Bridging Cultures: The Human Side of Technology in Nonprofit and Private Sectors
This event is an in-person networking event with hosted refreshments. Preferred pricing for SIM Members. A limited number of discounted tickets are available for students and job-seekers — for details, email us at [email protected]!
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This session features a fireside chat with Nathan Ramachandran (CTO, BECU), exploring how nonprofit and private-sector cultures approach technology, innovation, and customer experience—and how both can learn from each other. While nonprofits often lead with empathy and mission-driven purpose, and private companies with speed and competition, both share the need to delight customers and keep the human factor at the center of their digital strategies. Through real-world examples and discussion, we’ll examine how to balance purpose with performance, maintain compassion and great UX in an age of automation, and create technology that truly connects people to impact.
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Guest Speaker: Nathan Ramachandran | Chief Technology Officer, BECU
With over 20 years of experience leading transformational technology teams in the financial services industry, Nathan Ramachandran serves as BECU’s executive vice president and chief technology officer (CTO). Nathan is responsible for modernizing BECU’s core platforms and delivering new innovative technologies to approximately 1.5 million members as part of Washington’s largest credit union. BECU’s mission is to improve the financial well-being of its members and the communities it serves.
Prior to BECU, Nathan led Accenture’s Data and Applied Intelligence Division for Financial Services West Market, where he helped global companies with cloud, data, and digital transformation. He has held leadership positions at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. Throughout his career, Nathan has built, managed, and transformed numerous banking and financial services systems, and has had an integral role in modernizing core technologies by building critical links from legacy to new functionalities with innovative solutions.
Nathan’s commitment to credit unions is deeply rooted in the loss of his father at a young age and how that placed his family in a vulnerable financial position that prompted their migration to the U.S. in search of stability and opportunity. Navigating the challenges of repaying medical debt while supporting his siblings and single mother, introduced Nathan to the transformative power of credit unions. A credit union was the first to believe in him by approving auto and home loans – that moment sparked a lasting connection to cooperative movements. At BECU, he sees technology as the engine of experiences and the creation of new products like deposit and lending services, all while ensuring a critical principle of Digital First, Human Always. BECU is in the business of people helping people, and Nathan is passionate about delivering hope to many more members.
Nathan holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from Annamalai University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry from the University of Madras. He also earned a Certified Cost and Management Accountant degree from Institute of Cost Accountants of India and an Advanced Software Engineering diploma from National Centre for Software Technology.