Headline

C-Suite Technology & Transformation Leader | Ex-CIO, Sony Pictures Networks | GCC & Global Delivery Strategy | Board & PE Advisor | Gen AI Monetization at Scale | Bengaluru • New York Metro

About

I've spent three decades turning technology into business outcomes — at IBM, Sun Microsystems (now Oracle), and most recently as CIO of Sony Pictures Networks India, where we built Generative AI-powered social monetization reaching 2.3B+ monthly impressions, introduced sub-9-second Dynamic Ad Insertion, and shaped the technology roadmap for the proposed US$10B Sony–Zee merger. Today I work at the intersection of global capability building and enterprise transformation: ► For enterprises building in India — my credentials here were built at IBM: I defined the founding blueprint of IBM Global Services India, and later led delivery and growth for a US$4.3B+ North America portfolio — 1,300+ direct professionals, 15,000+ extended delivery oversight, and US$1.8B in new revenue across ~450 clients. Today I put that experience to work as Managing Partner (Fractional) at Tholons and advisor to EY India's senior country leadership, guiding North American companies through GCC strategy: location selection, operating-model design, and execution. ► For investors and boards — I bring founder economics (built Align Biz Technologies, created and sold proprietary IP in HCM and content delivery, sustained 28–32% operating margins through the 2008–10 downturn), M&A technology diligence at US$10B scale, and governance credentials as a Ministry of Corporate Affairs, India, certified Corporate Director. ► For enterprises in transformation — I've architected 'big bang' change at every scale: 12 enterprise initiatives at Sony through the DTO/CeXO model, India's national telecom operating model at Reliance (100M+ subscribers, 60,000+ km of fibre), and IBM's historic product-to-services pivot in Asia. Recognition: CIO of the Year — CII (2022) • SAP ACE Award (2024) • Dreamforce 2023 Keynote • Conga Global Award (2023) • Malcolm Baldrige Award (1993, conferred on TVS Infotech — I was principal architect and author of the winning product). Stanford GSB Executive Education, LEAD (2024–25) • M.S. Operations Research, NIT — Gold Medallist • Dual-based: Bengaluru and the New York metro (Jersey City), spending 4+ months a year in the US. Open to: board seats, GCC leadership mandates, PE operating-partner and advisory roles, and full-time transformation CXO mandates where the fit is right.

Location

Bengaluru

Work experience

Founder at Manavsoft, May 2026 - Present · 4 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, * Leading the AI-native rebuild of the ManavSoft(TM) Enterprise Human Capital Management platform — an agentic AI workforce and a private Enterprise LLM inside an ontology-first data core, so each enterprise's own knowledge, policies and culture stay its own asset. *. In under three months: recovered, fingerprinted and mined the complete 1.0 source estate (74,000+ files) into evidence-cited functional specifications — the proven blueprint for the 2.0 rebuild. *. Architected Fairness Guardrails — human-in-the-loop review on career-critical decisions, with a full audit trail — as the platform's Human-Centered AI differentiator. *. Engaging design partners and investors across India, the GCC and North America ahead of a public 2.0 launch.

Managing Partner at Tholons Inc., Jun 2025 - Present · 1 yr 3 mos, United States, Leading strategic advisory for North American enterprises establishing Global Capability Centres in India and nearshore locations. ► GCC strategy, location selection, operating-model definition, and execution for US-headquartered enterprises. ► Capability and innovation centres enabling cost-effective, resilient global operating models.

Strategic Advisor at EY-Parthenon, Apr 2025 - Present · 1 yr 5 mos, India, Advising senior country leadership on global market positioning across the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. ► Supporting Global Capability Centre and innovation-hub build-outs across India and South Asia. ► Advising on the Media Capability Centre (MCC) model — a specialised GCC vertical for global media and entertainment enterprises, integrating content operations, data analytics, and AI-enabled workflows. ► Identifying strategic accounts and cross-border opportunities, strengthening EY India's positioning as a global delivery and transformation partner.

Personal goal pursuit at Career Break, Aug 2024 - Feb 2025 · 7 mos, Planned sabbatical for family commitments, including my daughter's wedding. Used the period productively to complete the Stanford GSB LEAD Executive Education programme (2024–25) and to evaluate the advisory mandates that shaped my current portfolio.

Chief Information Officer at Sony Pictures Networks India, Jan 2020 - Jul 2024 · 4 yrs 7 mos, Architected and led Vision 3.0 — transforming Sony into a digital-first, platform-scale media enterprise across Linear, OTT, and Social Media. ► Built Gen AI-powered social monetization to 2.3B+ monthly impressions; industry-first sub-9-second Dynamic Ad Insertion and AI-driven Ad Spot Optimization. ► Established the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) and Change Experience Office (CeXO) — 12 strategic initiatives across AdTech, finance, data, and cybersecurity. ► Co-created Salesforce Media Cloud as flagship beta partner; Dreamforce 2023 keynote speaker. ► Central role in pre-merger integration for the proposed US$10B Sony–Zee merger — technology roadmap and platform-alignment blueprint. ► CIO of the Year — CII (2022); SAP ACE Award (2024); Conga Global Award (2023).

Education

LEAD, Executive Education, Stanford University Graduate School of Business

Business strategy, Wharton Online