Jan 2019 – Apr 2022 · 3 yrs 3 mos

• Board Advisor / Board of Directors | SPH's first overseas R&D center
• https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sph-to-set-up-its-first-overseas-technology-office-in-chongqing

May 2018 – Jun 2023 · 5 yrs 1 mo

• As Chief Product Officer, Gaurav is steering Singapore's largest Media media conglomerate on a Subscription growth journey. One which is #fastMoving, #intellectually rigourous, #MetricsDriven and rooted in #data, #customerEmpathy. Gaurav strongly believes that in order to pull-off innovation at a large organisation, you must roll-up your startup sleeves higher and tighter.
• To that end, he is leading SPH's content and products vision, strategy, design & development, and pushing business model innovation. This transformation journey involves not only churning-out tech/product innovation, but also leading the organisation through change at all levels — people, mindsets, processes and technology.
• Gaurav is not only reinvigorating existing products, but also launching innovative initiatives powered by A.I., NLP, Machine Learning, Design Thinking & customer-empathy. He strongly believes that asking 'Why?' and 'Who?' are key to delivering delightful and personalised experiences to users, while maximising the product-market fit and ROI. So, on this journey, he setup (bootstrap), evangelized and scaled the Product Management + Design functions at SPH. Some of the products have become blockbuster subscription-revenue generators; while others are seeing #hypergrowth in key user traffic metrics. They have also gone-on to win awards and recognition at key media trade events such as WAN-IFRA and INMA.
• Notable portfolio products:
• English Publications: Straits Times, Business Times
• Chinese Publications: Lianhe Zaobao, Wanbao and Shinmin
• Malay Publication: Berita Harian
• Tamil Publication: Tamil Murasu
• New Products: SPH News Tablet, SPH Radio, Photonico (photo archives + AI based image search)
• Platform: SPH's first gamification based Loyalty and Rewards framework, mySPH (Identity Management), commerce, fulfillment+ purchase
• Internal Tools: robo-journalism, personalization engines

Jun 2016 – May 2018 · 1 yr 11 mos · Singapore

• Grab is Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform. #hustle #heart #customerDelight #safe #reliable
• Driving strategic product & design thinking, & delivering #innovative, #hyperlocal, 'zero to one' products that yield moon-shot growth for Grab. From concept to launch, we focus on end to end development and prototyping of new products features that conform to 3 guiding principles - Velocity, Impact, and Rapid Experimentation. #new-ideas #executive-buy-in
• Setting up business unit strategy and nurturing a results driven culture, implementing Agile & LEAN methodologies driven processes for taking the right products to market, quickly and reliably.
• #product-development & #strategic-analysis of Mobile (Android & iOS), web & Cloud-based products.
• Scaling & mentoring a team of Product Managers, UX Designers, Data Scientists, Analysts, Engineers and Content Writers in a cross geography, multi-cultural, fast-paced and highly competitive startup environment.
• We strive to drive Southeast Asia forward by making transportation easier and safer, thereby improving lives, safety and accessibility.

Feb 2014 – May 2016 · 2 yrs 3 mos · Singapore

• Driving several products (Desktop - Mobile - Cloud Services, portfolio: ~$200+ million) in the AutoCAD Line of business through change & innovation, defining the next generation strategy, driving execution, and steering core thinking for these products through business model transformation (from desktop-perpetual to a SaaS/Subscription-based on the cloud).
• Driving core product strategy and roadmap viz product discovery, execution and delivery with LEAN methods and Agile processes.
• Specific responsibilities include strategic direction & planning, product definition, product positioning, go-to-market, product line management, channel strategy, competitive analysis / positioning, stakeholder management, vendor management, customer success & delight, mentoring and people management.
• Regular speaker at Autodesk University, Product Camps, technical summits such as Mac World etc.
• Key Skills: Product Management | Business Strategy | Desktop products | Mobile products | SaaS | Cloud & services | Innovation | Change Management | StakeHolder & Executive Management | Data Driven | Mentoring & Personnel Management | Business case development and modeling | People's Person | Star Performer | Creative | Agile | LEAN Startup methods

Jan 2010 – Jan 2014 · 4 yrs · New Delhi Area, India

• Creative Cloud (CC) & Creative Suite (CS)
• Driving 4 major releases of CS, building new features, & taking them to success in the market, besides driving the next generation strategy
• Transforming a multi-billion dollar business from an old-school download and install experience to a single-click install experience
• Defining and driving New Customer Acquisition & Customer retention approaches relying on data, scenario analysis and analytics, rather than on anecdotes.
• Customer Retention: Led the concept and development of the Creative Cloud app, a new avatar of CC on desktop/devices to provide continued value to customers. Launched on May 2013.
• Driving Opex reduction (multiple million $) by streamlining product support and processes therein, building business impact case due to piracy.
• Ensured full exhaustion of entertainment budget & infusion of lighter moments during pressure cooker situations.

Jan 2005 – Jan 2009 · 4 yrs

• Developed a fast, multithreaded chip simulator software, VCS, used by all top semi-conductor firms. Pegged at ‘Exceptional Performer’, the top rating, in all performance reviews (2005-09).
• Co-founder & Lead Vocalist Synopsys Rock Band

Jan 2004 – Jan 2005 · 1 yr · Cambridge, United Kingdom

Jan 2003 – Jan 2004 · 1 yr

• (Atrenta was acquired by Synopsys)

Dec 2002 – Feb 2003 · 2 mos

Jun 2002 – Aug 2002 · 2 mos