BNY puts AI fluency at heart of India talent strategy

Global financial services company BNY is prioritising AI and machine-learning fluency alongside software engineering, product development, agile delivery and security. Leigh-Ann Russell, chief information officer and global head of engineering at BNY, spoke with ET’s Brinda Sarkar during a recent visit to India to launch the Shakti Alliance, a collaboration with Cummins College of Engineering for Women. Edited excerpts:

What opportunities will the Shakti Alliance provide to students and faculty?

The $1-million partnership combines Cummins College of Engineering for Women’s academic expertise with our global engineering experience and practical knowledge of deploying AI at scale. The focus areas are experiential learning, applied research, curriculum enrichment and faculty development. Students will have opportunities to work on projects and research with BNY engineers, explore machine learning and large language models through an AI research lab, and gain exposure to software engineering, product development and agile delivery. Faculty members will engage with BNY professionals on AI, security operations and modern engineering practices. The partnership aims to equip students and faculty with the skills and industry perspectives needed in an increasingly AI-driven world.

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What role does BNY’s India presence play and what skills is it prioritising?

Our Pune and Chennai teams are part of our globally connected operating model, contributing across engineering, operations, risk, compliance and finance. We have teams building and supporting products, platforms and services for clients worldwide. We have been prioritising AI and machine-learning fluency alongside software engineering, product development, agile delivery, platform modernisation, security and operational expertise.

How is the company building talent and applying AI across its India workforce?

We had trained our entire workforce in AI by mid-2025 and provided employees with Eliza, our enterprise AI platform, built with governance and security for a regulated environment. More than 330 AI solutions are in production globally. In India, teams have developed or co-developed tools such as research agents, coding assistants and operational analytics.

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How will the partnership strengthen the talent pipeline?

Shakti Alliance builds on a longstanding relationship between BNY and Cummins College. The multi-year initiative is designed to deepen that connection by bringing practical education and industry exposure into students’ academic experience, while giving BNY opportunities to engage with emerging talent and their ideas. The college expects all its 50,000-odd engineering students to benefit through initiatives with different levels of engagement.