Archana Rao

Alvina Antar

Profile summary

Share this profile

Archana Rao is a seasoned technology executive and a three-time Chief Information Officer (CIO), recognized for her transformative leadership in scaling IT systems and driving AI innovation at high-growth tech companies.

With over 25 years of experience, Archana has held pivotal roles at Cisco, Symantec/Veritas, Atlassian, Unity Technologies, and currently Klaviyo. Her expertise lies in building robust, data-centric IT infrastructures that support advanced technologies like AI, real-time 3D content, and cloud computing, while fostering cross-functional collaboration and innovation.

Archana's strategic vision and customer-first approach have redefined the CIO role, earning her several accolades in the IT tech circles.

Connect with Archana on: Linkedin | X

Career highlights

2025

Chief Information Officer

2022

Chief Information Officer

2018

Chief Information Officer

2016

VP of IT

2014

VP of IT

2000

Director IT

Claim to fame

Building reliable systems for AI innovation

As CIO of Unity, Archana Rao played a key role in enabling Unity’s technology vision internally. While the product R&D teams at Unity worked on AI and simulation work for interactive and 3D gaming, Rao ensured the company’s internal infrastructure, including massive data handling, data pipelines and cloud compute, that could support these cutting-edge initiatives.

Data-focused IT strategy

At Atlassian, Archana underscored the importance of having a strong data foundation so that every team, be it HR, Marketing or Sales, can get real-time, actionable insights to run their operations efficiently. Archana led her team in building a centralized, high-quality data infrastructure, positioning their IT team as a business enabler and not just a cost center.

Scaling stable IT infra post acquisitions

Archana Rao led Atlassian’s Global IT during a period of high growth and multiple acquisitions. Rao strongly believed that IT teams were at the forefront of such acquisitions to make it beneficial for both companies as they had sound knowledge of how to scale Atlassian’s platforms and unlock new capabilities from the acquired companies.

Archana’s AI Philosophy

Archana Rao

CIO, Klaviyo

“It's really important to understand the business strategy to make sure that you're driving business outcomes for the company. We could have a lot of output but if you're not driving enough business outcome then we're not doing a job." Source

“We have to be able to train our talent, really focusing on people who come with an engineering mindset, who are curious and have a mindset to learn and aren’t daunted by technology.” Source

“CIOs need to help teams be productive rather than control them. Instead of CIOs imposing workflows, they need to gather data on the work being done to understand how teams are operating. Source