HRTech Interview with Srinivasa Ogireddy is the Chief Technology Officer at Cornerstone

Welcome to HRTech Cube, Srinivasa. We’re excited to have you with us. To kick things off, can you please walk us through your professional journey and what led you to your current role as Chief Technology Officer at Cornerstone?
I’ve always been passionate about creating platforms and products that deliver real value to customers, and equally passionate about leading and building strong teams that can successfully solve a customer’s challenge, something that’s paramount to success as an engineer.

For example, while I was at Coremetrics, an early-stage SaaS company, my role focused on redesigning the architecture of our platform and scaling it into one of the most robust data platforms in digital marketing analytics. When I moved to Saba Software I was able to expand on that experience and aid in transforming the company from an on-premise model to a cloud-based, SaaS platform. Leading teams through these transitions, I focused on creating agile, scalable solutions that put the customer at the center of everything we did. During my time there I also oversaw a number of strategic acquisitions, including Halogen and Lumesse, with the goal of reimagining talent management to better empower organizations to develop and retain their people.
When Cornerstone acquired Saba in 2020, I had the opportunity to apply everything I had learned on a global scale. As CTO, I’ve led acquisitions of EdCast, SumTotal, Talespin, and SkyHive, and am proud to drive the vision behind ‘Cornerstone Galaxy,’ a groundbreaking workforce agility platform.
In my current role at Cornerstone, beyond driving technological innovation, I truly enjoy the ability to unlock potential within individuals and teams, moving past traditional talent management to achieve workforce agility.

Government organizations have traditionally been slower to adopt new technologies. From your vantage point, how are agencies evolving technically today—and what’s driving this shift?
Government agencies are necessarily cautious when it comes to their approach to adopting new technologies. The nature of government work demands increased security guardrails, which results in often complex procurement and compliance requirements. But even with a more reserved approach to technology innovation, there has been a concerted effort to accelerate digital transformation within the public sector as citizens demand a government digital experience that aligns with their consumer digital experience.
Citizens aren’t driving this adoption on their own, there is a need to invest in cloud-native technologies with enhanced security and scalability to better protect against cybersecurity threats as they become more sophisticated and pervasive. This trend has pushed agencies to modernize their infrastructure and adopt zero-trust architectures.
However, perhaps the biggest driver of this shift is the post-COVID push toward workforce modernization which has highlighted the need for flexible, agile solutions that support hybrid work, skills development, and talent management. Platforms like Cornerstone’s, which are now DISA IL4 P-ATO certified, provide agencies with the confidence to adopt modern tools while staying compliant with federal security standards.

With hybrid workforces and evolving citizen demands, workforce agility has become a key concern for the public sector. How do you think government agencies can better support agility without compromising compliance?
Offering employees tools to upskill and reskill by leveraging modern, cloud-based platforms that are designed with both flexibility and security in mind is a key first step a government agency can take.
Cornerstone was built with security by design and meets the highest compliance standards (e.g., DISA IL4). This approach enables employees to access training, development tools, and collaboration resources from anywhere while remaining compliant with federal standards.

Security is a top priority, especially for public institutions handling sensitive data. How do you strike the right balance between innovation and safeguarding critical systems?
Finding the balance between driving innovation and safeguarding critical systems starts with developing a foundation where security is a shared responsibility across all business functions and workforce initiatives.
Security must be prioritized in every system from day one. Embedding robust security guardrails throughout the system’s development life cycle and proactively monitoring for emerging risks will help innovate at speed while ensuring security. A risk-based approach also further enables us to focus on critical efforts while empowering innovation to flourish in lower-risk areas. Platforms need to be built to meet the highest federal standards like FedRAMP, DISA IL4, and NIST. Without leveraging those standards, it will be impossible to establish a secure, compliant foundation for innovation.
The most important step to take to find the balance between innovation and safeguarding critical infrastructure is fostering a culture of collaboration between business leaders, developers, IT, and security teams and agencies. This will ensure that new technologies align with both strategic objectives and compliance needs.

What are some of the unique challenges you face when driving digital transformation in government environments compared to private sector organizations?
Driving digital transformation in government environments comes with distinct challenges compared to the private sector, including: navigating stringent compliance and security requirements, geopolitical risks, dealing with legacy systems, managing workforce regulations, and maintaining public accountability. However, agencies are making progress by embracing secure, compliant technologies and focusing on thoughtful change management to better serve their missions and citizens.
People drive transformation, not just technology. Equip your teams with the right systems and invest in training, change management, and leadership development.

Can you share a bit about your personal strategy when it comes to leading tech innovation within regulated and highly structured environments?
My first step is always ensuring that any new technology or approach we consider aligns with the relevant standards from day one (e.g., FedRAMP, DISA IL4, NIST). This builds trust with stakeholders and creates a safe runway for innovation to thrive within clearly defined guardrails.

My personal strategy is also focused on purpose driven transformation. Anchoring innovation efforts to mission outcomes, whether that’s improving service delivery, enabling workforce agility, or enhancing citizen experiences, ensures that teams understand the value behind the change, making adoption much easier.

Finding success for me has also always been rooted in prioritizing cross-functional alignment early and often, ensuring everyone is part of the journey. Structured environments, like the government, often involve multiple layers of stakeholders, including legal, compliance, security, and operations. Transparency, clear milestones, and continuous feedback loops help drive momentum while respecting process.
My approach is to move fast, but responsibly. With the right mindset, you don’t have to choose between innovation and regulation.

What advice would you give to public sector leaders looking to modernize their systems and empower their teams more effectively?
Modernization in the public sector requires a clear vision, strong leadership, and a willingness to evolve while staying true to your mission. I advise public sector leaders to start with the mission, stay grounded in compliance, and invest in people.

Modernization isn’t about adopting technology for its own sake. It’s about better serving citizens, enabling your workforce, and delivering on core outcomes. Anchor every initiative in mission value to get stronger buy-in and clearer prioritization.

Public sector leaders can choose solutions that are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the public sector and are already compliant with standards like FedRAMP and/or DISA IL4. These purpose-built platforms automatically align with regulatory requirements and enable faster, more confident innovation by reducing the overhead of security validation.

People drive transformation, not just technology. Equip your teams with the right systems and invest in training, change management, and leadership development.

Lastly, what’s one thought you’d like to leave with our readers about the future of technology and workforce transformation in the public sector?
The most important thing readers should take away is that transformation isn’t a future goal, it’s a present necessity. Transformation in the public sector is about mission readiness, not just modernization. Technology needs to be viewed as a strategic enabler for public service, not just a back-office function. The agencies that embrace the shift to cloud-native platforms that are secure by design are the ones best positioned to lead the next era of government innovation.