Kirti Kama of Mastercard on 22 years in IT and batting for girls in tech

In the late 80s, when Kirti Kama was a young girl, computers had not been introduced as a subject in school. But her tryst with programming and information technology happened soon after she finished her 10^th grade.

Seeing her interest in computers, her parents enrolled her in private institutes where she studied BASIC, COBOL, and other programs while continuing her education with a BSc degree in Zoology.

“My curiosity kept growing and I progressed from one program to another. I’ve literally seen Windows 3.11. I learned DBase, FoxPro, and Oracle, which laid the foundation for my career in IT,” Kama tells HerStory.

Kama went on to complete her master’s in Computer Management from Savitribai Phule Pune University.

In a career spanning 22 years, the Senior Vice President, Technology at Mastercard, has traversed diverse experiences across domains such as telecom, manufacturing and digital payments.

Her first job was as programmer with Clover Technologies, a consultancy and development, in the late 1990s, which marked the beginning of the IT boom. However, there weren’t many women entering the sector. Kama remembers being the only woman in meetings, and a job not restricted to just programming. She took on various roles, visiting customers, showcasing products and learned the ropes in a profession that would become a fulfilling career.

“I learned, early on, I had to find my voice, otherwise I would not be heard. My male colleagues were kind, but it was also their first experience of working with a woman colleague,” she says.

Different roles, experiences

Kama joined Tech Mahindra in 2001 and stayed in the company for almost a decade. Here, too, she worked on various technologies, starting as a developer, moving onto database, helped the sales team frontline customers and worked her way to management.

“The learning for me was I always took a risk. Though I was a hardcore Oracle person, I picking up everything, ColdFusion, HTML, XML, Developer 2000, Oracle Financials, DbNet, ASP–I did not keep boundaries from a tech perspective because I thought it was important to learn and understand the entire cycle of information technology,” she adds.

Her next move, to Amdocs, Kama says, happened because she wanted to stay closer home and be with her son.

Amdocs was a major leap and challenging from day one.

“The day I joined; I had resignations on my desk as the team was going through some restructuring. By the time I completed one month, 70% of my team was gone, but it was fun building a new team from scratch. I also had a lot of learning to do about my new role–revenue assurance, and it took almost a year for us to settle in as a team,” Kama says.

The shift to Mastercard happened in 2015 and involved setting up everything from scratch. She started again in development and engineering side of the warehouse, and after working in infrastructure operations for a few years, she is currently responsible for infrastructure and technical operations of Mastercard in Asia Pacific, across data centres, network, and platform services.

Kama admits it’s not easy for all women in tech to reach the top, even if they are talented, skilled, and capable of doing so.

“Even today, there is social stigma and gender biases. Women have to keep proving themselves. We also lack female role models who can create a huge impact during the early years of our career,” she says.

The importance of STEM programs

She believes female role models can remove the uncertainty or hesitation in a woman’s mind that it’s not difficult to balance work and life.

“The most important thing is how to instill confidence in women and have a system in place where they are encouraged, despite gaps in their career or other things in life that requires their attention. They shouldn’t lose out on the path that takes them to the top,” she adds.

For this reason, she’s passionate about Mastercard’s flagship program, Girls4Tech, of which she’s a sponsor.

Girls4Tech is Mastercard’s signature program that aims to encourage and inspire young girls about STEM education and careers through a simple and gamified learning program. Globally the program has reached over 3.5 million girls with the aim to reach 5 million by 2025.

In India, Mastercard employees volunteer to implement this program locally to inspire children in schools in the communities they serve. With a partnership with the American India Foundation, in 2020-2021 alone, it has reached over 112,482 girls in both urban and rural areas across six states in India.

“This year, we aim to expand our Girls4Tech STEM education program in India and reach 100,000 additional female students by 2024,” she says.

Kama is also a sponsor of Relaunch Your Career at Mastercard, a global returnship program that a way back to work for mid-career professionals who have taken a career break.

“Our relaunchers are supported every step of the way in their transition back to the workplace--from comprehensive learning resources to help them settle in and grow, to a career buddy assigned from day one and a supportive manager equipped to help people return to work. At the close of the four-month program, they are considered for a permanent role. In India, the program was launched in 2022 and so far, it has recruited and offered positions to nearly 200 women,” she elaborates.

While the organisation may have systems in place or may try to help women as they navigate these life events, what can women do to tackle feelings of self-doubt, guilt or the impostor syndrome?

Kama says it’s important to speak up.

“We need to speak up about what we are feeling and what kind of help we need–whether it’s at the home or the workplace. Having a mentor to talk to is also important because sometimes your personal side may need more attention than the professional side or vice versa. You need guidance on the balance you need to move forward,” she says.