The 40 Under 40 AI Builders Awards 2026: Meet the Winners

Amidst the two days of agentic AI and machine learning workshops, conferences, presentations, and tech talks at the Machine Learning Developers Summit (MLDS) 2026, about 40 dynamic AI Builders were presented with the 40 Under 40 AI Builder Awards.

Their work spans various sectors including fintech, healthcare, defence, retail and beyond, showcasing the versatile and far-reaching impact of agentic AI.

This year’s winners are driving real impact at some of the world’s most influential companies, including LatentView Analytics, MathCo, Merkle Inc, Tesco Business Solutions, ServiceNow, Tredence, Genpact, EXL, SAP Labs India, and many more.

From pioneering agentic AI systems to leading large-scale enterprise transformations, each winner has made significant contributions to the field. They are at the forefront of leveraging AI, building sovereign AI ecosystems and cultivating a culture of innovation and learning.

Aaditya Raghavendran, Vertical Head & Associate Director - Retail & Marketplaces at LatentView Analytics

Aaditya Raghavendran is a formidable force in retail AI, leading a 160-member team and managing a $12M+ portfolio at LatentView Analytics. His work has delivered over $500M in measurable business impact, including $50M in personalisation value and a 32% ROI lift in Retail Media. An innovator at heart, Aaditya has built a suite of proprietary AI accelerators such as MatchView, AccuPromo, AURA, and PRISM, alongside award-winning fraud prevention solutions cementing his reputation as a leader who transforms data into tangible commercial outcomes.

Ajith K P, VP - Principal Applied Scientist at Kotak 811

Ajith K P brings over eleven years of specialised experience in AI and machine learning for fraud and mule detection, with stints at Amazon, Razorpay, Kabbage, and Zip before his current role at Kotak 811. At Kotak, he architected an end-to-end mule detection suite that dramatically improved risk rankings, and built onboarding, transaction, and graph ML systems alongside geo-fencing and anomaly detection frameworks in collaboration with RBI and NPCI. He also leads the development of in-house LLM systems for app optimisation, cross-sell, and rewards making him a defining figure in applied AI for financial services. 

Amit R Shah, Delivery Unit Head at MathCo

Amit R Shah is a seasoned Data Science and AI transformation leader with over thirteen years of experience scaling analytics across Finance, Automotive, Retail, Tech, and Manufacturing. At MathCo, he leads a team of 200+ professionals driving $20M+ valuation AI programs for more than 20 Fortune 500 companies. Notably, he built Chola Finance's data science function from scratch spanning Risk, Credit, Collections, and Finance and launched its HFC business unit. His approach blends technical rigor with strategic vision championing responsible and sustainable enterprise AI adoption.

Arijit Mallick, Senior Manager - AI and Emerging Technologies at Merkle Inc

With over fourteen years in Applied AI, Arijit Mallick leads engineering innovation at Merkle, translating cutting-edge research into scalable delivery for clients in healthcare, pharma, and logistics. He has productionized GenAI and agentic systems including grant platforms, contract management tools, and intelligent messaging solutions. Beyond his delivery work, he designs AI readiness frameworks and upskilling programs, and brings an edupreneur's perspective backed by an AI diploma from IIT Bombay to every engagement he leads.

Arindam Roy, Vice President - Client Partner at Gramener (A Straive Company)

Arindam Roy is a distinguished authority in data solutions and analytics, with over fifteen years of experience driving revenue growth and customer success through high-impact, value-driven products. At Gramener, he leads cross-functional teams of consultants, designers, data scientists, and engineers to build and deploy data science products on low-code platforms, rapidly translating ideas into ROI-generating prototypes. An award-winning advocate for data science and storytelling, he actively speaks in corporate and academic circles while championing emerging technology and operational excellence.

Arti Mishra, Senior Manager - Decision Scientist, Enterprise Analytics at Tesco Business Solutions

Arti Mishra brings fifteen years of business impact through data science in Retail and Travel & Hospitality. Her career spans pioneering predictive analytics at FICO for global retail loyalty, advanced analytics at Equifax for the Middle East, and talent and client initiatives at Epsilon. At Tesco, she drives the Centre of Excellence strategy with CXOs, delivering 8% year-on-year profit growth through an audited analytics roadmap, and is a key contributor to the group-wide agentic AI think tank focused on commercial transformation.

