Karat Establishes Technical Advisory Board to Accelerate Expansion into the Enterprise

Today, I am honored to announce the formation of Karat’s Technical Advisory Board – a group of ten senior leaders who recognize the significance of technical hiring in fueling digital transformation, creating the next big technological breakthrough, and breaking down barriers for underrepresented talent around the world. 

With representatives from some of the world’s largest industry-leading organizations, the Technical Advisory Board offers a deep and dynamic bench of experience that will support Karat as we help our enterprise customers navigate the incredible pace of technological change and hire top engineering talent.

Meet the Leaders on our Technical Advisory Board

Amish Patel – Chief Technology Officer at Elevance Health, Inc.

As Chief Technology Officer at Elevance Health, Inc. for Platform and Cloud Enablement, Amish is responsible for advancing the company’s focus on the creation of innovative digital capabilities and leading transformation. He previously served as the CIO of Aflac subsidiary Empowered, where he implemented industry-leading benefit enrollment solutions. Prior to that, he spent two decades at BB&T now Truist as the CIO of Core Banking, leading modernization initiatives for banking applications.

David Lau – Vice President of Vehicle Software at Tesla

As Vice President of Vehicle Software at Tesla, David is responsible for building and scaling the world-class engineering organization that has shaped the future of connected vehicles. Prior to joining Tesla in 2012, David led embedded processor and software development teams at Altera, which is now a part of Intel. David champions a product development approach that emphasizes rapid iterations powered by data insights, and a team culture of empowerment that is enabled by strong talent, organizational alignment, and direct communication.

Ed McLaughlin – President and Chief Technology Officer at Mastercard

Ed oversees Mastercard’s critical technology functions, from the worldwide payments network to enterprise platforms and data security. Since 2005, Ed has played instrumental roles in shaping Mastercard’s digital strategy, partnerships, and platform development. He is well-recognized for his thoughtful and intentional approach to technical hiring, with a goal of moving recruiting conversations away from, “Are we getting the right people from a functional standpoint?” to making sure Mastercard, or any company, can find and hire the people where there is true value and goal alignment.

Julie Durham – Chief Technology Officer at UnitedHealthCare

Julie is responsible for the strategy and execution of UnitedHealthCare’s technology initiatives, as well as the digital transformation and engineering teams across UHC for all consumer experiences and operations. She has led cross-functional and matrixed organizations of up to 5,000 engineers in diverse industries and markets including Asia, Middle East, Europe, North and South America. Previously, Julie was the CIO for Optum Payment Integrity and Optum Connect, and held senior leadership positions at Best Buy, SAP, Al Futtaim, and ExxonMobil. She is a Board member of the Minnesota Technology Association and was named one of Technology Magazine’s “Top 100 Leaders in Technology” in 2022.

Karenann Terrell – Former Chief Digital and Technology Officer for GSK and former Chief Information Officer for Walmart Inc.

Having served as leader of information technology, digital and data at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Walmart, Karenann is an experienced transformational tech leader recognized for her ability to successfully build, scale and lead diverse teams around the world. She currently serves on the Google Cloud Advisory Board and as a senior advisor to Insight Partners, the global software and internet growth equity investor.  She also serves as director for private and public boards and is an active supporter of T200, the leading female technology CXO network.

Larry Quinlan – Former Global CIO at Deloitte

As the Global Chief Information Officer at Deloitte, Larry led a team of 10,000 IT professionals across 175 countries, driving impressive revenue growth for key clients. He currently serves as a public and private company board director with companies like Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and ServiceNow. His passion for improving technical opportunities in underserved communities also led him to co-found The TechPACT, an organization dedicated to bridging the digital divide.

Michael Ruttledge – Chief Information Officer and Head of Technology Services for Citizens Bank

Michael is responsible for Citizen Bank’s comprehensive technology environment, from customer and client-facing applications to infrastructure and operations. Recognized for his leadership in fostering a culture of continuous learning and retaining top talent, he spearheaded the bank’s modernization efforts and implemented personalized data and digital solutions for customers. Previously, Michael held the position of Unit Chief Information Officer at American Express Co., bringing over 20 years of experience in infrastructure and engineering roles within the financial services industry.

Sabina Ewing – CIO and VP of Business and Technology Services at Abbott

Sabina leads Abbott’s information technology organization, inclusive of responsibilities for both enterprise and product cybersecurity. Prior to joining Abbott, she held leadership and management roles at companies like Pfizer and American Express. Sabina is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion through her involvement in organizations like Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering.

Sagnik Nandy – President and Chief Development Officer at Okta

Sagnik is in charge of engineering, business technology, and strategic planning of product development at Okta. Previously, he served as vice president of engineering at Google, overseeing crucial components of its core advertising business while driving growth and profitability. During his 15 years at Google, Sagnik also helped build the company’s measurement and analytics solutions, took several products from inception to market leaders, and managed teams of over 1,000 people.

Vijaya Kaza – Chief Security Officer & Head of Engineering for Trust and Safety at Airbnb

Vijaya leads Airbnb’s Information Security as well as Trust & Safety Engineering organizations. In this dual role she not only oversees building the technology to safeguard the Airbnb community and platform but also to secure Airbnb’s infrastructure and information assets. Previously, Vijaya has held executive roles at companies such as Lookout, FireEye, and Cisco. She has led large organizations that spanned engineering, product management, and other cross-functional teams, and has been responsible for product development for large portfolios generating over 1B in sales. Vijaya was recently listed on “Top 30 Women in Cyber” for 2023, and previously listed on “100 Executive Women in Tech to Watch” for 2022.