Ramani Natarajan

adbwei@r.postjobfree.com 312-***-**** Chicago, IL

Strategic Thinker Data Science Leader Educator

PROFILE

I am a solutions architect with a blend of skills in Business Management, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, and Philosophy with a proven ability to apply techniques from machine learning, artificial intelligence, econometrics, software engineering, and business strategy. I have worked in the US, Europe, and Asia for conglomerates as well as in start-ups.

Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence

Forecasting and Optimization

Project and Program Management

Solution Design from ideation to deployment

Technical Competence: MATLAB, Python, R, SQL, C, Scala, Google Cloud Platform, Tableau, Dataiku, KNIME

EDUCATION

MS, Computer Science, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

Electives at the Booth School of Business

Reached the final round of the Chicago Booth New Venture Challenge as a member of an interdisciplinary team marketing an Argonne National Labs bio-informatics product

BA – Physics and English, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL, USA

Executed multiple independent research projects on Elementary Particle Physics and General Gravitation

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Certificate, Data Science and Big Data Analytics: Making Data Driven Decisions, XPro

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Manager, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Capgemini, Chicago, IL, USA 04/2018 – 01/2020

Capgemini is a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, offering an array of integrated professional services combining top-of-the-range technology with deep industry expertise

Developed a strategic plan for a manufacturing client in Mexico City, for an Analytics Center of Excellence

Promoted into production, a time series model for a global Fast Service Restaurant using R, and R-Markdown

Created a successful set of models to track an invoice from creation to payment using Random Forest implementation in Python. Used Time Series for forecasting inventory consumption using Python

Built an end-to-end solution incorporating elements of the Azure cloud, and the data science life-cycle to guide client to transition from on-premise operations to the cloud and convert legacy models to open source platforms

Sourced, interviewed and recruited candidates for the Capgemini Data Science & Artificial Intelligence practice as well as for the Capgemini corporation

Implemented processes for data governance comprising of data discovery, issue resolution, and quality control

Wrote Request for Information (“RFI”), Request for Proposals (“RFP”), and Statements of Work (“SOW”)

Created partnerships networked with universities that offer programs in quantitative sciences

Mentored and managed careers of junior data science team members

Teaching Assistant - Grader, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA 01/2019 – 04/2019

Coach graduate students in The Department of Computer Science, on skills needed for successful software engineering like planning, requirements gathering, testing, and managing workflows. The focus is on the tension between traditional plan-driven top-down approaches and adaptive agile techniques

Senior Consultant, Data Science, Clarity Insights, Chicago, IL, USA 07/2017 – 02/2018

Clarity Insights is the largest consulting company in the US that focuses exclusively on data strategy, engineering, science and visualization

Helped client set up an Analytics Center of Excellence by hiring and training a team of data scientists and visualization engineers

Developed and automated a ‘First Contact Resolution’ solution for a call center by modeling survey data and speech-to-text data using Natural Language Processing ("NLP") and text mining

Tested, refactored, and industrialized a Fraud Waste and Abuse application

Senior Principal Consultant, Data Science, 3DResults, Naperville, IL, USA 01/2017 – 05/2018

3DResults delivers solutions to organizations to enhance the execution of their business and human capital strategies.

Developed Regression and Tree Models in R to predict the causes of talent churn that is a cause for concern for HR

Ensured operation readiness at scale for the churn models by using the Birst ecosystem

Leveraged R-Shiny to create interactive visualizations

Instructor, Data Analytics and Data Science, General Assembly, Chicago, IL, USA 09/2016 – 12/2016

General Assembly is a pioneer in education and career transformation, specializing in today’s most in-demand skills.

Prepared and delivered lessons in data analytics to adult learners

Transformed participants into adept users of analytics tools and techniques

Enhanced participants’ understanding of the data science and predictive analytics culture

Designed, set expectations, and graded projects imitating real-world scenarios

Coached participants to create capstone projects of their choosing while following the CRISP-DM methodology

Imparted knowledge and expertise of techniques in statistics, advanced excel, Tableau, Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) including SQL, and Macros

Led the class through mock interviews and data science quizzes

Consultant, Slalom, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA 03/2015 – 07/2016

Slalom Inc. designs and builds strategies and systems to help clients solve some of their most complex and interesting business challenges.

