Headline

Strategic Business Leader | CEO’s Office | Frontend IB | SPJIMR | NITK | CFA Level 3 cleared

About

Link to Portfolio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojavadiraja/details/projects/ With over 8 years of experience across SaaS, fintech, and technology, I act as a strategic force-multiplier, translating executive vision into measurable business outcomes. My professional DNA combines the analytical rigor of front-end M&A Advisory with the high-velocity agility of the CEO's Office. I specialize in bridging the gap between complex financial planning and ground-level execution, ensuring that strategic initiatives are not just planned, but operationalized for maximum impact. Areas of Proficiency: - Global GTM Strategy & Expansion: Coordinated high-impact market entry and expansion initiatives at Whatfix and Innovaccer, driving growth across North America, EMEA, and APAC through targeted regional playbooks. - Operational Excellence & Revenue Growth: Spearheaded the development of Annual Operating Plans (AOP), driving efficiency by aligning cross-functional resources with profitability targets to scale international operations sustainably. - Strategic Financial Acumen: Leveraged my investment banking background at Standard Chartered and HSBC to lead sell-side advisory and due diligence for the fintech and payments ecosystem, managing complex $1B+ transactions and $50M+ fundraising rounds. - Advanced Data-Driven Decision-Making: Beyond traditional dashboards and TAM analysis, I leverage Python and Machine Learning to derive actionable insights. Recently, I implemented an LLM-based churn analysis framework to extract strategic GTM signals from customer sentiment data. What Drives Me: I am passionate about navigating ambiguity and influencing cross-functional teams to solve complex business problems. I thrive in roles where I can serve as a strategic liaison—fostering high-trust relationships across Sales, Marketing, and Product to ensure seamless execution. My goal is to build the governance and "Rhythm of the Business" that allows innovation to scale into long-term shareholder value. Credentials: The foundation of my strategic expertise is built on a B.Tech in Computer Science from NITK Surathkal, an MBA in Finance from SPJIMR Mumbai, and CFA Level 3 certification.

Location

Bengaluru

AI stack

claude code

gemini

hugging face

langchain

notion

openai

Work experience

Senior Manager - Strategy | CEO's Office at CleverTap, Jul 2025 - Present · 1 yr 3 mos, Bengaluru, 2026 Q2 Review Rating : Exceeds Expectation 2026 Q1 Review Rating : Exceeds Expectation 2025 H2 Review Rating : Exceeds Expectation

Angel Investor at Pi Beam Electric, Mar 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 7 mos

Manager - GTM Strategy and Operations at Whatfix, Sep 2023 - Feb 2025 · 1 yr 6 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, • Partnering with sales leadership to drive strategic planning, GTM strategy, and market expansion across North America & EMEA. • Spearheading Annual Operating Plans (AOPs) to optimize resource allocation and improve sales efficiency. • Leading customer journey mapping for Very Large Enterprises (VLEs) to enhance engagement and conversion. • Building OKR dashboards to enable data-driven decision-making across leadership teams.

Manager - Strategy and Business Operations at Innovaccer, Aug 2022 - Aug 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, • Worked closely with the CEO’s office on high-impact strategic initiatives, driving business growth and operational excellence. • Conducted market analysis and developed Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) to refine GTM strategies. Led planning efforts for key business verticals, optimizing sales and marketing initiatives. • Developed executive-level strategy decks and collaborated with cross-functional teams to drive organizational objectives.

Strategy and Operations (CEO's Office) at Renegade Insurance, Aug 2021 - Jun 2022 · 11 mos, Working as a part of CEO’s Office with functions spanning across M&A, Strategy, Operations and Fund raise • Managing strategic projects and improving process by collaborating with cross-functional teams and driving tech innovations • Key member involved in developing “book roll” product along with developing playbook to grow the Book of Business • Help develop, coordinate, maintain and implement the annual fundraising plan in accordance to budgeted goals along with setting up processes to track organizational KPI like premium, commission revenue, mix by LoB and carriers

Consultant at Biocon, Oct 2020 - Mar 2021 · 5 mo, Bengaluru

Investment Banking Associate at Standard Chartered, Sep 2019 - Oct 2020 · 1 y 1 mo, Mumbai

Investment Banking Analyst at HSBC, Apr 2018 - Apr 2019 · 1 y, Bengaluru

Member Technical Staff at Adobe, Jul 2014 - Oct 2015 · 1 y 3 mo, Bengaluru

Education

PGDM(Equivalent to Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)), Finance, General, SPJIMR SP Jain Institute of Management & Research

Immersion Program, Finance, General, Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management