Leadership in Product Development and IT Services: Insights from Sarat Chandra Routhu

Leadership in product development and IT services is never simple. There are many moving parts that must work in tandem. There is a need for excellent talent retention and cooperation, both on and between the various teams, and of course, innovation is practically a constant requirement.

When a new product is actively being developed, leaders need to address hiccups in the development pipeline as they arise. When a product is a little older and has established itself within the market, leaders need to devote a significant amount of time and resources to ensure that it remains relevant.

Introducing Sarat Chandra Routhu, a leading figure in IT with over sixteen years of experience in product development, database engineering, and privacy compliance. Sarat began his career as a database developer in 2008, eventually advancing to senior roles across multiple industries, including education, retail, and technology. He served as the Head of IT Services at Coherendz India Pvt Ltd., where he co-founded and helped build the Vaave alumni engagement platform. Following his time at Coherendz, he joined Sephora, where he held various roles from Senior Database Administrator to Lead Engineer, before transitioning to his current role at Spruce Technology, Inc. in 2023.

As an early leader at Coherendz, Sarat played a pivotal role in the development and marketing of Vaave, overseeing over 100 successful projects and positioning the platform as a leading alumni engagement solution. Today, Vaave serves thousands of clients worldwide, including businesses, NGOs, and educational institutions. His early work helped create a scalable, feature-rich platform that has since become a trusted solution in the market.

In addition to his contributions to Vaave, Sarat also made an impact in the privacy compliance space at Sephora. During his tenure there, he designed and implemented the Consumer Privacy Rights portal, an enterprise-level solution allowing users to exercise their privacy rights under regulations like CCPA. His work in automating this process reduced manual efforts by 90%, saving Sephora hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"While working at Sephora, I created a Consumer Privacy Rights handling portal for the site, enabling users to exercise their privacy rights. I automated this handling process, minimizing manual efforts by ninety percent, which ultimately saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars," Sarat explains.

This pioneering work in privacy compliance led to Sarat’s Trust Fellow certification from OneTrust and eventually to his current role with Spruce Technology, Inc., where he continues to provide solutions in privacy, compliance, and IT risk management across insurance, retail, and telecom sectors.

How It Began

Sarat began his career as a database developer, working on high-end data conversion projects for a U.S.-based client. These early roles involved database management and report design, laying a strong foundation in database engineering and data solutions. His technical expertise and problem-solving abilities quickly earned him roles with increasing responsibility.

At Coherendz India Pvt Ltd., Sarat joined as an early team member and was appointed Head of IT Services. In this role, he co-founded and led the development of Vaave, an alumni engagement platform designed to address the networking and engagement needs of educational institutions, NGOs, and businesses. Sarat oversaw the delivery of over 100 web solutions, positioning Vaave as a scalable and customizable platform tailored to client needs. His strategic contributions to Vaave’s development and marketing were pivotal to its early success and established it as a trusted solution for institutions worldwide.

This foundational experience in product development marked Sarat’s foray into end-to-end product creation, paving the way for his achievements at Sephora and Spruce Technology, where he now applies his expertise in privacy compliance, database engineering, and IT services.

The Client, Development, and The market

After earning his Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Sarat began his career delivering data solutions for U.S.-based clients. His early responsibilities as a database developer included report creation and data management, which demonstrated his aptitude for handling complex client needs and solutions.

Reflecting on his time at Coherendz, Sarat emphasizes the importance of aligning product development with market demands. Vaave’s success as a leading alumni engagement platform stemmed from its feature-rich design and strategic positioning. Sarat shares:

"My involvement in both product development and sales and marketing was pivotal in positioning Vaave as a leading platform in alumni engagement. On the product development side, we built a feature-rich, scalable platform that catered to the specific needs of institutions, offering customization, networking tools, and value-added features like event management and fundraising modules."

He adds, "On the sales and marketing front, my deep understanding of the product allowed me to effectively communicate its benefits to potential clients. I worked closely with the team to craft targeted messaging that resonated with decision-makers, addressing their pain points and demonstrating how Vaave could transform their alumni engagement."

This alignment between development and marketing fostered trust with clients and partners, ultimately driving word-of-mouth referrals and ensuring Vaave’s long-term success. By incorporating client feedback into its design, Vaave earned a reputation for quality and reliability, enabling it to meet the evolving needs of institutions globally. Its offerings—including alumni data management, fundraising, recruitment, and event management—further established it as a premier solution for alumni engagement.

Let's Shift Gears

When Sarat began working with Sephora in 2014, the company was already an iconic name in the global beauty and eCommerce industry. Headquartered in France and owned by LVMH, Sephora’s reputation extended beyond luxury products to its commitments to eco-friendly initiatives, diverse product offerings, and inclusive employment practices.

As a large, multinational corporation, Sephora prioritized compliance with local and international privacy regulations, recognizing that violations could lead to substantial penalties and impact its brand reputation. This emphasis on privacy compliance set the stage for Sarat’s pivotal role.

At Sephora, Sarat built the first Consumer Privacy Rights handling portal, enabling users to exercise their privacy rights under regulatory frameworks such as CCPA. This enterprise-level platform marked Sephora’s first venture into dedicated privacy-related technology, demonstrating Sarat’s ability to lead large-scale engineering initiatives and establishing his expertise in compliance automation. Through his work on this portal, he successfully reduced the privacy request processing time from weeks to minutes, automating 90% of the process and saving Sephora hundreds of thousands of dollars in manual efforts.

