This conversation features Senior Solution Architect Hari Krishnan and Platform (WCS) Lead Swathi Shetty. Reflecting on their journeys at Metyis, they share how they helped building teams, transitioning from legacy systems, and driving stability and optimisation. From improving application performance and reducing costs, to fostering a culture of ownership and collaboration, Hari and Swathi give some insights into the evolving partnership model and provide valuable advice for professionals navigating technology and delivery roles.
"I'm Hari, based in Bangalore, India. I was one of the early joiners in the technology team at Metyis—specifically, the third tech employee hired. I joined in December 2020 and will complete five years this December. Currently, I work as a Senior Solution Architect. Since I joined, I’ve been deeply involved in building our team and shaping the project. I contributed to sourcing, screening, and interviewing candidates. It’s been a fun and rewarding journey so far."
"I'm Swathi, currently based in Porto, Portugal, though I was previously in India.
I joined Metyis in December 2021 and worked there for about a year and a half before relocating to Porto in June 2023. This December, I’ll complete four years at Metyis.
My role involves understanding client needs, providing tailored solutions, and collaborating across different teams to ensure successful delivery."
Growth and experimentation
Beyond day-to-day delivery, Hari and Swathi share how Metyis fosters a dynamic environment for growth, where experimentation is encouraged, cross-functional learning is accessible, and collaboration across nationalities and technical domains creates space for continuous development and innovation.
Hari Krishnan
"When I joined PVH, I came in as a backend specialist, but the ecosystem was new to me. Over time, the team cross-skilled across front end, middleware, DevOps, and QA, including automation. We learned collaboratively, supported by Metyis through training sessions on various tech stacks. I became one of the first in the company to get certified in Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
As the team scaled down gradually from 32 to 7, many of us transitioned to other projects, requiring further cross-skilling.
Knowledge sharing has been continuous. We've worked closely with the Academy to deliver internal training, and Swathi, for example, has been exposed to nearly all tech stacks we use.
There’s never been a sense of stagnation—there’s always something new to learn or contribute, both within the project and across the organisation."
Swathi Shetty
"I was hired as a backend developer, but there were no restrictions on exploring other areas. If I wanted to work on front-end tasks, both the client and team were supportive. The environment encouraged experimentation and learning.
We had strong DevOps, frontend, and back-end teams, and it was easy to reach out for help—even outside our areas of expertise. I took courses on Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Shopify, and there was always a platform to cross-skill and contribute.
Even beyond our project, Metyis welcomed our input on other initiatives. This aligned with the company’s philosophy: we don’t hire narrowly defined specialists—we hire adaptable engineers who can thrive in any situation."
Growth and experimentation
Beyond day-to-day delivery, Hari and Swathi share how Metyis fosters a dynamic environment for growth, where experimentation is encouraged, cross-functional learning is accessible, and collaboration across nationalities and technical domains creates space for continuous development and innovation.
Hari Krishnan
"When I joined PVH, I came in as a backend specialist, but the ecosystem was new to me. Over time, the team cross-skilled across front end, middleware, DevOps, and QA, including automation. We learned collaboratively, supported by Metyis through training sessions on various tech stacks. I became one of the first in the company to get certified in Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
As the team scaled down gradually from 32 to 7, many of us transitioned to other projects, requiring further cross-skilling.
Knowledge sharing has been continuous. We've worked closely with the Academy to deliver internal training, and Swathi, for example, has been exposed to nearly all tech stacks we use.
There’s never been a sense of stagnation—there’s always something new to learn or contribute, both within the project and across the organisation."
Swathi Shetty
"I was hired as a backend developer, but there were no restrictions on exploring other areas. If I wanted to work on front-end tasks, both the client and team were supportive. The environment encouraged experimentation and learning.
We had strong DevOps, frontend, and back-end teams, and it was easy to reach out for help—even outside our areas of expertise. I took courses on Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Shopify, and there was always a platform to cross-skill and contribute.
Even beyond our project, Metyis welcomed our input on other initiatives. This aligned with the company’s philosophy: we don’t hire narrowly defined specialists—we hire adaptable engineers who can thrive in any situation."
Proudest achievements
From successfully transitioning a complex legacy system to becoming trusted partners in delivery, Hari and Swathi share the milestones that make them proud.
