Grubhub is spotlighting its leaders to provide insights into the company. This month, Sanjay Uttam, Vice President of Engineering and Head of Marketplace Technology, shared his thoughts on adaptability, the Wonder integration, and the importance of curiosity.
Sanjay Uttam discussed his role in leading engineering across consumer and merchant platforms at Grubhub. He emphasized delivering a fast and reliable experience for customers and partners. "It’s a broad scope, but we’re all united by the same goal: delivering a fast, reliable, and meaningful experience to our customers and partners," he said.
One of the most rewarding challenges for Uttam was the Amazon Prime partnership. "The coordination, complexity, and impact made it incredibly rewarding," he noted.
Looking ahead to 2025, Uttam's team will focus on enhancing customer and merchant experiences as well as improving developer tools. He expressed excitement about the Wonder integration's potential to foster collaboration between companies. "Wonder brings a different pace—a more experimental, startup-like energy," he explained.
Uttam also highlighted the importance of aligning team goals with company objectives to ensure focus and collaboration. He praised his team's ability to deliver under pressure while maintaining quality standards.
Reflecting on leadership lessons from over 20 years in tech environments, Uttam advised hiring curious individuals who are eager to learn from others. "The quality of your people drives the quality of your outcomes," he stated.
To stay adaptable in a rapidly changing tech landscape, Uttam encourages experimentation within his teams. "Some of our best ideas have come from experiments that would’ve seemed too risky if we were only aiming for a 100% success rate," he remarked.
Finally, Uttam shared advice for aspiring engineers: find passion in what you do because it fuels perseverance through challenges.