SHAILAJA BHATNAGAR
Can you give us a bit of background on yourself? When did you join EY, where were you prior to joining, etc.?
Growing up as a 90s kid in Mumbai, I was listening to a mix of English pop and Bollywood hits, first on cassettes then later on CDs. Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys, Sonu Nigam (Bollywood), and Lucky Ali (Bollywood) were constantly on repeat. This playlist pretty much sums up my taste: a little bit of everything, all genres blended together. And by the way, I highly recommend this movie, its soundtrack is incredible, and it’s genuinely one of the best films of 2025.
I joined EY in October 2016 as a Staff in the FSO Customer & Ops team in Sydney, Australia, and absolutely loved my time there. Some of you may remember Sam Bennis from the PxD team in NYC, he left EY a couple of years ago. Sam and I worked together on a wild project back in 2017 in the Sydney office, and bonded over it. Fast forward to 2022: when I was looking to move to EY New York, he connected me with the PxD team, and the rest is history. I truly enjoy the Union Square office and our tight-knit team that knows how to work hard and play hard.
Before joining EY Australia, I worked with several tech startups in Sydney in Marketing and Strategy, focusing on projects such as new market entry and product marketing. Prior to that, I began my career in Mumbai as a Data Analyst running SQL queries, where my love for understanding business vision, data, and technology first took shape.
How often do you listen to music or how much does music have a role in your day-to-day?
I listen to music every single day. Coming from a family of amateur singers, I grew up learning Indian Classical Music and playing the harmonium, a classical Indian instrument with piano-style keys. As a kid, I would “perform” full-on pretend concerts at home, lol. Over time, I stopped training in classical music, so my voice isn’t quite what it used to be, unfortunately. But I still love singing at home, it’s my go‑to stress buster. Recently, I’ve gotten into Indian rap, and I’m actually trying to learn how to rap in Hindi this year… fingers crossed!
What is something people don’t know about you because the right question hasn’t gotten around to you yet?
As you’ve probably gathered by now, I’m a full-on Bollywood nut. Even though I don’t sing much anymore, my love for dance has never faded. I spend my weekends taking advanced Bollywood dance classes, and I absolutely love it. I also enjoy recording my routines and posting dance reels on Instagram, it’s my little creative outlet 😊
First concert? Favorite venue? Furthest you’ve traveled for a concert?
The first concert I ever attended was Lucky Ali in 2009, and it was unforgettable. If you haven’t heard it yet, definitely check out his song “O Sanam”, it’s one of all-time favorites. The furthest I’ve ever traveled for a concert was last year, when I flew to Vegas just to see Coldplay. Totally worth it.
Last question, you have a big presentation, as a keynote speaker, what is your walk out song?
Ooooh, good question. Is this song playing just in my headphones, or out loud for everyone to hear? 😂 Honestly, doesn’t matter, I’d still pick “Alexander Hamilton” from the Hamilton soundtrack. That track gives me an instant confidence boost every single time. If it’s just in my headphones, though, then it would be “Yeh Tune Kya Kiya” by Arijit Singh (another insanely talented Indian artist). It’s a mellow song with beautiful lyrics, and it hits right in the feels.