Industry Connect      

What leadership lessons emerge from driving product-first transformations?

4 October 2025 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | CMRIT Campus, Marathalli, Bengaluru

In this Industry Connect session, Kiran B R, Vice President of Product & Engineering at Rakuten, will delve into the leadership lessons gained from steering organizations through product-first transformations. With over 25 years of experience spanning AI/ML, SaaS, platform engineering, and semiconductors, Kiran brings a rare dual lens of product and technology leadership.


He will share how challenges—ranging from shifting legacy engineering mindsets to aligning global cross-functional teams—become powerful catalysts for building stronger, more resilient leaders. Through real-world stories, Kiran will unpack how failures, setbacks, and roadblocks can be transformed into opportunities that drive empathy, clarity, and long-term impact.

The session will also explore how embedding customer-centricity, unifying product and engineering priorities, and fostering trust-driven cultures are essential to scaling outcomes in today’s fast-evolving digital landscape.
 

​3 Key Takeaways:
  • ​Navigating the hurdles of organizational transformation.
  • Turning challenges into opportunities for leadership growth.
  • Building alignment across product, engineering, and GTM functions.
**Please Note: If attending in person is not feasible, please register to join the session live via Zoom

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Have Questions?
Reach a Career Counsellor at 080-4710-6006

   Speaker

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Kiran B R
VP of Product & Engineering

Rakuten

Kiran B R is a product and technology leader with over 25 years of experience across AI/ML, SaaS, semiconductors, and platform engineering. As Vice President of Product & Engineering at Rakuten, he drives large-scale transformations in enterprise observability and telecom infrastructure, embedding customer-centricity and uniting product, engineering, and GTM functions to scale global impact.

 

An ex-founder and 0→1 builder, Kiran has successfully led ventures in consumer-tech and digital media, alongside leadership roles at Texas Instruments, Philips, and Simpa Networks. He has consistently transformed engineering-heavy teams into outcome-driven, product-first organizations while positioning India’s GCCs as global product innovation hubs.

 

Passionate about human-centered AI and platform thinking, Kiran is recognized for his clarity, empathy, and builder’s mindset. He continues to inspire teams and leaders to embrace resilience, cross-functional alignment, and value-driven product leadership.

 
 

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Industry Connect: Leadership Lessons from Product-First Transformations