Spanned all functions from business development, practice development and delivery

Member of the Modern Data Architecture ("MDA") and Advanced Analytics (“AA”) communities in the Information Management & Analytics ("IM&A") service

Transitioned a global insurance company from legacy systems to Hadoop data lake as part of a multimillion-dollar program

Built data marts for a leading Anglo-American pharmaceutical company

Formed strategic business alliances and go-to-market strategies with MapR and Hortonworks

Developed content, design and published the Advanced Analytics monthly newsletter

Developed and delivered learning tutorials for topics in Big Data, specifically Hive, HDFS, and Spark

Successfully guided a University of Chicago MS-Analytics team through a Capstone project in marketing analytics for a non-profit partner

Invited speaker at the inaugural TensorFlow meetup in Chicago

Manager, Advanced Analytics, West Monroe Partners LLC, Chicago, IL, USA 06/2013 – 12/2014

West Monroe Partners is a team of business and technical experts consulting in industries undergoing profound change to help businesses solve their most complex challenges enabling them to adapt, shift gears and thrive.

Beta tested AzureML, the Microsoft Cloud-based machine learning software. Was one of the few chosen teams worldwide

Built a Microsoft Azure environment in Hong Kong to host client data from a clinical study to study the effect of smoking and pollution on respiratory health

Used Clustering to identify the top ten factors leading to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (“COPD”)

Devised a Master Data Management ("MDM") strategy and implemented a Business Intelligence (BI) reporting solution for a major utility, as part of a USD 12.5MM cross-functional team

Closely helped Hortonworks to develop and fine-tune their machine learning training program

Assisted in marketing, sales and business development in Pharmaceuticals, Retail, Insurance, Banking, and Utilities industries

Negotiated with client to develop staffing and pricing models, Statements of Work (“SOW”), and other project related artifacts

Leveraged various corporate alliances with Microsoft, Hortonworks, and Tableau to increase reach to potential clients, training on new technologies and other joint programs

Founding member of the Lean Center of Excellence ("LCOE") to develop a standardized firm-wide approach to manage projects

Engagement Manager, Mu Sigma, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA 04/2012 – 04/2013

Mu Sigma, Inc. headquartered in Chicago USA, is a leading provider of decision sciences and analytics solutions to help companies institutionalize data-driven decision making.

Supported a USD 10 MM client account portfolio by developing and maintaining client relationships

Led a thirty strong cross-functional team co-located in the US, India, and Europe, composed of IT architects, data modelers, analytics subject matter experts

Delivered a multi-year marketing analytics & business intelligence project to a Fortune 5 pharmaceutical client by using technologies like Teradata and QlikView

Evangelized Mu Sigma’s vision and mission as a data driven, analytics partner

Senior Operations Manager, Knowledge Insights, Infosys Ltd, Pune, India 08/2008 – 03/2012

Infosys Ltd., headquartered in Bangalore, India, provides Business Process Management services to organizations worldwide

Consultatively guided clients to successfully streamline their business processes related to Analytics and Business Intelligence

Helped a global fashion retailer with an analytics pricing study using SAS

Built an OLAP reporting service resting on an Infosys built data warehouse, for an insurance conglomerate

Coached a UK Telecom provider, to adhere to best practices while setting up a BI reporting factory. This effort contributed to client substantially expanding its partnership with Infosys.

Coordinated the response from the Analytics & BI as part of a team responding to a USD 160 MM RFP for end2end solutions from IT support to consulting.

Critical part of various cross functional business development & sales teams selling services worth 100+ million USD.

