforms, and manage AI-driven workflows that require both technical depth and contextual understanding.
This shift has reshaped my leadership approach. I no longer see myself as just a recruiter, but as a cultural architect. With the rise of talent intelligence platforms, recruitment has become far more data-driven, but also more narrative-driven. We are now responsible for articulating and shaping the story of the organisation’s culture, ensuring that the talent we bring in aligns not just with skill requirements, but with long-term strategic direction.
From hiring Siebel CRM teams to AI, Cloud, DevOps, and Digital Commerce talent, what has been the most difficult hiring shift to navigate strategically and personally?
Deepa: The shift has been both strategic and deeply personal.
There is a constant need to evolve, to unlearn past patterns, and to align with the expectations of today’s hiring managers and a Gen Z workforce that now has access to global opportunities. Geography does not constrain talent anymore. Expectations around flexibility, growth, and purpose have increased significantly.
At the same time, the market itself has become more complex. With India emerging as a key delivery hub for digital transformation, demand for niche and high-impact skills has surged. The real challenge lies in finding the right talent while balancing cost optimisation, especially in areas like AI, cloud, and DevOps where demand consistently exceeds supply.
You’ve led talent acquisition across IBM, Wipro, and now Valtech. At what point did recruiting stop being about filling roles and start becoming about shaping business outcomes?
Deepa: There has been a clear and gradual shift from being a role filler to becoming an outcome shaper.
Efficiency metrics such as time to hire used to define recruitment success, earlier. Today, the focus has moved towards time to value, which looks at how quickly a hire begins to contribute meaningfully to business outcomes.
This shift has redefined success metrics across my journey. It is no longer about headcount growth, but about revenue impact and efficiency per employee. Hiring decisions today are closely tied to strategic priorities, whether that is scaling a capability, entering a new market, or driving innovation.
Moments like 2008 and 2020 disrupted the system, but it was the period after 2021 that truly changed the dynamics, placing greater power in the hands of talent and forcing organisations to rethink how they attract and retain people.
What differentiates women leaders who scale with the business from those who remain functionally strong but strategically invisible?
Deepa: This is often a defining inflection point in many careers.
The difference is rarely about capability. It is more about the ecosystem, the people you work with, the processes in place, and the level of support available to you. These factors often determine whether someone gets the space to grow beyond functional excellence into strategic visibility.
Women who do scale tend to bring a broader perspective. They often combine professional expertise with strong interpersonal and situational awareness, which helps them navigate complexity and contribute at a higher strategic level.
Which subtle behaviours in engineering-heavy ecosystems still prevent women from being seen as strategic equals?
Deepa: In engineering-driven environments, the challenge is not a lack of skill, but a cultural glass ceiling that is often invisible yet deeply impactful.
There is an unspoken “prove it again” bias, where women are required to repeatedly demonstrate their competence to earn the same level of strategic trust that is more readily extended to their male peers.
At the same time, there is a tendency among many women to focus on execution over visibility. Women often complete the work exceptionally well, but without deliberate positioning. They struggle to get recognised as a strategic voice. This combination creates a barrier that is subtle but persistent.
When mentoring young women entering tech recruitment or HR, what mindset shift do you encourage early if they want to operate at a strategic level?
Deepa: The first shift is understanding that corporate environments are not just operational systems, but also social and political ecosystems.
Young professionals need to recognise that they are advocates for their own work. Hard work alone is not enough. What matters is how effectively you demonstrate the impact of your work.
The transition from execution to strategy requires the ability to present meaningful data, draw insights, and connect those insights to organisational outcomes. When you can show how your work influences the larger business, you build trust, credibility, and influence.
Looking ahead, what responsibility do senior women leaders in tech carry that goes beyond their functional role?
Deepa: Senior women leaders today are playing a much larger role than their formal titles suggest.
They are shaping industry culture, driving innovation, and contributing to commercial outcomes. In an era defined by AI and data, they also carry the responsibility of ensuring ethical standards and responsible decision-making.
Across functions such as research, product development, engineering, and AI, women leaders are increasingly acting as architects of the future. Their influence extends beyond their immediate roles and contributes to an industry that is becoming more inclusive, balanced, and forward-looking.
