India Experts for SMEs
We’re India-first experts with global consulting DNA. Our mission is simple: lower the barrier for SMEs worldwide to leverage India — as a market and as an operating hub.
Profiles and bios of leadership highlighting India expertise and global perspective.
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Leena Nair is the Co-Founder and CEO of Black Panda, where she helps ambitious startups and growth-stage companies achieve sustainable and scalable success. With over two decades of experience leading startup operations and global capability centers (GCCs), she has built a career around turning new ideas into resilient, high-performing businesses.
Before founding Black Panda, Leena led India operations for leading healthtech and SaaS organizations including Zocdoc and CureMD, where she spearheaded large-scale transformations in digital patient experience, provider operations, and strategic delivery.
The idea for Black Panda emerged from Leena’s observation that hundreds of startups are registered in India every day, yet a majority struggle to survive beyond their early years. Her vision is to change that trajectory — by combining human-centred design thinking, AI-driven innovation, and execution excellence to create scalable systems that work.
At Black Panda, Leena focuses on building bridges: enabling Indian talent and founders to compete globally, and helping international companies successfully enter and launch in India across industries such as healthcare, e-commerce, education, and finance.
She believes prosperity is meaningful only when it creates lasting impact — for businesses, people, and the broader ecosystem.
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Rujuta Jamgaonkar is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Black Panda, where she leads operations, technology integration, and the firm’s fractional GCC business. A strong believer in the power of systems thinking, she has built her career around transforming operational complexity into scalable, tech-enabled solutions.
Before founding Black Panda, Rujuta held leadership roles across operations, product quality, and infrastructure at global technology companies including Zocdoc and Forage AI. Her experience spans AI, SaaS, and digital infrastructure, where she consistently drove innovation, automation, and cross-border execution excellence.
At Black Panda, Rujuta is the backbone that holds the company’s operational engine together. She leads initiatives across AI-driven process design, infrastructure development, and legal and compliance systems — ensuring the firm runs with precision and agility. Known for her curiosity and early adoption mindset, Rujuta continuously experiments with emerging technologies to eliminate inefficiencies and future-proof client operations.
Her philosophy is simple yet powerful: build systems that think before you need to act.
Senior Consultant & Chief of Staff
Namrata Kate serves as Senior Consultant and Chief of Staff at Black Panda, where she plays a key role in driving both client delivery and internal operations. With a Master’s in Clinical Psychology and over five years of experience in understanding human behavior and organizational dynamics, Namrata brings a people-first lens to business execution.
As one of Black Panda’s founding team members, she has been instrumental in shaping the firm’s operational backbone — from digital marketing and HR systems to finance and governance frameworks. Her ability to balance structure with empathy makes her a trusted advisor to both leadership and clients.
Namrata’s work focuses on bridging people strategy with performance systems, helping teams operate with clarity, accountability, and purpose. Her calm precision, cross-functional insight, and commitment to creating psychologically safe environments have made her a cornerstone of Black Panda’s culture and growth.
Head of Channel Partnerships
Sangram Kate leads Channel Partnerships at Black Panda, bringing over 15 years of entrepreneurial and cross-industry experience across automotive, finance, F&B, and technology. A natural connector with a deep understanding of business ecosystems, he specializes in building partnerships that expand reach, unlock revenue, and strengthen client networks.
At Black Panda, Sangram drives the development of strategic alliances and partner ecosystems — helping clients access new markets and scale faster through collaborative growth models. His relationship-driven approach, combined with sharp commercial instincts, enables him to identify win–win opportunities across diverse sectors.
Known for his hands-on leadership and genuine curiosity about people, Sangram believes business partnerships succeed when built on trust, transparency, and shared success.
Head of People & Culture
Neha Lele leads People & Culture at Black Panda, where she focuses on building workplaces where people thrive, grow, and feel deeply connected to purpose. With over a decade of experience in education and more than three years in startup operations, Neha brings a unique blend of empathy, structure, and innovation to talent leadership.
A certified SAP HR professional, Neha is passionate about using technology to simplify people processes and enhance employee experiences. Her expertise spans the entire talent lifecycle — from acquisition and onboarding to engagement and career development.
At Black Panda, she drives initiatives that strengthen culture, improve collaboration, and align people outcomes with business goals. Her forte lies in Core HR execution and cultural design, ensuring that Black Panda remains a place where creativity, accountability, and belonging coexist in balance.
Neha believes that strong cultures don’t just attract great talent — they turn ordinary teams into extraordinary ecosystems of growth.
saved in operational costs and inefficiencies
clients served across 10 industries and 3 continents
leaders coached and strengthened
in new revenue enabled through growth and execution programs
employees impacted through systems and culture transformation
average ROI across engagements
repeat engagement rate
Expertise across India’s market and service ecosystem
Expertise across India's market and service ecosystem with deep local knowledge and global perspective.
Flexible engagement models tailored specifically to SMEs' needs and budget constraints.
Complete execution from strategy to scaling operations, ensuring seamless implementation.
Empowering startups and growth-stage companies with strategic leadership and innovative solutions to achieve sustainable success globally. Partner with us to unlock your business’s full potential.
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