Ankul Choudhry — Engineering Leader

Background

I hold a Master's in Computer Applications from NIT Tiruchirappalli (2011) — one of India's premier technical institutions. The systems courses stuck with me, and that foundation in distributed systems and architecture continues to shape how I approach building software today.

Experience

Acko General Insurance

Senior Engineering Manager | Oct 2025 – Present
Engineering Manager | Dec 2022 – Sep 2025

At Acko, I lead a multi-layered engineering organization of 15+ engineers across embedded insurance, lending, and partner integrations. We own mission-critical platforms handling high-throughput traffic under strict regulatory constraints — the kind of systems where correctness isn't optional.

What I built:

• Integrated AI-based fraud detection that improved detection accuracy while reducing manual reviews
• Established a new Life Insurance line of business from scratch and delivered an industry-first hybrid insurance product
• Designed a reusable integration framework that cut partner onboarding time significantly
• Built a multi-brand dealer POS platform with real-time settlement — onboarded hundreds of dealers
• Led a zero-downtime migration of high-throughput issuance and claims systems to a unified core platform, improving uptime and scalability

How I led:

• Grew the team from a small squad to a 15+ person organization, hiring across multiple levels and functions
• Introduced structured architecture reviews and engineering quality practices that improved delivery predictability
• Partnered closely with product, compliance, and business teams to navigate complex regulatory requirements while maintaining engineering velocity
• Stayed hands-on throughout — participating in design reviews, contributing to critical backend components, and staying close to the technical decisions that matter

Snapdeal

Lead Software Engineer → Engineering Manager | Jan 2018 – Nov 2022

Joined as Lead Software Engineer and was promoted to Engineering Manager. Led checkout, payments, and order management — platforms handling high-throughput traffic during high-traffic e-commerce events. This is where I learned to think about scale, reliability, and the operational reality of systems that can't go down.

What I built:

• Implemented secure payment gateway key management — foundational work that isn't glamorous but matters enormously
• Built real-time refund and reconciliation systems that significantly improved settlement accuracy
• Designed and shipped a closed-wallet system for instant payments and refunds, integrating UPI and external wallet providers

How I led:

• Owned end-to-end delivery for some of the most critical checkout flows during peak sale events
• Mentored junior engineers and helped several grow into senior and lead roles
• Drove cross-team collaboration to ensure payment system reliability during high-traffic events

Nagarro

Software Developer → Senior Developer → Technical Lead | 2011 – 2017

Built B2B e-commerce platforms, booking systems, and data pipelines across healthcare, gaming, and enterprise domains. Progressed through three levels — from Software Developer to Senior Developer to Technical Lead — building the foundation for my engineering leadership career.

• Translated complex business requirements into technical designs across diverse industries
• Mentored a team of engineers and owned key system components end-to-end
• This progression from IC to technical leadership set the foundation for everything that followed

Leadership Impact

• Hiring & Team Building: Scaled engineering teams from small squads to 15+ person organizations, hiring across multiple levels
• Mentorship: Coached engineers from junior to senior and lead roles, with a focus on ownership and technical depth
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Worked closely with product, design, compliance, and business stakeholders to deliver complex products in regulated environments
• Zero-to-One Delivery: Launched entirely new business lines and platforms from concept to production
• Operational Excellence: Established architecture review practices, on-call processes, and delivery rituals that improved team predictability and reduced firefighting

How I Lead

Stay Technical

The best engineering leaders never fully step away from the code and architecture. I participate in design reviews, contribute to critical components, and ensure I understand our systems deeply enough to make sound organizational decisions.

Build for Predictability

Heroic efforts are a sign of broken systems. I focus on building teams and processes that deliver reliably — sprint after sprint — without burning people out. Sustainable pace is a feature, not a compromise.

Invest in the Craft

I've been exploring AI-assisted development workflows, and we've seen measurable reduction in development cycle time. The tools are changing fast, and staying curious about them matters. I encourage my teams to experiment and adopt what works.

Teams Compound

Individual heroics don't scale. I spend a lot of time thinking about team design, hiring, and creating environments where engineers can do their best work. When you invest in the right people and give them the right context, the results compound over time.

Technical Depth

Let's Connect

If you're building something ambitious and looking for an engineering leader who stays close to the tech, I'd love to hear from you.

• Email: ankulnitt@gmail.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ankul-choudhry