Strategic Demand Planning leader with a proven record of building enterprise-wide forecasting and planning capabilities that enable smarter, faster, and data-driven decisions. Currently driving Target Corporation’s Demand Planning transformation for Essentials and Beauty businesses, supporting $37B in annual sales. Combines deep expertise in statistical forecasting, machine learning enablement, and cross-functional collaboration to elevate planning maturity, accuracy, and adoption. Recognized for developing scalable frameworks that align business, analytics, and technology strategies to deliver measurable financial and operational outcomes.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
2
2
Certifications
3
3
Languages
Work History
Senior Manager – Demand Planning
TARGET CORPORATION INDIA PVT LTD
10.2023 - Current
Built and institutionalized Target’s first enterprise Demand Planning capability supporting $37.1B in annual sales across the Essentials and Beauty portfolio.
Defined the vision, structure, and roadmap for long-range and promotional forecasting; led a team of 12 planners to establish governance, KPI frameworks (WMPAE, bias, in-stock), and process routines.
Enabled data-driven purchasing and positioning decisions that optimized working capital and improved on-shelf availability across 1,900+ stores and digital channels.
Championed the Future Forecast Validation model, improving forecast accuracy by 12% YoY and cutting weekly validation effort by 6+ hours.
Partnered with Merchandising, Supply Chain, and Data Science to deploy ML-based demand simulation models that sustained 98% on-shelf availability during key events (Back-to-School, Black Friday).
Institutionalized Forecast Value Add (FVA) and Forecast Accuracy Review (FAR) frameworks to drive continuous learning, planner accountability, and system adoption.
Steered the product strategy and roadmap for enterprise Demand Planning capabilities, ensuring alignment with business priorities and scalability objectives.
Owned the design and enhancement of forecasting model ensembles, optimizing seasonal and promotional performance through collaboration with Data Science and Engineering.
Orchestrated delivery of ML-driven workflows transforming manual processes into automated, insight-led planning systems, accelerating decision agility and planner productivity.
Led global pilots and scaled change management to ensure enterprise adoption, standardization, and readiness for future expansion.
Served as the enterprise advocate for planner-centric product design, influencing technology investment decisions and roadmap prioritization.
Directed a global team of 40 demand planners delivering end-to-end Demand Planning and Consulting services to a Fortune 500 Tobacco Industry client.
Implemented digital Demand Sensing solutions (E2DP) across 70+ markets, improving accuracy by over 10% and driving agile response to market volatility.
Established KPI governance and reporting frameworks to monitor accuracy, bias, and planner effectiveness across regional teams.
Delivered executive dashboards and analytics automation via Power BI ensuring data integrity, process transparency, and action-oriented insights.
Conducted Forecast Value Add (FVA) analysis to pinpoint performance opportunities, leading corrective actions, and standardizing best practices across geographies.
Partnered with global Supply Chain, Finance, and IT to align end-to-end planning efficiency and digital enablement initiatives.
Key Achievements
Recipient of 'Autograph with Excellence – Planning' (Q2 2025) for establishing Target’s enterprise Demand Planning capability across Essentials and Beauty.
Delivered ~12% YoY improvement in forecast accuracy through advanced validation model deployment and forecasting automation.
Recognized for co-developing product implementation roadmap benchmarked against leading global planning practices.
Management Intern – Supply Chain Analytics
Sun Pharmaceuticals Ltd
05.2019 - 07.2019
Partnered with the Supply Chain Strategy & Analytics team to design a cost optimization model and automate inventory replenishment, reducing safety stock levels without compromising service performance.
Senior Associate – Data Analytics & Operations
CRISIL LTD
02.2015 - 07.2018
Performed research and audit of Corporate and Government Bonds, Structured Finance instruments, and market ratings performance.
Led process improvement and automation initiatives using FMEA and VBA, reducing manual reporting effort and enhancing data reliability.
Created financial performance dashboards and analytics deliverables to support credit rating operations and client reporting.
Education
MBA - Analytics
Welingkar Institute of Management
Mumbai
01.2020
Masters - Commerce
Mumbai University
01.2016
Bachelors - Commerce
Mumbai University
01.2014
12th - undefined
R.A. Podar College of Commerce & Economics
Maharashtra
01.2011
10th - undefined
Udayachal High School
Maharashtra
01.2009
Skills
Demand Planning & Forecasting
Certification
Python for Time Series Analysis
Interests
Playing Cricket
Football (Represented Maharashtra in National Football Championship, 2009-10)
Internship
Sun Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Management Intern – Supply Chain Analytics, 2019-05-01, 2019-07-31, Partnered with the Supply Chain Strategy & Analytics team to design a cost optimization model and automate inventory replenishment, reducing safety stock levels without compromising service performance.