Kalicharan Mahasivabhattu

Director of Engineering

Hyderabad, Telangana, India22 yrs 9 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

23 years of software industry experience
Expert in transitioning AI to industrial-scale production
Author of two influential books on AI and ML

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Data and AI Leader in the Healthcare sector with a strong focus on Generative AI and data engineering.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Data EngineeringData ManagementMachine LearningAgile Project ManagementComputer Vision

Other Skills

Demand PlanningDemand GenerationEDMGood Clinical Practice (GCP)Data WarehousingGenedata ProfilerTetrascienceGxPDataBricksGenedataDatameshData ProductData ProductsAmazon Web Services (AWS)Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

About

Strategic Data & AI Leader with 23 years of software industry experience and a proven track record as Director at Novartis. I specialize in architectural leadership that transitions AI from experimental pilots to industrial-scale production. While 85% of AI projects fail due to shaky data foundations, I have spent the last 15 years building the resilient data pipelines and GxP-compliant governance models required to ensure Generative AI delivers measurable ROI. Expertise includes leading cross-functional teams to build Agentic AI systems, fine-tuning LLMs for highly regulated environments, and reducing R&D discovery timelines through high-fidelity data engineering. I bridge the gap between complex AI algorithms and business-critical outcomes, ensuring trust, auditability, and 20–30% performance gains in clinical and commercial operations. Author of “Algorithm Diaries”—a practical exploration of ML and AI applications for a broad audience—and “Ultimate Machine Learning using ML.NET,” a hands-on guide for building intelligent applications using Microsoft ML.NET.

Experience

22 yrs 9 mos

Total Experience

3 yrs 9 mos

Average Tenure

6 yrs 2 mos

Current Experience

Novartis

2 roles

Director- Data Assets

Promoted

Jun 2024 – Present · 1 yr 11 mos

As the Director of Data Assets at Novartis, I lead the strategic design and operational execution of enterprise-scale data platforms, enabling high-impact decision-making across the pharmaceutical value chain—from R&D to commercial. I oversee a cross-functional team of data engineers and architects to implement modern data architectures, including data mesh and scalable data lakes, while driving innovation through emerging technologies such as Generative AI.
Key Responsibilities:
Data Architecture Leadership:
Champion the adoption of data mesh architecture to decentralize data ownership and enable domain-oriented, interoperable data products. Architect and oversee the implementation of cloud-native data lakes tailored to pharma use cases across R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, and commercial.
End-to-End Data Engineering Oversight:
Lead the design, development, and monitoring of robust, reusable data pipelines that ensure secure, compliant, and high-quality data flow across business units. Establish best practices in data ingestion, curation, quality, lineage, and metadata management.
Generative AI & Innovation:
Spearhead the implementation of GenAI solutions to accelerate insights generation, automate processes, and augment scientific and operational productivity. Identify high-impact use cases and guide pilot-to-scale transitions in regulated environments.
Team Leadership & Collaboration:
Manage a high-performing team of data engineers, collaborating with product owners, data scientists, and business stakeholders. Cultivate a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement.
Strategic Planning & Financial Management:
Own the data assets and platform roadmap, aligning with enterprise priorities. Plan and manage budgets, control costs, and drive ROI through efficient data service delivery and technology investments.

Demand PlanningDemand GenerationData EngineeringEDMData ManagementGood Clinical Practice (GCP)+12

Associate Director- Service Delivery

Mar 2020 – Jun 2024 · 4 yrs 3 mos

As an Associate Director of Data Science, I led the end-to-end delivery of a cutting-edge medical imaging platform, harnessing the power of data science and analytics within an Agile Scrum framework. Collaborating closely with a multifaceted team of engineers, data scientists, and analysts, I spearheaded the following projects followed by responsibilities:
Projects
o Platform Development: I orchestrated the strategic design, development, rigorous testing, and seamless deployment of a state-of-the-art medical imaging platform, leveraging advanced data science and analytics techniques. Built using the Philips DHP, fully developed on AWS.
o Generative Reporting: Leading the development of Generative AI based submission reports using Azure OpenAI. Built successful POCs using Semantic Kernel using RAG framework.
o Medical Image Embedding: Lead the development of storage and retrieval of Medical Images using Machine learning based embedding. This helped in finding similar images, incorrect classifications etc.
o Medical Image Nodule Detection: Worked in collaboration with IIT Mumbai to develop a I.P for nodule detection of lung x-ray images.
Cross-Functional Team Leadership: I fostered a collaborative environment, leading cross-functional teams composed of engineers, data scientists, and analysts to achieve on-time and within-budget delivery of the platform.
Stakeholder Engagement: Throughout the project lifecycle, I engaged proactively with stakeholders, maintaining clear and transparent communication channels to provide updates and address concerns.
Risk Management: I proactively identified potential risks and vulnerabilities, implementing effective mitigation strategies to safeguard project success and minimize disruptions.
Quality Assurance: Ensuring the highest standards of quality, I implemented rigorous quality assurance practices to guarantee the reliability and precision of the medical imaging platform.

