Meet woman, raised by widowed mother, once didn't have money for school trip, now manages company worth Rs 1625369040000; her name is...
The story of Dhivya Suryadevara, the Indian-origin CEO of US-based Optum Insight and Financial, is a truly inspirational journey that underscores the power of hard work, perseverance and dedication in changing the circumstances of one's life. Raised by a widowed mother along with her two siblings, Dhivya Suryadevara spent a childhood marred with financial constraints, and at one point didn't even have the money to pay for a school trip.
However, her hard work and dedication have taken her to the pinnacle of the corporate world in the United States, where she now leads an 18.8 billion company as its CEO. Who is Dhivya Suryadevara?
Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Dhivya Suryadevara lost her father at a very young age, and was raised by her mother, who managed her day job at the Syndicate Bank, apart from taking care of three young kids, including Dhivya, at home.
After completing her schooling, Dhivya earned a degree in Business, Finance and Economics from Madras University, and later completed CFA and CA courses. At 22, she moved to US and completed her MBA at the prestigious Harvard Business School, and then began her career at PwC.
Later, Dhivya Suryadevara interned at the World Bank, and then joined UBS Investment Bank as an Associate Director. However, her first major professional success came in 2005, when she joined General Motors (GM), the largest carmaker in the US. Dhivya worked at GM for over 16 years, and during her tenure, rose from Senior Financial Analyst to become the first woman Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company in its 110-year history.
After leaving GM, Dhivya Suryadevara joined Stripe– a multinational financial services and software major– as its CFO, and in March 2024, she moved to Optum Insight & Financial as its CEO. Who Dhivya Suryadevara credits for her success?
In an interview, Dhivya Suryadevara credited her remarkable success to her mother, who did everything in her power to ensure that her three children received the best education, despite the family's financial hardships.
'My mother had to raise three children alone. It is difficult to do this especially in India. She left no stone unturned in our education. She had a lot of expectations from us and this motivated us to do better. We learned that nothing comes easily. You have to work hard to get what you want,' she said.
Asked about her experience of moving to the US, Dhivya said it was difficult at first because of the vastly different culture and the fact that she had little money to pay for anything, including a college trip.
'It was very difficult. I was far away from home and it was definitely a culture shock for me. I did not have much money at that time. I could not afford to go on a college trip. Everything was funded by student loans which I had to repay. So, there is a different kind of pressure on you to find a job,' the 42-year-old said. What's Dhivya Suryadevara's net worth?
According to various media reports, Dhivya Suryadevara has an estimated net worth of about $20 million, which is quite incredible considering her humble background, and is a testimony to her hard work, professional skill and dedication.
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