Name: Simran J Singh | Designation: Senior Vice President | Company: Green Dot | Place: San Francisco
(June 6, 2023) For Simran J Singh, building one’s own brand is as important as any other factor when it comes to professional success. “You have to build your brand and then sell that brand. Across my professional, personal, and academic life, I am known as the ‘Get stuff done’ guy. It takes time to build that reputation and only one mistake to lose it,” says Singh, who is a senior vice president leading the Banking as a Service team at Green Dot in San Francisco.
Born and raised in Patiala, Punjab, Simran had always excelled academically and was the first from his school to go to IIT. “I spent the first 18 years in the same house in Patiala and went to the same school till class 12. Our neighbourhood was rural enough that some of our neighbours had cows and livestock, but urban enough that you could get to a mall or a movie theatre within 15 minutes,” says Simran, who decided to follow in his cousin’s footsteps, who’d gone to IIT and was always seen as the pride of the family.
At IIT Delhi, where he graduated top of his class, Simran studied computer science and math. “I also had the opportunity to do an exchange year at INSA Lyon in France. Fun fact: I didn’t speak a word of French when I landed there, even though all classes were in French. I just learnt by listening to others, reading newspapers, and most importantly watching movies with French subtitles,” smiles Simran, who then went on to do his MBA from the Wharton School of Business and graduated as a Palmer Scholar (students graduating in the top 5% of the class).
Simran J Singh, during his MBA from the Wharton School of Business.
Simran began his professional journey as a senior associate at EY-Parthenon, Mumbai, before moving on to Baring Private Equity Asia in Hong Kong as an investment professional. In 2012 he also co-founded an entirely bootstrapped startup called Rocket Science Technology, which was acquired by Dailyhunt three years later.
By 2015 he’d joined VMware as a senior product manager, setting the ball rolling on his professional journey in the US. “I currently lead the Banking as a Service business team at a fintech company called Green Dot. We are on a mission to provide financial services to the underbanked with the use of technology. Currently, Apple, Amazon, Intuit, Walmart are some of our clients,” he says, adding, “Growing up, financial insecurity was part of everyday life. Even when you come to the US, you realise that 30-40% of the population is living paycheck to paycheck. Most of the tech developments are aimed at the rich or middle class, whereas in truth, it is the paycheck to paycheck person who would most benefit from fintech products. That’s the difference we are looking to make at Green Dot.”
In general, Simran prefers to have a multi-disciplinary approach to his career. “Instead of focusing on one function, I have had experiences in different functions – I worked in management consulting, private equity, product roles, BD roles, strategy roles, and also started my own company. This allows me to understand the other person’s perspective in greater detail.”
Talking about how job hunting has changed over the years, he says that employers these days are looking for soft skills such as teamwork and communication. “They aren’t just focused on academic excellence or hard skills such as coding. I think the belief today is that you can teach someone the hard skills if they are adept in the soft skills,” he says, adding that while looking for jobs, don’t just send emails or apply online. “Try and find someone who is already at the company and try to get a warm intro. Even if the intro is not in the same team or group, it increases the probability that you will be considered 10x. Secondly, don’t just talk about your past experiences; come prepared with what difference you will make in that role and why you are the best fit.”
Simran J Singh
While at his company there is a lot of emphasis on diversity based on race and gender, Simran also feels that it’s equally important to have diversity in thought process. “You don’t want to have a team that is full of ‘yes-people’. People with different backgrounds allow for a healthy debate.”
An early riser, he begins his day at 5 am going through mails, messages and catching up on the news. This is usually followed by a workout or walk, before work begins. “Ours is a fully remote company, so I work from home. My days are usually full of meetings, though I do mark specific blocks in my calendar to ensure I have time to focus on getting work done as well. I ensure most of my work is done by 5 pm. We are members of an athletic club in SF and most weekday evenings are spent there, or a show on TV. I don’t go to bed till I have checked off my to-do list. It is an extreme measure, but allows me to be efficient in the longer term. I’m known amongst friends and workers for not being a procrastinator.”
During his time off, he loves to travel with his wife and the duo ensures they fit in at least 3-4 trips each year, apart from 2-3 trips to India as well. They’ve just returned from the South of Spain and Portugal. “I believe work-life balance is a measure of what someone’s priorities are. If you feel like you don’t have work-life balance, my advice is to think about what you want to prioritise and then see how your schedule maps to the priorities.”
India is a central aspect of his personality and he doesn’t feel the need to make an effort to maintain ties to his homeland. “They come naturally. We visit home at least twice or thrice a year and over the long term, we definitely want to move back to India – but only for the right opportunity. It is a disservice to the nation and to yourself, if you let your talents go to waste,” he says, adding, “I try to make sure that people don’t just have the lazy stereotypes about India – the snake charmers, the elephant rides, etc. For example, the infamous Indian Standard Time. I am maniacal about my punctuality and make sure I hold others to the same level as well. To see change, be the change.”
Takeaways:
- Don’t procrastinate. Plan well, prioritise and get things done.
- Build a personal brand, stick to it and sell it through your professional and personal life.
- It’s ok to be thrown off the deep end. Adaptability is key.
- When building a team, focus on diversity of thought as well.
- When out of India, you project Brand India. Own it and work to improve it. Set aside the laid back attitude.