BlackLine Blog

March 23, 2023

Life at BlackLine: A Conversation with Swetha Beepyata

Leadership & Culture
4 Minute Read
HO

Hilary O'Brien

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Welcome to the latest edition of Life at BlackLine. We recently chatted with Swetha Beepyata, Senior Director of Product Management at BlackLine, to talk about her career, what inspires her, and what it means to have a sense of belonging where you work. Swetha is insightful, engaging, and enthusiastic, and we hope you enjoy a glimpse into her life here at BlackLine!

How do you describe your team and role?

I'm a Senior Director of Product Management and I lead Accounting Studio, Smart Close, and Task Management solutions. I am excited about how we can help transform our customers' businesses through innovations. 

I work with this amazing and talented group of people who are focused on solving our customers’ problems. We’re responsible for building the next generation Financial Operations Management platform. We’re improving the way accounting is done by helping our customers transform their operations and drive automations so they can focus on high value activities and achieve results. 

What’s your favorite part about your job?

I’ve been at BlackLine for just over 2 years and my favorite part of the job is having an impact for our customers and for BlackLine as a company. At the end of the day, when customers say, ‘this is really great, we love it!’ that makes me happy. 

What made you want to work at BlackLine?  

Throughout my interview process, one of the driving factors that really kept me interested in the role was BlackLine’s leadership. When I met BlackLine’s CTO and others on the leadership team who made up the interview panel, I saw their passion for BlackLine’s solutions/customers. They were focusing on the right problems, and I could tell they really care about their customers.  

This is not a company that just talks a good game—this company really focuses on customers and the innovations to enable them. That's what attracted me to BlackLine.  

What’s been your proudest moment at BlackLine?

I’ve had many! But I think the most recent was at BeyondTheBlack in Las Vegas in 2022 where we showcased the Accounting Studio. Coincidentally, that day was almost exactly 2 years after I first pitched the vision to my leadership team. Seeing BlackLine executives showcasing the solution and why it’s important and how it adds value to our customers was my proudest moment.

What are the most important skills you’ve developed in your career?

To be successful in my role, I think you need to be a product-focused leader and have customer empathy. You don't build products to showcase technology. You build products to help the customer and users. I think I’ve developed that customer empathy right from the beginning of my career. 

Another skill is that I'm a relentlessly focused person. I take that to the extreme sometimes. If I’m really focused in, my doorbell could ring, and I don't even hear it! But I think that's what helped bring the Accounting Studio to life—having that true focus and product mindset. Building something like that is a very complex initiative. We have so many other teams that we partner with. Honestly, it's a huge part of the company that is helping create this solution, so unless you are focused, unless you have that clear vision/end state, and you ruthlessly prioritize, you could end up going in multiple directions. Sometimes you have to say “no” and it's not always easy. 

And the other skill is to take calculated risks and make faster decisions. It’s easy to spend a lot of time discussing and planning, but I’d rather take risks and fail early than spend months trying to make perfect decisions.  

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given? 

I was in a corporate strategy before I made my career switch to Product Management. I had two great mentors, and they both had a similar idea about my future career path:

“Swetha, it would be great if you go build a product. You have that natural tendency to bring people together and solve problems. You will just drive and do whatever it takes to make it successful.” I didn’t even think of product management as a career, but then it was my mentors who actually suggested it, and it fit me really well.

Have you found a sense of belonging at BlackLine?  

Absolutely. I love it and I want to share a story. Within 30 days of joining the company, my SVP asked me to present the vision/strategy that I have been working on to the CTO and the leadership team. At first, I was a little skeptical as the meeting was put on short notice and I didn’t have time to prepare for the executive meeting.

However, the meeting went really well. Even though I was new to the team, people were really listening to me, they were open to my ideas. After the meeting, I was happt that I made the right decision to join BlackLine.

BlackLine has amazing leaders—they’re really approachable and they care about customers and employees. I like how we focus on employees and embrace diversity. People are encouraging, they give me space, and there is a lot of trust.

Why is diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging important at BlackLine? 

It's really important because everyone has different perspectives, different backgrounds, and different ways of thinking. A sense of belonging is so important to unleash your and others’ full potential. 

Creative potential is unlimited when people can innovate with diversity, inclusion, and belonging.  

Finish this sentence: “I am proud to work at BlackLine because…”  

... it gives me the opportunity to create something wonderful and put it in the hands of our users and customers to help them with their operations. 

What can we find you doing outside of work?

If I'm not working, I'm either cooking, going on a hike with my family, or practicing my south Indian classical dance “Bharatanatyam.” 

Are you interested in working at BlackLine? Here, you’ll find a people-focused culture where you’re given the tools and support you need to succeed. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for the next step in your career, we think you’ll love it here.

