Suneal Rao

Currently leading an 18-person cross-functional organization across eCommerce, AI, and Data & Analytics, overseeing €9B in transactional revenue and driving significant business impact through strategic product initiatives.

• Directed an 18-person cross-functional team (direct + matrix) across Search, Data & Analytics, AI, order management, and eCommerce products, overseeing €9B in transactional revenue.
• Created a data-driven product operating model, implementing standardized prioritization and business reviews, which contributed to a 20% increase in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV).
• Established and scaled the Data & Analytics function, defining its mandate, hiring, and launching capabilities such as KPI frameworks, a self-service portal, and predictive insights.
• Defined and led the strategic vision for the company's search capabilities, aligning product and engineering to deliver a scalable, user-focused experience.
• Shaped the strategic integration of AI innovation with sales rep tooling, aligning product and AI capabilities with frontline needs to significantly improve sales rep productivity.

Built and scaled the Product Management, Design, and Product Marketing organizations, driving product impact and revenue growth for an eCommerce travel platform.

• Scaled Product Management, Design, and Product Marketing organizations from one individual in each function to multiple teams, empowering non-founders to significantly impact product development.
• Implemented new wire transfer functionality that resulted in a 2X increase in product-level revenue.
• Overhauled the KYC process, reducing fraud risk and accelerating review cycle time by 67%.
• Drove market segmentation with the CEO, identifying key high-value segments for Go-to-Market (G2M) and Product, informing strategic roadmap and pricing decisions.
• Led cross-team implementation of a new payment service provider across 4 currencies, enhancing global payment capabilities.

Led three product teams, drove OKR development across R&D, and refined target market strategies for an Enterprise B2B SaaS platform.

• Led three product teams: Reporting & Intelligence, Platform Extensibility, and Product Operations, aligning efforts with strategic objectives.
• Drove OKR development for the entire R&D division and directly managed teams, ensuring goal alignment and execution.
• Developed an “Ideal Customer Profile” for the product platform, refining target market and aligning with the merged entity Kimble.
• Enabled a 23% increase in adoption of high-value behaviors that drive renewals, utilizing metric analysis and an impact measurement framework for product teams.

Developed strategic frameworks and analytical insights to improve product-market fit, optimize resource allocation, and enhance renewal rates for an Enterprise B2B SaaS.

• Created a framework for baselining product-market fit, achieving a 21% increase in 'fit' since April 2021.
• Studied account attrition, identified opportunity areas, and led a 'Plan to Win' strategy for R&D, reallocating 17% of resources to high-impact areas for account renewals.
• Analyzed renewal outcomes and identified strategies for a 15% increase in renewal rates.
• Led BPO market analysis, concluded the market was unattractive and successfully convinced the CEO to exit the market.

Managed product development for "Playbooks Reports," a new B2B SaaS product, quantifying the value of AI and traditional features for users.

• Managed product development for the B2B SaaS platform's brand-new product: "Playbooks Reports," quantifying the value of AI and traditional features to users.
• Developed "Reports” market requirements document and product roadmap, including multiple future releases and BETA testing criteria.
• Validated early concepts and mock-ups through client interviews, ensuring user-centric design and market alignment.

Drove strategic initiatives, product analysis, and market assessments to enhance retention and optimize product-market fit for an AI product.

• Analyzed product usage and identified opportunities for a 30% retention increase on a legacy AI product.
• Created Product QBR analysis, uncovering a $7M loss and driving customer segment rationalization.
• Examined the “Data as a Service” market for an AI offering and identified optimal product Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies.
• Managed one direct report, providing guidance and fostering professional development.

Developed product innovation roadmaps and sales enablement strategies for AI & ML products, significantly increasing close rates.

• Developed a long-term product innovation roadmap, aligning with the “digital buyer” journey.
• Designed market and product criteria to assess attractive acquisition targets and grow product capabilities.
• Drove solution selling and business case development for AI & ML products across all West region enterprise sales, resulting in a 2X increase in close rates on deals touched.

Developed and implemented product lifecycle management processes, designed future-state operating models, and created revenue generation strategies for CPG clients.

• Developed key business & technical requirements and implemented a product lifecycle management process at a payment processing client, including governance and vendor selection standards.
• Implemented a new portfolio management capability for a payment processing client, enhancing operational efficiency.
• Designed a future-state operating model for an education client, projected to achieve $500M in run-rate savings.
• Created a channel & product mix strategy to generate $200M in revenue for a recently merged CPG company.

Supported capital investments, optimized R&D resources, and implemented cost-saving techniques across various divisions, delivering significant financial impact.

• Supported Bakeries & Convenience Channels, R&D, and N.A. Cereal Supply Chain, earning two promotions within the program.
• Administered IRR and NPV analysis for $85M annual cereal platform capital investments.
• Quantified $4M savings by internalizing flavoring capabilities from an external party.
• Optimized Yoplait's R&D resources, supporting a 75% increase in new product sales.
• Led FY2012 financial analysis of R&D restructuring, driving $20M in savings.
• Performed cost-of-service analysis and implemented cost-saving techniques, delivering $1M in savings.