Smitha Krishnamurthy
Senior Director, People Strategy Team, APAC
Nasdaq has a culture that really recognizes a person’s ability to expand, understands that progression is important, and gives us competencies quickly.
When Smitha Krishnamurthy started as a Human Resource Manager at Nasdaq in 2017, her role only covered India. In the past three years, however, her role has expanded tremendously to include the entire APAC region, including Nasdaq’s offices in Bangalore, Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo.
To Smitha, this was a testament to Nasdaq’s culture, and a huge reason she decided to join the technology company in the first place.
“Nasdaq has a culture that really recognizes a person’s ability to expand, understands that progression is important, and gives us competencies quickly,” Smitha said. “I can see that that’s happened with my role.”
For Smitha, expanding her position started as a favor for her colleague, and quickly turned into her own competency. “It was an opportunity I took on because I was looking for more responsibilities,” she said.
During her tenure, Smitha has realized how integral individuality is to a global organization at Nasdaq. “There are different types of leaders, and you can see that clearly when you are handling a big role, but no matter how different leaders are, I need to continue to be who I am, especially as someone in HR.”
Smitha’s appreciation for individuality is further demonstrated in her leadership of two employee networks, Asian Professionals at Nasdaq (APAN) and the Parents and Caregivers Network. As a co-leader in both networks, Smitha has identified an internal passion for connecting with people from distinct backgrounds, learning about their experiences and having important conversations. Smitha also believes the COVID-19 pandemic has been eye-opening in terms of involving more people across the globe in these conversations virtually.
“It’s been a good journey. We’ve done a fair bit in terms of addressing mindfulness meditation programs, having very good guest speakers, and working with different networks,” Smitha said.
While Smitha has worked at global organizations before, she emphasizes that her experience at Nasdaq has been truly different, with more autonomy, exposure and diversity in the workplace. Even during the pandemic, Smitha appreciated Nasdaq’s early outreach and aid to employees in affected areas, a moment she said she will never forget. Going forward, Smitha plans to expand her role at Nasdaq professionally and through APAN, and continue to use her individuality as an impactful resource to her career and beyond.