Headline

Strategic portfolio optimization | Transformational B2B SaaS Product Leader | Product Integration & Platform Modernization | O-RAN TOC Voting Member | Open to Relocation

About

Telecom strategy and product leader with over 25 years of experience spanning network engineering, R&D management, and commercial strategy for Tier-1 communications service providers. IIMB alumnus with a Computer Science background. Have advised CxO and senior technology leaders at operators including AT&T, T-Mobile US, Orange, Vodafone, and Deutsche Telekom on cloud-native network transformation and Open RAN adoption. Combine technical depth in O-RAN, RIC platforms, and 5G Core with commercial experience building business cases, shaping go-to-market strategy, and growing new service lines from concept to recurring revenue. Key achievements: ● Helped grow the addressable market for SON and non-Real-Time RIC offerings by roughly $120M across four regions (Nordics, North America, EMEA, APAC), by building the business case and migration strategy for cloud-native O-RAN adoption ● Took an energy-orchestration SaaS platform from lab prototype to a multi-million-dollar recurring revenue line in Nordic markets, while cutting a flagship client's operational energy costs by roughly a fifth ● Co-created an open O-RAN RIC platform with AT&T that became a reference architecture for several follow-on engagements, including a private network deployment for the US Department of Defense ● Elected as a voting member of the O-RAN Alliance Technical Oversight Committee, representing Nokia in cross-vendor standards decisions ● Converted the majority of a multi-market pilot program in the Nordics and Benelux into ongoing multi-year service contracts #ServicesInnovation #AutonomousNetworks #5GAdvanced #AINativeOps #TelecomStrategy #CxOAdvisor #HorizontalServices #GTM

Location

India

AI stack

claude code

cursor

gemini

perplexity

Microsoft Copilot

Work experience

Lead Domain Product Manager at Nokia, Apr 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 5 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Strategic Products and Services Leader – SON and RIC Platforms • Principal Strategic Advisor to CxO leaders at Tier-1 CSPs across US, Europe, and Asia on growth strategy, cloud-native migration, and TMF Level 4 autonomy roadmaps • Expanded SON and non-Real-Time RIC TAM by $120M+ across 4 regions (Nordics, North America, EMEA, APAC) through business case development and architectural migration strategies for O-RAN platforms • Incubated next-gen network optimization controllers from concept to PoC with 3+ Tier-1 operators; defined horizontal service architectures decoupled from product lines for multi-vendor interoperability • Scaled Energy SaaS orchestration platform from lab to field deployment, delivering 22% operational energy cost reduction for flagship client; architected regulatory-compliant blueprint reusable across Nordic and BENELUX markets • Unlocked practice's first multi-million dollar ARR stream in mature Nordic markets via global commercial model and monetization strategy for network-wide Energy SaaS platform • Led 5 pilot engagements in NORDICS/BENELUX, converting 60% to multi-year service contracts

Product Manager at Nokia, Apr 2019 - Mar 2023 · 4 yrs, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Lead Product Manager – Ecosystem Co-Creation O-RAN Near-RT RIC & Standards Integration (2020 – 2023) • Co-Creation Ecosystems: Spearheaded a high-profile development partnership with a Tier 1 US operator to co-create the open O-RAN Near-Real-Time RIC platform, building a market-first, patent-driven 5G infrastructure ecosystem. • Defense & Government Scale: Maintained execution authority over 10+ pre-commercial trials, leading to the successful secure deployment of the Near-RT RIC platform for a high-visibility US Department of Defense (DoD) private network project. • Commercial Architecture: Formulated the global commercial structure, value pack definitions, and pre-sales strategies for the VPP and RIC software lines, expanding footprint to 15+ international markets and unlocking new O-RAN revenue streams. • Technical Bid Defense: Directed technical architecture inputs and services integration for a pan-global operator O-RAN selection round, executing a successful bid defense to win a highly competitive multi-year RFP contract. • Industry Board Leadership: representing Nokia as the corporate voting member on the O-RAN Technical Oversight Committee for the nearRT RIC platform stream; leveraged O-RAN WG2 specifications to steer cross-vendor architecture alignment and multi-vendor interoperability. • Ecosystem Orchestration: Led high-stakes O-RAN Plugfest collaboration programs with hyperscalers and industry giants (including Meta), verifying architectural compliance and reinforcing platform authority. • Marketplace Creation: Formulated build-vs.-buy valuation frameworks and xApp/rApp vendor due diligence to scale an open software marketplace; commercialized high-margin xApps optimized for 5G network monetization, traffic steering, and radio resource allocation.

Agile Product Owner & Engagement Delivery Lead – Cloud Software & Services at NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKS PVT LTD, Oct 2010 - Mar 2019 · 8 yrs 6 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, • (Oct2018-Mar2019) Incubation Product Manager, Cloud RAN v1.0. Roadmap and backlog prioritization for Edge Cloud use cases and services with a focus on Virtualization of legacy 4G/5G CU+DU OAM layer • Agile Product Owner for 6 scrum teams delivering RNC Layer 2 software; managed 200+ backlog items/quarter, improving team velocity by 28% over 18 months • Delivered 100% on-time releases for 12+ major version launches over 3 years; reduced post-release defects by 35% through improved release management workflows • Managed 25+ engineers across 4 geographies (Finland, China, Poland, India) with zero direct authority; coordinated 40+ stakeholder validation cycles with 100% on-time delivery • Designed competency frameworks for 50+ engineers; certified 35 team members in Agile/Scrum and CMMI practices, reducing onboarding time by 40%

R&D Manager, Practice Assets & Lab Ecosystems, RNC Innovation at NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKS TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD, Nov 2004 - Sep 2010 · 5 yrs 11 mos, R&D Manager – Practice Assets & Lab Ecosystems, RNC Innovation • Led 3 R&D teams (18 engineers) across 2 sites (India, Finland); delivered 15+ software releases over 6 years with 100% on-time delivery and zero critical escalations • Established globally accessible ATCA-based RNC lab with 150+ automated test scenarios; reduced validation cycle time by 30%, achieved 100% lab uptime • Maintained <15-minute turnaround for lab access resolution; team received 'Director's Accolade' award (top 5% globally) for operational excellence

Technical Team Leader at SIEMENS AG / SIEMENS COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE | Munich, Germany & Bangalore, India, Mar 1998 - Oct 2004 · 6 yrs 8 mos, • Architected TMN/FCAPS-based EMS systems for 2G network elements; deployed across 10+ Tier-1 operator networks in Europe and Asia • Authored 40+ element specification documents; 90% adopted as baseline for product releases over 2-year period • Managed 5 integration projects at customer locations with multi-million dollar budgets each; delivered 100% on-time with zero critical escalations • Led CMMI Level 3 implementation across 3 sites (India, Germany, China); reduced development cycle time by 22%, achieved 100% audit pass rate with zero non-conformities

Education

BE, Computer Science and Engineering, University of Mysore

EEP: Workshop at IIMB, Developing Executive Entrepreneurship in corporate career, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore