Gita Seevaratnam

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT GITA SEEVARATNAM

As a visionary R&D leader with 20+ years of experience, I specialize in driving innovation, leading cross-functional teams, and advancing process research and technology enablement from lab to pilot to full commercial readiness. My passion lies in transforming groundbreaking ideas into market-ready solutions that fuel revenue growth and operational excellence. I\'ve successfully partnered with senior leadership to align R&D initiatives with strategic business goals, enabling market leadership in flavors & fragrances and microelectronics. I excel in managing end-to-end product lifecycles, scaling new technologies, and integrating innovations from M&A to unlock market opportunities. With a strategic approach to problem-solving, I address challenges in real time while anticipating future needs to drive continuous improvement and maintain a competitive edge. I thrive at the intersection of technical innovation and business strategy, delivering solutions that align with organizational goals and evolving market demands. My ability to conceptualize complex challenges and translate them into high-quality, scalable solutions has been key to my success. People leadership is at the core of my approach. I take pride in mentoring talent, fostering a collaborative culture, and implementing succession planning to align team capabilities with business goals. Recognized for coaching emerging leaders and transferring technical expertise, I ensure a strong leadership pipeline to sustain innovation. Key achievements include:*$29M NPV Impact: Led the research, development, and commercialization of a new product format, driving financial success.* Process Technology R&D Leadership: Introduced novel formats and explored high-throughput laboratory automation, expanding innovation pipelines.* Semiconductor Yield Improvement: Improved product yields by up to 15% at IBM through technical solutions to optimize processes.* Pioneered industry-first technology transfers at IFF, scaling innovations from lab to full production. Leveraged expertise in free surface flows and commercialization to achieve a 60% productivity boost and drive substantial revenue growth with novel product formats. With a strong technical foundation, I am proficient in Lean Six Sigma, process optimization, rheological characterization, surface science, and statistical tools such as JMP and Minitab. My expertise in data-driven decision-making and driving continuous improvement has contributed to sustained business success.