Vidhata Deshpande

Seasoned Product Management and Strategy executive with 20 years of overall experience and 8 years building and scaling B2B and B2B2C products across telecom, IoT, and technology services. Proven ability to define product vision, launch scalable MVPs, drive market entry & monetization, and improve portfolio profitability in complex, margin-sensitive businesses. Strong cross-functional leadership with global experience across India, APAC, MEA, and LATAM, with a strong record for data-driven product and portfolio decisions.

Advisory Roles - Multiple Companies - Mumbai

(2024-08)

• Advised a technology client on shaping a digital supply chain platform designed to help large manufacturing firms and small suppliers discover, connect, and transact more efficiently. Delivered a preliminary market assessment, and a competitive benchmarking to support decision-making.
• Advised a client on a new kitchen chimney venture through in-depth market analysis, competitor benchmarking, market positioning, and go-to-market strategy.
• Contributed to a packaged foods venture from foundational business structuring to product portfolio planning, brand development, go-to-market strategy, and retailer onboarding.

Product Management Lead - Consultant - Message My Customer Ltd (Payemoji) - Mumbai

(2021-12 - 2024-01)

• Defined and drove the product vision for a scalable, self-serve, multi-tenant conversational commerce platform, taking it from concept to MVP within 8 months by leading a cross-functional team across engineering, design, and QA.
• Owned key product architecture decisions, including evaluation and integration of headless commerce and billing systems, enabling enterprise-grade scalability and reducing billing cycles from 15 days to 1 day.
• Established pricing and packaging strategy to support market positioning and monetization of the platform, leading to a customer uptick from 3 to 16 in 6-8 months.

Deputy General Manager, Regional Product Strategy India, and APAC - Tata Communications - Mumbai

(2018-07 - 2021-09)

• Led the successful development and launch of company's IoT platform tailored for the Indian market, enhancing multi-network local connectivity.
• Designed and deployed a scalable MVP for a global white-label capable Know Your Customer (KYC) portal, catering to Indian & global connected car clients, and global MVNO clients, getting 25,000+ end-customers in the first 12 months.
• Directed the commercial strategy and pricing structures for complex deals, culminating in the acquisition of a significant MVNO contract in LATAM, valued at ~USD 5M over five years.
• Drove a region-wide profitability review which resulted in action on loss-making contracts, leading to reduction of USD 1 Mn in losses, and increase of ~7% margins for the regional business.

Senior Manager, India Product Strategy - Tata Communications - Mumbai

(2017-01 - 2018-06)

• Spearheaded the market entry of the IoT product into the Indian automotive (connected car) and non-automotive sectors, which included compliance with the AIS-140 standards.
• Worked with sales to successfully acquire flagship customer accounts, targeting contracted annual revenue of USD 6-8 M within a five-year timeframe.
• Drove cross-functional team collaboration, uniting sales and solutions departments to pinpoint and capitalize on key business opportunities, increasing the available target market by ~20%.

Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy - Tata Communications - Mumbai

(2014-04 - 2016-12)

• Led strategic planning process for Service Provider and Mobility segments, developing strategies to protect existing revenue streams and drive growth.
• Formulated a comprehensive growth strategy for Mobility Business, culminating in launch of a new global mobile IoT product line with TAM of ~$20Bn+.
• Directed a thorough benchmarking analysis of Mobile VNO players, resulting in the strategic acquisition of a European MVNO platform to enhance the new global mobile IoT product line.
• Managed the due diligence process for the divestment of an international subsidiary, successfully navigating the complexities of a USD 450 million transaction.

Manager, Corporate Strategy - Tata Communications - Mumbai

(2011-01 - 2014-03)

• Strategized and executed a comprehensive Emerging Markets Strategy to foster enterprise business partnerships and drive expansion efforts in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Conducted in-depth competitive and financial analysis to support cloud product strategy development.

Independent Consultant - Synerg Capital - Mumbai

(2009-12 - 2011-01)

• Provided strategic consulting services to media and edutainment clients, enhancing their market positioning and financial performance.
• Advised a media company on the development and launch strategy of a new of IP television services across select African nations.

Senior Analyst, Business Research - Aranca - Mumbai

(2009-04 - 2009-11)

• Strategized and delivered a comprehensive business plan for a Global Information Services Major, for a product designed to provide real-time pricing and volume data to agricultural market participants. Successfully raised USD 3 Mn seed funding for the business.
• Conducted in-depth market analysis, financial forecasting, and strategic plan to develop an end-to-end business plan for a Global Technology Major's 'advertising subsidized product sales' concept. Presented a No-Go recommendation based on potential impact, which was adopted by the client.

Analyst, Business Research - Aranca - Mumbai

(2006-02 - 2009-03)

• Conducted comprehensive market research to assess India's business landscape for a Global Tyre Manufacturer's market entry strategy. Analysed competitive dynamics, customer preferences, and regulatory environment to inform feasibility studies.

MBA - Finance & Banking - ICFAI University, Hyderabad (2002)

B.E. - Electronics & Telecommunications - Amrawati University, Maharashtra (2006)