SheTech Interns Interview Charu Samant
Goldman Sachs engineer Charu Samant shares how growing up in India, pursuing global education, and learning to speak up shaped her leadership style and approach to teamwork in high-stakes financial technology.
People & Culture
Salt Lake City, Utah — March 11, 2026
From a small village in India to leading engineering teams at Goldman Sachs, Charu Samant’s journey highlights the power of adaptability, collaboration, and the courage to speak up.
Every day that Charu Samant, lead engineer for securities lending and settlements, walks into Goldman Sachs, she is ready to tackle a new problem. At one of the world’s largest investment banks, Samant helps build and manage systems that allow financial institutions to safely lend securities and track assets. But long before she began leading engineering teams, Samant learned how to adapt and lead by repeatedly uprooting her life—first across India, and later across continents. Those early experiences became some of her greatest strengths.
Samant grew up in a small village in India, where she learned early on that everyone has something valuable to contribute. She said that growing up in India helped her recognize the different strengths, weaknesses, and perspectives people bring to a team.
“I had friends who couldn’t have been more different from each other,” she recalled. “But we would still hang out together and help each other whenever we could.”
That mindset continues to shape her leadership today. Samant emphasizes the importance of collaboration and believes teams perform best when people feel comfortable contributing their ideas. When individuals bring different perspectives to the table, she says, teams are often able to solve problems more creatively and effectively.
Samant’s academic journey reflects the same discipline and adaptability she brings to her work. After growing up in a small town in India, she moved to Mumbai to attend K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering, where she graduated at the top of her class. She later moved to the United States to pursue a master’s degree at Northwestern University, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Through those experiences, Samant developed the discipline, organization, and resilience that continue to guide her career.
During a talk at the Women Tech Awards, Samant shared a moment that shaped her confidence as a professional. Early in her career, she had a strong idea during a meeting but was too nervous to speak up. Later, after the project was finished, she shared the idea with colleagues and was asked why she hadn’t mentioned it earlier.
Reflecting on that moment, she offered a piece of advice that has stayed with many in the audience: “If you don’t speak up, someone less qualified will—and they will be heard. A good idea stands out, and so should you.”
Today, Samant continues her work at Goldman Sachs while balancing leadership, family life, and a love of travel. She remains focused on building strong teams and creating environments where people feel confident sharing their ideas. Her story of adaptability, discipline, and self-advocacy serves as a reminder that sometimes the only thing standing between a great idea and real impact is the courage to say it out loud.
Alice Brewster and Shruthi Kamalanathan are 2025-26 SheTech Media Interns with the Women Tech Council and TechBuzz News.
Alice Brewster is a Junior at Cedar Valley High in the Alpine School District. She loves science and plans to pursue a career in the science field in the future.
Shruthi Kamalanathan is a Junior at West High School in downtown Salt Lake City. She aspires to attend Harvard Business School and eventually lead a technology company.
SheTech - TechBuzz media interns interview professionals, founders, educators, and leaders who are making an impact on the Utah tech and entrepreneurship communities. If you are interested in being interviewed or would like to participate in the program in some way, please contact hannah@womentechcouncil.com.