ARUNAKUMAR TAVVA
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Summary
Senior Enterprise Architect and IT Leader with 19+ years of experience driving digital transformation, cloud modernization, and enterprise architecture governance within financial services and regulatory environments. Expert in aligning business strategy with cloud-native, scalable platforms using TOGAF, microservices, and Kubernetes-based architectures. Proven bridge between C-suite strategy and hands-on technical governance, delivering measurable outcomes in compliance-driven organizations including ADGM.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
2
2
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
IT Manager
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
Abu Dhabi, UAE
2022.10 - 2025.12
- Lead enterprise IT strategy, architecture governance, and technology delivery for a global financial regulatory authority supporting 5,000+ regulated entities.
- Established Enterprise Architecture Review Board (ARB) and governed TOGAF ADM lifecycle, ensuring alignment of all new initiatives to multi-year technology roadmaps.
- Defined reference architectures across application, data, integration, and infrastructure domains, standardizing design across 15+ mission-critical systems.
- Architected and governed hybrid cloud platforms (Azure & AWS), migrating 20+ regulatory workloads, improving uptime by 25% and optimizing infrastructure cost by ~20%.
- Provided architectural oversight for Spring Boot–based microservices deployed on Kubernetes (AKS / EKS / OpenShift), supporting high-volume transactional platforms.
- Governed CI/CD pipelines, container standards, and API design, enabling zero-downtime releases and reducing release cycles from weeks to days.
- Directed IT security, risk, and regulatory compliance, achieving zero major audit findings across annual regulatory assessments.
- Led DR/BCP modernization, reducing Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) for critical systems by ~40%.
- Acted as trusted technical advisor to C-suite and Board, translating complex architecture decisions into business impact.
IT Director
UAE EXCHANGE LLC
ABUDHABI, UAE
2014.07 - 2022.10
- Led enterprise and solution architecture for large-scale digital banking transformation programs.
- Architected unified digital banking platform serving 500K+ users, increasing digital adoption by ~45%.
- Modernized legacy platforms into microservices-based architectures using Docker and Kubernetes, reducing time-to-market by ~50%.
- Implemented TOGAF-aligned governance, improving solution consistency and delivery predictability by ~35%.
- Designed high-availability architectures supporting 99.95% uptime for payment systems processing $2B+ annually.
- Led API-first integration strategy, securely connecting 30+ internal and external systems.
Solution Architect / Lead Consultant
British Airways
LONDON, UK
2013.01 - 2014.06
- Delivered enterprise architecture and infrastructure solutions for financial institutions and government entities.
- Designed high-availability and disaster recovery architectures supporting 24×7 operations.
- Led cross-functional teams (up to 20 engineers) delivering complex transformation and integration programs.
- Implemented ITIL-based service management, improving incident resolution time by ~40%.
IT Senior Manager
SONY PICTURES LIMITED
CALIFORNIA, USA
2010.03 - 2012.12
- Cultivated strong customer relationships to support business growth.
- Coordinated technology projects from inception to completion.
- Managed software development lifecycle to ensure product delivery within deadlines to reduce from months to 2 weeks.
- Implemented agile methodologies within workflows to improve project results with 20% revenue.
Onsite Portfolio Manager
Lehman Brothers
USA
2006.07 - 2010.02
- Interfaced with stakeholders by translating complex technical concepts into understandable terms.
- Streamlined processes, enhancing overall system functionality.
- Maintained high-quality standards whilst managing technical projects.
- Developed contingency plans mitigating risks associated with IT operations.
- Improved efficiency by 20% with strategic IT operation planning.
Technical Lead
Lehman brothers
USA
2005.01 - 2006.07
- Maintained updated inventory of all IT assets; facilitated efficient asset management.
- Liaised with third-party vendors for necessary hardware and software acquisitions, ensuring cost-effectiveness without compromising on quality or functionality.
- Ensured secure data management with robust cybersecurity measures by 15% efficiency.
- Updated legacy systems, reducing maintenance costs significantly while improving reliability and efficiency.
Education
Master of Computer Applications - Computer Science & Engineering
MSC
India 2002.01 - 2004.03
Skills
- Enterprise architecture (TOGAF) and IT strategy
- Technology governance
- Cloud architecture (Azure, AWS)
- Kubernetes and microservices platforms
- Digital transformation
- DevSecOps and CI/CD practices
- IT governance, risk, and compliance
- Agile and SAFe methodologies
- DevOps principles
- IT infrastructure planning
- Enterprise resource planning
- IT project management
- Technical leadership
- Business continuity planning
- ITIL service management
- Stakeholder engagement and C-suite collaboration
- Vendor management and budgeting
- Backend architecture: Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs, microservices, domain-driven design, event-driven architecture, Kafka
- Container platforms: Docker, Kubernetes (AKS, EKS, OpenShift), Helm, autoscaling, rolling deployments
- Cloud solutions: Microsoft Azure, AWS, hybrid and multi-cloud architectures
- DevOps tools: CI/CD (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins), infrastructure as code (Terraform)
- Security protocols: OAuth2/OIDC, IAM, API security, network segmentation
- Observability tools: Azure Monitor, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack
- Python proficiency
- SQL database administration
- Web services and api's
Certification
- TOGAF 9.2 Certified – Enterprise Architecture
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
- PMP – Project Management Professional
- ITIL v4 Foundation
Timeline
IT Manager
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
2022.10 - 2025.12
IT Director
UAE EXCHANGE LLC
2014.07 - 2022.10
Solution Architect / Lead Consultant
British Airways
2013.01 - 2014.06
IT Senior Manager
SONY PICTURES LIMITED
2010.03 - 2012.12
Onsite Portfolio Manager
Lehman Brothers
2006.07 - 2010.02
Technical Lead
Lehman brothers
2005.01 - 2006.07
Master of Computer Applications - Computer Science & Engineering
MSC
2002.01 - 2004.03