AI & Data Science Leader

Manohar
Karanam

IIM Bangalore · BITS Pilani

17 years driving enterprise AI strategy & transformation across BFSI, Manufacturing & CPG in India, UK, Australia and Denmark. Specialising in GenAI, RAG architectures and 0→1 AI solutions at scale.

17+
Years of AI & Data Science Leadership
70+
Enterprise AI Use Cases Delivered
Fraud Detection Uplift at Danske Bank
2.5×
Sales Conversion Improvement at Unilever

Turning AI Strategy into Enterprise Reality

India UK Australia Denmark

I'm a Data Science leader who has spent 17 years at the intersection of enterprise complexity and AI possibility — building teams, shipping models, and translating data into measurable business outcomes across some of the world's most demanding industries.

From turning around a loss-making product to break-even within two quarters at Paytm, to leading 15–22 member data science teams at Unilever's global analytics practice, to co-founding an AI startup and now leading enterprise AI transformation at PGP Glass with McKinsey — my career is defined by 0→1 execution and scaled impact.

I combine C-suite strategic vision with hands-on technical depth in GenAI, RAG architectures, MLOps, and scalable ML systems — and I've done it in four countries across BFSI, manufacturing, CPG, and fintech.

Where I Create Value

GenAI & RAG Architecture

Building and operationalising enterprise-grade GenAI systems including RAG-based architectures with strong performance and governance frameworks.

AI Strategy & 0→1 Execution

Driving AI transformation from ideation to production — problem definition, architecture, delivery and scale across 70+ enterprise use cases.

AI Monetisation & Business Impact

Designing AI solutions that directly impact revenue, pricing and cost — with a track record of churn reduction, conversion uplift and profitability turnaround.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

Led 8–22 member cross-functional teams and vendor partners. Built GCC capabilities and operating models for enterprise-wide AI deployment.

MLOps & Scalable ML Systems

Proficient in Databricks, Azure, AWS, Python, PySpark. Reduced ML turnaround time by 25–50% through reusable model frameworks.

BFSI, CPG & Manufacturing Analytics

Deep domain expertise across fraud analytics, customer lifecycle, pricing optimisation, supply chain and manufacturing AI applications.

A Career Built on Impact

Nov 2024 – Present
Senior Data Science Manager
PGP Glass Pvt. Ltd., Vadodara

Leading enterprise AI transformation — "AI Kranti" initiative with McKinsey — identifying 70–75 use cases and building the AI/ML GCC from the ground up across manufacturing, finance, marketing and supply chain.

70+ AI Use Cases 15+ Team 2% Efficiency Gain Databricks Stack
Oct 2023 – Oct 2024
Co-Founder & Partner
The AI Corp — Enterprise AI marketing analytics venture; led product ideation, solution design and stakeholder engagement.
Jan 2022 – Oct 2023
Data Science Manager
Paytm, Bangalore

Turned around a loss-making product to break-even within 2 quarters via a 3-layer ML system. Reduced customer churn and dormancy by 20–40%.

Loss → Breakeven in 2 Qtrs 20–40% Churn Reduction 10+ Team
Dec 2019 – Jan 2022
Senior Data Scientist (Senior Architect)
Mindtree — Client: Unilever Global I&A, APAC

Led 15–22 member team delivering multi-market AI solutions for Unilever across 6+ APAC markets. Improved recommendation hit-rate 1.5–2× and influenced 50,000+ salesforce across 350,000 outlets.

2.5× Sales Conversion 1.5–2× Recommendation Uplift 10–20% Customer Growth 6 APAC Markets
Mar 2015 – Nov 2018
Senior Software Engineer — Analytics CoE
Danske IT, Bangalore & Aarhus

Built real-time fraud detection models achieving 4× improvement in detection efficiency using autoencoders and isolation forests. Delivered 15–18 use cases across fraud, marketing and banking operations.

4× Fraud Detection 15–18 Use Cases India + Denmark
Jul 2007 – Feb 2015 · 8 Years
Technology Analyst
Infosys Ltd. — Clients: RBS (UK), AMP Insurance (AU), NAB

Nearly 8 years delivering analytics, optimisation and automation solutions across global BFSI clients. Built pricing optimisation, marketing analytics and virtual agents for backend workflow automation. Worked onsite in Sydney (~1 year) and London (~4 months) — the formative chapter of a global career.

8 Years UK · Australia · India Pricing Optimisation Marketing Analytics Cloud Automation MVP Award — RBS
Recognition

Awards & Highlights

IIM Bangalore · 2020
Highly Commended — Business Analytics & Intelligence Program
Danske Bank · 2016
Beacon Award — MobilePay Contributions
AMP Insurance · 2013
Can Do Award (×2) — FOFA MCS Project
Infosys · 2011
Most Valuable Player — Rainbow Program, RBS
Infosys · 2010
Spot Award — JV Feeds Project

Let's Build Something Meaningful

Open to conversations on AI strategy, enterprise transformation, advisory roles and collaboration.