Mira Srinivasan started her career in India at McKinsey. She relocated to the US in 2006 and joined American Express in Risk Management. There she was fortunate to see strong leaders in action and drive outcomes even as an individual contributor. After 13 years at Amex in leadership positions in underwriting, data science and line management, she joined Brex as their Head of Risk, where she had the unique opportunity to shape the risk culture of the dynamic and fast-growing start-up from the ground up. In 2021, she joined Bluevine as its Chief Risk Officer leading all aspects of risk.
As the Chief Risk Officer, Mira leads an incredibly talented and mission-driven team at BlueVine. "I am passionate about Small Business needs and my current role at Bluevine helps me make a difference by meeting the credit and banking needs of small businesses. My prior roles at Amex in data science and small business risk management, and the demonstrated ability to apply my skills at a start-up positioned me well for this role. The critical priorities for us include delivering a great customer experience through seamless payment facilitation while keeping Bluevine safe, " she shares. "I see my role as creating a seamless customer experience for small businesses to enable them to focus really on running and growing their business. " Mira is proud to be impacting fintech this way.
Mira was impressed by the collaborative culture and the strong theme of growing together when she met Bluevine leaders and the Risk team. "A year into my role here, I identify myself very strongly with the values of the organization of leading with integrity, pushing boundaries, operating as an owner and of course growing together."
Looking back, Mira thinks the best job decision she made was being open to new opportunities and trying her hand at various aspects of risk management. The worst job decision for her was to follow a leader to a new role that was undefined, where she was not in a position to set direction, and the leader was unfocused. "My learning is to make sure I truly identify with the people I work for, and they have my back. I do the same for my team."
More on Mira
Where you currently live: Lafayette, California
Living arrangement: With Husband and 2 kids
Family at home: Family includes my husband and our 2 boys – 12 years and 9 years. We love outdoor activities and enjoy adventure vacations which are nature centric.
Hometown: Chennai, India
Favorite hobby: Hiking
Favorite part of your day: Bedtime just before the kids fall asleep. I love hanging out 1:1 with each of them and chatting about their day and chatting about things they deeply care about.
Favorite show to binge: Ted Lasso
Media Recommendation: I watch CBS 60 Minutes every week with my family. It reminds me that the world is much bigger than my four walls. It tells me that honesty and courage to do and say what is right can help change the world.
Daily Diary
Weekday:
5:30 AM: Wake up and settle down with my cup of tea to scan through the top news on the Wall Street Journal.
6 AM: Make breakfast for the kids and get lunch packed for them. Wake up the kids for school and make sure they are ready to leave at 7 AM. If I am going into work, leave for work.
7 AM: Start my day with meetings with my team in Tel Aviv, Israel. We discuss the quarter’s prioritization, upcoming changes and proposals and hiring plan.
8 AM to 10 AM: Once a week leadership meeting, Business unit reviews or other cross functional meetings which involve global stakeholders in India, Israel and US.
10 AM to 12 PM: Team meetings, 1:1 and conversations on new initiatives
12 PM to 1 PM: Grab a quick lunch and scan my emails for important pieces for the day. Follow-up on emails-slacks, review documents from the team
1 PM to 3.30 PM: Some more meetings and 1:1s with US based teams
3.30 PM: Kids gets home from school, and I make them their snacks and take a quick 30-minute break to catch up on their day. My 9-year-old wants to make a spear with me later in the day for a school project and the 12-year-old wants to revise pre-algebra with me for this test. We agree on a plan for them to work on other parts of their homework for the next couple of hours and then work together
3.30 to 5.30 PM: Partner 1:1s, emails and review numbers on our latest OKRs. Read through documents for tomorrow and comment and follow-up.
5.30 PM: Take a break with the kids and help them with their school work, violin practice etc.
6.30 PM: Kids have their dinner and I try to get some exercise in and then dinner
8.30 PM: Wrap up with bedtime for kids and then catch up on emails and prepare for the next day
Weekend:
6.30 AM: Wake up and have my Tea
7 AM to noon: Drop and pick up kids from classes, relax and have brunch
Noon to 2PM: spend time with my kids at the local library
3 PM to 5 PM: Soccer game with my 9-year-old
Evenings: Family gatherings, visit friends and family, dinner and family movies