It is not common for someone to come from a humble background and do well in the corporate world. One such story is that of Dhivya Suryadevara. Today, Dhivya is the CEO of Optum Insight & Financial, which is part of UnitedHealth Group. She runs a $90 billion business. Before leading Optum, Dhivya was the CFO at Stripe, where she had a big part in shaping the company’s financial operations. In 2018, she became the first woman to hold the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at General Motors in the company’s 110-year history.
Who is Dhivya Suryadevara?
Dhivya graduated from the University of Madras with a degree in business, finance, and economics. She has also earned her CFA and CA degrees. The 42-year-old also finished her MBA at Harvard Business School. She was born in Chennai, India, and was raised by her mother, who worked with Syndicate Bank. Dhivya lost her father at an early age. She began her career at PwC and later completed an internship with the World Bank. Later, she joined UBS Investment Bank as an Associate Director. Her longest tenure was with General Motors, where she served for 16 years, climbing the ladder from senior financial analyst to chief financial officer. She then moved to Stripe as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Currently, Dhivya serves as the CEO of Optum Insight & Financial.
How much is Dhivya Suryadevara’s net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Dhivya has an overall net worth of $20 million. She is married to Raj Suryadevara, and is blessed with a daughter. In an interview with Real Simple, she said, “My mom had to raise three children on her own, which is difficult to do anywhere, let alone in India. She wanted to make sure there were no corners cut when it came to our education and to prove that we could have the same resources as a two-parent household. Her high expectations made us want to do better, and we learnt that nothing comes easy. You have to really work hard to get what you want.”
She further added regarding her experience of moving to the US, “It was overwhelming. I was very far from home, and there was definitely (a) culture shock.” At the time, she didn’t have much money either. So, while friends could go on school trips, she couldn’t afford them. “Everything was funded with student loans that I had to pay back. In those circumstances, you’re under a different amount of pressure to find a job.”