Varun Desai
Product Manager - Microsoft
Customer-obsessed Product Manager with over 9 years of experience across product management, cloud solution architecture, and software development. Currently at Microsoft, I drive product strategy and innovation within Azure Core, leading initiatives that have enhanced user engagement, boosted subscription conversion, and generated multi-million-dollar value for Azure.
A US Army veteran, I bring a unique blend of leadership, operational discipline, and critical thinking to every role. My expertise spans launching customer-centric solutions, scaling MVPs, driving UX improvements, collaborating across cross-functional teams, A/B testing and applying data-driven strategies to fuel business growth.
I'm passionate about building intuitive, high-impact products that solve real customer problems, leveraging AI and cloud technologies. With certifications across Azure and Oracle ecosystems and a background in Management Information systems, I thrive at the intersection of product, technology, and customer success.
Let's connect if you share an interest in product management, cloud technology, or driving customer success at scale.
Core Skills
AI/ML Product Strategy
Developing and executing product strategies that leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to solve business problems.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Leading diverse teams across engineering, design, marketing, and business functions to deliver cohesive product experiences.
Technical Program Management
Managing complex technical programs with multiple workstreams, dependencies, and stakeholders to deliver on time and within scope.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Leveraging data analytics, A/B testing, and user research to inform product decisions and measure success.
Agile & Scaled Delivery
Implementing and optimizing agile methodologies at scale to increase team velocity and product quality.
Customer-Centric Innovation
Driving innovation based on deep customer insights and needs, creating solutions that deliver measurable value.
Stakeholder & Executive Communication
Aligning teams and leadership with clear, concise storytelling and outcome-based reporting.
Cloud Integration
Designing and implementing cloud-based solutions that leverage modern architectures and services for scalability and reliability.
0→1 Product Development
Taking products from concept to launch, navigating ambiguity and building MVPs that validate market fit and drive adoption.
Work Experience
Product Manager - Azure Portal
Microsoft, Atlanta, GA
Apr 2022 - Present
- Increased subscription conversion by 4% and generated $18.5M in estimated lifetime value by leading the strategic vision for Azure QuickStart Center (AQC) to enhance workload deployment discovery for 240K monthly active users.
- Launched a new UX with dedicated deployment capabilities by developing and implementing a strategic roadmap to scale the AQC platform through a redesign and stakeholder alignment.
- Increased customer satisfaction by 10% by leading the strategic vision for workload deployment using Azure Copilot to deliver accurate prompt responses and improve overall UX.
- Achieved a 20% increase in successful workload deployments by collaborating with engineering and design teams to enhance UX and deployment reliability.
- Unified stakeholders on a long-term product strategy by creating a customer-validated North Star vision featuring live code generation and Terraform templates via Azure Copilot.
- Improved team efficiency, priority management, and cross-functional collaboration by establishing and standardizing Azure DevOps practices.
Program Manager - Azure CXP
Microsoft, Atlanta, GA
Sep 2020 - Apr 2022
- Delivered multiple projects for the Azure CXP Government team by gathering stakeholder requirements and identifying issues with actionable solutions.
- Achieved 100% Azure Gov customer support coverage for the CXP Gov team by collaborating with cross-functional teams to meet key deliverables.
- Secured $52M in additional Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) support coverage by analyzing ACR data and executing targeted engagement plans.
- Reduced support case handling time and effort by 20% by partnering with BTS and MSaaS teams to optimize case routing and queue management.
- Decreased support case resolution time by 15% and increased customer satisfaction by 20% by successfully releasing the ACE Hub Gov instance.
- Provided key metrics visibility through a single dashboard by deploying the ACE Gov 360 Power BI dashboard tracking CSAT, case counts, backlog, and customer information.
- Enhanced the performance of a support tool by improving its machine learning model in collaboration with the AI team.
- Improved operational efficiency by managing project progress using Azure DevOps (ADO) and creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for critical business processes.
Azure Cloud Engineer - Azure CXP
Microsoft, Atlanta, GA
Oct 2019 - Sep 2020
- Transformed enterprise Azure Government customers into Azure fans by delivering a world-class support experience through deep engagement and proactive issue resolution.
- Achieved high customer satisfaction by partnering with Product Group, Reliability Engineering, and Account Teams to promptly mitigate technical issues.
- Conducted trend/data analysis on product usage, implemented strategies such as RCA reviews and customer feedback sessions, achieving an overall CSAT score of 4.8 (on a scale of 5).
- Maintained 100% SLA adherence as queue manager by efficiently handling all customer service requests without delay.
- Drove process and training improvements by participating in weekly and monthly team meetings and proposing actionable enhancements to team direction.
Cloud Solution Engineer
Oracle, Austin, TX
Jul 2018 - Sep 2019
- Accelerated Oracle Cloud adoption by collaborating with sales teams, customer success managers, and solution engineers to deliver technical support through Proof of Concepts, demos, and workshops.
- Drove $3.5M in cloud usage and bookings within one fiscal year by leading customer success initiatives on Oracle Public Cloud.
- Helped architect and build end-to-end cloud-based technical solutions for over 50 customers in a year by providing direct technical engagement and innovation support.
- Developed innovative cloud solutions by leveraging transformational technologies such as IoT and Chatbots to meet diverse customer needs.
- Enabled seamless federation of on-premises Active Directory users and groups by integrating with Oracle Identity Cloud Service (IDCS).
Healthcare Specialist
US Army
Apr 2014 - Apr 2018
- Achieved a 100% patient safety rate and successfully managed over $2M in equipment by applying strong organizational and operational management skills.
- Improved patient care by leading and training a healthcare team to enhance collaboration and communication practices.
- Developed and implemented SOPs, managed patient care and records, and ensured compliance with regulations.
Product Manager
Larsen & Toubro InfoTech Ltd, Edison, NJ
Oct 2010 - Mar 2014
- Identified and documented detailed product requirements.
- Collaborated with SMEs and users for requirement gathering.
- Utilized Agile methodology to create Use Cases, Activity, and Workflow Process Diagrams.
- Acted as a single point of contact for different business units, managing priorities and requirements.
- Assisted QA team in writing and executing test plans, test cases, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
Education
Master of Science, Management Information Systems
University of Houston, TX
Aug 2008 - Aug 2010
MSSA, Cybersecurity Administrator
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, TX
Oct 2017 - Mar 2018
Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Engineering
North Gujarat University, India
Sep 2003 - Sep 2007