Varun Bhandarkar

CEO

Singapore, Singapore13 yrs 10 mos experience
Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

  • Led Stripe's sales growth across APAC.
  • Transformed HubSpot's Customer Success team.
  • Achieved 33% revenue growth YoY at Stripe.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a B2B SaaS sales leader with extensive experience in customer success and revenue growth.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Go-to-market StrategyLeadershipSalesForecastingStrategic ThinkingCustomer SuccessChannel ManagementCustomer RetentionAccount ManagementClient Success

Other Skills

P&L AccountabilityCustomer SegmentationRevenue & Profit GrowthCross-functional CollaborationsCommunicationDigital MarketingEmail MarketingMarketing StrategyAdvertisingEvent ManagementMarket ResearchSocial MediaMarketing ManagementProject ManagementData Analysis

About

I specialise in building and scaling high-performing teams that drive revenue. With 8+ years in leadership roles, I have over a decade of experience in revenue growth across sales, customer success, and channel partnerships in APAC. Currently, I lead sales for Asia Startups and Southeast Asia Commercial at Stripe, partnering with founders and businesses across the region to accelerate their growth. Previously, I transformed Stripe's Grower Sales team for our Mid-market, Startups, SMB and Scaled segments across AUNZ, SEA, India & Japan from a team of 3 focussed on repricing to a team of 15 managing hundreds of millions in revenue, growing it consistently at 30+% YoY. Before Stripe, I was a founding member of HubSpot's JAPAC team, where I played a pivotal role in building and scaling one of HubSpot's fastest-growing regions globally. During my six-year tenure, I helped establish the Partner Programme and Customer Success organisation, while also helping launch the Sales and Service Hubs. As a leader, I am strategic, customer-centric and results-driven. I take pride in fostering a culture of excellence, inclusion, and authenticity, where teams feel empowered to bring their best selves to work. My leadership philosophy is grounded in empathy, integrity, transparency, and optimism. Outside of work, you'll find me spending time with my wife and son, staying active, travelling, and discovering new food experiences.

Experience

13 yrs 10 mos
Total Experience
2 yrs 9 mos
Average Tenure
4 yrs 7 mos
Current Experience

Stripe

4 roles

Head of Asia Startups and SEA Mid-Market & SMB

Promoted

Jan 2026Present · 4 mos

  • I'm responsible for leading Go-to-Market strategy and execution across two high-growth segments: Startups throughout Asia and SMB & Mid-Market across Southeast Asia, with full P&L accountability for acquisition, expansion, and retention of all revenue.
  • I also serve as Go-to-Market lead for Thailand across all customer segments and am the interim lead for the India Commercial Sales team.
Go-to-Market StrategyP&L AccountabilityCustomer SegmentationLeadership

Head of Grower Sales, APAC | Mid-Market, Startups, SMB & Scaled

Apr 2025Jan 2026 · 9 mos

  • I lead Stripe’s Grower Sales team across APAC & Japan, driving growth and retention for Commercial (Mid-Market), Startups, SMB and Scaled segments. Our team (based in AUNZ, Singapore, India and Japan) partners with customers to unlock new revenue opportunities and accelerate their long-term success with Stripe.
SalesRevenue & Profit GrowthLeadershipGo-to-Market StrategyCross-functional Collaborations

Head of Existing Business APAC | Startup, SMB & Mid-Market

Jan 2024Apr 2025 · 1 yr 3 mos

Go-to-Market StrategyRevenue & Profit GrowthAccount ManagementSales

Head of Existing Business APAC | Startup & SMB

Oct 2021Jan 2024 · 2 yrs 3 mos

  • I lead the team that is responsible for the growth and retention of Stripe APAC's Startup and SMB customers.
  • Accomplishments:
  • Top performing Existing Business team globally in 2023
  • Grew the revenue base by 33% YoY
  • Transformed the team from a reactive, inbound commercial team to a strategic growth team managing the third largest revenue base in APAC.
ForecastingStrategic ThinkingCommunication

