Tarun Gangwani has always dreamed of making a huge impact in technology. He just didn’t realize it would come so quickly.
Gangwani, a 2013 graduate of the Master’s program in Human-Computer Interaction at the School of Informatics and Computing, landed a spot on Forbes’s “30 Under 30” list that identifies the most important entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and bright stars under the age of 30. Gangwani was named in the “Enterprise Tech” category, highlighting those who are using technology to expand what’s possible.
Gangwani is an offering manager for IBM Cloud. He began working for IBM in 2013 and currently leads the strategy, execution, and quality of offerings across IBM’s nine billion dollar cloud portfolio. Gangwani was selected from over 10,000 nominated professionals to be a part of the final list. He recalls being sincerely surprised by this achievement.
“I was just shocked,” Gangwani says. “It’s kind of weird because you don’t normally aspire for these sorts of things. It has been a crazy ride. I feel like I’ve been shot out of a cannon.”
The Carmel, Ind., native’s journey began with a Bachelor’s of Science in Cognitive Science from IU Bloomington in 2011, but his love of computers, which was instilled in him as a child, drove him to the HCI program.
“I always had a passion for understanding how the brain works and how humans make sense of the world,” Gangwani says. “The cognitive science program employs a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling this space, leaning heavily on Informatics subject areas like computer science and design. This foundation made for an ideal path to the MS HCI/d program. What I didn’t realize is that good product design is actually the result of a deep understanding of human behavior.”
He was hired by IBM as a designer and soon became a design team lead as part of IBM’s Bluemix platform. Bluemix, a Cloud developer platform, is the largest Cloud Foundry deployment in the world. After working as a design lead, Tarun moved into an offering management position so he could be involved on the business and development side of the platform as well.
“When I was a Design Lead, I would always think about the business angle, how my product came to be, and how it was delivered. I think most designers do a little product management without really realizing it. I am naturally evolving my skillset by moving from a design-focused role to my role as an offering manager. I love it.”
That skillset was honed at SoIC.
“(At IU HCI/d, you) learn a lot of the core skills that a designer needs in their toolbox to be able to deliver a great software product,” Gangwani says. “You also learn how to accept critique and deliver a concise argument. Many of the projects involves working with teams of designers. Typically design jobs necessitate collaborating with other designers to deliver great products.”
So how did Gangwani go from a new graduate to one of the brightest stars in tech in the span of 30 months? Gangwani attributes consistent mentorship and guidance from people who have influenced his life.
“I believe career success is only possible with great mentorship. Whether it is solving a specific problem or making an important career decision, I always look for guidance from people I trust,” Gangwani says.
“I don’t think I would be on this list if I didn’t stay connected with my professors, my peers, my colleagues at IBM, the people throughout my life. I think that’s key above all the skills I’ve learned, above the ability to work in such an important time in a company’s history. It’s about the people you know.”
He intends to pay it forward as he heads into a promising future.
“I will continue to work in my capacity in helping and mentoring others who are looking start their careers in technology,” Gangwani says. “I’ll also look forward to continuing to grow within IBM or wherever life takes me by maintaining my curiosity. Curiosity is something everyone should have, no matter if it’s roasting coffee or creating art or designing or managing. You have to have that to keep climbing.”