Debarag Banerjee
Chief AI & Data Officer | Stanford PhD | AI Innovation for Global Enterprises | Fintech | 15 Patents | Ex-Intel, Samsung | Successful Tech Entrepreneur -Avnera, WiViu
MachinAnimus•San Francisco Bay Area
View LinkedIn ProfileExecutive Overview
AI is not merely a technology; it's the fundamental catalyst for reimagining business models, unlocking unprecedented value, and solving humanity's most complex challenges. A Stanford PhD and a seasoned C-suite executive with over 25 years of experience, I have invented key technologies that unlocked entire businesses (15 patents), harnessed the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence to redefine several industries (finance, telecom, e-commerce, fashion, computing, consumer electronics), drive substantial business value ($10B+), and solve complex global challenges (US, SE Asia, Israel, India). My career has been dedicated to pioneering AI-driven innovation, from founding and successfully exiting two tech startups (Avnera and WiViu) to leading large-scale AI transformations at global enterprises like L&T Finance, Intel, Booking Holdings, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Philips, Flipkart (acquired by Walmart), and Jio. With a "zero-to-one" entrepreneurial mindset, I thrive on building and scaling high-impact AI solutions from concept to reality. My journey includes: - Chief AI & Data Officer at L&T Finance, spearheading the AI-driven transformation of a ~$10B AUM lending business, including "Project Cyclops," an award-winning 3D credit risk engine that boosted underwriting quality by 2X, and "KAI," a multilingual Generative AI un-chatbot. - Global Head of Data Science & AI at Agoda, led a team of 49 scientists across 20+ high-impact AI projects (GenAI, Pricing, Personalization), driving a >20% increase in bookings. - VP & Head of AI at Myntra (Flipkart), pioneered the use of Gen AI in fashion design, reducing time-to-market by 3-4 months and achieving 66% higher gross margins for AI-designed private labels. - During Jio's hyper-growth phase (0 to 137M subscribers in 7 months), as SVP Data Science & AI, I led the development of a petabyte-scale AI platform powering over 200 applications for 3,000+ users. - Through my consultancy MachinAnimus, I developed bespoke AI/ML solutions, including an enterprise LLM chatbot that reduced customer support time by ~15% for a multi-billion dollar networking company. - Earlier, at TEOCO, I orchestrated the turnaround of a loss-making AI unit into the company's most profitable growth engine. I am driven by the conviction that AI, when ethically and strategically deployed, is the cornerstone of future business success and societal progress. I am always keen to connect with fellow innovators, leaders, and organizations looking to explore the frontiers of AI and build a technologically advanced future. US Citizen
Career Timeline
- L&T FinanceCurrentApr 2024–Present· 2 yrs 5 mos
- Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence OfficerCurrentApr 2024–Present
- MachinAnimusCurrentMar 2019–Present· 7 yrs 6 mos
- Chief Artificial Intelligence (AI)CurrentMar 2019–Present
- Nov 2023–Apr 2024· 5 mos
- Head of AI and Voice EngineeringNov 2023–Apr 2024
- 2020–Oct 2022· 2 yrs 9 mos
- Global Head of Data Sciences and Machine Learning2020–Oct 2022
- Feb 2018–Dec 2019· 1 yr 10 mos
- Vice President and Head of AI MyntraFeb 2018–Dec 2019
- Feb 2015–Feb 2018· 3 yrs
- Senior Vice President, Head of Data ScienceFeb 2015–Feb 2018
- Sep 2012–Feb 2015· 2 yrs 5 mos
- Director of Technology and ProductsSep 2012–Feb 2015
- Oct 2009–Sep 2012· 2 yrs 11 mos
- Chief Executive OfficerOct 2009–Sep 2012
- 2006–2009· 3 yrs
- Principal, Architect2006–2009
- 2003–2006· 3 yrs
- Founder and Director, Engineering2003–2006
Education
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Stanford UniversityMaster of Science - MS
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
The University of Tennessee Health Science CenterBTech
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur