---
title: "Navdeep Sood - MBA in Bengaluru | Tal"
description: "Meet Navdeep Sood, Strategy & Operations | CEO’s Office, Governance & Programme Leadership | Ex-Goldman Sachs & Indian Air Force | 14+ Years | MBA (Manchester/Melbourne) based in Bengaluru. AI stack includes claude code, claude, and gemini."
image: "https://tal.club/meet/navdeep-sood/share-image"
---

# Navdeep Sood on Tal

## Headline

Strategy & Operations \| CEO’s Office, Governance & Programme Leadership \| Ex\-Goldman Sachs & Indian Air Force \| 14\+ Years \| MBA \(Manchester/Melbourne\)

## About

II've led operations where failure wasn't an option: in the Indian Air Force managing missile systems, infrastructure, and international procurement, and at Goldman Sachs running global first\-line\-of\-defence operations across 24/7 financial markets\. Across 14\+ years, I've built governance frameworks from scratch, commanded large teams under pressure, and delivered results that held up to scrutiny at the Managing Director level\. As Adjutant, I was the direct operational right hand to the Commanding Officer, a role that closely parallels a Chief of Staff position in a corporate structure, translating strategy into execution and running day\-to\-day operations for a 1,500\-personnel command\. At Goldman Sachs, I acted as a strategy and operations partner to Divisional Managing Director\-level leadership, owning governance, risk, and executive reporting for a $3\.6B global platform spanning the US, EMEA, and APAC\. What I bring: → Governance and risk frameworks that hold up under audit, not just look good on a slide → Programme and infrastructure delivery at real scale, including a $12M missile system overhaul programme I led as the youngest officer ever appointed to the role → Supply chain and vendor governance across international borders, $2M in annual procurement, 20,000\+ critical components → Cross\-functional leadership across engineering, finance, compliance, and operations → The judgement that comes from operating in a zero\-failure environment for a decade Career markers: • Goldman Sachs — Strategy and operations partner to Divisional MD\-level leadership; owned governance, KPI and SLA reporting, and vendor oversight for a $3\.6B platform • Indian Air Force — 10 years: engineering, missile systems, supply chain, infrastructure delivery, and senior command \(Adjutant, 1,500\-personnel unit\) • MBA — Alliance Manchester Business School \(Merit\), exchange at Melbourne Business School \| Specialisations: Investments, Negotiations, Strategic Pricing Currently exploring: Director/VP\-level roles in Strategy & Operations, Programme and Portfolio Management, Governance and Risk, Supply Chain and Procurement, or CEO's Office/Chief of Staff\-adjacent positions, at large or complex organisations, including GCCs, where operational rigour genuinely matters\. Open to conversations\. Let's talk\.

## Location

Bengaluru

## AI stack

claude code

claude

gemini

## Work experience

MBA at Alliance Manchester Business School, Aug 2024 \- Mar 2026 · 1 yr 8 mos, Manchester Area, United Kingdom, Built the commercial and financial layer on top of an engineering and operational foundation\. The investment and pricing strategy specialisations directly inform how I evaluate operational trade\-offs, vendor contracts, and business decisions at the intersection of risk and return\. The Melbourne exchange broadened my lens to Asia\-Pacific market dynamics and cross\-cultural leadership — increasingly relevant as organizations scale across geographies\. Selected consulting work includes: Built a Social Return on Investment model for a UK non\-profit to strengthen funding strategy and long\-term impact measurement Developed growth strategy recommendations for an AI safety\-tech startup, including market positioning, adoption barriers, and partnership opportunities Led international market\-entry analysis for a UK premium gifting brand evaluating expansion into China

Senior Associate at Goldman Sachs, Jul 2021 \- Aug 2024 · 3 yrs 2 mos, Bangalore Urban, Built the operating infrastructure for a $3\.6B global platform — governance, SLAs, process standards, and team capability — across 79 people in EMEA, APAC, and US\. Governance and Operating Model Design: Designed and stood up SLA frameworks, RACI models, intake mechanisms, and MD\-level governance forums for a $3\.6B global operations platform, translating global strategy into consistent local delivery across three regions\. Process Standardisation and Continuous Improvement: Developed end\-to\-end SOPs, process maps, and operating playbooks adopted across EMEA, APAC, and US — drove 30% workflow reduction and 20% turnaround improvement through disciplined process governance\. SLA Performance and Incident Management: Drove platform SLA from 85% to 99% and reduced incident volumes by 15% through structured root cause analysis, corrective action programs, and real\-time performance tracking\. Vendor and Supplier Governance: Managed vendor performance across the global procurement ecosystem — structured RFP/RFI execution, contract performance monitoring, and supplier accountability frameworks delivering $200K in annualised cost savings\. Cross\-Functional Stakeholder Management: Built and ran executive governance dashboards and MD\-level performance reviews\. Team Leadership and Capability Development: Led 79 personnel across three regions \(14 shift controllers, 65 operational specialists\); built ways of working, onboarding programs, and structured performance management from the ground up\. Financial Operations and Quality Governance: Managed NAV reconciliation for 400 high\-net\-worth accounts across 11 analysts — reduced error rate by 18% through process controls and structured quality oversight\. Code of Business Conduct Compliance Ownership: Owned quarterly CoBC training completion for 79 direct and indirect reports — tracked adherence, followed up on non\-completion, and reported compliance status at division level; accountable for 100% team compliance within each cycle

Associate Director — Strategy, Operations & Compliance Governance at Indian Air Force, Apr 2019 \- Jan 2021 · 1 yr 10 mos, Gujarat, India, IAF title: Senior Operations Manager · Gujarat, India Most senior command — led 130\-person cross\-functional organisation, drove Air Force HQ\-level strategy and policy, and brought a $20M digital transformation program to full operational deployment\. Strategy and Policy Leadership Strategic Process Redesign: Identified and eliminated redundant procedures across the operational workflow — persuaded senior leadership to adopt redesigned SOPs that reduced time\-to\-operational\-readiness by 25%, with policy letters issued and adopted across the Air Force nationally\. Operational Strategy Execution: Partnered with senior executives to define operational priorities, remove cross\-functional bottlenecks, and align team execution to strategic objectives — drove 40% improvement in technical turnaround time through structured root cause analysis\. Program Delivery and Digital Transformation Digital Transformation Program Ownership: Led delivery of a $20M paperless documentation transformation in partnership with Wipro and Air Force HQ — managed implementation governance, infrastructure deployment, and phased rollout across multiple distributed units with zero disruption to operational readiness\. Change Management and Adoption: Designed and executed stakeholder onboarding and training programs across geographically dispersed teams — ensured full adoption of new digital workflows\. People Leadership and Organisational Effectiveness Large\-Scale Team Leadership: Commanded and developed a 130\-person cross\-functional unit in a high\-pressure operational environment — built structured appraisal programs, continuity training, mentoring frameworks, and conflict resolution protocols to sustain optimised performance under stress\. • Division\-Level Compliance Governance: Owned ethics and conduct governance for a 130\-person unit — led compliance monitoring, investigated conduct escalations, and maintained discipline and integrity standards in a high\-pressure operational environment\.

Senior Program Manager — Technology, Operations and Compliance at Indian Air Force, Jan 2017 \- Apr 2019 · 2 yrs 4 mos, Rajasthan, India, IAF title: Flight Commander · Jodhpur, Rajasthan Investigation Leadership: Led formal Courts of Inquiry as senior Investigating Officer — managed breach investigations covering misconduct, duty dereliction, and conduct violations across a 110\-person unit; conducted structured witness interviews, maintained confidentiality, and presented findings and remediation recommendations to Commanding Officer\. Operations and Inventory Management Large\-Scale Operations Management: Directed 110\-person team across planning, coordination, and execution of maintenance activities, environment\-controlled warehouse operations, and time\-critical delivery of missile systems — achieved 100% operational success rate across all missions\. Fleet and Asset Management: Managed a 270\-vehicle specialist and general\-purpose fleet at India's largest Air Force base — owned $250K annual fleet budget, optimised maintenance schedules, and ensured critical spare inventory availability across all asset categories\. Strategic Leadership and Executive Stakeholder Engagement Crisis Leadership and Execution: Led 50 personnel in a decisive combat operation in 2019 — directed real\-time resource allocation, risk mitigation, and mission execution under zero\-failure conditions\. 100% mission success, zero casualties\. Formally commended by senior command\. High\-Stakes Stakeholder Management: Served as organising lead for Combined Commanders Conference 2018 — coordinated directly with Prime Minister and Defence Minister security teams, managed complete administrative and logistics support for India's most senior tri\-services defence conference chaired by the Prime Minister\. Social Enterprise and Community Operations NGO Operations and Business Development: Managed operations of AFWWA alongside core duties — led business development, HR management, and ran administration of school "Umeed" serving special needs and underprivileged children\.

Program Manager — Production, Procurement and Chief of Staff \(Adjutant\) at Indian Air Force, Jun 2014 \- Dec 2016 · 2 yrs 7 mos, Delhi, India, Youngest officer appointed to lead a $12M MRO program — simultaneously owned international procurement across three countries, designed an indigenisation manufacturing facility, and served as Adjutant \(Chief of Staff equivalent\) managing full station operations on behalf of the Commanding Officer\. Chief of Staff — Adjutant to Air Officer Commnading Executive Office Operations: The direct operational right hand to the Air Officer Commanding \(equivalent to CEO\) — managing the full administrative, personnel, and operational running of the station on the AOC's behalf\. Primary liaison to station Anti\-Corruption and Vigilance Unit\. Investigating Officer in Courts of Inquiry\. HR and Administration at Scale: Managed all personnel administration for 1,500\+ individuals, ensuring smooth organisational functioning across a high\-volume, complex environment\. Program and Production Management MRO Program Leadership: Spearheaded end\-to\-end overhaul of missile launcher systems worth $12M — youngest officer appointed to this responsibility\. Owned vendor selection, production governance, quality oversight, and delivery execution \. Process Improvement and Cost Optimisation: Identified and eliminated bottlenecks across all production processing areas — streamlined workflows and standardised procedures, delivering $100K in annual operational savings\. International Procurement and Supply Chain International Supplier Collaboration: Managed procurement relationships with International suppliers and domestic partners \(DRDO, BEL\) — ensured critical spare availability across 20,000\+ component lines\. Procurement Planning and Demand Forecasting: Partnered with the provisioning division to plan and execute $2M annual procurement — demand forecasting, supplier scheduling, and delivery coordination to sustain uninterrupted production continuity\. Escalated non\-compliant vendor conduct to Anti\-Corruption Unit; participated in vendor blacklisting following confirmed bribery attempts

Operations and strategy speciliat at Indian Air Force \(IAF\), Dec 2012 \- Apr 2014 · 1 y 4 mo, Srinagar, First operational posting in a forward\-deployed, high\-altitude environment — ran a 50\-person operations and maintenance function, served as Adjutant to the Commanding Officer, and delivered 100% weapon system availability through major national combat exercises\. Chief of Staff — Adjutant to Commanding Officer Strategic Staff Management and Executive Support: Served as Adjutant — functional equivalent of Chief of Staff — managing staff duties for the Commanding Officer, including priority management, cross\-functional coordination, and organisational communications across the station\. Conduct Standards Implementation: Implemented Air Force HQ conduct and ethics standards at unit level — ensured all personnel understood the regulatory framework, behavioural expectations, and disciplinary consequences Conducted structured audits and unannounced 10% sample checks to verify process compliance and conduct adherence Leadership Pipeline Development: Designed and implemented career progression frameworks for high\-potential team members — ran structured mentoring and development programs\. Operations and Readiness Management Operational Availability and Maintenance Management: Managed operations and maintenance of critical strategic weapon systems with a team of 50 — sustained 100% operational availability to meet strategic and tactical requirements during major Pan\-IAF combat exercises in a forward\-deployed, high\-stakes environment\. SOP Optimisation and Process Management: Reviewed and restructured existing operating procedures without compromising safety standards — enhanced workflow efficiency and measurably improved base\-level operational and combat readiness\. Large\-Scale Event and Stakeholder Management: Organised Annual Sports Meet for 2,000\+ personnel — designed program for team cohesion and leadership development\. Hosted formal Air Force Day proceedings for senior dignitaries including the Chief Minister and Governor of J&K\.

Trainee Officer at Indian Air Force \(IAF\), Jan 2011 \- Dec 2012 · 1 y 11 mo, Bengaluru, Graduated 7th out of 560 officers from a rigorous 18\-month technical and leadership programme — graded Instructor Proficiency, the highest individual assessment grade awarded\. Foundation Training and Development Technical Operations and Leadership Training: Completed Air Force Orientation Course — an 18\-month intensive programme combining technical operations, guided weapon system maintenance and repair, operations management, and leadership and management development\. Ranked 7th of 560 officers in overall merit\. Regulatory and Compliance Foundation: Received foundational training in Air Force Act , Air Force Law, conduct standards, disciplinary regulations, and ethical obligations of a commissioned officer Industrial and Defence Manufacturing Exposure: Completed structured on\-the\-job training and industrial placements at DRDO, CABS, and defence equipment manufacturing PSUs — built applied understanding of defence systems lifecycle, production governance, supply chain standards, and quality assurance frameworks\.

Network Engineer at Ericsson, Jun 2010 \- Dec 2010 · 7 mos, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, • Worked as an Performance Engineer, Developing, Integrating ,reporting, Data loading and analysis of the Telecom Reports, Modules and Templates for Telecom vertical\. • Worked on Excel functions and Macros to process KPIs for the performance of the Airtel\. Network • Experience on report development using Business Objects XI\. Worked in Performance Management area in Ericsson

## Education

Master of Business Administration \- MBA, Business Administration and Management, General, Alliance Manchester Business School

Post Graduate Diploma, Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Visvesvaraya Technological University

[View the original profile](https://tal.club/meet/navdeep-sood)

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