Harish Deshpande
Melbourne
Summary
Dynamic professional with over 16 years of experience in business development, sales, marketing, and operations. Proven success in developing revenue-driven strategies, streamlining processes, and executing initiatives to drive growth and enhance profitability. Expertise in aligning organizational objectives with strong revenue and performance targets to achieve lasting results. Dedicated to fostering collaborative environments that inspire teams to excel and deliver exceptional outcomes.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
AVP & Head of Enterprise Business
Hindustan Times Media LTD - Shine.com
01.2025 - 09.2025
- Competencies – Enterprise Sales Strategy, Leadership, Revenue Planning, Account Management
- Increased sales revenue by 40% within 9 months by leading strategic partnerships with large enterprises.
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive sales strategy that resulted in securing $30 million in annual revenue.
- Mentored and led a sales team of 15 professionals to increase quarterly targets by 25% on average.
- Collaborated with senior leadership to align sales strategies with market trends, resulting in a 50% increase in lead generation.
- Negotiated contracts with 8 major conglomerates, reducing negotiation times by 30% while maintaining profitability.
- Championed innovative project management techniques for improving team work efficiency and client satisfaction by 35%
- Spearheaded enterprise sales of LLM and GenAI-powered voice and chatbot solutions, enabling Fortune 500 clients to automate candidate sourcing, screening, and engagement for high-volume hiring, achieving up to 40% reduction in annual recruiter workload and improved candidate response rates by 3x.
- Architected and executed the rollout of Voice AI bots leveraging advanced Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech NLP technologies, automating high-volume enterprise interviews and enabling real-time, scalable candidate engagement—resulting in a 50% reduction in interview scheduling time and a 35% increase in candidate response rates for global clients.
Co-Founder
Smile Mobility
05.2024 - 12.2024
- Launched a bootstrap mobility startup. Managed end-to-end business operations, fundraising strategy, and business roadmap.
- (Bootstrap)
Associate Director & Head of Corporate Sales & Strategic Partnerships
OLA
01.2023 - 04.2024
- Competencies – Leadership, Strategic partnerships, Growth Planning, Customer Acquisition strategy, Account Management
- Spearheaded strategic sales initiatives leading to a 113% increase in annual revenue, totaling $45 million.
- Drove revenue growth by acquiring key corporate clients in IT, BFSI, and manufacturing sectors, directly contributing to a 50% expansion in the corporate mobility portfolio.
- Led cross-functional teams to enhance client relationships, resulting in a 25% increase in revenue from existing corporate partners through upselling premium mobility solutions and expanding into new territories.
- Negotiated and secured multi-year contracts with Fortune 500 companies, adding $15M in new annualized revenue and strengthening OLA's market leadership in corporate ride services.
- Implemented data-driven customer success programs that reduced churn among top 100 clients by 18%, protecting recurring revenue and boosting average revenue per corporate account.
- Designed and launched targeted corporate acquisition campaigns across metro markets, delivering a 40% increase in new corporate onboardings while optimizing customer acquisition costs by 20%.
- Led a multidisciplinary team to rebrand sales strategy, resulting in a 60% growth in brand reach across targeted demographics.
- Conducted comprehensive market analysis that informed pricing strategies and improved competitive positioning by 35%.
Director & Head of Customer Acquisition & Program Management
OLA Financial Services
11.2021 - 12.2022
- Competencies – Leadership, Growth Planning, Customer Acquisition strategy
- Drove 50% annual revenue growth in unsecured digital lending by implementing targeted digital acquisition campaigns across web, app, and social media platforms, resulting in over $3Mn new active users annually.
- Launched integrated offline acquisition programs via strategic retail partnerships and on-ground activations, contributing to a 35% increase in loan disbursement among underbanked urban and semi-urban customers.
- Developed and executed a referral program for ride-hailing users and merchants, boosting cross-sell penetration by 20% and driving $12Mn in incremental loan revenues.
- Introduced AI-driven credit risk and eligibility assessments, reducing application drop-offs by 25% and improving loan approval rates, resulting in a measurable uplift in monthly originations.
- Expanded the corporate payroll lending channel through alliances with 50+ enterprises, delivering a 3x increase in salaried borrower acquisition and strengthening recurring revenue streams.
- Optimized digital onboarding journeys and reduced friction in KYC and disbursal through in-app process improvements, decreasing customer acquisition cost by 30% while accelerating fund deployment timelines.
- Managed a high-performing offline sales team nationwide, enhancing customer targeting to reduce NPA effectively.
- (Avail Finance)
Director - Head of Business Development
UNIBOOK
05.2021 - 11.2021
- Competencies – Demand planning, Supply chain strategy, Business Development
- Co-created and executed the launch plan for both B2B and B2C platforms
- Launched a B2B e-commerce platform, connecting apparel retailers and enhancing their online presence
- Developed a partner network successfully by onboarding over 60 manufacturers and featuring 700+ SKUs
- Spearheaded manpower planning, building a robust initial team across multiple functions.
- Built a retailer network of 500+ across the top four cities, achieving a monthly GMV growth rate exceeding 120%.
DGM (EV Business) – Strategy/Offer Development
Reliance BP Mobility Limited (JioBP)
10.2020 - 05.2021
- Competencies – Offer Development, Strategic Planning, Network & Growth planning, Government Relations, Business collaborations, and Business Development
- Achieved a 20% conversion rate from ICE to EV, successfully engaging over 30,000 delivery partners to enhance last-mile delivery solutions
- Secured strategic agreements with leasing companies and OEMs, facilitating the deployment of 10,000+ electric two-wheelers (E2Ws) across the network
- Established India's largest EV charging network, leveraging innovative business models to capture substantial market value
- Led the development of advanced battery swapping solutions, collaborating with technology partners and E2W stakeholders to ensure seamless operations
- Forged vital EV financing partnerships with banks, NBFCs, and fintech companies, driving increased adoption of electric vehicles
- Conducted comprehensive market sizing and customer profiling, optimizing product-market fit for targeted outreach
- Developed and implemented strategic partnerships with key mobility players, enhancing collaborative workflows and network integration
Manager (OLA Cabs) – Business Development/ Supply Acquisition & New Initiatives, Operations
ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd (OLA Cabs & OLA Electric)
06.2016 - 10.2020
- Competencies – Supply Acquisition, Supply marketing, P&L Management, Fleet Operator, and vendor management
- Scaled fleet operator business from zero to 30,000 vehicles, capturing 20% of regional supply and generating $173M in annual revenue.
- Engineered P&L turnaround from -170% at entry to +7% profitability through strategic optimizations and performance enhancements.
- Pioneered partner acquisition strategies encompassing market sizing, offer development, pricing models, and commercial contract closures at scale.
- Orchestrated below-the-line marketing campaigns and R&R programs, amplifying brand presence across targeted regional markets.
- Partnered with cross-functional teams to design and launch a dedicated Fleet Operator App, streamlining operations for 30,000+ partners.
- Delivered exponential growth in fleet supply, transforming a nascent operation into a dominant regional player with multimillion-dollar revenue impact.
Assistant Manager – Demand Marketing, Sales Operations
Mahindra Electric
08.2012 - 05.2016
- Competencies – Demand Generation, Business Development, B2B/B2C sales Strategy, Business Operations, Service Excellence
- Orchestrated high-impact demand generation campaigns, including corporate fleet contracts, experiential test drives, EV initiatives, and CXO engagements, generating 2,500+ qualified leads and boosting inquiry pipeline by 20%.
- Drove sales operations excellence by monitoring funnels and reporting stage-wise conversions, improving overall conversion rates by 22%.
- Partnered with dealer principals to optimize test drive programs and increased 30% growth in test drive volume.
- Collaborated with CMO to map end-to-end customer journeys from discovery to order booking, optimizing demand marketing touchpoints and increasing order closure rates by 20%.
- Gathered competitive intelligence with zonal/regional heads and coordinated cross-functional stakeholders (RBH, CBH, ZH, customer care), enabling faster initiative rollouts.
- Proactively identified opportunities and refined customer experience strategies, implementing sales operations frameworks that boosted client engagement by 28%.
Sr Advisor – Sales & Collections
WNS Global Services Pvt Ltd (AVIVA)
12.2009 - 07.2012
- Role – Client Interaction and Management, Collections Assistance, Customer Retention, Process Improvement
- Assisted in executing sales strategies and customer outreach to drive product sales and client acquisition. Supported collections efforts, helping ensure timely payments and follow-ups
- Helped improve sales and collections processes to enhance efficiency in client engagement, retention, and payment handling
- Supported adherence to regulatory and company guidelines in sales and collections activities, ensuring consistent standards
- Monitored sales and collections activities to identify delays or issues, recommending improvements to boost team effectiveness
- Participated in monthly portfolio reviews, assisting in identifying trends to improve sales and collections outcomes
- Helped maintain client compliance and supported audits to meet Service Level Agreements (SLA) in sales and collections
Education
MBA -
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
09-2020
Bachelor's - Computer Application
CV Raman University
12-2011
Skills
- Operations management
- Channel management
- Internal communications
- Corporate communications
- Partnership development
- Strategic planning
- Marketing strategies
- Business leadership
- P&L management
- Business development
- Revenue generation
Timeline
AVP & Head of Enterprise Business
Hindustan Times Media LTD - Shine.com
01.2025 - 09.2025
Co-Founder
Smile Mobility
05.2024 - 12.2024
Associate Director & Head of Corporate Sales & Strategic Partnerships
OLA
01.2023 - 04.2024
Director & Head of Customer Acquisition & Program Management
OLA Financial Services
11.2021 - 12.2022
Director - Head of Business Development
UNIBOOK
05.2021 - 11.2021
DGM (EV Business) – Strategy/Offer Development
Reliance BP Mobility Limited (JioBP)
10.2020 - 05.2021
Manager (OLA Cabs) – Business Development/ Supply Acquisition & New Initiatives, Operations
ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd (OLA Cabs & OLA Electric)
06.2016 - 10.2020
Assistant Manager – Demand Marketing, Sales Operations
Mahindra Electric
08.2012 - 05.2016
Sr Advisor – Sales & Collections
WNS Global Services Pvt Ltd (AVIVA)
12.2009 - 07.2012
MBA -
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Bachelor's - Computer Application
CV Raman University