Arpit Kapoor, Senior Staff Data Scientist at ServiceNow

Arpit Kapoor is a leading authority in enterprise AI and ML with over sixteen years of experience driving cloud reliability and automation at scale. At ServiceNow, he architected the Anomaly Detection and Forecasting platforms, Agentic AI systems for root cause resolution, and award-winning NL-to-SQL solutions, collectively reducing downtime by 10% and boosting productivity by 60%. A multiple LLAMA award recipient and top AI competition ranker, he is equally committed to mentoring talent and advancing responsible, self-healing AI platforms.

Ankush Chopra, Senior Director - AI Center of Excellence of Tredence Analytics Solutions

An IIT Kanpur alumnus with fourteen years of experience, Ankush Chopra leads AI strategy across Retail, CPG, BFSI, and Healthcare at Tredence. His expertise spans classical ML, Deep Learning, and Agentic AI, with a particular focus on building Compound AI Systems that combine GenAI with classical ML for complex reasoning tasks. He has productized accelerators like Sancus and Customer Cosmos, holds six USPTO patents and more than ten peer-reviewed papers, and consistently delivers IP-led impact for Global 500 enterprises.

Ayushman Gupta, Senior Manager at Genpact

Ayushman Gupta leads the development and implementation of Agentic AI solutions for Supply Chain and Healthcare at Genpact. With eleven years of experience and a Doctorate in Reinforcement Learning, he bridges complex algorithmic research with real-world enterprise applications, a rare combination that sets him apart. He holds four US patents and six IEEE publications advancing machine learning in global industries and demonstrating a sustained commitment to both academic rigour and practical impact.

Charchit Bahl , Vice President at EXL Services

Charchit Bahl is a Vice President at EXL Services with over twelve years of experience in AI, ML and data science. He leads the Analytics Consulting practice and drives innovation across global banking and financial clients, heading a Centre of Excellence that delivers end-to-end AI/ML solutions spanning risk, marketing, and regulatory analytics. He is at the forefront of advancing scalable AI and Agentic AI solutions, ensuring measurable business impact at every stage of delivery.

Chiranjeev Patidar, Principal Data Scientist at Franklin Templeton Investments Management

Chiranjeev Patidar is an AI and ML leader with over a decade of experience building and scaling production-grade AI systems. At Franklin Templeton, he drives high-impact solutions for sales, risk, and analytics, unlocking over $2B in prospect opportunities and delivering enterprise-wide AI use cases. Beyond his technical role, he is deeply passionate about AI education, actively mentoring professionals and students in applied AI, and ensuring that the next generation of practitioners benefits from his expertise.

Deep Srivastava, Data Science Expert at SAP Labs India

Deep Srivastava is a leading enterprise AI authority with seventeen years of experience, specialising in Small Language Models (SLMs) for S/4HANA. He leads SAP's AI Centre of Excellence, invented a patented testing automation framework (US 12,346,243 B2), and drove the development of Joule and AI Agents, earning him the title of SAP Grand Champion 2025. His commitment to knowledge sharing is equally impressive, having trained over 2,500 professionals through more than 60 global sessions.

Dhairya Badiyani, Director - Technology Enablement (AI) at Riveron

Dhairya Badiyani is a recognised authority in production-grade enterprise AI, with deep expertise in scalable financial intelligence platforms. He leads Riveron's AI practice in India, building oCFO.AI, an LLM and multi-agent system that equips CFOs with real-time insights and natural language analytics capabilities. Co-founder of EDGENeural.ai, an edge AI venture, he consistently optimises systems for latency, cost, and adoption across cloud-native infrastructure, pushing the frontier of what enterprise AI can achieve.

Divyanshu Shekhar, AI Practice Head at Bajaj Auto Credit Limited

Divyanshu Shekhar is an AI and digital transformation leader known for building scalable, business-impacting AI systems. He specialises in combining machine learning, generative AI, and cloud technologies to create modular, responsible AI frameworks that accelerate adoption and deliver measurable outcomes. At Bajaj Auto Credit, his work focuses on making AI accessible across the organisation, enabling it to scale innovation with the governance and long-term vision that responsible AI adoption demands.

