A New Mainframe Believer
Vikas Sinha nearly turned down the opportunity that would define the second half of his career. Before pivoting to mainframe, Sinha led predictive analytics at IBM. He relished helping shape a future where data science would transform industries from healthcare to marketing. “It was a job anyone would kill for,” he admitted.
He was skeptical when CA Technologies approached Vikas about a senior leadership role in its mainframe division. “To be honest,” he said, “I didn’t even know much about the mainframe. I knew of it, but not how central it was to everyday life.”
But one conversation changed his mind. A general manager at CA made the case for mainframes as the backbone of global infrastructure: financial transactions, retail transactions, insurance claims, and more. Vikas reacted, “That was compelling for me.”
The consensus at the time was that the future of the mainframe was speculative, and his job would be to evangelize its relevance. For Vikas, the job offer wasn’t about technology. It was a business challenge, a chance to change the trajectory of a misunderstood platform.
Fast-forward, and Sinha is now the VP of Worldwide Engineering and Architecture at Broadcom Mainframe Software. Since March 2025, he has led global product engineering across Broadcom’s Mainframe Software Division, following his previous role as head of field services. Today, he is both a strategist and a steward, ensuring the mainframe evolves to meet the needs of modern enterprises while steering businesses toward the value of mainframe modernization.
The Myth of “Different”
What surprised Vikas most about the mainframe world wasn’t the technology. It was the perception. “Everyone treated it like it was different, special, in a silo. And that difference created fear,” he said. “We do ourselves a disservice when the mainframe is not considered as just another platform. It’s a powerful one. But still just a platform.”
We do ourselves a disservice when the mainframe is not considered as just another platform. It’s a powerful one. But still just a platform.
This insight shapes his approach to leadership. Vikas leads Broadcom’s strategic focus on APIs, open technologies, and intuitive user experiences. “We are making the platform as easy for a new graduate as it is for a 40-year veteran.”
Boardrooms, Classrooms, and Global Convos
Vikas travels and meets with global CIOs and industry leaders when he’s not shaping Broadcom’s mainframe strategy. “Most of my time is spent listening,” he said. “People tell me what keeps them up at night: ransomware, operational visibility, rising costs, skills gaps. My job is to help them understand that the mainframe is a compelling part of the solution.”
My job is to help people understand that the mainframe is a compelling part of the solution.
He also regularly speaks to students and early-career technologists, advocating for broader awareness and excitement around the platform. “There are incredible careers here,” he said. They are just not considered. We need to bring out the significant opportunity in this mainframe space.”
Investing in the Next Generation
In 2024, Vikas and his wife, Anuradha, made a $3 million gift to the University of North Texas, establishing the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science. The endowment funds scholarships, research, and professorships to advance educational access and scientific innovation. Vikas also serves on multiple boards at UNT and remains an active research faculty member, mentoring doctoral students and helping bridge the gap between academia and industry.
He strongly believes in lifelong learning, as demonstrated by earning his Ph.D. in Data Sciences in 2023. “Education isn’t about credentials,” he said. It’s about sharpening how you think. Earning my PhD wasn’t for a job or salary. It was to make sure that when I spoke, I was bringing my best to the conversation.”
When not in the classroom or combining work trips with family time, he collects watches and listens to the Indian classical and Bollywood music he grew up with.
Turning a Business Problem into Lifelong Purpose
What defines Vikas isn’t just his vision for the mainframe’s future, but also his humility. “I didn’t come to the mainframe because I loved it,” he said. “I came because I saw a business problem. I stayed because I saw how critical it is to our lives.”
I came because I saw a business problem. I stayed because I saw how critical it is to our lives.
Vikas chose mainframes because they mattered – and still do. His career is proof that the platform’s future lies not in nostalgia but in leadership that embraces engineering excellence and accessible innovation. As he continues to evolve how the world views and uses the mainframe, his legacy is taking shape in the systems that run silently behind the scenes and in the students, engineers, and leaders who now see the mainframe as their platform.
Connect with Vikas Sinha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikassinha/
View the entire 2025 Influential Mainframers group here.
Penney Berryman, MPH (she/her), is the Content Editor for Planet Mainframe. She also writes health technology and online education marketing materials. Penney is based in Austin, Texas.
Connect with her on LinkedIn.