Akhileswar R. — Founder

From designing my first product at the grassroots level to building and launching over 170+ digital products across 10+ years, my journey has spanned every stage - entry-level UX designer, product strategist, creative leader, and now Founder & CEO of thesimple.design. I’ve worked across banking, fintech, compliance, cybersecurity, wealth management, e-commerce, healthtech, education, and enterprise SaaS, creating experiences that power industry giants like ICICI Bank, YES Bank, Tata Capital, CRISIL, Dr. Reddy’s, Experian, Bajaj Finserv, and the Government of India (GeM). What started as a deep love for design has evolved into a larger mission: building innovative products that scale, delight, and deliver real business growth. At thesimple.design, I lead cross-functional teams across design, development, branding, and product strategy. But I don’t just lead execution - I work directly with founders, VPs, and C-level executives to drive clarity, uncover product-market fit, and build launch strategies aligned to both short-term goals and long-term scale. I’ve always believed that great design isn’t about finishing a project - it’s about driving measurable impact, accelerating revenue, building loyalty, and shaping the future of how businesses connect with their users. Whether it’s building a design system for a multi-billion-dollar bank, launching a 0-1 product for a niche startup, or scaling a compliance platform from scratch - I bring a vision-first, detail-obsessed, innovation-led mindset to everything I do. Key Milestones: -170+ products delivered | 15+ industries -Led product design for YES Bank, ICICI, Tata Capital, CRISIL, Experian, Dr. Reddy’s, and more - Experience across Product Design, Branding, UX, UI, Product Management, and Innovation Strategy - Built a high-speed agency delivering MVPs days for fast-growing startups I’m always seeking bold opportunities where design, business, and technology intersect - whether inside global institutions or visionary startups - to create work that truly moves the needle.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Product Design Leader specializing in Fintech, Healthcare, and Compliance sectors.

Experience: 7 yrs

Skills

Product Design Strategy
Cross-functional Leadership
Product Innovation
Stakeholder Management
Product Strategy
Ux Strategy

Career Highlights

Delivered over 170 digital products in 10+ years.
Led design for industry giants like ICICI Bank and Tata Capital.
Expert in aligning UX with business growth and strategy.

Work Experience

thesimple

Founder & CEO (2 yrs 5 mos)

Autodit

Head of design and growth (7 mos)

Awign

Principle Product Designer (1 yr 1 mo)

Cactus Communications

Product Designer (6 mos)

Fractal ink Design Studio

User Experience Lead (6 mos)

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories

Design & strategy partner (2 yrs)

ScreenRoot

User Experience Designer (UX) (2 yrs 1 mo)

STartOOn Labs

Design Internship (5 mos)

Education

Master of design at Vellore Institute of Technology

Akhileswar R.

Founder

India7 yrs experience

Most Likely To Switch

Key Highlights

Delivered over 170 digital products in 10+ years.
Led design for industry giants like ICICI Bank and Tata Capital.
Expert in aligning UX with business growth and strategy.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Product Design Leader specializing in Fintech, Healthcare, and Compliance sectors.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Product Design StrategyCross-functional LeadershipProduct InnovationStakeholder ManagementProduct StrategyUx Strategy

Other Skills

Strategic DesignInnovation & Product GrowthProduct VisionEnterprise UX & Design SystemsFintech & Compliance UX (BFSI)User-centered DesignProductBrandingArt DirectionProduct ManagementPresentation SkillsInteraction DesignWireframing & prototypingService DesignUser Research

About

Experience

Thesimple

Founder & CEO

Oct 2023 – Present · 2 yrs 5 mos · India

At thesimple.design, I lead a high-performance design and development agency focused on solving complex product challenges with clarity, speed, and innovation. I built the company around one core belief: strategy and execution should not be separated- great products are born when vision meets velocity.
What I Do:
Lead multidisciplinary teams across UX, UI, branding, frontend/backend, and product thinking.
Partner directly with founders, VPs, and C-level execs to co-create digital strategies that are business-first and user-backed.
Build custom design systems in Figma with developer-ready libraries and accessibility compliance.
Run complete 0-1 and redesign cycles - from concept, research, architecture, wireframing, prototyping, dev handoff to final launch.
Combine user-centered design with business KPIs to align UX with revenue, retention, and engagement.
Drive innovation sprints, workshops, GTM planning, and roadmap strategies in startup and enterprise contexts.
Regularly audit and optimize live platforms using a product growth lens - not just aesthetics.
Notable Achievements:
Built and launched platforms for compliance, cybersecurity, edtech, and digital wellness startups.
Helped early-stage founders raise funds with investor-ready products, growth decks, and lean MVPs.
Created a reputation for delivering high-quality MVPs in days with scale-ready infrastructure.
Key Focus Areas:
Product Design Strategy
Enterprise UX & Systems Thinking
Financial Services UX (BFSI, Lending, Wealth Mgmt)
Design Systems & Accessibility (WCAG)
High-Stakes Stakeholder Management
Branding for Tech and Innovation Products
Cross-functional Collaboration with Engineers, PMs, Data Teams
Outcome-Based Design Delivery
Business & Revenue Alignment

Product Design StrategyStrategic DesignCross-functional LeadershipInnovation & Product GrowthProduct StrategyProduct Vision+3

Autodit

Head of design and growth

Oct 2023 – May 2024 · 7 mos

Built 3 products
1. Autodit (End to end compliance platform)
2. Sailsecure (Cybersecurity platform)
3. Infoleak (Data leak protection platform)
Worked on complete idea to launch(Branding, Ideation, Design, Strategy and launch)

ProductProduct InnovationProduct Design StrategyCross-functional LeadershipInnovation & Product GrowthProduct Strategy+2

Awign

Principle Product Designer

Jul 2022 – Aug 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Art DirectionProduct Design StrategyStrategic DesignProduct ManagementStakeholder ManagementPresentation Skills+2

Cactus communications

Product Designer

Jan 2022 – Jul 2022 · 6 mos · India

Product Design StrategyStrategic DesignStakeholder ManagementPresentation SkillsInnovation & Product Growth

Fractal ink design studio

User Experience Lead

Jul 2021 – Jan 2022 · 6 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Product Design StrategyStakeholder ManagementPresentation SkillsCross-functional LeadershipInnovation & Product Growth

Dr. reddy's laboratories

Design & strategy partner

Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 · 2 yrs

Led end-to-end digital initiatives at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, driving strategic product revamp and launch execution across key digital touchpoints. Owned the journey from problem discovery → UX strategy - product design - launch-ready delivery, using structured frameworks like Design Thinking and Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) to align business outcomes with real user needs.
What I did?
1. Built and executed digital product strategy for revamping existing platforms and designing new digital experiences aligned to brand + business goals
2. Ran Design Thinking workshops, mapped user journeys, identified friction points, and translated insights into clear design direction
3. Applied JTBD frameworks to define the “real job” behind user actions, creating outcomes-driven UX improvements
4. Designed and shipped revamped product experiences, improving clarity, usability, and trust for healthcare audiences
5. Created end-to-end UI systems + high-quality design collateral to support product rollout and brand consistency
6. Partnered with cross-functional stakeholders to align strategy, timelines, and design delivery at execution speed
This work strengthened my specialization in building healthcare-grade digital products where trust, clarity, compliance, and user confidence matter as much as conversion and usability.

Product StrategyUx strategyInteraction DesignWireframing & prototypingEnterprise UX & Design SystemsService Design+1

Screenroot

User Experience Designer (UX)

Jun 2019 – Jul 2021 · 2 yrs 1 mo · Panjim,North Goa, Goa, India

At ScreenRoot, I worked with a variety of clients across different domains and verticals.
BSFI
Health Care
Digital Lending
Manufacturing
Farming
Research & Analytics
Things to note in 2+ years with ScreenRoot
1. Worked on global award winning product with a Tata group company
2. Awarded best designer award for the year 2020
A day at ScreenRoot entails:
1. Client and team co-ordination
2. Requirement gathering and analysis
3. Conducting user interviews
4. Ideation & Wire-framing for concepts
5. Guiding/Mentoring new team members
6. Market Research
7. POC and Audits
8. Rapid prototyping
Some of the enterprise clients I worked with and their projects:
1. YES Bank - Mobile Application (Complete revamp).
2. Tata Capital - SME Application - Global award winning products on customer experience.
3. Dr. Reddy's - Doc Vidya (scientific engagement for physicians)
4. Dr. Reddy's - Direct (E-commerce is a B2B platform)
5. CRISIL - Wealth Management System (interactive RM guided tool that helps clients & RMs to plan, transact, monitor and manage all clients investments in one place).
6. Rockpecker - Storytelling E-commerce platform for selling drill bits across the world.
7. Experian - ID Protect(Entrepreneur product) - Data theft / Identity protection’ tool to monitor social identity by using the skills of storytelling and cognitive biases of humans.
8. ICICI ICMS(Cash Management System) - This makes seamless monitoring of cash inflow and outflow.
9. GeM - (Indian Central Gov E-Commerce Platform).
10. ICICI - Infiniteindia - Gateway to India and journey through the business landscape.
11. ICICI Trade Portal - One stop solution for trading information in India.
12. Bajaj - Bajaj Finserve kiosk - Kiosk used at Bajaj stores.
13. FarmTrace - Market place for purchasing fruits by top notch experience.
14. TVS - Eurogrip - Market places for sourcing TVS Eurogrip tires.
15. Experian Credit Score - Monitors and provides the credit score with contextual suggestions.