Sastry Durvasula is the Chief Operating, Information and Digital Officer at TIAA, responsible for powering the enterprise’s business growth, scaling innovation and client impact, driving operational excellence, and accelerating TIAA’s transformation. In his role, Sastry drives operating strategies and enterprise-wide capabilities in alignment with the company’s strategic goals through four connected pillars he oversees globally: Technology, Digital & Client Experience, Operations and Shared Services. He is a member of the company’s Executive Committee.
Sastry’s responsibilities also include Business Operational Effectiveness, Enterprise Data, Analytics and AI, Client Tech Labs and Strategic Partnerships across Retirement Services, Nuveen Asset Management and Wealth Management, and serving on the board of TIAA Global Capabilities in India. Previously he served as TIAA’s Chief Information and Client Services Officer, a role he held upon joining the firm in February 2022.
Sastry’s recent accomplishments include – leapfrogging TIAA’s technology, digital and data ecosystem to a modern cloud-based stack, launching the company’s GenAI platform TIAA gAItSM, forging strategic partnerships to transform recordkeeping and FinTech investments and incubation through TIAA Ventures. Sastry and team also built and rolled out an award-winning, global Guild Network and Guild Gigs to upskill/reskill colleagues and foster a learning culture, that includes an AI Guild with several thousand active members.
Previously, Sastry served as the Global Chief Technology and Digital Officer, and Partner, at McKinsey & Company. In that role, he led the strategy and development of the firm’s differentiating digital products and platforms, internal and client-facing technology, data & analytics, AI/ML, cyber and hybrid cloud ecosystem, and served as a senior advisor on client engagements.
He also held Chief Digital Officer, Chief Data & Analytics, CIO and global technology leadership roles at insurance broker and risk management company Marsh and at American Express, where he spent 15 years. He was also a consultant for several Fortune Global 500 companies.
Sastry brings a breadth of global experience in the technology, financial services, payments and insurance domains, and a proven track record in leading and transforming large organizations, shaping innovative digital strategies and experiences, driving complex risk, regulatory and cyber security capabilities, and managing global P&Ls. He successfully led the development of strategic B2C, B2B and B2B2C products and platforms, FinTech and InsurTech partnerships, digital labs, M&A and new ventures.
Sastry is a passionate advocate for diversity and sustainability. He is the executive co-sponsor of Achieve, TIAA’s Business Resource Group advancing women, executive ambassador of TIAA’s Sustainability Action Team, served on the board of Girls in Tech, and has championed industry-wide initiatives focused on women in tech, including ReWRITE and Half the Board.
Sastry holds a master’s degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, is credited with 40+ patents and plays a leadership role in technology industry/academia consortia. He is a lifelong learner, a recognized speaker and influencer, and recipient of several honors and industry awards, including Future Enterprise North America Awards CIO of Year, by the International Data Corporation (IDC) and an Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Awards honoree, by the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC).