Ashish Mehndi

About Ashish Mehndi

TL;DR: I build AI products that protect enterprises and drive revenue at Microsoft scale — $10M+ impact, 25+ years of shipping.I\'m a Product & AI Strategy Leader at Microsoft with 25+ years at the intersection of Security, Compliance, Data, and Artificial Intelligence. I specialize in taking AI-driven products from 0→1 and scaling them to enterprise-grade — across Generative AI, LLMs, AI Agents, and intelligent automation.In the past 4-5 years, I\'ve led some of the most impactful AI initiatives in Microsoft\'s Security & Compliance space:→ Defined product vision and shipped Microsoft Purview Copilot & Agent capabilities — contributing to an $10M revenue lift.→ Architected AI-driven security & compliance analytics frameworks, improving investigation efficiency by 30% and policy tuning speed by 40%.→ Led a $5M+ AI research portfolio with 100+ global vendors — advancing applied research in reinforcement learning, LLM fine-tuning, RAG, and security-specific evaluation metrics.→ Drove end-to-end product strategy — from market research and competitive analysis to customer discovery, telemetry-driven insights, and roadmap execution across copilots, policy intelligence, and agentic features.Before this, I spent 16+ years at Microsoft across architecture, program management, and enterprise delivery — shipping platforms used by thousands of consultants globally, driving $4M+ in annual productivity savings, and leading cloud migration programs for Fortune 500 clients including American Express and Publicis.I also delivered AI solutions externally — a multilingual AI chatbot for Dubai\'s DEWA (35% accuracy improvement), a B2B platform for Mastercard, and a blockchain transaction platform processing 5M+ daily transactions.What sets me apart: I combine deep technical fluency in AI/ML with strategic product leadership and a proven track record of shipping at enterprise scale — managing cross-functional teams of 100+, leading $5M+ research portfolios, and consistently delivering revenue growth, cost reduction, and adoption at scale.Executive MBA in Product Leadership (IPL) · Advanced Management Programme, IIM Ahmedabad · Kellogg: Insights & AnalyticsExpertise: Generative AI · LLM · AI Agents · Agentic Systems · RAG · Copilot · Microsoft Azure AI · OpenAI · Security AI · Enterprise AI · AI Strategy · AI Platform · Product Leadership · Compliance Automation · Cross-Functional Leadership

Experience

1. Principal Product Manager

   Microsoft

   May 2021 — Present · Hyderabad, IN

   Leading AI product strategy for Microsoft Purview\'s Copilot and Agent capabilities — the AI-powered layer of Microsoft\'s enterprise compliance and data security platform, serving Fortune 500 customers globally.Product Vision & Revenue Impact:Defined and executed the product vision and roadmap for Microsoft Purview Copilot and Agent offerings, directly contributing to an $80M revenue lift. Aligned product strategy with Microsoft\'s broader Generative AI, compliance, and data security priorities — positioning Purview as a leader in AI-driven governance.AI Research & Innovation Leadership:Led a $5M+ applied AI research portfolio spanning 100+ global vendors. Drove research initiatives in reinforcement learning, LLM fine-tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and security-specific evaluation metrics — translating cutting-edge research into shipped product features.AI-Driven Analytics & Automation:Architected AI-driven security and compliance analytics frameworks that improved investigation efficiency by 30% and accelerated policy tuning speed by 40% — enabling customers to detect, investigate, and remediate compliance risks faster than ever.Customer-Centric Product Development:Conducted deep market research to assess regulatory gaps, evolving customer needs, and competitor capabilities across security automation, DLP, and GenAI. Mapped customer personas and pain points through telemetry analysis, user interviews, and POC feedback to continuously refine product-market fit across copilots, policy insights, and agent features.Skills: Generative AI · LLM · AI Agents · Copilot · RAG · Reinforcement Learning · Security AI · Microsoft Azure AI · Product Strategy · Enterprise AI · AI Platform

Education

• Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

  Advanced General Management Programme, Business Administration and Management, General

  2017 — 2018

• Delhi University

  B.Sc, Mathematical Sciences

  1995 — 1999

• Institute of Product Leadership

  Executive MBA, Product Leadership

• Karnataka State Open University

  M.Sc, Information Technology

  2004 — 2005