Don’t self-sabotage, take on new challenges without self-doubt

My journey into engineering started as a teenager writing lines of code for fun. That hobby turned into a career, taking me from a Master’s at Columbia University to roles at Bloomberg and Groupon, before I moved to Singapore. I first discovered Wise as a customer and the company’s mission of making international payments lowcost instantly struck a personal chord. Soon after, I joined as an engineer and eventually moved into a leadership role.
What drives me: Today, I lead over 35 engineers across AsiaPacific, building a resilient, scalable cross-border payments infrastructure. I’m motivated by the impact of our work on customers, from video-based customer verification, to building direct integrations into the region’s real-time payment rails.

The gender gap widens with seniority: There are more women entering tech now, especially in early careers. But we see a drop-off at mid and senior levels, when many go through life challenges like parenthood, and often workplaces aren’t set up to support that transition. I was fortunate to have a lead who gave me exciting, technical challenges while offering schedule flexibility when I returned from maternity leave. They recognised that I was hungry for meaningful work, instead of assuming I’d want to step back.

Why confidence matters much more than you think: Women don’t lack skills or ambition. We just underestimate ourselves. When I was first offered a lead role, my first instinct was: “I don’t think I can do this. It’s too challenging for me.” That’s the confidence gap, and it was only after encouragement from the right people that I overcame my imposter syndrome. Looking back, I should’ve just said yes immediately!

My advice to women in tech: Seek mentorship. People are open to help, so just ask. Most importantly, don’t self sabotage. Take on new challenges without self-doubt. You already have the skills, so let the world see them.

By: Smrithi Ravi is Apac Head of engineering at Wise