As the Guidewire developer community continues to grow, we want to highlight different members of our Developer Advisory Group. The advisory group members help shape the developer community by participating in group calls, giving input on Guidewire projects, and sharing valuable feedback from their personal experiences using Guidewire.
We present this series of brief “get to know you” interviews with advisory group members so you can get to know them, understand what motivates them, and read their advice for other developers who may be starting out with (or are new to) Guidewire.
Meet Tirath from PwC
Name: Tirath Desai
Job Title: Director, Consulting, PwC Cloud and Digital – Insurance Practice
Company: PwC
How long have you been working with Guidewire products?
I earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in India and then completed my MBA at SMU Cox School of Business at Dallas. I have more than 17 years of consulting experience with a focus on insurance and customer experience.
For more than 12 years, I’ve helped implement Guidewire products across many different lines of P&C businesses and insurers and have led several implementations of Guidewire InsuranceSuite as well as Guidewire Data and Digital products. I am certified in Guidewire Digital 10 and am ACE Certified in all of the Guidewire Cloud Platform ski releases.
Recently, my focus has been on Guidewire Cloud and Digital, where I act as subject-matter expert (SME) for multiple clients who are thinking about upgrading to Guidewire Cloud or have a cloud-first strategy. I’ve been leading PwC’s largest Guidewire Cloud implementation, which recently went live and includes all Guidewire products and an enterprise data warehouse (EDW) in the cloud.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love solving complex business problems and the numerous challenges that clients face in today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving environment. Every client I work with, regardless of their size, faces their own unique challenges as we go through large-scale transformations or changes to their business environment. I get to actively partner with my clients, Guidewire, and PwC to drive adoptions, resolutions, and the future roadmap for the cloud platform.
The learning never ends—whether it is picking up new skills such as Guidewire Cloud Platform, Jutro, or new integrations with Insurtechs. I’ve learned a lot of lessons working from one implementation to another, and I’m passionate about sharing my experiences to help my clients achieve their goals. I also get to assist with talent recruiting, co-lead Guidewire training, and help with product development within PwC.
The best part of the job is that I get to build relationships with my clients, PwC coworkers, Guidewire employees, and many others across the insurance industry to make a difference in their lives.
What advice would you give to someone who is starting out in development or who is new to using Guidewire?
The best way you can learn Guidewire products is through hands-on experience. For example, you can shadow other roles on a project, take on small development tasks, and read the app guide along the way.
Official training courses are good and a must-have, but you will not learn all your skills just through training.
There are great tools you can use to practice your skills on your own time that can hone your expertise faster by creating an environment where it is safe to fail and risks are encouraged.
About the Author
Jonathan Michael
Developer Evangelist
Jonathan has spent the last 12 years developing and implementing customer-centric digital marketing strategies. As the Developer Evangelist at Guidewire, Jonathan will be focused on partnering with, and advocating for the success of, developers who use Guidewire's ecosystem to build a better tomorrow.