Harsha Karunaratne

Enterprise CTO, Microsoft Financial Services US - New York / London at Microsoft

New York, New York, United States

About Harsha Karunaratne

Harsha Karunaratne is Enterprise CTO, Microsoft Financial Services US - New York / London at Microsoft. Location: New York, New York, United States.

No one is good at everything. In my 35+ years across the IT industry, the single greatest asset I have developed isn't a mastery of a single architecture—it is the adaptability to thrive in a forever-changing landscape. My journey has taken me from a deeply technical foundation to the intersection of complex technology and commercial strategy. Today, as a Microsoft CTO within the Financial Services sector, my mission is clear: safely proliferating enterprise cloud and AI ecosystems across the complex, heavily regulated world of US Global Banking. I specialize in taking highly sophisticated, innovative solutions and scaling them securely under the strictest global regulatory frameworks. I have worn nearly every hat in the lifecycle of enterprise transformation—from managing and designing architecture to driving high-value commercial sales. But regardless of the title, my philosophy remains unchanged: I honestly do not care who gets the credit. I care about delivering innovative solutions to complex problems, and creating an environment that challenges my customers, my peers, and myself along the way. I have been blessed with an incredible wealth of experience and the opportunity to collaborate daily with some of the most influential, brilliant minds in the industry. They challenge me constantly, and they have reinforced a truth best articulated by The Carnegie Institute of Technology: "85% of your financial success is due to your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate and lead. Shockingly, only 15% is due to technical knowledge." Technical excellence is the baseline requirement. But true transformation—especially at the enterprise banking tier—requires the empathy to listen, the communication to bridge engineering and the boardroom, and the leadership to drive consensus when the stakes are at their highest. Core Focus Areas: -Enterprise Cloud, Gen AI and Agentic AI Scaling (Moving from PoC to production safely) -US & Global Banking Regulation & Governance (DORA, SEC, Risk Mitigation) -Socio-Technical Systems Design & Cross-Functional Leadership -Commercial Strategy & Multi-Million Dollar Portfolio Delivery Let’s connect to discuss the future of financial technology, cloud modernization, or navigating the cultural shifts required to succeed in the AI era.

Skills

  • SOA
  • Solution Architecture
  • Enterprise Architecture

Additional experience

  • Technical Specialist Engineer - Azure Cloud, Application Platform and Integration

    Microsoft

    December 2002 – December 2002

Education

  • MSc Computing, University of London
  • MSc, Queen Mary University of London