Chaitanya Shahare, Head of Products - TKYC at Perfios has been recognized as Nationwide Awards Under 40 Entrepreneurs & Industry Experts - 2024 in Product & Growth Category

Chaitanya Shahare, Head of Products - TKYC at Perfios, is a passionate and certified product management professional, acknowledged for his agile expertise as a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) and Professional Scrum Master (CSM), boasting over 15 years of experience in the dynamic realm of digital products and services. He has served as a Group Product Manager and Head Digital Transformation, showcasing leadership in driving cross-functional teams towards optimizing PnL and achieving robust business results.

With a diverse background encompassing digital transformation, product management, marketing, and analytics, Chaitanya Shahare brings a solid foundation to his current role in the fintech industry. His educational qualifications include a B. Tech in Production Engineering from VJTI, Mumbai University, and an MBA (PGDM) in Strategy and Finance from IIM Calcutta. His professional journey commenced in IT product marketing in Dubai, followed by an entrepreneurial venture in digital marketing and branding. Subsequently, he held significant positions at ICICI Bank, IIFL Securities, Indiabulls Securities, Kotak Life Insurance, and SBI General Insurance, where he spearheaded pivotal digital initiatives and fostered innovation.

Currently, Chaitanya's focus lies in driving revenue growth, profitability, and product innovation while prioritizing collaboration, data-driven decisions, ethical practices, and user-centric development. He leads strategic oversight of a portfolio with an annual revenue exceeding INR 1.35 Billion, managing products and microservices APIs across four product lines. His leadership extends to leading international cross-functional teams in designing, developing, launching, and enhancing world-class APIs and products, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and client requirements. 

Chaitanya Shahare's relentless dedication to digital product management has consistently driven innovation, operational efficiency, and impactful results throughout his career. His adaptability to fast-paced environments has been instrumental in reaching milestones and propelling business growth. He remains committed to leading and innovating in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Regarding his leadership style, Chaitanya prioritizes collaboration, adaptability, and results as Head of Products. By aligning over 160 team members around a clear vision and emphasizing cross-functional collaboration and open communication, he fosters successful product outcomes. His leadership principles revolve around data-driven decisions, adaptability, and a user-centric approach, ensuring seamless collaboration among engineering, design, and marketing departments.

In prioritizing features and improvements in the product roadmap, Chaitanya employs a meticulous process focusing on customer-centricity, business goals alignment, data-driven insights, technical feasibility, and stakeholder input. He emphasizes a balance between user needs, business objectives, and regulatory compliance to maximize value for users and drive product success.

Ethics and responsible technology play a pivotal role in Chaitanya's product development process. He prioritizes ethical considerations, including user privacy, inclusivity, and responsible AI and ML practices, from ideation to execution. Collaboration with like-minded organizations ensures alignment with industry best practices, contributing to a more ethical digital landscape.

Drawing from his professional experiences, Chaitanya emphasizes prioritizing customers, effective collaboration, a growth mindset, data-driven decisions, ethical product development, effective communication, innovation with execution, and continuous learning. He views setbacks as opportunities for improvement and encourages aspiring product leaders to celebrate successes and learn from failures, guiding them on their career journeys.