TechX: Celebrating our tech game-changers

When Scott created a new offsite for Capital One tech leaders, winning an award was the last thing on his mind. As a senior director in Data Engineering, he was laser focused on creating a space where leaders in Risk Tech could grow, connect and feel equipped to lead.

But in 2024, Scott received an award through Capital One’s TechX Recognition Program, alongside fellow honoree Brittany, a manager in Associate Experience Technology. Both associates were celebrated for how they drove innovation and made an impact. 

Twice a year, TechX honors technologists and teams for innovative solutions that help our teams, customers and communities. The program recognizes both the technological breakthroughs our associates deliver and the engineering-first culture that makes them possible—celebrating what we build and how we build it.

“To be recognized by TechX is powerful and humbling,” Scott said. “I’m motivated to see Capital One Tech succeed, and the only way that we're going to do that is with our people.” 

Inspired by her mom’s legacy of service

Brittany's expertise in project management is matched only by her lifelong passion for giving back—a drive she learned from a powerful role model: “I grew up watching my mom give back to those in need,” Brittany said. 

Because of her mom’s influence, giving back has always been second nature for Brittany. She saw an opportunity to elevate the way Tech associates give back to their communities. “People already wanted to use their skills for good,” she said. “They just needed a better system.”

So she built one.

Brittany led the transformation of Tech Pro Bono, a grassroots effort across functions. She formalized and scaled the program, unified Tech and Cyber volunteering efforts and built a framework that made it easier for associates to give back to their communities.

With leadership’s support, Brittany helped make community engagement feel less like a side project for associates, and more like a defining part of Capital One Tech’s culture. The results spoke volumes:

• 281 associates contributed over 5,500 hours in 2024
  
  
• A 57% increase in participation
  
  
• More than $1.2 million in estimated economic impact on the community 

The work itself ranges from web redesigns and Salesforce integrations to cybersecurity training, platform tooling and more. One thing is constant, no matter the project: associates are using their tech expertise to create lasting change within their communities.

“My mom showed up for people who needed it, and I’ve always wanted to do the same. Here at Capital One, I get to do just that.”

On a mission to listen to what teams really need

While Brittany focused on equipping associates to reach people beyond Capital One, Scott turned his attention to helping people inside the enterprise: leadership growth across Risk Tech.

Scott wanted to create space for people leaders to learn, connect and further develop their skills so they could then feel empowered to lead from a place of confidence and authenticity. What began as a one-time event turned into a biannual offsite, shaped by real-time feedback and built with inclusion at its core.

“We asked people what they needed, and we listened,” he said.

One key insight? Software engineers were craving more hands-on engineering time. That drove conversations about how leaders could reduce meeting loads and create space for more focused work time. When leaders protect focus time and trim meetings, Scott explained, innovation moves faster. Engineers get blocks of deep work to prototype, test and refine new ideas.

Scott didn’t design the program alone. He asked associates from the Technology Development Program (TDP) for their input and brought together a diverse planning team that made the experience richer and more inclusive. They created a monthly onboarding session, co-led by Tech leaders, that helps new hires better understand the organization’s mission and products.

“It’s made our culture stronger,” Scott said. “We want to create an environment where software engineers can thrive. People leaders need to be intentional in that journey.” 

Whether it’s transforming how technologists give back or redefining Tech leadership, Brittany and Scott have helped make Capital One Tech stronger and created paths for others to grow, too.

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