E-Procurement Playbook, Chapter 4: Researching and Shortlisting the Best E-Procurement Partners

A Luminary Entrepreneur with Decades of Diverse Experience

With over forty years traversing the domains of traditional brick & mortar businesses and the burgeoning digital arena, Suhrid Shah's entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of remarkable. His profound expertise in the spheres of manufacturing and trading has endowed him with unparalleled insights into the nuances of the buy & sell ecosystem.

Suhrid's contributions aren't confined to just traditional businesses. He boasts over two decades of immersion in the B2B SaaS platform world, amplifying the digitization of procurement processes by harnessing his foundational experiences. His aptitude for decoding intricate challenges and molding them into lucid requirements positions him as a venerated thought leader in his domain.

Hallmarks of Suhrid Shah's Journey:

• 1984: Spearheaded a monumental achievement by pioneering the introduction of the Cylinder, a crucial engine component, for a premier automobile brand in India. This venture was realized in collaboration with the renowned Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
• 1990: Elevated industry standards by steering his company to be the first in India to secure the ISO 9002 certification for Chemical Trading
• 2000: Orchestrated the launch of an avant-garde B2B marketplace for chemical transactions, seeking technological guidance from IISc, Bangalore.
• 2005: Rolled out VENDX, a state-of-the-art B2B SaaS solution dedicated to modernizing procurement processes, in partnership with a top-tier Fortune 500 MNC.
• 2013: Celebrated for his innovation, being conferred with the title of 'Most Innovative SME of the Year.
• 2016 & 2017: Secured the distinguished CIO Choice Award under the 'Best Procurement Solution' category.
• 2020: Garnered the 'Procurement Solution of the Year' accolade, an honor presented by Nasscom.

Suhrid Shah's career, punctuated with pioneering ventures and prestigious recognitions, serves as a beacon of inspiration for many in the entrepreneurial realm, especially those navigating the procurement landscape.

Shashwat is a dynamic business leader with nearly a decade of experience in Product Management, Marketing Analytics, Business Strategy, and Digital Transformation. As COO at MavenVista, he leads strategic growth, operational excellence, and enterprise product innovation, building resilient, data-driven systems that enhance efficiency and drive measurable business impact. With a PGDM from the prestigious Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, Shashwat applies agile methodologies, cross-functional leadership, and customer-centric decision-making to optimize pricing models, scale product-led growth, and strengthen market positioning. Previously, he drove global business expansion through data-driven product strategies, market research, and client success initiatives. Known for his oratory skills and executive presence, he has led thought leadership initiatives, coaching teams in product innovation, analytics, and strategic marketing.

At MavenVista, he is dedicated to advancing procurement technology and fostering a culture of innovation, resilience, and digital transformation.

Ajitabh Sood

With over 32 years of experience, Ajitabh is a respected professional in the realms of e-procurement, strategic purchasing, and supply chain management. His journey is marked by a commitment to delivering value and fostering growth while staying grounded in practical approaches and continuous learning.

Ajitabh's career spans various organizations, each contributing to his growth and expertise in the field. From his tenure as the Asst. Executive Director (Commercial) at Dalmia Bharat Limited, where he managed group-level procurement and spearheaded e-sourcing initiatives, to his role as the Vice President (SCM Services) at Corbus India Pvt. Ltd., focusing on strategic supply chain management and client relationship management, Ajitabh has honed his skills in diverse environments.

Throughout his journey, Ajitabh has displayed exemplary leadership, fostering collaborative environments and empowering teams to achieve collective success. Whether it was leading e procurement operations at Aegis Limited, overseeing procurement outsourcing projects, or managing vendor relationships at Ballarpur Industries Ltd., Ajitabh's leadership style has been characterized by humility, empathy, and a genuine interest in the growth of his teams.

Ajitabh's client-centric approach has been a hallmark of his career, driving sustainable growth and long-term partnerships. From managing client relationships at Ariba India Pvt. Ltd. to delivering exceptional e procurement service at Wipro Ltd., Ajitabh has consistently prioritized understanding client needs and delivering tailored solutions that add value over time.

His commitment to continuous improvement and lifelong learning has been evident throughout his career. From implementing process improvements at IMO Communications Pvt. Ltd. initially to driving efficiency gains at LML Scooters Ltd., Ajitabh has remained dedicated to staying updated with the latest trends and best practices in procurement and supply chain management.

Ajitabh is a Mechanical Engineer and holds a Master of Science in Consultancy Management from Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences (BITS), Pilani. He continues to invest in his professional development through various training programs, reflecting his commitment to growth and self-improvement.

Ajitabh Sood's journey in e-procurement and strategic purchasing is a testament to his humility, dedication, and commitment to delivering value. His diverse experience across organizations, coupled with his leadership skills and client-centric approach, has earned him respect and admiration in the industry, making him a trusted partner for organizations seeking to enhance their procurement practices and drive sustainable growth.

