Pitch for recording (Sunday)

90-second memory cue

1. Intro
   Nikhil Kotak — Database SRE — Scrum Master for Emerging DB.

2. Proud achievement
   PostgreSQL BCM automation.
   Manual checks → repeatable automation.
   Supported BCM BigRock events.
   Reduced manual effort by around 95%.
   Improved reliability, auditability and confidence.

3. What motivates me at UBS
   Scale and impact of work.
   Small reliability improvements protect important business services.
   Opportunity to work with engineers, POs, ROs and management.
   Technical depth + delivery ownership.

4. Favourite app
   LinkedIn.
   Learning, sharing, technology community, industry trends.
   Supports my growth mindset.

5. Closing
   Proud to contribute through reliability, automation, collaboration and continuous improvement.

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Hi, my name is Nikhil Kotak. I currently work as a Site Reliability Engineer for databases, and I also support the Emerging Database team as Scrum Master.

One achievement I am especially proud of is my contribution to PostgreSQL reliability since PostgreSQL was introduced as a strategic database platform within the bank. During that phase, I also conducted brown bag sessions with stakeholders across APAC and EMEA to build awareness, confidence and alignment around the platform.

I then independently designed and developed PostgreSQL Business Continuity Management automation. This converted manual validation, high-availability checks, risk controls and evidence collection into a repeatable automated process. The automation supported multiple BCM BigRock events across Oracle and PostgreSQL databases and helped reduce manual effort by around 95%. I am proud of this because it improved reliability, consistency, auditability and confidence during critical continuity events.

I have also been involved in ML and AI-led automation initiatives, where we used intelligent automation to reduce repetitive manual ticket resolution and improve operational efficiency. This helped reduce manual resolution effort by around 22% over the past year.

What motivates and inspires me at UBS is the scale, trust and impact of the work. Having been with UBS for more than nine years, I have seen how reliability, discipline and continuous improvement directly support important business services.

In database reliability, improvements can protect important business services.. I am inspired by the opportunity to work with engineers, Product Owners, Reliability Owners and stakeholders, where I can combine technical depth, automation and delivery ownership to create reliable outcomes.

My favourite app is LinkedIn. For me, it is more than a networking app. It helps me learn from the technology community, share knowledge, follow industry trends and stay connected with experts across databases, cloud and AI.

Overall, I am proud to contribute through reliability, automation, collaboration and continuous improvement.