Raakesh Menon

About Raakesh Menon

I have spent my career navigating the intricate landscape of business strategy, constantly evolving in the dynamic worlds of cloud, telecom, datacenter, SaaS and most recently AI. My journey has taken me across the mature & emerging markets of India/APAC, MENA and US where I have managed business lines with multi-million P & Ls, driven business development & product with a keen eye for growth and innovation, deepened strategic partnerships with customers & partners across industries and geographies thus securing high value contracts.I have had the privilege of being a core member of telecom building the global internet ecosystem in initial part of my career, while contributing to the digital economy later enabling cloud adoption and driving digital transformation across industries. Key highlights :• Led global portfolios across telecom services (International Private Line, Ethernet, Low-latency network, Metro & Wireless services)• Executed multi-million dollar capital investments in strategic submarine cables (BBG, Australia to Singapore) and managed budgets of existing submarine & terrestrial networks• Expanded global footprint through investments and partnerships with telco’s & data center providers in Middle East, Asia Pacific, LATAM, Europe• Played a key role in the alignment of product portfolios as part of the $700 million acquisition of Pacnet by Telstra• At Vodafone, I led revenue partnerships in India diversifying the portfolio to include cloud & datacenter services – opening new revenue streams• Designed & executed GTM strategies in India/APAC, developed & negotiated partnerships that accelerates customer strategies and long-term business goals• Experienced in engaging with C-level executives unlocking cross-industry business opportunities through innovation, co-creation, and long-term collaboration• Published industry insights (e.g, Moving to the Edge white paper, NASSCOM Data Center Report 2021) and represented my organizations at global forums (ITW, PTC, Capacity, ACC)I thrive in strategy & execution, leading teams, unlocking new markets and shaping long-term growth. Navigating complex organizational changes while maintaining business continuity is a challenge I embrace. I bring a consistent track record of building cross functional alignment, leading high impact initiatives and delivering strategy outcomes. I look forward contributing my experience in leadership roles where strategic vision, operational excellence and customer obsession come together to drive growth.

Experience

1. Strategy & Business Development

   Amazon Web Services (AWS)

   Jan 2022 — Present · Bengaluru, IN

   I lead the strategic business development efforts across India focusing on securing success stories through One Amazon partnership approach. A horizontal role across industry verticals and multiple Amazon Businesses, this involves engaging with C-level executives to build impactful partnerships with AWS/Amazon ecosystem unlocking business across industry verticals through innovation, co-creation, and long-term partnerships. The role places me at the intersection of business strategy, enterprise relationships, cross functional leadership, and new revenue opportunity identification.I secured contracts leveraging synergies within the global Amazon ecosystem to drive substantial business growth. I drove multi-entity collaboration between our customers, AWS and Amazon Businesses to open new strategic opportunities. I engaged with CXOs and business leadership while building GTM motions and influence pathways to position AWS as a growth enabler, not just being a cloud provider.

Education

• University of Delhi

  Bachelor's degree

• Harvard University

  Management in Public Policy

  2010

• IE Business School

  Master of Business Administration - MBA

  2010

Skills

• Program Management
• Wireless Technologies
• Vendor Management
• Awesomeness
• Product Management
• Management
• Product Marketing
• Mpls
• Team Management
• Strategy
• Pre-Sales
• Telecommunications
• Product Development
• Project Planning
• Managed Services
• Transmission
• Conference Speaking
• Ethernet
• Leadership
• Ip
• Business Development
• Business Strategy
• Cross Functional Relationships
• Solution Selling
• Competitive Analysis
• Start-Ups
• Multiprotocol Label Switching (Mpls)
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Marketing Strategy
• Product Launch
• Segmentation
• Wireless
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Strategic Partnerships