Ravi Kiran Akella

Accomplished Transformation Leader with 25+ years’ experience delivering complex, multi-disciplinary transformation and optimisation portfolios across global enterprises. Proven expertise in identifying business challenges, developing data-driven business cases, and executing transformation initiatives that enhance efficiency, scalability, and commercial performance. A trusted advisor to executive leadership, translating corporate strategy into actionable transformation roadmaps that drive measurable value across Retail, Digital, and Enterprise operations. Experienced in building high-performing programme management teams and embedding a culture of continuous improvement through Agile, Lean, and insight-led governance practices.

Technical Senior Program Manager, India, United States, Netherlands, Ireland — Feb 2010 – Present

Lead and deliver large, complex technology programs for global clients in health & commercial insurance and high-tech industries, often spanning multiple offices, regions, and vendors. Own planning, execution, and governance of programs that impact end users, office environments, and IT services across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. This role requires strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities to manage diverse teams and ensure project success.

Key Responsibilities & Achievements

• Led multiple concurrent programs across North America and Europe, effectively coordinating distributed onshore and offshore teams, as well as vendors, to ensure consistent quality and adherence to schedules, showcasing strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.

• Managed cross-functional teams of 200+ consultants (technical, design, and strategy) throughout the full project lifecycle—from initiation and planning through go-live and transition to operations, showcasing managing projects and leadership skills.

• Directed seamless transition of 1,500 associates during strategic acquisitions, aligning IT, HR, and operations to ensure uninterrupted services and a stable workplace environment within 12 months, requiring critical thinking and problem-solving.

• Supervised programs involving extensive infrastructure changes, including ForgeRock identity implementation, load balancers (ELBs), TIBCO enterprise bus, and Imperva security solutions, working closely with Cloud, Infrastructure, and Security teams to ensure robust IT infrastructure and security systems.

• Worked with DevOps, Cloud, Infra, ISO, and Risk & Compliance teams to ensure new solutions met security, operational, and regulatory requirements, demonstrating critical thinking and adherence to security systems protocols.

• Led initiatives that modernized legacy technologies and improved end-user experience in office environments across regions, including wellness applications and digital workplace solutions integrated with multiple healthcare systems, contributing to workplace services improvements.

• Built and maintained high-trust connections with C-level executives and senior stakeholders across US, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, aligning program goals with business strategy and workplace needs, demonstrating exceptional stakeholder management and communication.

• Oversaw vendor performance for critical programs and secured RFPs worth over €40M over 5 years through strategic engagement and tailored proposals, demonstrating managing projects and leadership.

• Supported budget planning and financial tracking across large, multi-year programs, ensuring alignment between scope, cost, and timelines, contributing to accurate forecasts and financial reporting.

• Used Power BI, Excel (including Macros/VBA), and Power Automate to build dashboards, automate reporting, and track KPIs, enabling leadership to make data-driven decisions, enhancing financial reporting and communication.

• Implemented Lean Six Sigma methodology, saving more than 200 FTE days annually by automating manual tasks and reducing daily activities from 8 hours to 10 minutes, showcasing creativity and problem-solving.

• Applied ITIL-based service management to minimize backlogs, meet SLAs and KPIs, and plan automation and permanent fixes in an agile manner, improving workplace services and communication.

• As a Gold Mentor, coached the next generation of project and program managers globally, helping them adopt new PM processes, tools, and governance practices, demonstrating leadership and communication.

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Tata Consultancy Services

Technical Lead, India, United Kingdom, United States — Sep 2000 – Feb 2010

Led the full lifecycle of a high revenue-generating product for a high-end printing technology client over a decade, coordinating large technical teams across geographies and delivering critical solutions used by global customers. This role involved significant team leadership, managing projects, and communication across diverse teams.

• Managed programs involving complex development in Java, Embedded C/C++, and Adobe libraries, integrating with various protocols and driving production printer fleets, requiring critical thinking and problem-solving.

• Led 60+ professionals across offshore and onsite locations, ensuring on-time delivery of multiple product versions (up to version 10), demonstrating strong team leadership and managing projects.

• Designed solutions that reduced 5,000 manual hours to 150 hours (>99% effort reduction) and improved end-user support via diagnostic and information-collection tools, showcasing creativity and ability to work independently.

• Utilised PMBOK for WBS and integrated Scrum practices into a hybrid delivery model, laying groundwork for scaled Agile approaches, demonstrating leadership and communication.

INSEAD – Singapore | Aug 2021 – Oct 2021 Organizational Leadership – Growth and Transformation Program

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University – India | Jul 1995 – Jul 1999 - Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) – Electrical and Electronics Engineering