Hemant Suhas Kalekar
Head IT Infrastructure
Mumbai,MH
Summary
Results-driven Global IT Infrastructure & Technology Operations Executive with over 23+ years of experience designing, securing, and scaling complex multi-country environments. Proven expertise across 24x7 NOC/SOC operations, End User Operations. hybrid cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/Private Cloud), enterprise network engineering (SD-WAN/MPLS),Enterprise Security (Zero Trust & SASE) and IT Risk & Compliance. Skilled at directing large-scale technology operations, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, and leading distributed cross-functional teams and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Recognized for driving up to 40% cost efficiency, maintaining 99.999% high availability, and maintaining strict compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, ITGC, CISA)
Overview
6
6
Certifications
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Head – IT Infrastructure
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited
11.2017 - Current
- Direct global infrastructure design and service delivery across enterprise platforms, aligning architecture with business growth and M&A integration priorities.
- Manage infrastructure budgets and vendor governance, driving 30–40% cost efficiency through strategic adoption and process optimization.
- Reduce vendor contract spend by 20% vendor contract cost reduction through disciplined sourcing and commercial negotiation.
- Lead WAN-to-SD-WAN transformation across 550+ distributed locations to improve network performance and lower operating expense.
- Lead IT audit, risk, and compliance programs, enforcing ITGC frameworks and ISO 27001 standards with zero major non-conformities.
- Architect perimeter and endpoint controls with security teams, advancing vulnerability management, IAM, and rapid incident response protocols.
- Formulate and test BCP and DR strategies across hybrid cloud and private cloud environments to reduce data-loss exposure for critical applications.
Head – Datacenter Operations
Birla Management Centre Services Limited
01.2011 - 11.2017
- Led 24x7 NOC and datacentre operations, maintaining 99.999% uptime for datacentre infrastructure and private cloud environments with zero major outages.
- Maintained service continuity across private cloud environments while supporting incident management and hybrid cloud operations.
- Executed 5 complex, zero-downtime datacentre migrations, keeping core enterprise functions fully operational throughout each transition.
- Rolled out Storage-as-a-Service for internal business units, expanding service delivery and internal adoption.
- Increased internal service revenue by 80% over three years through the Storage-as-a-Service offering.
- Managed strategic vendor relationships, SLA compliance, and capacity planning across compute, storage, and backup systems.
- Planned compute, storage, and backup capacity to support SLA commitments and long-term infrastructure stability.
Operations Manager and Backup Lead
Wipro Infotech
03.2006 - 12.2010
- Managed 24x7 server and datacenter operations, sustaining 99.9% uptime for business-critical applications.
- Directed snapshot-based ERP backup migrations and platform upgrades from HP DP to Veritas, delivering 99% job success rate and 100% data recovery rate.
- Governed external service providers and vendor teams to maintain high availability, proactive patch management, and smooth infrastructure migrations.
- Supported datacenter stability through backup lead coordination, service delivery management, and incident management across critical infrastructure.
- Applied capacity planning and technology roadmap planning to align infrastructure operations with backup and upgrade demands.
IT System Administrator
Hathway Cable and Datacomm Pvt Limited
05.2005 - 03.2006
- Administered messaging platforms and directory services, including iPlanet, across 50+ servers for enterprise users.
- Supported backup operations for 25,000+ active users, keeping recovery processes organized and available.
- Monitored server availability and handled routine system maintenance to keep daily operations stable.
- Maintained directory access and account support for users across messaging and infrastructure environments.
- Contributed to backup reliability and storage continuity through consistent operational checks and issue follow-up.
Trainee Network Administrator
Silicon Interfaces Limited
09.2004 - 01.2005
- Managed LAN operations to keep day-to-day network services stable and responsive.
- Completed protocol upgrades to support network compatibility and continued service availability.
- Resolved level-1 and level-2 network issues, closing 85% of end-user issues through direct troubleshooting.
- Troubleshot end-user connectivity problems by isolating faults and restoring access quickly.
- Supported network operations by handling recurring service requests and issue follow-up.
Network Support Engineer
MicroSense India Pvt Limited
05.2004 - 09.2004
- Optimized enterprise Wi-Fi and network infrastructure at Taj Hotel sites, lifting user experience by 15%.
- Troubleshot Wi-Fi access issues and stabilized connectivity across hospitality locations.
- Supported WAN and LAN performance to keep network services available for site operations.
- Resolved network incidents and escalations quickly to minimize disruption for users.
- Documented support actions and configuration changes for smoother follow-up and maintenance.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics
Finolex Academy of Management & Technology (Mumbai University)
Ratnagiri01-2003
Skills
- Hybrid cloud (Azure, AWS)
- Private cloud
- SD-WAN transformation
- Zero trust architecture
- Identity & access management (IAM)
- Enterprise architecture
- Service delivery management
- Capacity planning
- Technology roadmap planning
- Incident management
- IT governance
- Program governance
- Change management
- Vendor management
- Risk management
Certification
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
Key Awards & Honors
PACE Award: Honoured for outstanding technical leadership during the S4/HANA Cloud transformation project., Birla Carbon Award: Recognized for executing ERP platform migration to Private Cloud., Senior Management Recognition: Awarded twice for leading complex datacenter migration initiatives.
Timeline
Head – IT Infrastructure
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited
11.2017 - Current
Head – Datacenter Operations
Birla Management Centre Services Limited
01.2011 - 11.2017
Operations Manager and Backup Lead
Wipro Infotech
03.2006 - 12.2010
IT System Administrator
Hathway Cable and Datacomm Pvt Limited
05.2005 - 03.2006
Trainee Network Administrator
Silicon Interfaces Limited
09.2004 - 01.2005
Network Support Engineer
MicroSense India Pvt Limited
05.2004 - 09.2004
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics
Finolex Academy of Management & Technology (Mumbai University)