In addition to the Consumer Privacy Rights portal, Sarat spearheaded the implementation of Enterprise Data Mapping, a system that linked metadata of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) with internal systems and third-party vendors. This initiative strengthened Sephora’s data governance framework, enabling the Information Security team to create robust controls and assessments while streamlining compliance with privacy regulations like CCPA and GDPR.

Sarat also introduced Real User Monitoring (RUM) through Dynatrace Observability, revolutionizing Sephora’s ability to detect and resolve performance issues. By implementing proactive monitoring, Sarat helped the company ensure a seamless user experience during high-traffic promotional events, avoiding disruptions and improving system reliability.

Privacy engineering and compliance are integral components of the broader cybersecurity domain. With rising cyber threats and increasingly complex regulations, organizations must adopt proactive measures to protect sensitive data. Sarat’s work in automation and privacy management directly addressed these challenges, helping Sephora build resilience against data breaches and regulatory risks. By aligning privacy engineering with cybersecurity principles, he ensured that sensitive information was not only accessible to authorized users but also securely managed across systems.

"The Consumer Privacy Rights portal transformed Sephora’s privacy management capabilities," Sarat explains. "We were able to streamline the handling of privacy requests, allowing users to exercise their rights quickly and efficiently. The automation not only minimized manual efforts but also significantly cut down processing times, which had a real financial impact."

The success of these projects not only enhanced Sephora’s operations but also contributed to Sarat’s hiring at Spruce Technology, Inc. in 2023, where he continues to deliver privacy compliance and enterprise-level solutions for clients in industries such as insurance, retail, and telecom. His recognized expertise in the field also earned him the title of Trust Fellow by OneTrust, a leader in privacy, security, and governance technologies.

Driving Development and Overcoming Challenges

From assembling talented teams to utilizing resources wisely and proactively addressing challenges, Sarat has done it all. His journey has been defined by a hands-on leadership style that values collaboration and open communication, principles he applied from his early days at Coherendz to his work at Sephora and now Spruce Technology.

Sarat shares, "I believe that product development should be a collaborative effort, so I adopted a hands-on approach. I worked closely with developers and designers, making myself readily available to answer questions and discuss ideas. I encouraged open dialogue and problem-solving, valuing each team member's input. This not only boosted morale but also resulted in high-quality work delivered on schedule."

Sarat’s approach to team leadership and problem-solving proved especially valuable in his work at Sephora, where he tackled complex projects such as the development of the Consumer Privacy Rights portal, Enterprise Data Mapping, and Real User Monitoring (RUM). These initiatives required seamless collaboration with Information Security and Data Governance teams to align internal systems with regulatory requirements and enhance system performance.

"Data Mapping was particularly challenging," Sarat explains. "We had to identify and align metadata for all Personally Identifiable Information across internal systems and external vendors, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations. The outcome was a robust governance framework that streamlined both data security and regulatory adherence."

Real User Monitoring (RUM) brought its own complexities, as implementing proactive monitoring tools required a shift in operational workflows. "RUM through Dynatrace allowed us to preemptively address performance issues, particularly during high-traffic campaigns, ensuring a seamless experience for users and boosting overall system reliability," he adds.

"This method continues to serve me well," Sarat says. "When I moved to the U.S. to advance my career after exiting Coherendz, I applied this same method to my projects at Sephora and now at Spruce Technology. The rapid development methodologies I’ve refined, along with my work in privacy rights automation and consumer consent management, have proven exceptionally agile in responding to evolving market demands and regulatory changes."

Through his adaptive leadership and technical expertise, Sarat has continuously driven development while overcoming challenges, ensuring that his projects meet both client expectations and compliance requirements in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.

Constant Innovation

Throughout his career, Sarat has championed a culture of continuous improvement, never settling for the status quo. His approach to innovation extends beyond the success of individual products, as he remains committed to evolving both personally and professionally to meet the ever-changing demands of IT services, privacy, and compliance.

"I've never believed in the status quo, and I always look for opportunities to improve on what we already have. I always want to learn more and evolve, both personally and professionally. I've accepted that there's always more to learn and that there are always better ways of doing things," he shares.

In the context of cybersecurity, Sarat’s innovations in privacy and compliance engineering address critical gaps in protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII). By implementing solutions like automated compliance workflows, robust data mapping frameworks, and real-time monitoring, he has enabled organizations to reduce operational risks while ensuring adherence to stringent privacy laws.

"Privacy and compliance engineering are no longer optional—they are fundamental to building trust in the digital age," Sarat emphasizes. "My work in these areas reflects a broader mission to ensure that organizations are not only compliant but also secure against emerging cyber threats."

In his roles at Coherendz, Sephora, and now Spruce Technology, Sarat has shown how dedicated leadership and a focus on constant innovation can drive transformative changes for clients and end-users alike. His work on projects like Vaave, the Consumer Privacy Rights portal, Enterprise Data Mapping, and Real User Monitoring (RUM) are testaments to his proactive approach to addressing emerging challenges while maintaining a focus on quality and compliance.

Looking ahead, Sarat envisions a future where cybersecurity and privacy are seamlessly integrated into every aspect of IT services, driven by automation and proactive risk management. His commitment to fostering innovative solutions continues to position him as a trailblazer in the industry, ensuring that organizations can confidently navigate the evolving digital landscape. With his forward-thinking approach and unwavering dedication, Sarat is set to shape the future of IT services, privacy compliance, and cybersecurity for years to come.