Dr. Daisy Das, Manager Data Scientist at State Bank of India

Dr. Daisy Das is a leading AI/ML authority in banking and computer vision, holding a PhD from IASST. At the State Bank of India, she drives efficiency for over 500 million customers through fraud detection, expense controls, and a GenAI-powered chatbot. A pioneer in the Text-to-SQL space, she has collaborated with IIT Bombay on this front, and holds JAIIB and CAIIB certifications reflecting her dual commitment to technical excellence and deep domain knowledge in banking.

Gaurav Nagar, Co-Founder and Senior Director - Engineering at Acceldata

Gaurav Nagar is a leading architect in modern data infrastructure, co-founding Acceldata and building an AI platform that operates at a massive global scale. His specialisation in distributed systems and AI-driven data platforms has led to pioneering advancements in data observability, now used by enterprises worldwide. He spearheaded Agentic Data Management bringing autonomous, AI-powered decision-making to data operations marking a significant leap forward in how enterprises manage and leverage their data assets.

Hema Durairaj, Senior Data Scientist at Publicis Sapient

Hema Durairaj is a leading authority in Product Analytics, Pricing Optimisation, and Responsible AI. At Publicis Sapient, she scaled a Smart Pricing Engine for Verizon that drove $25M in incremental revenue across 25,000+ pricing scenarios. A prolific researcher and practitioner, she holds expertise across GenAI, CNNs, GANs, and Bayesian modeling, is certified by Microsoft and OCI, has published over ten papers, and serves as a Research Fellow at ICERM and CSIR. Her work as an AI evangelist, mentor, and speaker on model ethics further underscores her holistic commitment to the field.

Karan Sindwani, Senior Applied Scientist at Amazon Web Services

Karan Sindwani brings over ten years of experience in ML and applied AI, spanning recommender systems, conversational AI, and computer vision, from academic publications to the launch of AWS Panorama and enhancements to Amazon Personalize. He has built production-grade agentic text-to-SQL pipelines, natural language search systems serving millions of users, and GenAI fine-tuning solutions for vision tasks. A holder of two granted patents and five pending, recognised as a Top Gen AI Scientist 2025 by Analytics Vidhya, and an Amazon AI Shark Tank finalist, he exemplifies what it means to operate at the cutting edge of applied AI.

Lakshmi Devi Prakash, Vice President - Applied AI ML Lead at JP Morgan Chase & Co

Lakshmi Devi Prakash is a leading AI/ML authority with over ten years of expertise in NLP, Computer Vision, and GenAI. At JPMorgan, she has led enterprise-scale risk intelligence and workflow automation initiatives, earning the prestigious 'You Are Remarkable' award. A patent holder, author of Transformers & Beyond, and contributor of seven research papers, she is also a PhD candidate in multimodal distillation. Recognised as a Top 7 GenAI Contributor by Analytics Vidhya in 2025, a 100 Women in Tech winner, and an Adjunct Faculty at MAHE, she is a towering figure across both industry and academia.

Murari Ramuka, Senior AI Technologist at Microsoft

Murari Ramuka is a leading AI authority pursuing his PhD from IIT Ropar and author of Data Analytics with Google Cloud Platform. At Microsoft, he drives cutting-edge work across Traditional AI, GenAI, AI Search, Video Intelligence, and agentic workflows, enabling enterprise transformation at scale. A passionate democratiser of AI, he is known for his thought leadership, advisory contributions, and active participation in community events ensuring that the benefits of AI reach far beyond the enterprise. 

Nikhil Gundawar, Director of Analytics and Insights at Slice

Nikhil Gundawar is a hands-on Analytics, Data Science, and AI authority with over ten years of experience across fintech, banking, SaaS, and retail. At Slice, he leads a 50+ member team driving P&L; impact through pricing, growth, risk, customer experience, and operations optimization working directly with CXOs to embed data-driven decision-making at the core of the business. He also pioneered Nucleus, a production GenAI platform that embeds agentic workflows across tools for reliable, high-impact analytics transformation.

Pragati Chopade, Data Scientist Lead at Johnson Controls

Pragati Chopade leads Generative AI at Johnson Controls, with over nine years of experience across AI, Edge Intelligence, and scalable ML systems. She has built Fault Detection and Diagnostics engines, GenAI insight generators, and multi-agent smart building chatbots that enhance resilience, energy efficiency, and workplace optimization solutions showcased to global leadership. A holder of multiple patents, contributor to AI curricula via NASSCOM and COEP, and a Master's graduate in Data Sciences from IISc Bangalore, she represents the best of applied AI innovation.

