Roshan Tathed is a distinguished business strategist and product leader based in New Jersey. With an exceptional educational background, including an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Technology from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Roshan combines academic excellence with practical leadership experience. His professional journey spans multiple industries, from technology startups to pharmaceutical strategy, where he has consistently delivered transformative business solutions and measurable growth.
Q 1: What motivated you to pursue a career in business strategy and product management?
A: My interest in business strategy and product management stems from a desire to create tangible impact at scale. During my engineering days at IIT Bombay, I led Techfest, Asia’s largest technology conference, which exposed me to the power of strategic thinking and execution. I realized that with the right strategic approach, you can drive significant value – whether that’s improving user experiences, optimizing operations, or solving complex business challenges. The ability to translate analytical insights into concrete business outcomes and witness real-world impact has always been what drives me. This passion ultimately led me to pursue my MBA at Harvard and build my career across product, strategy, and operations roles.
Q 2: How do you approach strategic problem-solving, and what frameworks do you typically employ?
A: My approach to strategic problem-solving is holistic yet methodical. I begin by understanding the core issue from multiple angles – customer needs, business requirements, operational constraints, and market dynamics. I believe in starting with a clear problem definition and data-driven diagnosis before jumping to solutions. For frameworks, I adapt based on the problem at hand. When working on product strategy, I often use succinct yet thorough documents to align stakeholders around a clear vision. For business operations, I leverage process mapping and KPI frameworks to identify efficiency opportunities. The key is maintaining flexibility – frameworks are tools, not rules. What remains consistent is my focus on end-user needs and quantifiable outcomes to measure success.
Q 3: Can you describe a particularly challenging business problem you solved and how you approached it?
A: One of the most challenging problems I tackled was during my time at the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance during the COVID-19 pandemic. We faced the complex challenge of maintaining pharmaceutical supply chains amidst nationwide lockdowns while ensuring essential medicines reached patients. My father has been a pharmacist for the last 35 years. His work instilled a patient-centric approach in all my actions.
I developed data models to help influence government policy on selectively lifting restrictions for the pharmaceutical industry. This required balancing multiple stakeholders – government officials, industry CEOs, and healthcare providers. By gathering granular data on supply chain bottlenecks and presenting actionable recommendations, we achieved nearly 100% recovery of pharmaceutical operations within just 8 weeks and drove an 18% growth in exports. The key was combining rigorous data analysis with relationship-building across stakeholder groups to drive rapid policy changes during a crisis.
Q 4: What role does technology play in your strategic thinking?
A: Technology is both an enabler and a catalyst in my strategic approach. I view technology as a powerful catalyst for solving real business problems and enhancing human capabilities. For instance, when I co-founded NEKTR.AI, we leveraged AI to analyze social networks and facilitate warm professional connections – solving a genuine networking pain point through technology. Similarly, at Duolingo, I focused on how gamification features could drive measurable learning outcomes. I believe successful strategic thinking involves understanding where technology can create disproportionate value, whether that’s through AI-powered sales enablement, supply chain digitalization, or product personalization. The key is maintaining a strong connection between technology initiatives and business objectives rather than pursuing technology in isolation.
Q 5: How do you balance innovation with practicality when developing business strategies?
A: Finding the right balance between innovation and practicality is essential for effective strategy. I approach this through a framework of “ambitious pragmatism.” This means setting bold visions while breaking them down into achievable steps with clear metrics. For example, when I led the digitalization of India’s pharmaceutical retail value chain, we had an ambitious goal of bringing 1M+ retailers online. Rather than attempting this all at once, we designed a phased approach with pilot tests in key markets, demonstrated value through inventory optimization, and scaled gradually with measurable KPIs at each stage. I believe the most effective innovation happens when you combine creative thinking with disciplined execution. This involves maintaining a portfolio approach – allocating resources across initiatives with varying risk profiles and time horizons while always ensuring initiatives connect to core business objectives.
Q 6: What tools or methodologies do you rely on for data analysis and decision-making?
A: I leverage several tools and methodologies for data analysis and decision-making, adapting my approach based on the context. For quantitative analysis, I use statistical methods and financial modeling tools to evaluate scenarios and project outcomes. When developing pricing strategies, I build proprietary models that incorporate competitive positioning, cost structures, and customer willingness-to-pay. For product decisions, I rely heavily on A/B testing and user research to validate hypotheses with real data. Beyond tools, I believe in the power of structured frameworks like decision matrices to evaluate options against key criteria objectively. However, I also recognize that data has limitations – it tells you what happened, but not always why. That’s why I complement quantitative analysis with qualitative insights from customer interviews and market research to develop a comprehensive view before making strategic decisions.
