Are you an engineering director asked to deliver more with less, and stuck short of the next level?
Executive coaching for engineering and software directors in semiconductors and tech.
I am Shankar Venkatraman, an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) based in Bangalore. Before coaching I spent 20 years in engineering leadership, finishing as a Senior Director at NXP with a group of about 200 engineers. I help technical leaders in matrixed companies manage up, negotiate scope, step out of daily execution and prepare for their next role.
Does this sound like your week?
- You are asked to deliver more software with fewer people, every year.
- Your boss sits in another time zone and does not see what it costs you or your team.
- Your team is stretched, and you are the permanent buffer between them and the business.
- You cannot remember the last evening you fully switched off from Slack and email.
- The next step is not clear, and moving companies feels like the same job with a new badge.
You got here because you deliver. The step up asks for something different: managing up, saying no with authority, stepping out of execution, and leading people through pressure instead of absorbing it for them.
What we work on together
Managing up and across
Get heard by leadership that sits far away, align peers across functions, and negotiate scope instead of silently absorbing impossible deadlines.
Stepping out of execution
Let go of the technical work you are best at, so your team grows and you get time to think.
Leading a stretched organisation
Attrition, conflict, performance problems, and the difficult conversation you have postponed for months.
Your next step
Clarity on the role you want next, whether that is VP, a general management role or a different path, and what has to change for you to get there.
Why an engineer coaching engineers
I have sat in the chair you are sitting in.
- 30 years in the software product industry, 20 of them leading engineering teams in semiconductors
- Senior Director at NXP, leading a group of about 200 engineers
- Built engineering teams from scratch three times
- At Broadcom, built the Android software organisation from scratch to the first Android phone on a Broadcom applications processor
- Launched products that generated more than $1.2B in annual revenue
- Led the end-to-end integration of an acquired company, entirely remotely, through the pandemic
- 750+ coaching hours with 170+ leaders in India, the US, the UK, France, the UAE, the Philippines, Taiwan and Ireland
- ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and Assessor, Positive Intelligence coach
In their words
“My primary goal was to advance in my career, but I felt overwhelmed and lacked clarity on how to move forward. With Shankar's guidance I was able to structure my efforts, stay focused, and ultimately achieve a career milestone by moving up the ladder in my next role.”
“Shankar's method is very scientific combined with human empathy. Like an onion, he peels the actual problem statement from us and makes us realise our own solution. I have been able to tide over major attrition, conflicts and people balancing situations through my conversations with him.”
“Often as leaders we get pulled into execution and get stuck, even though the solution to the challenge may be very simple. On such occasions we need somebody with the experience and the trust to ask the right set of questions and lead us to find solutions.”
For HR and L&D leaders: your best engineers are now your leaders
They were promoted for their expertise, execution and dependability. The step up asks something different of them, and most organisations promote people into it without teaching it.
How I work with organisations
- One-to-one coaching for engineering managers, directors and VPs, typically three to six months, with clear goals and accountability between sessions
- Leadership cohorts of 6 to 10 leaders, online or in person
- Workshops on difficult conversations, emotional intelligence, high-performance teams and the leader as coach
- Progress debriefs with the sponsor at agreed points, without breaking the confidentiality of the coaching
Questions leaders and sponsors ask
Who do you coach?
Engineering, software and product leaders in semiconductor and technology companies, from newly promoted managers to directors and vice presidents, mostly in global, matrixed organisations.
How does a coaching engagement work?
A typical engagement runs three to six months, with online sessions usually twice a month. We agree your goals in the first sessions and review progress against them as we go.
Can my company sponsor the coaching?
Yes. You can engage me yourself, or your company can sponsor the coaching. For a sponsored engagement we agree the objectives with your sponsor at the start, and agree what is reported back.
Is what we discuss confidential?
Yes. I follow the ICF Code of Ethics, and I explain its limits of confidentiality in our first session. If your employer sponsors the coaching, we agree up front what is shared with them, and you see it first.
Where are you based, and do you coach internationally?
I am based in Bangalore, India, and coach online. I have coached leaders in India, the US, the UK, France, the UAE, the Philippines, Taiwan and Ireland.
What happens on the first call?
A 45-minute conversation about where you are and where you want to be. If coaching with me is not the right fit for you, I will tell you.
Let us talk
If any of this sounds like your week, or like a leader in your engineering team, book a 45-minute discovery call. No obligation on either side.
I’ve spent 20+ years inside engineering, at NXP, Broadcom and Freescale, building R&D teams through growth, acquisition and reorganisation.
So when you tell me you’re caught between your director, your staff engineers and a roadmap nobody quite believes in, I’m not translating from another industry. I’ve been in that room. Coaching, for me, is where that experience meets frameworks like ICF coaching, Six Seconds EQ and Positive Intelligence that turn instinct into practice.
Three doors in.
Most engagements start with one of these. Which one fits depends less on your title and more on what you’re actually trying to move.
1:1 Coaching
Six-month executive engagements and focused dilemma coaching for a single decision.
Explore →Leadership Development Workshops
Practical group work for engineering leaders and teams: change, EQ, coaching, and difficult conversations.
Explore →Insights & Writing
Notes on the engineering-to-leadership transition, EQ, and mental fitness.
Explore →Coaching from inside the engineering world.
Engineering managers stepping up
New EMs and senior ICs making the identity shift from top individual contributor to leader of leaders.
Directors and VPs of Engineering
Leaders navigating stakeholder pressure, cross-site teams, and the strategic move from managing work to shaping direction.
A leadership practice that outlasts the engagement.
Clarity on what to do next
The specific decision, conversation, or shift that unlocks the situation you're stuck in.
A steadier internal baseline
Frameworks from EQ and Positive Intelligence that hold up under real pressure, not just on a good day.
A leadership practice you own
Repeatable habits and reflection you keep long after the engagement ends.