Meet Our Team
Prasanna Balasubramanian
Founder
Dr. Rajaram
Board Of Director
Dr. Sankaran
Honorary Advisor
Vikas C
Principal Advisor
Saravanan Manoharan
Principal Advisor
Why AKIRAH ?
Our comprehensive services encompass training and consulting in Human-Centered Design Thinking, innovation, Lean Six Sigma, Business Transformation, and Digital Transformation. We cater to diverse industries, ensuring tailored solutions to meet unique challenges and drive sustainable growth.
“ Unlock Solutions , Win Smiles “
Shifting from “ Thinking to Feeling “
Prasanna Balasubramanian
Founder
Leadership and Innovation
Design Innovation Leadership, Singapore University of Technology and Design
Academic Background
Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Electronics Communication
Postgraduate in International Business Strategy, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, India
Process Improvement and Quality Management
Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Indian Statistical Institute, India
Lean Expert, Nissan Production System – Value Up (Equivalent to Toyota Production System), trained by Japanese counterparts at Nissan
Auditing and Standards
Internal Auditor for ISO 20000 and CMMI – SVC, KPMG, India
ITIL v3 Certified, Axelos, India
Change Management and Automation
Certified Change Agent, UBS Academy – Lean Expert, Singapore
Certified Advanced Robotics Process Automation Professional, Automation Anywhere, Singapore
Work Fusion Academy Certified in Robotics Process Automation
Agile and Scrum Expertise
Certified Scrum Master, Scrum Alliance
Agile JIRA User
Dr. Rajaram
Board Of Director
Dr. Rajaram is an outcome and impact-driven strategic digital transformation leader with expertise in global outsourcing, delivery center management, innovation, and ecosystem creation. He is also a technologist, engineering coach, and researcher.
Roles Played
- Building and nurturing a startup ecosystem for exponential growth
- Convener and Head of FICCI Tamil Nadu Technology Panel
- President of Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) Chennai
- Strategic Advisor to SME companies including KritiLabs, Jayamscm Consultants, and Kriyatec
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Cyber Security and Privacy Foundation
- Mentor at IIT Madras e-cell
- Review Board Member of IJITCE (International Journal)
- Mentor at Stanford SEED SPARK program
Mr. Rajaram’s experience includes roles at large organizations such as Infosys (former Head of Innovation Culture Practice) and TCS, as well as boutique IT services companies. He has conceptualized and managed five products/platforms and holds a US patent for innovation farming in enterprises. He has also conceptualized, architected, and chaired international conferences, delivered keynotes, and published papers. His expertise spans innovation co-creation, MBNQA, Agile, CMMI, ISO, Blue Ocean Strategy, TRIZ, Six Sigma, Temenos T24, and SAP.
He is the author of a US patent on systematic innovation farming in enterprises.
Dr. Sankaran
Honorary Advisor
Dr. Sankaran has 28 years of experience in strategic quality management and process improvement, Sankaran V excels in building and benchmarking operational policies and processes aligned with organizational business models. At KPMG, he leads global delivery in the Business Excellence practice, providing advisory services on strategic operating model improvements using ISO, CMMI, People CMM frameworks, Voice of Customer, Agile transformation, and data science enablement.
Sankaran’s expertise includes:
Strategic Operating Models
Advising on and building operating models benchmarked against global standards.
Consulting and Training
Guiding organizations through transformation engagements, process benchmarking, and leadership training.
Quality Management
Designing SOP-based management systems and aligning internal quality audits with international standards.
He has worked across various industries, including manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, IT, education, banking, and finance, helping organizations design and assess processes according to globally recognized models. Sankaran has facilitated the development of management systems and conducted numerous workshops to align performance outcomes with business objectives.
Certifications
- CMMI Certified High Maturity Lead Appraiser & Instructor
- ITIL V3, COBIT 5 Foundation and Trainer Certified
- Six Sigma Green Belt Certified
- Qualified Assessor ISO 9001 (Cranfield University, UK)
- Emerging Leadership Program (ISB, Hyderabad)
- Leading Innovation Course (Stanford, Center for Professional Development)
- Trained in Statistical Process Control, Project Management, and Train the Trainers Course
Vikas C
Global Business Transformation & Operational Excellence
Principal Advisor
Vikas is a highly regarded ‘’Turnaround Specialist Leader” who have proven track-record of providing transformational leadership to revitalized underperforming operations and deliver >$2M annualized savings by optimising value stream mapping (VSM) for Fortune 500 companies like Becton Dickinson Inc. and subsidiary of Temasek Holdings companies i.e., Certis Cisco, and World’s most innovative organizations like Illumina Life Science Inc. Singapore.
