Sonal Patil

As a young girl, Sonal was forever curious about the world around her. As her passion to learn grew, her father, an engineer, encouraged her to ask questions and helped her build a strong foundation for problem solving. She learned she needed to go deeper than the first layer to truly know how things work.

Later in her life, Sonal left India to pursue her education in the United States. At the time, there was limited technology to support her ability to stay connected to her family, but she went anyway. She knew she needed to be at the epicenter of technology. One of the highlights of her graduate life was working on the grid computing software that facilitated the Nobel prize-winning discovery of gravitational waves.

As she graduated from her masters in science program, she noticed a big shift in her ability to think outside the box. She found her calling in finding creative solutions, and enhanced her problem-solving skills. She applied these skills to various software engineering roles in the travel and smart metering industry for nearly 2 decades.

Now at Microsoft as part of the CSE team, Sonal feels she has landed her dream role. She was told she would be working alongside some of the sharpest minds to empower organizations to achieve more. This clicked right away for her. Sonal and her team enable customers to build and create, to help them get off the ground and moving, whatever the company may be. They solve real world problems and no two days look the same.

It does not matter, the day, the project, or the team – Sonal gets to reinvent herself each time she comes to work to help her customers. Being a part of the CSE team means tackling problems from every angle and prescribing the best solution to fit each unique situation. She measures her success in the value she provides to her customers, never compromising on engineering, or fundamentals.