Sidhartha Guru

Group Product Manager · Booking.com · Amsterdam, NL

Profile

I started as an aerospace engineer at DRDO, building hard real-time systems for aircraft engine testing — environments where failure meant catastrophic loss. That technical foundation shaped how I think about product: rigorously, with a bias for systems that hold up under pressure.

After an MBA from IIM Bengaluru (Top 8%), I joined Flipkart as a Product Manager, launched Shopsy — a 0→1 platform for value and refurbished products — and drove 10× user growth in a single year. I then moved to Booking.com, where I've spent the last six years building products at global scale: first leading web personalization (~500 bps booking uplift, 120+ campaigns via a no-code platform), and now as Group Product Manager leading five cross-functional teams across customer service tooling, support channels, and AI-powered automation.

Across all of it, the through-line has been the same: an engineering instinct for rigour applied to consumer-scale ambiguity — with a track record of building teams and platforms that outlast any one initiative.

Experience

Group Product Manager
Booking.com
June 2023 – present Amsterdam, NL

Leading 5 cross-functional teams across CS agent tooling, support channels, and automation — driving an automation-first service model that uses AI to reduce customer friction and improve agent productivity.

  • Defined a 3-year "Connected CS" product vision, aligning senior leadership and engineering around a low-touch automation-first service model
  • Delivered ~6% operational cost reduction through proactive customer communications and smarter routing
  • Initiated and shipped AI-powered knowledge management and contact analysis pilots, reducing agent training costs and improving efficiency
  • Defined strategy for next-generation contact center; orchestrated vendor assessment across operations, technology, and finance stakeholders
  • Established a Center of Excellence in India — hired and onboarded 20+ engineers and PMs to accelerate delivery
  • Instituted structured PDPs for PMs, improving team ESAT by 30%
Senior Product Manager
Booking.com
September 2019 – May 2023 Amsterdam, NL

Led web personalization strategy and platform across the home and search funnel, then drove org-wide CS transformation coordinating 10+ product teams and external consultants.

  • Delivered ~500 bps increment in bookings through personalised destination and property recommendations
  • Built a no-code platform enabling internal teams to launch cross-funnel experiences with segmentation, A/B/n testing, and ranking — 120+ campaigns in year one
  • Led org-wide Pegasystems integration across 10+ product teams, increasing self-serve productivity by ~10%
  • Improved supplier-to-traveller communications, lifting CSAT by ~8% and reducing booking cancellations by ~2%
Product Manager
Flipkart
June 2016 – August 2019 Bengaluru, IN

Owned Android app, desktop, and mobile web for Shopsy.in — Flipkart's platform for value and refurbished products. Responsible for platform launch, user acquisition, and end-to-end conversion funnel.

  • Launched Shopsy from 0→1 and drove ~10× user growth in one year through channel expansion, targeted marketing, and referral loops
  • Launched a certified refurbished platform — coordinating delivery across 22+ product teams — with clear trust signals, quality policies, and post-purchase guarantees
  • Launched insurance and warranty programmes across Flipkart verticals — ~12% attach rate and 4 B2B partnerships secured
Scientist
Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO)
February 2010 – May 2014 Bengaluru, IN

Technology owner for vibration measurement systems in aircraft engines. Built hard real-time systems to monitor engine tests and prevent catastrophic failures.

  • Built hard real-time failure prediction systems saving ₹800+ mn in test costs and preventing 9+ months of schedule slippage
  • Indigenised hardware and software, saving ~$1.5 mn USD in licensing costs over 3 years

Education

MBA — Finance & Strategy
IIM Bengaluru
2014 – 2016 · GPA 3.52/4.00 · Top 8%
B.Tech — Electronics Engineering
NIT Surat
2005 – 2009 · GPA 8.78/10.00 · Top 10%