Advisory Board

Raj Parekh, a distinguished technology enthusiast hailing from Silicon Valley, brings his unparalleled expertise in Technology, Strategy, and Management to guide and shape MavenVista’s future endeavors.

With an illustrious career, Raj has held pivotal roles including CTO at Sun Microsystems Inc. and Vice President at Silicon Graphics Inc. He has also embarked on a successful entrepreneurial journey, where he ingeniously orchestrated the sale of several ventures to top-tier US companies, including renowned names like VMware Partners.

Raj’s advisory footprint extends to global giants like SAP, where he contributed his insights on Strategy, System Architecture, and the monumental 100TB HANA in-memory system.

Presently, Raj serves on the advisory boards of cutting-edge companies specializing in Data Management, Analytics, AI, and Machine Learning.

In his role at MavenVista, Raj will be an active advisor, enriching the value we deliver to our esteemed customers. His guidance will steer us toward crafting optimal product paths and strategic positioning, ensuring unparalleled growth and value creation for our customers.

Executive Consultant

Bringing with him over 25 years of unparalleled experience, Jay Parekh's impact has been felt across numerous industries, including Enterprise Software, HealthTech, FoodTech, EdTech, AI, IoT, and IT. His depth and breadth of knowledge has made him a sought-after expert and leader in each domain.

At Oracle, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer & VP Architecture, Jay played an instrumental role in guiding corporate strategies, product direction, and M&A pursuits. Under his leadership, Oracle's Cloud & Enterprise Management Business achieved a commendable milestone, surpassing $1B in revenue.

Tech powerhouses such as HP and Jasper (Cisco) have sought Jay's counsel on subjects ranging from AI and IoT to analytics and cloud management. His contributions have shaped their marketing, technology adoption, and corporate expansion paths, particularly in M&A strategies.

Jay's career is a tapestry of commendable achievements. He has not only launched and amplified corporate programs to billion-dollar successes but also has showcased his innovative spirit in Silicon Valley. There, he established and steered software startups, introducing transformative solutions to the market. Beyond these endeavors, Jay's influence has been felt as a Venture Partner, Strategy Consultant, M&A Adviser, and Board Member for several organizations.

A proud graduate of the University of Michigan, Jay's Master's in Computer Science stands as evidence of his technical mastery and deep-rooted understanding of the digital realm.

Mentor

Sekhar, was previously the Managing Director of Bayer Vapi Private Limited, a Bayer Group Company. He comes with a rich experience of nearly 40 years in top MNCs and Industrial powerhouses and has a stellar record of being a People’s leader. Apart from a strong commercial and operational track record, Sekhar has been a passionate procurement and supply chain professional and brings in a rare combination of domain expertise and digital thinking.

Sekhar is actively mentoring the leadership team at MavenVista for charting and implementing strategic plans for growing Mavenvista to the next level so that it becomes a respected brand globally over the next few years.

Infra Maven

Nilesh comes with a strong background in cloud computing including aws & openstack cloud. he also is the consulting partner of amazon web services (aws) & redhat business partner. he has over 16 years of extensive experience in managing & administration of 700+ linux servers for 70+ leading organizations, including leading institutes like iim – a, tcs, gandhinagar, jmc projects, cera india ensures best infrastructure management of mavenvista to deliver highly secure and robust infrastructure.

IT Maven

Ashay is instrumental in building and deploying complex projects on the internet and wireless space. He is actively involved in strategizing, conceptualization, team building, hands-on implementation and operations of technical initiatives. Ashay is CTO & Co-founder at Vserv and spearheads the technology and product development functions. He has also worked at Yahoo as a Software Engineer.

Procurement Maven

Ravind was a Partner & Leader of the Operations Consulting Practice of KPMG in India and has worked earlier as a Partner in PricewaterhouseCoppers (PwC) & as Chief Consultant at ECS Ltd.

An M Tech in Industrial Engineering from IIT, Delhi, Ravind also holds graduate certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University, Canada.

Ravind’s presence in the Mavenvista team brings added strength and capabilities particularly in the areas of Strategy, Policy and process that will help successfully transform the Procurement function of our clients

Master IT Strategist

A career CIO for over 25 years across industries, his last corporate role was the Global CIO at Cipla, where he created the Business Technology team intending to drive change agenda with transformation enabled by legacy applications and new opportunities globally.

He is a master IT Strategist, for more than 6 years, he has consulted across sectors and Government. His focus mainly lies in creating business value with Business IT Strategy, Customer Satisfaction, and IT-led business innovation and transformation.

Arun’s presence in the Mavenvista team brings added strength and capabilities, particularly in strategy, policy, and process, to successfully transform our clients’ Procurement function. We look forward to exciting times ahead.