Framing the Future: Top 30 Leaders Redefining Product Innovation and Management

In the dynamic landscape of product management, several exceptional leaders stand out, each bringing a unique blend of experience, expertise, and innovation to their roles. Let’s take a closer look at some of these remarkable individuals and their contributions:

1. Monomita Roy Avasarala (Director of Product Management, Google): Monomita Roy Avasarala, based in Bengaluru, is a seasoned product strategist with over 16 years of experience across various sectors, including FinTech, e-commerce, EdTech, and FMCG. Monomita currently leads product management at Google. With past roles at companies like Unacademy, Myntra, and Flipkart, she specializes in driving innovation and growth in product development, corporate strategy, and operations. 
2. Pranav Shroff (Head of Product Marketing, Apple India): Leading product marketing at Apple India, Pranav Shroff is a global technology executive with a wealth of experience spanning over two decades. With a track record of success at companies like Airtel and Ola, Pranav excels at triangulating consumer needs with business objectives to develop winning product strategies, partnerships, and go-to-market plans.
3. Ignatius Gerald (Head of Product Management, Vialto Partners): Ignatius Gerald, based in Hyderabad, brings 23 years of experience in business analysis, product management, and global delivery management. With a background in instrumentation & control engineering, Ignatius specializes in leading complex digital transformation initiatives.
4. Jatin Arora (Head of Product Management, Paytm Money): Jatin Arora, with over 17 years of digital domain experience, leads product vision and strategy at Paytm Money in India. His agile leadership drives user-centric product development and enhances customer engagement.
5. Asif Ghani (Head of Product & Growth, The Indian Express): Asif Ghani, leading product and growth at The Indian Express, boasts over 16 years of experience in agile product development, innovation, and ed-tech. With a rich background at companies like HT Media Ltd. and Naukri.com, Asif excels at ideating, innovating, and executing new projects to drive consistent growth in an agile environment.
6. Ajay Datta (Sr. Director of Product Management, LinkedIn India): Ajay Datta, currently spearheading product management at LinkedIn India, brings over 15 years of experience building new businesses in consumer, social, and enterprise domains. With a background in MBA from IIM Bangalore and a robust tenure at Amazon, Ajay’s expertise lies in developing zero-to-one products, international expansion, and fostering high-performance teams and culture.
7. Shravan Ganguli (Head of Product, Creditas Solutions): Shravan Ganguli, located in Gurugram, offers over 15 years of industry experience in global product management. Currently the Head of Product at Creditas Solutions, he specializes in quality delivery, compliance adherence, and enhancing user productivity.
8. Tapojoy Chatterjee (VP & Head of Product, Swiggy): Tapojoy Chatterjee, hailing from India with 15+ years in product development, marketing, and sales, currently leads Swiggy Food & Dineout’s product division. With a PGDBM in Marketing and Strategy from XLRI Jamshedpur, Tapojoy has built successful ads and video tech products in India, showcasing versatility in new business creation.
9. Prashant Singh (Head of Product, JAR): Prashant Singh, located in Bengaluru, boasts over 15 years of expertise in product management within the consumer internet, mobile, FinTech, social, and artificial intelligence domains. He excels at leading tech innovation, driving product performance, scalability, and maintainability. Prashant has a track record of launching apps with over 50 million downloads and is passionate about mentoring young minds in the product management field.
10. Prakash Srivastava (Head of Product, Medikabazaar): With 14+ years of diverse experience in fintech, big data, and used car retail, Prakash excels in platform product management and stakeholder engagement. His roles include Head of Product at Medikabazaar, Core Team Member at Spinny, and Senior Product Manager at Mobilewalla and Paytm. He holds a B.Tech. from IIT Delhi.
11. Siddharth Arora (Director of Product Management, Razorpay): Siddharth Arora, also part of Razorpay’s leadership team, brings over 12 years of expertise in guiding product development, strategic vision, and fostering innovation. With a background in MBA from Willamette University and a robust tenure at companies like Quikr and Radha Corp. Siddharth’s leadership is marked by a data-centric approach and a commitment to delivering exceptional products.
12. Yash Vardhan Thakur (Head of Product, Infra. Market): Yash Vardhan Thakur, based in Mumbai, brings over 8 years of experience in product and program management. With a track record of successful product launches and revenue growth, Yash specializes in agile project management and risk minimization strategies, fostering cross-functional team collaboration.
13. Ayush Sharma (Head of Product Management, Amazon): Ayush Sharma, leading end-to-end product management for Amazon, boasts over a decade of experience in steering e-commerce and retail landscapes. With a background in operations management and electronics engineering, Ayush thrives in high-paced environments, driving product excellence through innovation.
14. Akansha Kumari (Head of Product, Jupiter): Akansha Kumari, head of product at Jupiter, brings a decade-long journey marked by leadership roles at companies like Zynga Games and Games 24×7. With a background in MBA from IIFT and a wealth of experience in leading product verticals, Akansha excels at migrating platforms and mentoring women in tech.
15. Varun Rustagi (Head of Product, Heads Up For Tails): Varun Rustagi, based in Gurugram, India, boasts approximately 11 years of experience in building and scaling digital products across various industries. As a mentor in product management, he brings a wealth of knowledge in strategy and growth initiatives.
16. Rajdeep Roy (Head of Product, Wings Lifestyle): Rajdeep Roy, operating from Delhi, India, spearheads the sourcing and development of innovative audio, wearable, and gaming accessories. With a techno-commercial background, he excels at delivering cost-effective solutions while enhancing consumer experiences.
17. Shreyans Shrimali (Head of Product, Amazon miniTV): Shreyans Shrimali, situated in Bengaluru, India, leads product and analytics at Amazon miniTV, focusing on user experience and platform optimization. His emphasis on data-driven decision-making drives user acquisition and retention strategies.
18. Nishant Agarwal (Product Head – BBPS, BillDesk): Nishant Agarwal, based in Mumbai, is a product head with over 12 years of experience across startups and multinational companies. Specializing in digital payments, Agarwal has led high-grossing BBPS operating units and launched innovative products like ‘Biller Connect’ and ‘UPMS.’ His expertise spans across the e-commerce, healthcare, and fintech industries.
19. Shaurya Sahay (Head of Product, Nimbbl): Based in Gurgaon, India, Shaurya Sahay is an experienced product leader with a deep understanding of lending and payments. With over a decade of experience, including roles at Tata Digital and PayU, Sahay brings a wealth of expertise to his current position at Nimbbl. He has played pivotal roles in scaling BNPL products and leading lending products for major companies.
20. Ekansh Gupta (Head of Product, The Good Creator Co.): Ekansh Gupta, located in Gurugram, India, specializes in conceptualizing and delivering customer-centric software products. With expertise across payments, e-commerce, and social commerce, he drives exceptional results through data-driven approaches.
21. Swati Vishnoi (Product Manager, OneCard): Swati Vishnoi, located in Mumbai, boasts over 8 years of experience in product and project management in banking and NBFCs. With an MBA in Marketing from NIRMA University, Swati focuses on driving digital innovations and enhancing customer experiences in the fintech industry.
22. Aman Jha (Head of Product & Technology at Zyod): Aman Jha, leading product and technology at Zyod in Gurugram, India, leverages over eight years of expertise in technology and product development. With an MBA in Business Administration and a background in information technology, Aman prioritizes developing straightforward and effective ERP and web applications.
23. Rishabh Jain (Head of Product, Careers360): Rishabh Jain, based in Gurugram,  possesses over 8 years of product management experience across consumer and SaaS companies. With a background in engineering, Jain excels at managing the entire product lifecycle, from ideation to launch, while emphasizing data-driven decision-making and superior user experience.
24. Nidhi Jaswal (Head of Product, Appreciate): Nidhi Jaswal, operating from Delhi, India, leads products at Appreciate with over 8 years of experience. With a background in marketing and business administration, Nidhi excels in wealth advisory platforms, fintech innovation, and agile leadership.
25. Tushar Chawla (Senior Product Manager, Nykaa): Tushar Chawla, based in Gurugram, brings extensive experience in product management, business analysis, and project management. With over 8 years in the field and a background in marketing and finance, his role involves spearheading product development initiatives, focusing on enhancing customer experiences and staying ahead of market trends.
26. Abhay Kumar Mudgal (Head of Product, Gift Cards – Amazon India): Abhay Kumar Mudgal, heading product management at Amazon India, brings over 7 years of expertise, marked by proficiency in e-commerce and retail landscapes. With a keen understanding of AI and ML, Abhay leads end-to-end product management for Amazon India Gift Cards.
27. Kaanti Shetty (Head of Product, Medikabazaar): Kaanti Shetty, based in Mumbai, India, brings 7 years of experience in crafting customer experiences across marketplace and enterprise software products. As the Principal Product Manager at Medikabazaar, she focuses on top-line growth and bottom-line savings through cross-functional collaboration.
28. Tushar Ranjan (Head of Product Specialist, ICICI Bank): Tushar Ranjan, based in Delhi, India, brings expertise in business and financial analysis to ICICI Bank, with nearly 5 years of experience. His strategic planning and client-focused approach ensure the delivery of tailored banking solutions.
29. Shainam Kharumnuid (Head of Product, Nivoda): Shainam Kharumnuid, currently heading product at Nivoda, brings over 6 years of experience in fintech, SaaS, and pricing. With a background in dual degrees from IIT Madras and IIM Bangalore, Shainam’s expertise lies in building impactful products and leading product teams across diverse verticals.
30. Mehul Kamra (Head of Product, Intract): Located in Gurugram, India, Mehul Kamra is a seasoned product manager with a focus on growth strategies. With experience at AJIO.com and Ola, Kamra has a track record of building scalable, user-centric products from scratch. His analytical mindset and problem-solving approach have been instrumental in his success.

Each of these leaders exemplifies excellence in product management, driving innovation, and delivering value to their respective organizations and industries. As they continue to push boundaries and shape the future of product development, their impact reverberates across the global business landscape, providing readers with valuable insights into their leadership journeys in the field of product management.

*This article is written by Priya Kumar, Lead Journalist at Indian Startup Times