POOJA SHRIRAM BIJARNIA
Summary
Strategic Executive Operations professional with 11.5+ years of experience providing high-level support to C-suite executives, global business leaders, and internationally renowned economists, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Prof. Abhijit Banerjee and Prof. Benjamin Olken at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). Expertise in executive operations, stakeholder management, executive communications, international travel, global event coordination, executive calendar management, AI-enabled productivity, and cross-functional collaboration. Proven ability to anticipate executive needs, manage competing priorities, and deliver operational excellence in fast-paced, high-performance environments requiring absolute discretion and exceptional organizational skills.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Assistant to Nobel Prize-winning Economist Prof. Abhijit Banerjee & Economist Prof. Benjamin Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
10.2024 - Current
- Provide strategic executive and operational support to Nobel Prize-winning economist Prof. Abhijit Banerjee and leading development economist Prof. Benjamin Olken, enabling the seamless execution of global academic, research, teaching, policy, and leadership commitments.
- Direct highly complex executive calendars across multiple time zones, balancing competing priorities involving research collaborations, keynote speeches, faculty responsibilities, media engagements, donor meetings, interviews, conferences, and student office hours.
- Serve as the principal liaison between the professors and senior stakeholders across globally recognized universities, research institutions, governments, NGOs, philanthropic foundations, policymakers, and international organizations.
- Coordinate executive engagements with institutions including MIT, Harvard University, J-PAL, BREAD, the World Bank, Save the Children, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), NBER, CEPR, UNU-WIDER, government ministries, policy institutes, and numerous other academic and international organizations.
- Plan and manage complex domestic and international travel, including multi-country itineraries, visas, accommodation, transportation, reimbursements, and last-minute schedule changes.
- Draft executive correspondence, invitations, briefing notes, recommendation requests, confidential communications, and executive documentation with exceptional professionalism and discretion.
- Lead end-to-end coordination of conferences, seminars, workshops, keynote engagements, faculty recruitment interviews, policy dialogues, research collaborations, board meetings, and executive-level virtual and in-person events.
- Manage executive expenses, reimbursements, procurement, invoices, and financial documentation in compliance with MIT policies.
- Anticipate executive needs, proactively resolve scheduling conflicts, optimize workflows, and maintain absolute confidentiality while supporting two internationally renowned economists whose work influences global economic policy and evidence-based decision-making.
- Partner with cross-functional teams across MIT, J-PAL, and external organizations to improve operational efficiency, standardize administrative processes, and ensure seamless continuity during transitions.
Executive Assistant to Global Sales Head
iMocha Inc.
10.2023 - 10.2024
- Partnered closely with the Global Sales Head, providing executive support across strategic planning, executive operations, calendar management, travel coordination, and cross-functional initiatives.
- Coordinated executive meetings with global clients, leadership teams, and internal stakeholders while managing competing priorities in a fast-paced SaaS environment.
- Prepared executive presentations, business reports, dashboards, and strategic communications supporting leadership decision-making.
- Managed international travel, executive correspondence, event logistics, and customer engagements.
- Collaborated across Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Product teams to drive operational alignment and strategic initiatives.
Executive Assistant to CEO
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited
01.2017 - 10.2023
- Supported executive office operations for senior leadership within one of India's largest telecommunications companies.
- Managed complex executive calendars, confidential communications, board-level meetings, travel, and executive priorities.
- Assisted in Annual Performance Review processes across multiple organizational levels.
- Leveraged AI-powered productivity tools and automation to streamline executive workflows and administrative operations.
- Coordinated executive events, leadership meetings, employee engagement initiatives, and strategic business activities while maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality.
Corporate Sales
GET SET GO Travel & Event Solutions
03.2015 - 01.2017
- Managed end-to-end corporate events and client engagements from proposal through execution.
- Built and maintained long-term relationships with enterprise clients while consistently delivering projects on time and within budget.
- Led sales initiatives, coordinated cross-functional teams, and developed market expansion strategies.
Sales Executive
Navnit Marine Pvt. Ltd.
11.2014 - 03.2015
- Managed relationships with high-net-worth clients, providing luxury yacht and marine solutions tailored to client requirements.
- Represented premium international brands and developed quarterly market strategies to support business growth in India.
Education
PG Program - Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Great Lakes Institute of Management
Mumbai05-2020
MBA - Marketing
Institute For Technology & Management
Mumbai06-2017
Bachelor of Management Studies -
Pillai College of Arts, Commerce & Science
Mumbai05-2014
Skills
- Executive Business Support
- Executive Operations
- Executive Calendar Management
- Stakeholder Management
- International Travel Coordination
- Executive Communications
- Strategic Planning
- Project management
- Event & Conference Management
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Confidential Information Management
- Expense Management
- Microsoft Office 365
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- AI Productivity Tools
- Zoom
- ChatGPT
- Gemini
Professional Highlights
- 11.5+ years supporting C-suite executives and internationally recognized academic leaders.
- Executive Assistant to Nobel Prize-winning economist Prof. Abhijit Banerjee and Prof. Benjamin Olken at MIT and J-PAL.
- Coordinated executive engagements with globally recognized institutions including MIT, Harvard University, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), BREAD, Save the Children, NBER, CEPR, government ministries, and numerous international research and policy organizations.
- Extensive experience managing international executive travel, keynote engagements, conferences, policy dialogues, executive communications, and stakeholder relationships.
- AI-certified professional with experience leveraging AI tools to improve executive productivity and operational efficiency.
- National Rifle Shooter representing Maharashtra, demonstrating discipline, precision, resilience, and performance under pressure.
Additional Information
National Rifle Shooter (Representing Maharashtra), Motivational Speaker, Sports Analyst & Presenter, Social Impact Volunteer
Projects
- Lucknow Super Giants (IPL 2022), Freelance Content Creator & Team Analyst
- Tokyo Olympics | Prasar Bharati – Doordarshan, Researcher | Producer | Sports Show Host
- Freelance, Sports Presenter | Sports Analyst | Event Host
- AAWAAZ Service Community, Brand Ambassador
Languages
- English
- Hindi
- Marathi
Timeline
Executive Assistant to Nobel Prize-winning Economist Prof. Abhijit Banerjee & Economist Prof. Benjamin Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
10.2024 - Current
Executive Assistant to Global Sales Head
iMocha Inc.
10.2023 - 10.2024
Executive Assistant to CEO
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited
01.2017 - 10.2023
Corporate Sales
GET SET GO Travel & Event Solutions
03.2015 - 01.2017
Sales Executive
Navnit Marine Pvt. Ltd.
11.2014 - 03.2015
PG Program - Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Great Lakes Institute of Management
MBA - Marketing
Institute For Technology & Management
Bachelor of Management Studies -
Pillai College of Arts, Commerce & Science