With a strong footprint in the Asia-Pacific region, he has consistently spearheaded business transformation initiatives, optimized processes and delivered Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC) projects across diverse industries, including Technology Transfer, Manufacturing, Medical Devices, Life Sciences, IT & Finance Services, Consulting and Shared Services.
Core Expertise
Transformational Leadership (APAC) for Innovation & Future-Readiness
- 20+ years spearheading large-scale business transformations across APAC region
- Proven ability to align cross-functional teams (100+ members) toward strategic goals
- Proficient in Agile project management, tools (i.e., JIRA, Trello, Asana) and practices
- Change agent with track-record of driving 18-32% efficiency gains through cultural adoption of Lean/Six Sigma/ Agile methodologies
- Thought leader -Regular Kaizen/Agile workshop facilitator
End-to-End Process Excellence & Digital Transformation
- Built and scaled Centers of Excellence for core business processes
- Order to Cash (O2C) streamlining & error proofing
- Procure to Pay (P2P) automation & category management
- Hire to Exit (H2E) establishing On-boarding & Off-boarding processes
- Budget to Report (B2R) elimination of manual workarounds
- Comprehensive BPMN 2.0 process modelling (Lucid-chart/Visio)
- Instituted data-driven decision culture through real-time KPI dashboards (Power BI/Tableau)
- Coach -Developed next-gen leaders through Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Trainings
Stakeholder & Influence Management
- C-suite advisor -Translated technical improvements into executive-level business cases
- Vendor/partner strategist -Optimized third-party relationships for maximum ROI
- Cross-cultural leader -Successfully managed transformations across APAC countries
- Championed AI/automation initiatives to future-proof operations
Education & Credentials
MBA (Distinction) –University of Strathclyde, UK
B.Eng (Hons) –University of Glasgow, UK
Certifications
- Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt)
- Agile
- PMP
- BE framework
- ISO 9001 Internal Auditor
- Financial Acumen
- Trained Facilitator
Awards & Recognition
- Business Excellence Award
- Spot Award
- Master Scholarship Recipient
- Service Delivery Champion
Leadership Style
Hands-on strategist” who combines big-picture vision with ground-level execution expertise, fostering high-performance cultures through empowerment and measurable accountability.
Saravanan Manoharan
Chief Technology Officer,
Akirah Consultancy
Saravanan Manoharan is a dynamic “Innovation-Driven Technology Leader” with over 22 years of cross-industry experience architecting and executing cutting-edge digital, AI and process transformation strategies. Known for his ability to translate complex technology visions into business impact, Saravanan has successfully led transformative initiatives that optimized operations, enhanced compliance, and unlocked new revenue streams for large enterprises and high-growth organizations alike.
With a strong footprint across India and the Asia-Pacific region, Saravanan has championed AI-driven projects—including pioneering vision algorithms to solve real-world problems in the construction industry—while driving strategic alignment across IT, compliance, marketing, and operations. His leadership has consistently delivered measurable outcomes: operational efficiencies, digital maturity, and innovation readiness.
Core Expertise
Digital & AI Transformation
- Conceptualized and deployed AI/ML solutions for process automation, predictive analytics and real-time monitoring
- Championed digital roadmaps to enable data-driven decision-making
- Implemented vision-based AI to improve safety and productivity in construction
Cross-Functional Leadership
- 22+ years managing diverse portfolios spanning IT, operations, compliance, marketing and business strategy
- Proven ability to lead large, multicultural teams and vendor ecosystems across APAC
- Expertise in balancing strategic objectives with operational execution
Process Excellence & Change Management
- Process Excellence & Change Management
- Advocate of Lean, Six Sigma, Agile methodologies to drive cultural and process transformation
- Designed and implemented dashboards and reporting frameworks to foster transparency and accountability
Innovation & Future-Readiness
- Early adopter of emerging technologies to unlock competitive advantage
- Built Centers of Excellence to scale best practices and institutionalize innovation
- Passionate about coaching next-generation leaders through structured training and mentorship
Education & Credentials
B.Tech – National Institute of Technology Warangal (NITW)
Certifications
- Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt)
- Agile & Project Management methodologies
- ISO Standards & Compliance
Awards & Recognition
- Recognized among the 10 Most Inspiring CIOs in India
- Consistently awarded for excellence in service delivery and leadership