An Interview with Shriraj Shah: How an Interest in Investing Led Him to BrightPlan
Rebecca Morris
Our Q&A series gives you a behind the curtain look at life at BrightPlan. Hear from our team members on why they love the work that they do.
Get to Know Shriraj:
Shriraj is the Senior Director of Products at BrightPlan. Prior to BrightPlan, Shriraj was a Program Architect at Salesforce working as a trusted advisor on one of Salesforce's largest Service Cloud implementations at Target. Shriraj comes from a consulting background having built software solutions for enterprise clients for many years. Rising through the ranks - from developer to technical lead, architect, engagement manager, and Head of Delivery - Shriraj has extensive experience architecting and building complex enterprise solutions. Shriraj works remotely from his home in Fremont, California.
In his spare time, Shriraj likes to play volleyball and ping pong and to go on hikes.
Fun Fact: Shriraj loves to play the card game Bridge.
Q: What made you decide to join BrightPlan?
A: I was looking for an opportunity to further my career in Product Management. I was actually one of the first 10 employees to join BrightPlan. Personally, finance is something that I am passionate about. I have an MBA in Finance and I’m an avid investor. When the BrightPlan opportunity presented itself, it seemed like a perfect fit. I truly feel like the stars aligned. It fed my desire to build a product from the ground-up in an industry that I’m passionate about (fintech) and on a technology stack that I have extensive experience in (Salesforce).
Q: What does Total Financial Wellness mean to you?
A: Total Financial Wellness for me means freedom from having to worry about my financial future. I want to be assured that all of my goals – whether that’s my retirement, my children's education, or the long term care needs of my in-laws – are on track. I don't want to be worried about what will happen in case of an emergency or if I am unable to work in the future. I want financial freedom and to continue working for the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment it affords me, and not because I need to.
Q: What does a typical “day-in-the-life” look like for you?
A: Everyday is different! But, as a product owner, I'm regularly working with the rest of the product team to prioritize the roadmap, write user stories, test new features as they’re being built to ensure they’re ready for production, and track the success of new releases. I also work very closely with our client and customer success teams as well as sales and marketing to ensure they understand how to support and communicate new product features. In addition, I collaborate with our education team to build content related to new features for webinars, blogs and other resources.
Q: What do you love most about the work that you do?
A: When I look back at what we've accomplished in the six years that I've been with BrightPlan, I feel really proud. We now have a terrific feature-rich product that is used by thousands of clients. The product that we've built is helping so many people better manage their finances and improve their financial wellness, helping them feel more secure about their future. With every passing product release we're innovating and reaching even more people. I feel incredibly proud when clients tell us how much they love our product and how it's enabling them to take better control of their financial lives.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: Given the COVID pandemic, the last two years have been very stressful for a lot of families. I'm honored to be part of a company offering a service that reduces financial stress. BrighPlan’s scalable model provides quality financial advice to everyone, not just a subset of employees. BrightPlan is truly for everyone.
Stay tuned for more employee spotlights in our Q&A series. If you’re interested in learning more about life at BrightPlan, visit our Careers page.
