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Padma Reddy: ‘Endearing Head Gardener’

Meet the Fit the Soul Wonder Woman of September, Padma Reddy!
Padma was the first of two employees of webMethods India in 2004, which went on to become Software AG and, 16 years later, employs over 1,050 people in India. During her tenure, she set up Software AG Labs in India, which now accounts for more than half the company’s worldwide patent applications. Today, she is the Managing Director of Software AG India, the head of its customer centric engineering department, and a part of the company’s global executive leadership team.
Padma likes to think of herself as head gardener of Software AG. She uses the metaphor of the garden for her work philosophy and perspective on life. As head gardener she aims to set effective policies, develop talent, raise the bar, build and support strong teams that can generate new ideas, and contribute to the company’s success. Her job is to ensure that her seeds get enough water, fertiliser, and sunlight so that they can grow into strong, resilient plants and trees. This all stems from her motto of blooming where you are planted instead of constantly looking over your shoulder for greener pastures. A case in point is her career path – in 35 years, she has changed jobs only three times.

Software AG Cares
Padma is big on giving back. From personal experience, she has learnt that happiness comes from giving. She believes that when we volunteer our time and resources, we positively impact our community, find a meaningful sense of purpose, and connect to each other. Padma wanted to create a culture of ‘giving back to the community’ at Software AG. Thus, Software AG Cares was born.
What started as Padma’s need to give has grown immensely—Software AG Cares donates millions to worthy causes today. Over the years, many fundraising campaigns have been established under it. Just for Covid this year, Software AG Cares has collected INR 45 lakhs to support Covid frontline workers at hospitals in Bangalore; provided more than 80,000 meals to migrant workers; distributed 40,000 masks to municipal workers; and funded other government agencies fighting Covid.
Padma considers it important to empower her colleagues to execute their ideas, including choosing donation recipients. Thus, over time, she has increasingly withdrawn from the decision-making process, and instead provides background support. The Software AG Cares campaigns are all voluntary; they are financed, planned, and implemented by employees and take place outside of working hours. The campaigns bring together people from different teams and stages of their careers. Padma is particularly interested in teaching her younger colleagues the value of sharing and doing good in life. Despite her hands-off approach during the planning stage, she participates in the implementation of the campaign activities. In addition, she organises training seminars on topics such as diversity, equity, and unconscious bias.

Software AG Again
Padma’s passion for women’s issues has manifested in Software AG Again. Through this, she focuses on reskilling and upskilling women who take breaks from their corporate jobs for motherhood. Of course, all Software AG women’s jobs remain in-tact if they choose to go on maternity leave. But Software AG Again also chooses 10–15 women from outside of the company to mentor, offering each a stipend and ensuring that they are placed in large corporates in Bangalore.
Bloom Where You Are Planted
Padma’s upbringing is probably a key factor in her success. Her parents treated her brother and Padma as equals and assured her that she could be and do anything. She got her undergraduate degree from BITS Pilani and then her master’s in the USA. Unlike most people of her time, who stayed on in the USA, she chose to return to India with her family—husband and two kids. Her husband has also always encouraged and supported her career by taking equal responsibility for raising their kids. Aside from her own achievements, Padma is proud of her children who chose to become doctors and are now serving in two different countries.
Finally, Padma’s mantra: Bloom where you are planted. This means capitalising on your talents and gifts regardless of your circumstances and applying them to ‘bearing fruit’ (productivity), not just for yourself but for those around you, too.

Go for it!
With a positive outlook, treat every moment as a learning opportunity and success will follow. Think about how you want to proceed, not what you have to sacrifice, and you will find ways to achieve your goals. Once you are certain of what you want, forces in the universe will conspire to make it happen.
So go forth as head gardener of your garden and watch it bloom!