Ugam, a Merkle company, is a leading analytics and technology services provider. The company's customer-centric approach delivers impactful business results for large corporations by leveraging data, technology, and expertise. Ugam's services include analytics, technology, digital commerce, and market research. With 3300+ people spread across locations worldwide, the company deploys its services to create success stories across industries like retail and consumer brands, high tech, BFSI, distribution, and market research and consulting.

A Passionate Leader

Mihir Kittur is the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Ugam. He is responsible for business development and customer success. Mihir holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and a Master's degree in Business Management. Mihir has worked with clients from across the globe for over 23 years to understand their needs and leverage analytics and technology to drive impact.

His interest in data science emerged from his engineering dissertation which involved the usage of artificial neural networks to build a robotic arm. It further intensified during his stint in management consulting at one of India's leading consulting firms. Mihir's interest found a stronghold when he began his entrepreneurship journey by working on several high-impact opportunities with clients.

Having a Pragmatic & Beginner's Mindset

Under Mihir's co-leadership, Ugam, certified as "Great Place to Work", has grown to 3300+ people, spreading across locations worldwide with a marquee list of clients. His journey was shaped by countless lessons that he continues to practice himself and impart across the organization.

Mihir believes that a beginner's mindset is a key ingredient needed for driving innovation. "By setting aside our own expertise and experience, we are empowered to challenge the status quo and explore new possibilities," he says.

Finally, for data science to be effective, Mihir asserts that it is important to have a pragmatic mindset, which goes beyond simply having the 'coolest' model, to enabling the easy consumption and actionability of insights.

Customer-Centricity at the Core of Data Science Leadership

Mihir believes that one of the key attributes for any successful data science leader is customer-centricity. He encourages leaders to approach every customer with "What are we trying to solve for?" and then leverage the necessary AI and analytics to solve it. At Ugam, he has been influential in driving superior business results by embedding this approach through multidisciplinary teams that comprise of both soft skills like consulting and problem-solving and hard skills like statistical techniques and technology.

Another attribute that Mihir believes to be vital for data science leaders is fostering a continuous learning mindset. He has been instrumental in creating an ecosystem of knowledge sharing and upskilling at Ugam that comprises both internal and external forums such as the Ugam Customer Summit, Learning Thursdays, client workshops, certifications, and more.

Innovation that Starts with the Customer

"Sometimes innovation begins with an idea. But in most cases, it begins with the customer," says Mihir. At Ugam, he encourages the teams to stay tuned to the customer's needs and expectations for timely and continuous innovation. He also stresses the importance of getting multiple perspectives and knowledge sharing when it comes to understanding the customer's problem and ideating on an effective solution. He believes that it is important to celebrate good ideas but, it is also as important to know when to let go of them. He advises leaders to love their ideas, but never to fall in love with them.

Embracing Human Plus Augmented Intelligence for Success

The emergence of various new-age technologies is accelerating innovation in today's world. In this context, Mihir remarks that the role of a data science leader is to help the clients create an ecosystem with the right balance of 'human + machine' or augmented intelligence. "While such technologies continue to exist and accelerate innovation, bringing human intelligence at its center enables one to be more mindful of the problem they are trying to solve and achieve the best results" he adds.

Appreciating the Value of Customer-Centric Thinking

Like every other data science leader, Mihir has encountered challenges with siloed data, dirty data, insufficient data, and so on over the years. However, he recounts that one of the key challenges he has had to overcome is not fully appreciating the value of customer-centric thinking. He champions the importance of approaching every problem by thinking not only from the customer's perspective but also from that of the customer's customer. This approach will enable leaders to blend the correct understanding of the problem with the right amount of data science to solve it.

Foreseeing a Deep and Long-Term Change in the Business Landscape

Mihir foresees the tremendous potential for data science in the years ahead. While data science has exploded over the past few years, he opines that this is just the early stages of a deep, long-term change. He expresses that this change was set into motion by the shift to digital in recent times and was further accelerated due to the pandemic. "Data science is no longer a 'nice to have but a 'must-have' capability for businesses to survive and thrive" Mihir further adds.

A Piece of Mihir's Mind for Upcoming Leaders

Mihir advises that in order to truly innovate, one must foster a beginners' mindset within themselves and across the organization. He says that by setting aside one's own expertise and experience, people are empowered to challenge the status quo and explore new possibilities. Secondly, Mihir insists on not underestimating the power of storytelling in data science. He states that storytelling plays a key role in translating complex information into consumable insights in a manner that is both engaging and persuasive. Finally, Mihir wraps it up by quoting "Simply caring about the work you do will give you the boost needed to push boundaries, drive innovation, and sustain long-term performance."