In the high-stakes world of financial technology, where milliseconds mean millions and innovation is the currency of progress, one name reverberates through the corridors of change Sapana Garud. With 14 years of relentless pursuit in software development and risk management, she has not just redefined fintech; she has rewritten its playbook. As Assistant Vice President at Barclays Global Service Centre, Sapana is not just leading; she is pioneering.

 

Numbers don’t lie, and neither does impact. Sapana orchestrated the risk engine decommissioning project, a surgical strike on inefficiency, decommissioning 28% of global servers and stacking up annual savings of £282,484. She didn’t just upgrade real-time intraday risk pricing; she slashed operational overhead by 8 hours weekly, gifting traders the superpower of instant decision-making. The Market Risk stress test application she made it 30% faster, ensuring compliance with the precision of a Swiss watch. The result? A seismic £3.76 million in annual savings for Barclays.

 

Recognition follows revolutionaries, and Sapana’s name lit up the Barclays Times Square billboard, an accolade reserved for the few who don’t just work in fintech but define it. Pair that with the Employee of the Year and Star Award from her Cognizant days, and you have a leader whose brilliance is both celebrated and consistent.

 

Beyond the boardrooms and codebases, Sapana is a technological maestro. AWS Certified and fluent in the languages of Scala, Hadoop, Angular JS, C#, and a fleet of database management systems, she constructs solutions as if composing a symphony complex yet seamless, intricate yet intuitive. Her hands don’t just build; they architect ecosystems that scale, evolve, and set industry benchmarks.

 

But what truly sets her apart is her ability to transcend the technical and operate at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and transformation. In an industry governed by regulations and razor-thin margins, she strikes the impossible balance of optimizing costs, supercharging performance, and keeping the regulators smiling. Her work on TRACE Regulatory Trade reporting is proof: a masterclass in aligning technology with the ironclad mandates of financial compliance.

 

Yet, Sapana’s story isn’t just about personal triumphs, it’s about reshaping an entire industry. She isn’t merely coding solutions; she is scripting the future of fintech. With every challenge she dismantles, every inefficiency she obliterates, and every team she inspires, she is pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

 

“I may be from a small town, but my dreams were never small, and coming from this background never held me back.” These words embody her journey, one marked by perseverance, vision, and an unyielding drive to excel. Her achievements extend beyond her corporate role, she has wrapped up writing a book, penned articles published in renowned journals, and has been invited as a speaker at TechEx North America 2025, further cementing her position as a thought leader in the industry. Her accolades speak volumes, with the Titan and Global Recognition Award 2024 adding to her ever-growing list of honors.

 

And now, the world takes notice. Winning the Business Mint | Nationwide Award 2024 as the ‘Financial Technology Innovator of the Year - 2024’ in New York isn’t just another feather in her cap, it’s a signal to the industry. The message is loud and clear: in the accelerating digital transformation of finance, Sapana Garud is not just keeping up. She is leading the charge, setting the rhythm, and orchestrating a new era of financial technology where innovation isn’t just encouraged, it’s inevitable.

 

Her leadership extends beyond technical execution, it is visionary. Sapana has a unique ability to anticipate industry trends, ensuring that Barclays remains ahead of the curve. She is not just a problem solver; she is a futurist, someone who doesn’t just react to change but engineers it.

 

At the heart of Sapana’s success lies an unwavering commitment to mentorship and empowerment. She doesn’t just lead teams, she builds them, nurtures them, and instills in them the courage to push boundaries. Her influence extends beyond Barclays, inspiring the next generation of fintech disruptors who look to her as a beacon of what’s possible in an industry that thrives on constant evolution.

 

The fintech landscape is shifting, and at its epicenter stands Sapana Garud an innovator, a trailblazer, and an architect of the future. As financial systems evolve, regulations tighten, and digital transformations accelerate, one thing remains certain: where there is change, there is Sapana Garud, shaping it, leading it, and ensuring the future of fintech is brighter than ever.


Published on: 21-02-2024