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Salil Amonkar
Director Business Development - Retail & Consumer Goods - Digital Business and Technology - Artificial Intelligence and Analytics
Professional Background
Salil Amonkar is a seasoned professional with a wealth of expertise and thought leadership in innovative digital business transformation solutions tailored specifically for the Retail, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Manufacturing, and High Tech industries. With an impressive career spanning several prestigious organizations, Salil has not only led profit and loss (P&L) for diverse business units but has also successfully implemented comprehensive solutions that leverage a myriad of technologies. His proficiency in Cloud, Software as a Service (SaaS), and hybrid architectures, along with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and analytics, underpins his extensive knowledge of transformative processes in Sales and Marketing, Services, Quote to Cash, and Supply Chain management.
Throughout his career, Salil has demonstrated a profound understanding of critical enterprise processes such as Market to Opportunity, Quote to Cash, Forecast to Deliver, Procure to Pay, Record to Report, and Idea to Offering. His wealth of knowledge extends deep into the Supply Chain domain, complementing his expertise in numerous areas, most notably AI/Analytics Strategy, Marketing and Sales Analytics, and Personalized Product Recommendations. His dedication to enhancing efficiency is evident in his work on Merchandise Planning, Supply Chain Analytics, Demand Forecasting, Assortment and Inventory Optimization, and Process Automation, including Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
Salil's commitment to driving innovation through predictive analytics, business intelligence, data visualization, data management, and governance not only informs his strategic direction but also allows organizations to harness the full potential of their data-driven projects. His impactful presentations on the application of AI and Machine Learning at prominent events, such as Google NEXT, USC Global Supply Chain Summit, and AI and Big Data Expo, highlight his expertise in influencing the discourse surrounding business transformation. Moreover, his participation in critical discussions at top-tier conferences such as Oracle Open World further cements his status as a thought leader in the industry.
Education and Achievements
Salil Amonkar's academic background sets a solid foundation for his exemplary career in technology and business transformation. He holds an MBA with a specialization in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the prestigious Santa Clara University, a hub of innovation and technology in Silicon Valley. This advanced degree not only highlights his business acumen but also equips him with the essential skills necessary for leading complex projects and crafting strategic initiatives that drive growth.
Prior to his MBA, Salil earned a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the renowned College of Engineering Pune, which has provided him with a robust technical foundation that he leverages in his various leadership roles. His educational pursuits reflect his commitment to lifelong learning and adaptability in the ever-evolving tech landscape.
Career Milestones
Salil Amonkar's impressive professional journey is marked by significant achievements across various esteemed organizations, showcasing his unparalleled expertise:
- Director & Service Line Specialist at Cognizant: Currently, Salil serves as the Director and Service Line Specialist in Digital Business & Technology, focusing on AI and Analytics at Cognizant. In this capacity, he leads efforts to drive digital transformation across industries, utilizing cutting-edge technologies to create innovative solutions.
- Global Head of AI for Manufacturing and Retail Practices at Pluto7: Here, he spearheaded the development and implementation of AI strategies tailored to enhance operational efficiency and performance within these critical sectors.
- Enterprise Solutions Manager/Director at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): Salil's role at TCS allowed him to direct comprehensive business transformation strategies, impacting various industries with innovative enterprise solutions.
- Director of Consulting Services at BSI: In this position, Salil provided strategic consulting services that enhanced clients' operational capabilities through tailored technology solutions.
- Vice President and Unit Head at Infogain: His leadership here focused on developing and implementing transformative technologies that substantially improved customer service and operational productivity.
- VP Engineering and IT Services at Vavni Inc: Salil played a pivotal role in shaping the technology and engineering service offerings within the organization.
- Associate Vice President and Head of Manufacturing Industry Group at Zensar Technologies Pvt Ltd: In this leadership role, Salil was instrumental in delivering technology-driven solutions for clients within the manufacturing sector.
- Senior Manager at Cisco Systems, Inc: Salil led IT solutions architecture and technology initiatives, utilizing his extensive knowledge to improve global processes.
- IT Project Lead at Fritz Companies: Salil was responsible for leading key IT projects that enhanced operational efficiency and service delivery.
- Consultant at Mastech Systems Corp and Systems Analyst at Telco: These positions allowed Salil to cultivate his expertise in IT solutions and gain crucial insights into business processes and systems management.
Notable Contributions and Presentations
A recognized figure in the field of AI and digital transformation, Salil has significantly contributed to advancing the discourse and application of technology in business contexts. His participation in high-profile events is a testament to his thought leadership:
- Google NEXT: Salil's presentation at this influential event focused on the transformative potential of AI in digital business solutions.
- USC Global Supply Chain Summit: Here, he addressed key challenges and innovations in the supply chain, providing insights that resonate with industry leaders.
- AI and Big Data Expo: Salil shared his expertise on leveraging big data in AI-driven strategies, demonstrating the importance of analytics in business optimization.
- Oracle Open World: At this premier event, he discussed business transformation strategies that utilize cloud technologies and integrated solutions to elevate organizational performance.
His thought-provoking presentations not only showcase his extensive knowledge but also help shape the future directions of digital transformation and AI applications in various industries.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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