Sai Nayagar
About Sai Nayagar
Sai Nayagar is the Director of Software Engineering at Wizards of the Coast, where he has worked since 2018. He has extensive experience in software engineering and management, having held various leadership roles at companies such as iQmetrix, Choose Energy, and Western Union Business Solutions.
Current Role at Wizards of the Coast
Sai Nayagar serves as the Director of Software Engineering at Wizards of the Coast, a position he has held since 2018. In this role, he is responsible for maintaining the technology that supports the Magic and Dungeons & Dragons brands, with a particular focus on digital platforms. Under his leadership, the technology organization has expanded significantly, growing from 15 to over 50 personnel between 2018 and 2022. Nayagar has played a crucial role in the company's revenue growth, contributing to an increase from $450 million in 2018 to over $1 billion in 2021.
Previous Experience in Software Engineering
Before joining Wizards of the Coast, Nayagar held several key positions in the software engineering field. He worked as a Software Development Manager at iQmetrix from 2011 to 2014 in the Vancouver, Canada Area. Following this, he served as the VP of Engineering at Choose Energy from 2015 to 2017 in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. He also worked as a Software Engineering Manager at Index Inc. from 2014 to 2015 in the San Francisco Bay Area, and as a Development Team Lead at Western Union Business Solutions from 2007 to 2011 in Vancouver.
Educational Background
Sai Nayagar studied at The University of Auckland, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Management of Information Systems and a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. His studies spanned from 1997 to 2001, providing him with a strong foundation in both business and technical disciplines.
Technical Contributions and Initiatives
Nayagar has led significant technical initiatives during his career. Notably, he was responsible for the migration of a large on-premises legacy system to a modern cloud-native solution using Kubernetes, which supports millions of Magic players. His focus on developing an engineering culture emphasizes growth, bias for action, perseverance, and empathy, which has been instrumental in shaping the technology organization at Wizards of the Coast.
Early Career Experience
Sai Nayagar began his career as an Analyst/Programmer at NEC Australia from 2001 to 2003 in Melbourne. This role marked the start of his journey in the software engineering field, where he developed foundational skills that would support his future career advancements.