Q 7: How do you approach building and leading high-performing teams?
A: Building high-performing teams begins with selecting the right talent and creating an environment where people can do their best work. I focus on assembling diverse teams with complementary skills and perspectives. At Harvard Business School’s Tech Club, I selected and led a team that organized treks to NYC tech firms for 200+ students, bringing together different capabilities from logistics to relationship management. I believe effective leadership involves clear communication of vision and expectations while giving team members autonomy to execute. I practice regular check-ins to provide feedback and remove obstacles, but avoid micromanagement. Recognition is also crucial – celebrating both team and individual wins builds momentum. Finally, I invest in developing team members by providing growth opportunities and mentorship, which I’ve done formally as a student career advisor at Harvard and informally throughout my professional roles.
Q 8: What advice would you give to someone aspiring to enter the field of business strategy?
A: I’ll advise aspiring business strategists to pair strong analytical thinking with a deep understanding of technology. Today, strategy is more than just frameworks—it’s about using data, AI, and digital tools to build scalable solutions. Stay curious about macro trends, get hands-on experience solving real-world problems, and develop empathy for cross-functional teams. The job market is tough globally for inexperienced generalists. I would advise them to start building their portfolio using live case studies on how they would change the strategy of a company of their choice – entering a new market, pricing better, or any simple product changes that can have high ROIs. Be targeted in your outreach by following and approaching the right business leaders and industry forums that can help you get a foot in the door
Continuous learning—through reading, certifications, and experimentation—is essential. Most importantly, focus on clarity, communication, and conviction. It’s not just about having the right ideas; it’s about mobilizing people around them and executing effectively to drive meaningful, tech-enabled change.
Q 9: How do you stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies?
A: Staying current requires intentional effort and a multi-faceted approach. I maintain a disciplined reading routine that includes industry publications, academic journals, and thought leadership across relevant sectors. I’m particularly active in professional communities – both in-person and online – where practitioners share insights and best practices. During my time as a founding member of India Young Healthcare Professionals, I helped build a community of 1,000+ emerging healthcare leaders, which provided invaluable learning opportunities.
I am trying to deeply engage myself in the NYC tech ecosystem – attending pitch competitions, informal social mixers with founders and investors, hosting small group dinners for focused conversations, etc., to keep an edge with industry trends, specifically in this fast-moving world. This is not just in NYC. I frequently interact with my tech network in India to understand global developments and advancements in AI.
I also believe in learning through experimentation – whether that’s testing new product features or piloting emerging technologies in real business contexts. Additionally, I leverage my network of industry professionals for perspective and regularly attend conferences in my focus areas. The key is balancing breadth and depth – maintaining awareness across multiple domains while developing deeper expertise in areas most relevant to my current work.
Q 10: What are your long-term goals in your career, and how do you plan to achieve them?
A: My long-term aspiration is to drive transformation at the intersection of technology, business strategy, and social impact. I aim to build and lead organizations that create significant economic value while addressing meaningful societal challenges. To achieve this, I’m currently focused on expanding my leadership capabilities and building expertise across multiple industry contexts. I believe that cross-pollinating ideas across sectors often leads to the most innovative solutions. I’m also committed to continuing to build my network of mission-aligned professionals who share similar values around innovation and impact. Throughout my career journey, I’ve maintained a balance between planned progression and remaining open to unexpected opportunities, like my experience co-founding a startup during my MBA, which provided invaluable entrepreneurial insights, or joining a pharmaceutical association with no industry experience. Ultimately, I measure success not just by professional achievements but by the tangible impact I can create through strategic leadership.
About Roshan Tathed
Roshan Tathed is a business strategist and product leader with exceptional credentials, including an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree from IIT Bombay. With experience spanning multiple industries, Roshan has demonstrated excellence in developing innovative business strategies, optimizing operations, and driving digital transformation. His notable achievements include co-founding an AI-powered professional networking tool, developing gamification features that increased user engagement, and leading strategic initiatives that generated millions in revenue. As a former state cricket player who has travelled to 25 countries, Roshan brings a global perspective and diverse experiences to his professional endeavours.
