About

Rohini Kasturi's name is synonymous with leadership and innovation in the SaaS space. A global C-Suite executive and board member, he has left an indelible mark on public, private, and venture-backed firms he's been part of. His customer-centric strategies and expertise in security, observability, SaaS Platform ecosystems, data analytics, generative AI, and autonomous solutions have set new industry standards.

Roles and Achievements

He has driven significant growth as the EVP and Chief Product Officer at SolarWinds, an IT management software provider. Recruited personally by the CEO, he oversees product management, engineering, architecture, user experience, and analytics. Under his visionary leadership, the company has transformed from a multi-product portfolio company to a SaaS and has seen significant YoY bookings, subscription, renewal rates, and EBITDA increases.

Before SolarWinds, he served as the Chief Product and Development Officer at Pulse Secure, where he steered the growth of the Zero-Trust Security Portfolio and doubled the bookings in less than three years. He was also instrumental in Pulse Secure's successful acquisition by Ivanti.

As the VP/GM of the Cloud and Data Management BU at Veritas Technologies, he managed the Data and Information management portfolio. She spearheaded the industry's inaugural multi-cloud data and information management SaaS platform and apps ecosystem. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to found Avni.io, a company focused on "cloud virtualization" technology, later acquired by Veritas Technologies.

Strategic Business and Financial Acumen

Kasturi's business acumen is demonstrated by the strategic business planning and portfolio management skills he has brought to bear throughout his illustrious career. He has managed significant P&Ls, enabled successful business spinouts, scaled SaaS businesses, led successful acquisitions, and facilitated organizational turnarounds.

Leadership and Recognition

Known for his empathetic, results-driven leadership style, he is not just a leader but an avid mentor fostering a culture of learning, diversity, and respect. He's an active board member, advisor, and cyber-tech committee leader, steering strategic governance at the pinnacle of organizations. His contributions to the SaaS sector have earned him various industry awards and over 20 patents.

He is a transformative technology executive known for pivoting business models successfully. He led the company from a 100% perpetual licensing to a subscription-first model, leveraging new pricing and packaging value-added bundles.

He oversaw the end-to-end customer journey, telemetry, and in-product analytics for PLG & experience, enhancing user engagement and understanding. His visionary leadership saw the Thwack developer community grow to over 20,000 ITOps/DevOps users.

Board Engagement

His approach to board engagement is proactive and dynamic. Regularly engaging with the board to review and refine product strategy and organizational objectives, he incorporates board members' feedback to align with market demands and emerging trends. His regular interactions facilitate strategic positioning for continuous growth and improvement.

Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success

With a firm focus on go-to-market strategies, Rohini Kasturi works closely with GTM leaders to ensure alignment across functions. His innovative approach augmented velocity sales with a Product-Led Growth model, boosting sales pace and deal value. This strategic alignment elevated CSAT and Net Promoter Scores.

He has a proven track record in establishing growth teams supporting new routes to market with GSIs and Hyper-scalers. His strategic alliances with industry leaders like HCL and Infosys and partnerships with Azure and AWS for platform integration resulted in a significant uptick in ARR.

His strategic engagements with Fortune 2000 clients, 300 partners, advisory boards, and leading CIOs have positioned him as a thought leader in the industry. His collaborations with top analysts have resulted in high rankings in Observability and AIOps markets, earning recognition from TrustRadius, GigaOm, Globees, Gartner, Forrester, and Stevie Awards.

His innovative strategies extend to product marketing, where he spearheads strategy aligned with product vision, fueling top-line growth. He led integrated campaigns for holistic demand generation, augmented by blogs and thought leadership content.

Leadership and Talent Development

Kasturi fosters internal talent development, complemented by industry hires, to drive substantial outcomes. He developed a talent strategy, initiated centers of excellence, and upheld top-tier talent retention, creating a culture of growth and excellence.

In response to the SolarWinds attack, he led the company's swift response, fortifying security and launching a 'Secure by Design' program. He established a Cyber and Tech committee within the Board of Directors, boosting transparency and collaboration in security measures and raising the company's security score to over 90%.

At Pulse Secure, he doubled Zero-Trust Security Portfolio bookings annually and launched a comprehensive Hyper-Converged Zero-Trust Access Platform and solutions ecosystem. He successfully orchestrated Pulse Secure's acquisition by Ivanti, overseeing all aspects of the transition. He managed integral business functions, presenting strategic plans to the CEO and Board to drive transformation.

His tenure at Veritas as VP/GM of Cloud and Data Management BU further solidifies his reputation as an exceptional leader. His roles in these companies demonstrate his capability to drive transformational change, deliver remarkable results, and foster relationships with leading enterprise clients and industry stakeholders.

Education and Certification

He proudly holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. He has also completed executive programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard Business School. He is currently undergoing certification with the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Rohini Kasturi is a highly accomplished executive with a record of driving growth, profitability, and innovation. His vast experience and unrivaled expertise make him a respected leader and trusted advisor in the SaaS industry.