Machine LearningScrumData AnalysisAgile Project ManagementAzure DevOps ServicesAgile Methodologies+1

Worley

Global DataScience Manager

Aug 2016 – Feb 2020 · 3 yrs 6 mos · Hyderabad Area, India

Computer Vision
Image recognition of symbols and lines in a scanned drawing. Using the information for drawing conversions of PDF to SPPID using OpenCV
Text recognition in Images for accessing tag numbers, line lists, Holds Lists, Table information using Tesseract and Google APIs
Image processing of hand-written mark-up comments on a scanned drawing to generate comments list using OpenCV
Getting tag data from photos of tag plates using Azure Machine learning.
Compare versions of PDF drawings and highlight the differences using image processing.
Deep learning
Automatic Document classification of PDF drawings using Pytorch and Keras.
Processing video footage onsite to analyse if the workers are wearing required PPE (Helmets, Vests, Glasses) using OpenCV and Keras CNNs
Processing video footage to recognize classify an unsafe scenario.
Image classification of wildlife photos and identifying endangered species using Yolo 9k.
Converting a hand drawn sketch into an AutoCAD drawing using Pytorch.
Natural Language Processing
Connecting Amazon Alexa to engineering databases. Enabling natural language query of database information.
Processing the Safety incident records to identify the cause of the incident using NLTK and TextBlob.
Processing the text content and making collections of Line numbers, Document numbers using NLTK
Document classification of text-based documents like User manuals, vendor data using TF-IDF and Word2Vec.
Language translation of engineering documents using Google APIs
Extracting project information from Emails using NLTK techniques.
FAQ chatbot for engineering application support using API.ai
Machine learning
Machine learning to predict wind direction of Wind turbines using XGBoost.
Sentiment analysis of text data using Naive Bayes.
Processing the support ticket data and estimating the Incident category and resolution time using Azure Machine learning studio.

ScrumGoogle Cloud Platform (GCP)Amazon Web Services (AWS)REST APIsComputer Vision

Accenture

Associate Manager-SmartPlant Data Integration

May 2012 – Aug 2016 · 4 yrs 3 mos · Hyderabad

Test Manager for Shell Project Vantage, a Cloud based offering from Intergraph configured for Shell. As part of the role the following are the activities i am involved with.
Designing a testing strategy and performing testing for Data Management and Data Consistency across disciplines.
Managing multiple EPC’s in producing Engineering Deliverables during the FEED and Detail Design phase.
Manage Test Environments and provide weekly reports of the health check and performance.
Specialist in data mapping operations in an integration scenario.
As a Hypercare Specialist for Shell i have supported EPC’s in onboarding to Project Vantage solution.
Trained multiple EPC’s (Fluor, JGC, Bechtel, URS) on Shell Standards and Configurations.
Designed the Incident Management and Change Management processes based on ITIL principles.
Trained new users in Intergraph SmartPlant applications and participated in requirement gathering and Gap analysis.
Expert in Document Management and Document Control using SPF for Shell.
Intergraph SmartPlant specialist for Capital Projects in Engineering Data management.
Configuration of Engineering applications.
Training the team in Smartplant products like SPF,SPO,SPEL,SPP&ID,SPI and overall integration architecture of Smartplant
Design and Development of interfaces to Engineering data with Sharepoint,Primevera etc.
Managing the SmartPlant Center of Excellence.
Support in Assessment of Engineering products.

Cubic transportation systems

Project Lead

Jul 2010 – Apr 2012 · 1 yr 9 mos · Hyderabad Area, India

Design and develop Windows mobile applications for new generation devices like Motorola bar code readers.Working with different SDK's supplied by the manufacturer to interface with the HW of the portable devices.

Intergraph

3 roles

Project Lead

Jan 2008 – Jun 2010 · 2 yrs 5 mos · Hyderabad Area, India

Acted as an interface for the end users of the product to understand the requirement and translate the same into technical solutions.Provided support for Installation/Setup of the products at the client site.Actively involved in Publish and Retrieve of Cable Schedule Document from SPEL and SPF and then to SP3D. Mapping of Properties and Relationships and writing custom commands to trigger operations during retrieval of objects.

Senior Software Analyst

Promoted

Feb 2006 – Jan 2008 · 1 yr 11 mos · Hyderabad Area, India

Was involved in Design and Developing Automated Cable Routing functionality for SmartPlant 3D. This involved analyzing various Business Requirements and Change Request and designing a solution to cater to the same.Also did a POC for various algorithms suitable for the same.Resolved bugs for Piping and Cableways and made GUI changes.

Software Analyst

Feb 2004 – Feb 2006 · 2 yrs · Hyderabad Area, India

Was working for SmartPlant 3D in the Electrical module.My responsibilities during this phase involved developing Automated Test Programs and providing Bug fixes for SP3D.