Swathi Shetty
"For me, the proudest achievement was that, at a certain point, we weren’t just working within our own team during the season — we had to take ownership of responsibilities from another team as well, like the operations team. There was a rotation within our team, so sometimes we were managing both areas.
That was a positive experience because we weren’t just focused on development; we were also interacting directly with customers. Personally, I consider it a significant achievement that I was able to gain new knowledge — learning different things, engaging more with clients and customers, and deepening my understanding of their needs.
Working closely with them gave me a new perspective. When you're part of the development team, you don’t get much direct exposure to what the customer wants. Usually, that information comes through stakeholders or the product owner before reaching us. But in the operations team, you talk to customers directly — through Teams or on calls — and that close collaboration provides much more insight and exposure."
Hari Krishnan
“From my side, I’d say my biggest achievement was building this team. I’m still proud of the people we hired — we made sure they were the right fit for Metyis and for the partnership. Even after some moved on to other projects or organisations, I continue to receive great feedback about them.
Another achievement is the stability we’ve reached from an application perspective. In the beginning, we had frequent issues, but now incidents are rare — maybe one every two weeks, and often not even on our side.
Lastly, we’ve managed to stay effective while working with an organisation facing its own internal challenges. Sometimes people we collaborate with leave unexpectedly, and we must quickly adapt, identify risks, and find solutions without them. This has definitely been one of the most challenging assignments of my career."
Culture at Metyis
Hari and Swathi share what makes Metyis more than just a workplace—from the openness in communication to the inclusive culture that encourages connection beyond project work.
Swathi Shetty
"In India, my work was mostly remote since I started after COVID. I only visited the office a couple of times, but even then, I got to meet the team — we went out for lunch and spent time together outside of work.
Once I moved to Porto, I started going to the office regularly. My team was quite small, but there were others outside my project. We used to meet for lunch, and sometimes they'd say, "Hey, we're going for paddle, come join us," or someone would invite me for climbing. We had different groups at the office—climbing, paddle, and sometimes fun Fridays. So, it never felt like I was just part of our team and couldn't mingle with others.
Everyone was always open and welcoming. It was nice.
Now I know many people who are new to the project, and we also have sessions outside of work—like women’s activities. I was part of that group too and worked closely with them, offering some solutions, which was great.
Culturally, it was a big move for me as well. This is my first time working outside India. My entire career before this was based in India, so this experience gave me global exposure. It’s been more than two years now. I actually landed in Porto the day the campus opened, so I’ve been here since the beginning."
Hari Krishnan
During COVID, we were working remotely from different parts of India and the world. Once we transitioned back to office work, I was based in Bangalore, and the office was nearby, so I started going in a couple of days a week. That’s when I began meeting people from other parts of Metyis, like the data, admin, and recruitment teams.
The office had a great atmosphere. Thanks to WeWork, we had regular events, games, lunches, potlucks, birthday and anniversary celebrations. Our Bangalore WhatsApp group was always buzzing with photos of cakes and activities—so much so that people from other locations joked about wanting to transfer there!
What keeps me at Metyis is the challenge I was given when I joined: building a team from scratch for a specific project. That sense of ownership still drives me. I also work with amazing colleagues—my manager Keshav, now a partner, and others across teams. I often have engaging conversations with them about the solutions they’re building for clients like Hugo Boss, Adaptfy, and so on. It’s inspiring and makes me feel privileged to be part of this organisation."
Advice for upcoming professionals
Hari Krishnan
“During interviews, we always emphasise that Metyis is a different kind of organisation. People coming from service-based or product companies often expect a similar experience, but Metyis operates differently. Some new joiners assumed it would be easy and tried to stick to their usual tech stack, but they faced challenges and needed support.
My advice: keep learning and adapting. With AI now playing a bigger role in how we deliver solutions, staying current with market trends is essential. Metis supports this through the Academy, but you also have the freedom to learn independently.
One thing we often do in our project, is revisit solutions we implemented three or six months ago to explore possible optimisations. That mindset of continuous improvement is key here - that's the advice that I have for people."
Swathi Shetty
"I think learning from experience is a key part of growth. Sometimes we make the right decisions, and sometimes we don’t, but that’s all part of the learning process. It helps prepare us for both personal and professional challenges.
It’s also important to find the right environment that supports growth. That means exploring different opportunities, talking to people—not just within your project, but outside of it too, and learning from what they’re doing and how they approach things."