Tell us a little about yourself, Braj
Hi, my name is Braj Srigengan. I live in Dundonald with my wife Aimée, our two cats Merry and Pippin (yes we’re Lord of the Rings fans) and our two rabbits. In my spare time, I like gaming, cycling with my wife and I’m also a second dan black belt in karate.
I’ve always been interested in science and maths from a young age; my parents and brother are all physicists so, it runs in the family! Growing up I actually didn’t want to be an engineer, mostly because I didn’t understand what it involved. It was only after a summer placement in ECIT that I realised that engineering was a natural progression from the things I enjoyed doing as a child, like playing with Lego and puzzle based computer games.
Room for Growth
One of the best things about working in a growing company like B-Secur is that roles can be fluid, meaning there are opportunities to branch out and learn new skills in different areas.
Can you tell us more about your role at B-Secur?
I started at B-Secur as a Systems Engineer. I was directly responsible for capturing our requirements, design and implementing system processes to ensure we could successfully work with and integrate our product with our customers’ products.
From there, I got into the project and product management side of things. I worked closely with B-Secur’s CTO Adrian Condon to understand how he managed the customers and worked with the teams to define and provide support on the roadmap. One of the best things about working in a growing company like B-Secur is that roles can be fluid, meaning there are opportunities to branch out and learn new skills in different areas. Over time, I was able to take on more responsibility and progress into a more senior position in the company.
Currently, as the Head of Product, I am responsible for working across the company to define our product and ensure its delivery. This involves elements across a range of disciplines including:
- Requirements Management
- System Design
- Project Management
- Product Management
- Customer Support
Collaboration in Action
I definitely feel like I’ve got one of the best jobs in the company because I get to work with everyone and be involved in the amazing work that our people are doing.
Product development is a role that needs to bring together a range of specialisms, from tech to commercial. Do you agree?
Absolutely. I feel like I’ve got one of the best jobs in the company because I get to work with everyone and be involved in the amazing work that our people are doing.
There are quite a few streams I’m involved in:
- Working with the commercial team during initial sales pitches and starting to build that relationship with the customer to understand their needs whilst balancing them against what the technology team can reasonably deliver.
- Bringing that context back to the technology teams, acting as the voice of the customer.
- Helping the algorithm team with user requirements. The team come up with so many great ideas, my job is to ensure they’re nudged in the right direction so the algorithms are useful for our customers.
- Working with our software team as a ‘product owner’ and helping them understand what’s required during each of our development cycles.
- Supporting the data team in their verification and validation activities, in understanding what is acceptable behaviour from the system and prioritising which systems need testing based on customer deliverables.
- Working with our hardware and engineering team to ensure our hardware meets our requirements during demos and trials, and that we have sufficient systems ready for our ongoing projects.
A big part of my job is also ensuring people are kept abreast of what the other teams are working on, especially if there’s going to be an impact on their own roles.
Next Time – Part Two
In part two of our interview, Braj shares more detail on the elements that make a great product, B-Secur’s quality-first approach to technology and advice for people looking to start a career in product development – follow us on Twitter to keep up to date.