From IT Specialist to VP
When Krishna Yadamakanti started our Certificate Program in Leadership and Management, he wasn’t looking for a quick résumé booster. He was already an accomplished IT professional in India, with a computer science degree from Osmania University and years of experience leading technology initiatives in the life sciences industry.
But Krishna knew something critical: Technical expertise alone isn’t enough to move into a leadership role. To make the jump from managing systems to managing people—and, ultimately, influencing organizational strategy—he needed a different set of skills.
“One of my previous managers completed the certificate and referred me to it,” Krishna recalls. “I thought it would be nice to learn leadership skills beyond the day-to-day work that I was doing. The curriculum felt right-sized, with just seven courses, and it covered the areas I needed most.”
A Strategic Career Move
At the time, Krishna was serving as associate director of IT at Gilead Sciences, where he was responsible for all systems that support supply chain, quality and other critical operations. After completing our certificate, the doors to leadership opened wide.
“After I completed the leadership certificate, I was promoted to director,” he explains. “Then I moved to Visby Medical as head of information technology, to Johnson & Johnson MedTech as VP of IT and now I’m at Element Science as head of IT and security. It’s been a tremendous journey since completing the certificate.”
That “tremendous journey” reflects exactly what the leadership and management certificate is designed for: helping professionals like Krishna sharpen their decision-making, negotiation and change-management skills so they can advance to the next level.
Going back to school after 15 years in the workforce could have been daunting. But Krishna found the experience invigorating.
“The overall experience was amazing,” he says. “The opportunity to learn different topics and skills, and also hear my classmates’ perspectives, allowed me to create new connections.”
For Krishna, the collaborative aspects of the certificate were just as important as the coursework. “The presentations from group projects were great. You really have to partner with your classmates to come up with the presentation and negotiate in that process. It was good for me to go back and learn after gaining real-world experience.”
Among the courses that stood out, the Business Negotiating class left a lasting impression.
“The negotiation class was really good,” Krishna remembers. “The instructors used real examples and had us negotiate with each other based on scenarios. It was interesting to see that negotiation isn’t about your level in an organization but about your individual style.”
Even more valuable was the ability to immediately apply classroom learning to the workplace. “Change management concepts I learned in the program became directly applicable at work within my team and in cross-functional settings. My colleagues saw that I had learned these principles from UC Berkeley Extension, and all of the concepts were relevant to my day-to-day work.”
Path to Promotion
Effective Leadership and Management: Understanding and Influencing the Dynamics of Organizations
Organizational Communication Strategies for Managers
Managing Change and Ambiguity in the Workplace
Business Communication: Writing and Speaking
Leading in a High-Growth Startup
Today, Krishna is Head of IT and Security at Element Science, a fast-growing medical device startup in San Francisco. The company is developing innovative, wearable defibrillators for high-risk cardiac patients.
“I really wanted to join a startup and see the company through its growth journey,” Krishna says. “My role is closely related to that of a CIO. We’re currently a Series C company raising for Series D, and I get to play a central part in scaling IT and security for the next phase.”
At Element Science, Krishna’s role spans every dimension of modern IT leadership:
- Developing and implementing a comprehensive IT strategy aligned with Element Science’s business goals.
- Ensuring the security and integrity of sensitive data, including patient information related to the wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) product.
- Overseeing IT infrastructure and operations, including networks, servers and cloud services.
- Managing the selection and implementation of enterprise applications.
- Providing exceptional IT support and service delivery to the startup’s employees.
- Staying ahead of the curve on emerging technologies and cybersecurity threats.
His leadership style, he adds, is both democratic and situational. “Sometimes I look for consensus from the team, and then sometimes I just make the decision,” he explains—a flexible approach that reflects what he learned in the certificate.
On a personal side, I learned so much about change management that it would have taken me years to fully understand on my own. Going back to a school setting, I really felt like a student again.
Advice for Future Leaders
For professionals considering our leadership and management certificate, Krishna offers straightforward advice:
“Pay attention to the class and do as much research as possible for each assignment. Don’t just do them for a grade—do them to really learn. I gave more importance to what I learned than the grades I got.”
That mindset—focusing on knowledge application rather than grades—helped him make the most of the certificate and accelerate his career growth.
For Krishna, the professional and personal value of completing the certificate continues to pay dividends.
“On a professional level, I can showcase that I went to Berkeley, which carries a lot of weight,” he says. “On a personal side, I learned so much about change management that it would have taken me years to fully understand on my own. Going back to a school setting, I really felt like a student again.”
The UC Berkeley Extension name—and the confidence he gained from returning to the classroom—helped position him for bigger challenges and broader leadership opportunities.
“In the future, I want to support my company as much as possible in our business and make sure we grow so we can serve more patients,” he says. “I’ve been in pharma and life sciences for the past 15 years, and I hope to continue on this path.”
With a proven track record across Gilead, Johnson & Johnson and now Element Science, Krishna is well on his way.
