Udhaya Kumar Padmanabhan (UKP)

Udhaya Padmanabhan is a seasoned executive design leader and product management expert with over 20 years of experience in delivering successful products design solutions for a wide range of business verticals worldwide. He holds a degree in mathematics, statistics, and computer science from Bangalore University and has studied web, multimedia, and 3D at EDIT. He is also an expert in HFI, UCD, and HCI methodologies from Human Factors International.

Udhaya has been an essential part of successful exits and failed projects, which qualify him to fall into Niels Bohr's definition of an expert. His career includes leadership and management roles in design, research, service design, product management, front-end engineering, and user experience. He has vast experience in CX, delivery, and operations, with specialties in User-centered Design, User Experience, Customer Experience, as well as instructional, interaction, and visual design. He has worked with various successful organizations such as Designit, ABOVE solutions, and FusionCharts, where he held key positions such as Global Strategic Design Director, Chief Experience Officer, and Head of Design. Also, he founded and was the principal at UXFirst and UXGrid.

Udhaya is an avid believer that experience is something you don't get for nothing. He believes that the best way to learn is by trial and error and has been part of successful exits and failures alike. He is an adept designer who can give "form" to the "formless" and an expert in executing GTM strategies, branding, marketing, sales, and product scaling.