Prerit Khandelwal, Director - Product Analytics at Razorpay

Prerit Khandelwal is a leading analytics and AI authority with over twelve years of experience who built Razorpay's product analytics team from the ground up. He architected DataGaaru, an LLM reasoning bot combined with an automated health metrics generator that boosted efficiency by 30% and was a finalist at Fifth Elephant along with RiskBot, merchant risk agents, an Intelligent Transaction Risk Model (2.6x vendor precision), and a Model Risk Monitor (70% precision). An active speaker on analytics and AI, he is redefining what product analytics can accomplish in fintech.

Ranjani Subramaniam, Data Analytics & System Manager at Shell Engineering

Ranjani Subramaniam is a distinguished Data & AI authority with seventeen years of experience across Energy, Retail, E-commerce, and Mobility, transforming Shell's operations through the power of analytics. She pioneered award-winning AI solutions including the NESS Copilot recognised with the Shell.ai 2025 award for maintenance operations and the Marketing Spend Optimiser, which won the Shell CFO 2024 award. A passionate mentor and women-in-tech advocate, she has scaled global AI products through robust MLOps, data quality practices, and automation.

Shital Patil, AI Expert at Robert Bosch Middle East Dubai

Shital Patil is a recognised Industrial AI leader with over twelve years of experience, a PhD in Machinery Condition Monitoring, and a PM Fellowship to his name. He leads ADNOC's AI and digital programs, spanning asset monitoring, corrosion prediction, and digital twins delivering major operational impact in one of the world's most demanding energy environments. A holder of four patents and a keynote speaker driving enterprise AI adoption, he exemplifies how rigorous research and industry application can combine to create lasting value.

Shrutorsi Nundy, Vice President - Global Data Science & GenAI for Citi Wealth at Citi

Shrutorsi Nundy is an AI & Data Science leader with fifteen years of global experience driving innovation across financial services. As Vice President at Citi, he leads AI/ML initiatives that enhance productivity, client engagement, and governance, delivering large-scale impact across investment growth, AI copilots, and risk management systems. He is widely recognised for leading AI-driven transformation, building high-performing teams, and championing responsible AI practices at one of the world's foremost financial institutions.

Siddhesh, Technical Product Manager at Mastercard

Siddhesh is a leading authority in open banking and open finance innovation, bringing over fifteen years of experience from IT education to his current role at Mastercard. A prolific fintech inventor, award-winning agility coach, published author, and dedicated mentor through Mastercard and Reliance Foundation/Skill India programs, he is as committed to developing people as he is to driving technological innovation. His lifelong learning ethos and values-driven leadership continue to transform lives through perspective change.

Soumitra Chatterjee, Senior Manager - Applied AI POD at Dentsu Global Services

Soumitra Chatterjee is a Senior Manager in Applied AI with over nine years of experience driving data-led decision-making for Fortune 500 organisations. He specialises in conversational intelligence, agentic AI systems, and enterprise AI evaluation, having built and deployed large-scale ML models that deliver measurable impact across industries. Known for his ability to construct scalable AI frameworks that improve efficiency, insights, and business outcomes, he is a trusted voice in the evolving landscape of enterprise AI.

Sunny Manchanda, Director at DRDO Young Scientist Laboratory - Artificial Intelligence, Bangalore

Sunny Manchanda is a pioneering AI and defence technology leader driving indigenous innovation for national security. As one of DRDO's youngest-ever Directors, he leads the Young Scientist Lab for AI, advancing mission-critical AI programs across aerospace systems, multilingual AI, and large-scale defence applications. His work has delivered measurable impact on India's sovereign AI ecosystem, and he is widely recognised for his cross-sector collaboration, inspiring research leadership, and commitment to strengthening the country's technological self-reliance.

Suvro Shankar Ghosh, Head- AI Solution (MFCWL) at Mahindra Group

Suvro Shankar Ghosh is a leading AI authority with sixteen years of experience across Mahindra, Colgate, Ford, Shell, and Atos, spanning Manufacturing, CPG, and Retail. He specialises in GenAI and Agentic AI to drive growth and engagement, holds an MSc in Data Science from Chandigarh University and a Business Analytics qualification from ISB, and is a sought-after speaker at IIMs and IITs. As a mentor for data science careers and a digital transformation leader, he is actively shaping the next generation of AI practitioners in India.