Developed, implemented, delivered training programs and built a Learning & Development framework in the Knowledge Insights Group for a multinational CPG manufacturer

Director, Client Solutions, Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, USA 04/2006 – 07/2008

IRI provides global consumer-driven enterprise management solutions using market information and analytic insights for clients in the CPG and Retail industries in the US and Europe.

Grew business over 103% of goal in nine months of 2006 with a portfolio of around twenty clients in diverse business segments, from a private label pharmacy manufacturer to a major greeting card company

Synthesized services from Analytics, Panel, and Point-Of-Sale sub-practices, to deliver insights to clients’ business scenarios and built custom hierarchical databases

Created and managed long-term, solution-focused relationships across multiple accounts exceeding USD 3 MM across all levels within Market Research, marketing and sales; an 8% increase in portfolio over year ago

Worked with global teams in India, Europe, and US to exchange best practices and leverage each business unit’s strengths to maximize insights gleaned from IRI data

Senior Manager, Global Client Solutions Group, Information Resources Inc., - Global Operations Center, Symphony Services, Bangalore, India 02/2003 – 04/2006

Symphony Services, now called SymphonyGenpact, is a Knowledge Process Outsourcer hosting multiple Global Operations Centers in software development, business analytics and cost management.

Coordinated description on outsourcing and functions of the IRI Global Operations Center in response to an RFP from a Fortune5 US CPG company, contributing to contract renewal

Obtained Symphony Capability Maturity Model Integration ("CMMI") Level 4 certification

Built the delivery team to provide services for 35+ clients by establishing work culture, developing organization structure, defining roles and responsibilities, and professional and personal career goals

Planned and implemented aggressive recruiting, hiring and training strategies to grow the team from 15 to 130 in eight months focusing on Analytics and BI skill sets with domain expertise

Championed Six Sigma projects for quality improvements

Set expectations, communication, negotiation, feedback and escalation among all stakeholders

Identified and managed local and global project risks and issues while developing local best practices.

Collaborated with IRI. process owners and stakeholders in the US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, and Italy to transition marketing intelligence knowledge to Symphony Services

Deliver price/promotion and market segmentation studies using SAS

Reinforced the value proposition and ROI of Business Intelligence & Analytics based upon the strategic value of key client business drivers in the Retail and CPG industries like customer acquisition, retention, lifetime value, cross-sell, up-sell, channel preferences, customer satisfaction and loyalty, campaign management

Founded the Symphony Services Newsletter to facilitate knowledge sharing across the organization

Home Store Manager, Saks Fifth Avenue., Schaumburg, IL, USA 10/1995 – 06/2001

Established in 1854, Carson Pirie Scott, a subsidiary of Saks, Inc. operated over one hundred stores in a highly competitive global retail environment.

Achieved sales growth of 102% by assessing future trends, increasing product turnover, controlling costs, inventory and increasing customer satisfaction

Launched a new store in the Woodfield Mall shopping area

Recruited, hired, mentored and developed a 15 to 25 strong diverse team

Managed customer satisfaction, profits, gross margin and turnover

Creatively implemented pricing and marketing strategies

Managed vendor relationships to assist in merchandising, inventory replenishment and training

Turned around the performance of the Home Store departments by re-designing and implementing a client focused culture

Reduced employee turnover by implementing performance management practices

Merchandising Team Lead, Target Stores, Milwaukee, WI, USA 08/1994 – 10/1995

The nucleus of Target Corporation’s retail empire, Target Stores operates over 1500 discount retail stores offering upscale and fashion-forward merchandise.

Managed inventory, replenishment, increased business growth and customer service in Electronics, Housewares, Textiles, Stationery and Luggage departments

Developed a team of thirteen employees, including four Leads

VOLUNTEER COMMITMENTS

Functional Consultant, Statistics Without Borders

Docent, The Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL, USA, 2016 to present

Emeritus Director, Alumni Board of Chicago, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2015 to present

ACTIVITIES

INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences), American Statistical Association, Mathematical Association of America; Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Chicago Architecture Center, Alumni Activities, Archery, Chess, Soccer

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