Hubspot

4 roles

Manager, Customer Success - Australia & New Zealand

Jan 2019Oct 2021 · 2 yrs 9 mos

  • Accomplishments:
  • Top-performing Customer Success team globally at HubSpot (2020).
  • Top-performing Customer Success team globally at HubSpot (H1 2020).
  • Selected to attend HubSpot Fellows Program for high-potential leaders (2019).
  • Scaling the Customer Success team from 5 to 12 Customer Success Managers.
  • Responsibilities:
  • Leading a team of twelve highly motivated Customer Success Managers responsible for the success, retention, and growth of HubSpot's Australian and New Zealand customer base through high-impact, proactive and strategic engagements.
  • Headcount planning, recruiting, training and developing a growing team.
  • Enabling career growth and driving results through tailored coaching, timely and structured feedback, and cadenced career conversations.
  • Business analysis to identify and uncover risk and growth opportunities.
  • Innovating and executing strategic initiatives and processes tailored to HubSpot's customer segments to improve customer engagement, adoption, retention and advocacy.
  • Cross-functional alignment with sales to create a world-class customer experience and drive install-base growth through product up-sell and cross-sell.
  • Alignment with marketing on customer engagement and branding initiatives including the ongoing development of customer loyalty, referral and advocacy programs.
  • Maintaining a senior-level relationship with HubSpot's key customers.
  • Collaborating with the Voice of the Customer (VOC) to address product roadblocks.
  • Engaging the global Customer Success Enablement team to identify areas of improvement and building relevant playbooks to help up-skill CSM teams globally.
  • Regional lead for HubSpot's Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging efforts.
ForecastingStrategic ThinkingCommunicationCustomer SuccessLeadership

Principal Channel Consultant - ANZ

Promoted

Jan 2018Jan 2019 · 1 yr

  • Accomplishments:
  • First Principal Channel Consultant in JAPAC.
  • Top-performing Channel Consultant globally at HubSpot for product cross-sell (2019).
  • Managing the largest customer install base in JAPAC.
  • The highest rate of customer product cross-sell in JAPAC (for HubSpot Partner clients) with over 48% of customers being on the HubSpot growth suite.
  • Regional owner of partner-led launch of HubSpot Service Hub for ANZ.
  • Regional owner of the new hire mentor program.
  • Responsibilities:
  • Managing HubSpot's top-tiered Partners and partnering in their growth through enablement in order to drive resell rate, customer growth and renewal.
  • Enabling Partners to build and refine their customer onboarding, service delivery, and renewal strategy.
  • Collaborating with agency owners on building a value-based pricing model and agile service delivery systems.
  • Partner on-sites for business planning, ongoing staff training.
  • Consulting agencies on their services technology optimisation.
  • Facilitating strategic internal alignment with sales and marketing.
  • Mentoring new hires. Building and developing the new hire onboarding program.
  • Thought leadership through public speaking engagements.
ForecastingStrategic ThinkingCommunicationChannel ManagementSales

L2 Channel Consultant - ANZ

Jan 2017Dec 2017 · 11 mos

  • Accomplishments:
  • Top-performing rep globally for customer retention (2016).
  • Global Guru Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to HubSpot’s efforts to become a more global company (2016).
  • Responsibilities:
  • Onboarding and coaching of HubSpot Partners to drive resell and customer retention through HubSpot products.
  • Innovating and executing a customer onboarding, renewal and up-sell strategy for our partners.
  • Providing strategic business consulting (including but not limited to pricing, customer engagement, hiring and process delivery strategies) to agencies in the growth phase.
ForecastingCommunicationCustomer RetentionSales

Channel Consultant - ANZ

Sep 2015Dec 2016 · 1 yr 3 mos

  • Founding member of JAPAC's Customer Success team.
  • Collaborating with Channel Account Managers to support agency growth and working directly with HubSpot's Agency Partners to develop scale and growth strategies for their businesses in the ANZ region.
  • Responsibilities:
  • Providing strategic business consulting to agencies in growth phase
  • Consulting Partner Agencies on Inbound Marketing best practices for themselves and their clients
  • Providing framework to setup and sustain a growth trajectory (through agency retainers and staffing/outsourcing plans)
ForecastingCommunicationCustomer SuccessSales

Meltwater

3 roles

Manager - Client Success

Nov 2014Sep 2015 · 10 mos · Greater Sydney Area

  • Accomplishments:
  • Meltwater Million-Dollar Club for sold ARR
  • Achieved 10/10 quotas as a Manager
  • The Client Success team is fully responsible for retaining and building relationships with clients across three SaaS product lines (digital media intelligence, social media analysis, and media outreach) by ensuring client satisfaction through consultation, integrating Meltwater software into client workflows, aligning with client KPIs and creating actionable insights across organisational objectives.
  • Responsibilities:
  • Managing a team of two Client Success Consultants and one Client Success Analyst
  • Responsible for the retention and growth of a portfolio with over 140 high-value clients through consultation and negotiation
  • Aligning Meltwater tools to customer’s business strategy to realise full potential of service
  • Identifying gaps in services and contributing to development of systems, tools and behaviours to fill gaps
  • Creating a positive, collaborative, and fun work environment and fostering a great team culture
  • Driving processes through thought leadership
CommunicationAccount ManagementSales

Senior Client Success Representative

Promoted

Feb 2014Oct 2014 · 8 mos · Greater Sydney Area

CommunicationClient SuccessSales

Client Growth Representative

Sep 2013Jan 2014 · 4 mos · Greater Sydney Area

  • Responsible for account management, building value in the provision of our services and overall strategy of key client accounts.
  • Collaborating with clients to understand key business processes and objectives in order to provide business critical media solutions.
  • Responsible for personal and team monthly quotas.
  • Coordinating with management and account administrators to ensure the growth of the company.
Communication

Sydney opera house

Intern - Digital Marketing

Dec 2012Apr 2013 · 4 mos · Greater Sydney Area

  • Responsibilities:
  • Assisting in managing e-mail marketing campaigns covering a database of over 250,000 subscribers and performing post-campaign performance analysis to track changes in click-through and open rates
  • Managing website content (including daily updates to the homepage and making changes across the website using Webpro CMS)
  • Assisting in managing Facebook campaigns - creating targeted sponsored stories and promoted posts for events and creating posts to drive page likes
  • Reporting website metrics (using Google Analytics)
Communication

Converga pty ltd

Team Lead

Oct 2011Sep 2013 · 1 yr 11 mos · Greater Sydney Area

  • Accomplishments:
  • Awarded 'Performer of the Quarter' for July-September 2012
  • Awarded ‘Performer of the Month’ for July 2012
  • Awarded Performer of the Quarter for the period of October-December 2011
  • Awarded Performer of the Month for October 2011
  • Responsibilities:
  • Assisting in managing content across Facebook and Twitter
  • Performing and Overlooking various tasks including, but not limited to mail processing, document digitization and transaction processing
  • Daily volume reporting and verification for clients including ACP Magazines, University of Sydney, ANZ Bank, Ticketek and IAG Financials
  • Supervising a young and dynamic team of 25 members
Communication

The fuller life

Executive - Client Management

Jun 2009May 2010 · 11 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

  • Responsibilities:
  • Managing employee engagement initiatives for Accenture and Dell covering over 50,000 employees
  • Building and communication of quarterly engagement themes in co-ordination with HR managers and servicing various other engagement needs
  • Creation of various event promotion collateral including but not limited to online portals and EDMs
  • Planning and execution of corporate events (Includes negotiating and dealing with vendors)
  • Achievements:
  • Managed over US $160,000 in sales in the Indian Market
  • Awarded ‘Peer Recognition Award’ in recognition of outstanding performance

Saatchi & saatchi

Assistant Account Executive - Client Services

Sep 2008Apr 2009 · 7 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

  • Responsibilities:
  • Assistant Account Executive for the Raymond’s Zapp kids wear and TVS Flame account
  • Market Research, data analysis and presentation
Communication

Education

University of Technology Sydney

Master of Business — Marketing

Jan 2012Jan 2013

Macquarie University

Master of International Business — Business

Jan 2010Jan 2011

SDM College of Business Management

Bachelor of Business Management — Business Management

Jan 2005Jan 2008

Indian School Muscat

High School — Commerce

Jan 1996Jan 2005

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