Sweta Singh, Senior Manager- Data Science & AI at Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Sweta Singh is a Data Science & AI leader with strong hands-on expertise across ML, deep learning, and GenAI, and extensive cross-industry experience building scalable AI solutions across cloud platforms and enterprise environments. At Commonwealth Bank of Australia, she leads high-performing teams driving AI innovation in business banking, and is known for delivering risk-aligned, scalable AI systems. Her work on advancing agentic architectures for real-world impact positions her as a key figure in the future of AI-driven banking.

Swati Upadhyaya, Principal - Consulting at IQVIA

Swati Upadhyaya is a strategy, analytics, and product leader with over fifteen years of global experience across healthcare and life sciences. She has led large-scale AI and analytics initiatives, managing portfolios exceeding $75M and delivering impactful solutions for pharmaceutical clients worldwide. Her work focuses on driving productivity, enabling data-driven decision systems, and building scalable AI-led products, combining strategic leadership with strong execution and capability building across global teams.

Swarnendu Bhattacharya, Senior Manager at Unilever

Swarnendu Bhattacharya is a distinguished leader with over ten years of experience driving large-scale digital transformations. At Unilever, he leads enterprise forecasting, optimization, and GenAI programs, partnering with senior leaders to embed AI into core global operations across more than 90 markets. Recognised as a premier authority in AI-led business transformation for the CPG industry, his work is a compelling demonstration of how data science can scale from strategy to execution across a truly global enterprise.

Taniya Ghosh, Senior Engineering Manager - AI at Salesforce India

Taniya Ghosh is a leading authority in scalable ML and GenAI systems with over thirteen years of experience across IT services and adtech. At Salesforce, she leads cross-functional teams building SLM training and Ray Serve-based distributed AI platforms for optimised inference and scaling. At Glance, she drove 20% yield gains through dynamic pricing and 40% metric lifts in CTR and CVM through targeting and recommendations, while building an MLOps Feature Store that resulted in two patents. An innovator who consistently bridges technology and C-level business impact, she is a standout leader in enterprise AI.

Vidya Lakshmy, Manager - Data Science at Optum (UHG)

Vidya Lakshmy is a leading authority in enterprise ML and GenAI systems for healthcare, insurance, and consumer analytics, with over seven years of experience. She leads cross-functional teams delivering scalable fraud detection, appeals automation, decision intelligence, and customer experience optimisation through modern ML stacks, MLOps, and cloud infrastructure. Grounded in Statistics and Operations Research, she is also a committed mentor for women in tech balancing the demands of motherhood with mission-critical AI leadership in one of the world's most complex and consequential sectors.

Vinay Kumar, Director DS at Tiger Analytics India Consulting

Vinay Kumar brings over ten years of experience building scalable AI and optimisation systems for enterprises in retail and QSR, with expertise spanning pricing analytics, demand modeling, and AI productisation. He has led transformative manual-to-automated AI transitions using white-box models and Azure architecture, designing explainable, scalable solutions that have impacted thousands of UK-linked retail outlets. his work stands as a testament to the power of thoughtful, interpretable AI in driving operational efficiency at scale.

Vishal Nagpal, Director of AI and Data at Best Buy

Vishal Nagpal is a global AI and Data leader with over seventeen years of experience building and scaling ML, analytics, and GenAI platforms. As Director and Head of AI and Data Solutions for E-commerce at Best Buy, he built the company's AI function from scratch driving over $200M in revenue and significant cost savings. Known for combining deep technical expertise with strong business acumen, he also advises global organisations and mentors startups on AI strategy, making him one of the most impactful AI leaders operating across both enterprise and the broader ecosystem.

Vivek Parihar, Head of Engineering & CISO at Purplle.com

Vivek Parihar has spent over sixteen years scaling platforms to the unicorn stage, most notably at Purplle.com, which now serves over 11 million monthly active users. He leads AI-first systems for search, personalisation, and pricing that deliver 8–10% GMV uplift and 25–30% engagement, a remarkable achievement in one of India's most competitive digital commerce environments. A serial entrepreneur, author, and recognised among the Top 30 Agentic Disruptors of 2025, he exemplifies the rare combination of engineering depth and business vision