Welcome to the latest edition of Life at BlackLine. We recently chatted with Swetha Beepyata, Senior Director of Product Management at BlackLine, to talk about her career, what inspires her, and what it means to have a sense of belonging where you work. Swetha is insightful, engaging, and enthusiastic, and we hope you enjoy a glimpse into her life here at BlackLine!

How do you describe your team and role?

I'm a Senior Director of Product Management and I lead Accounting Studio, Smart Close, and Task Management solutions. I am excited about how we can help transform our customers' businesses through innovations. 

I work with this amazing and talented group of people who are focused on solving our customers’ problems. We’re responsible for building the next generation Financial Operations Management platform. We’re improving the way accounting is done by helping our customers transform their operations and drive automations so they can focus on high value activities and achieve results. 

What’s your favorite part about your job?

I’ve been at BlackLine for just over 2 years and my favorite part of the job is having an impact for our customers and for BlackLine as a company. At the end of the day, when customers say, ‘this is really great, we love it!’ that makes me happy. 

What made you want to work at BlackLine?  

Throughout my interview process, one of the driving factors that really kept me interested in the role was BlackLine’s leadership. When I met BlackLine’s CTO and others on the leadership team who made up the interview panel, I saw their passion for BlackLine’s solutions/customers. They were focusing on the right problems, and I could tell they really care about their customers.  

This is not a company that just talks a good game—this company really focuses on customers and the innovations to enable them. That's what attracted me to BlackLine.  

What’s been your proudest moment at BlackLine?

I’ve had many! But I think the most recent was at BeyondTheBlack in Las Vegas in 2022 where we showcased the Accounting Studio. Coincidentally, that day was almost exactly 2 years after I first pitched the vision to my leadership team. Seeing BlackLine executives showcasing the solution and why it’s important and how it adds value to our customers was my proudest moment.

What are the most important skills you’ve developed in your career?

To be successful in my role, I think you need to be a product-focused leader and have customer empathy. You don't build products to showcase technology. You build products to help the customer and users. I think I’ve developed that customer empathy right from the beginning of my career. 

Another skill is that I'm a relentlessly focused person. I take that to the extreme sometimes. If I’m really focused in, my doorbell could ring, and I don't even hear it! But I think that's what helped bring the Accounting Studio to life—having that true focus and product mindset. Building something like that is a very complex initiative. We have so many other teams that we partner with. Honestly, it's a huge part of the company that is helping create this solution, so unless you are focused, unless you have that clear vision/end state, and you ruthlessly prioritize, you could end up going in multiple directions. Sometimes you have to say “no” and it's not always easy. 

And the other skill is to take calculated risks and make faster decisions. It’s easy to spend a lot of time discussing and planning, but I’d rather take risks and fail early than spend months trying to make perfect decisions.  

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given? 

I was in a corporate strategy before I made my career switch to Product Management. I had two great mentors, and they both had a similar idea about my future career path:

“Swetha, it would be great if you go build a product. You have that natural tendency to bring people together and solve problems. You will just drive and do whatever it takes to make it successful.” I didn’t even think of product management as a career, but then it was my mentors who actually suggested it, and it fit me really well.

Have you found a sense of belonging at BlackLine?  

Absolutely. I love it and I want to share a story. Within 30 days of joining the company, my SVP asked me to present the vision/strategy that I have been working on to the CTO and the leadership team. At first, I was a little skeptical as the meeting was put on short notice and I didn’t have time to prepare for the executive meeting.

However, the meeting went really well. Even though I was new to the team, people were really listening to me, they were open to my ideas. After the meeting, I was happt that I made the right decision to join BlackLine.

BlackLine has amazing leaders—they’re really approachable and they care about customers and employees. I like how we focus on employees and embrace diversity. People are encouraging, they give me space, and there is a lot of trust.

Why is diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging important at BlackLine? 

It's really important because everyone has different perspectives, different backgrounds, and different ways of thinking. A sense of belonging is so important to unleash your and others’ full potential. 

Creative potential is unlimited when people can innovate with diversity, inclusion, and belonging.  

Finish this sentence: “I am proud to work at BlackLine because…”  

... it gives me the opportunity to create something wonderful and put it in the hands of our users and customers to help them with their operations. 

What can we find you doing outside of work?

If I'm not working, I'm either cooking, going on a hike with my family, or practicing my south Indian classical dance “Bharatanatyam.” 

Are you interested in working at BlackLine? Here, you’ll find a people-focused culture where you’re given the tools and support you need to succeed. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for the next step in your career, we think you’ll love it here.

About the Author

HO

Hilary O'Brien