Sonal Sharma, 35 / Software Engineer, NorthWinds Technology Solutions
Sonal Sharma serves as a Software Engineer at NorthWinds Technology Solutions, leveraging 13 years of IT experience across insurance, banking and industrial automation sectors. Holding a BS in Computer Engineering from India (2009) and an MS from BITS Pilani (2013), Sharma is a Certified Scrum Master. Specializing in process enhancement, workflow design and automation, Sharma has driven critical initiatives in credit card processing and data protection. Sharma volunteers as a Smile Ambassador for Delta Dental of Virginia, supporting the Boys and Girls Club through the Angel Tree program. She also educates youth on technology, sponsors a child through Children.org and strongly advocates for girls pursuing technology careers. “As a woman working in technology, I appreciate the opportunities I received in childhood,” Sharma says. “Unfortunately, not every girl has the same support and encouragement. I want every girl to have the same love and passion that I have for technology. If I can change the life of one girl who chooses STEM as a passion, I will consider myself a success.”
Education and Career:
- BS in Computer Engineering from India, 2009.
- MS in Computer Engineering from BITS Pilani, India, 2013
- Thirteen years of experience in IT, working in various sectors including insurance, bank services and industrial automation
- Certified Scrum Master
- Worked on multiple project transitions from legacy systems to the latest technologies
- Focused on process improvements, designing workflows and automating manual processing
Professional Contributions:
- Instrumental in implementing projects for clients, particularly in credit card processing and data protection
- Actively involved in process improvement and workflow optimization, ensuring data accuracy and scalability
- Serves as a mentor and provides support to newer team members.
- Identifies opportunities for code reuse and consistency within the drafting system
Community Involvement:
- Volunteers as a Smile Ambassador with Delta Dental of Virginia, supporting fundraising efforts for the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia: Angel Tree.
- Engaged in volunteer work in Roanoke to collect donations for charities and raise awareness
- Passion for Technology and Education:
- Passionate about teaching young kids about computer languages and technology
- Actively involved with Children.org and sponsoring a girl for seven years
- Participates in Hindu community activities and school volunteer projects
- Participated in the Festival of India, helping kids prepare for dances
- Encourages young girls to pursue careers in technology and aims to provide opportunities for them
From the Nomination: “Sonal Sharma is very professional. She is a cornerstone of our Finance development team. In that role, Sharma has help implement many projects for our clients. She is always looking to learn and become a better all-around professional.
Sharma was significantly involved in credit card processing for our clients. She implemented solutions that work with multiple vendors. She recognizes that this involves dealing with sensitive information. Both from our client’s personal information and financial information. She makes sure the protection of their confidential data is handled correctly.
Sharma also looks for ways for our processes to continually improve. One example of this is with our general ledger processing. She’s helped to identify issues with the workflow and to identify and correct any errors there may have been before our client’s receive the data. She also helped identify areas of the system that could become overloaded as we have a growing client base. She suggested and implemented splitting the workflow apart so that we could handle the scale of new clients.
As part of her job, Sharma also mentors and assists newer members to our team. She helps them become acclimated to our systems and our company. She is always willing to help wherever she can. During the system conversation, she stayed with the legacy system instead of going to the new technology stack. She took lead providing support and maintain the legacy system. She worked on 50+ data extracts from the legacy system. She also led the effort to automate the process. Post conversion, she came up to speed quickly on the new technology stack.
Sharma is also focused on looking at the big picture. She has identified code within our drafting system that could be combined and be able to reuse code, so that all drafts behave consistently.
While working with Delta Dental, Sharma has had the opportunity to do various volunteer work in Roanoke.
As a Smile Ambassador with Delta Dental of Virginia, Sharma worked on supporting raising awareness and funds for Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia: Angel Tree. She participated in a committee to identify other opportunities. Such as collecting donations for other charities and spreading awareness in and outside of the of the organization.
As a woman with a career in Computer Engineering, Sharma truly appreciates the encouragement she received in childhood. Whether it’s her daughter or any other girl, she wants everyone to have the same opportunities and passion that she has for technology. She is very passionate about teaching young kids. Before taking a corporate role, Sharma taught computer languages to young kids. Currently, Sharma is focused on raising her five-year-old daughter and encouraging her to have fun with numbers. …
Dedication is what sets Sharma apart from other candidates. At NorthWinds, we have a set of fundamentals that we try to personify. Some of the fundamentals that she personifies are 'Be a lifelong learner,' 'Do the right thing, always,' 'Be easy to work with' and 'Make quality personal.' A recent example of this is when started training on a technology that the team was weak in. She identified this and started the training on her own time to improve her skills and the teams. She has a lot of drive and determination to doing the best she can for our clients.
With Delta Dental of Virginia, Sharma was actively involved in planning and organizing fun events in the office, whether it was Celebrating STAR WAR DAY, Halloween, Diwali Festival, Secret Santa, or planning some cooking contest. It was always fun working and bringing smiles back from a stressful day.
Sharma moved to Roanoke from India after getting back in 2015. Moving away from family and friends was not easy but in Roanoke, Sharma found family-like friends and great opportunities to work. Sharma has a 5-year-old daughter and 11-month-old son. Working with Delta Dental of Virginia and NorthWinds gives her a good work life balance, so she can take care of her family and work toward her passion in technology.”
What do you love about Roanoke?
“Coming from Delhi, India, to Roanoke was a life-changing event. However, in a few months, I knew Roanoke was my home away from home. We have the great amenities of big cities with the peace and serenity of mountains. We have some of the most beautiful hikes and views. When it comes to diversity, Star City truly is a melting pot where Roanokers welcome all cultures and celebrate diversity.”
How does your passion impact our community?
“As a woman working in technology, I appreciate the opportunities I received in childhood. Unfortunately, not every girl has the same support and encouragement. I want every girl to have the same love and passion that I have for technology. If I can change the life of one girl who chooses STEM as a passion, I will consider myself a success. I am genuinely thankful to be nominated for Roanoke’s 40 under 40. Credit goes to my family, friends and well-wishers at Delta Dental and Northwinds.”