Amar Kumar
Founder & CEO at KaiPod Learning- Claim this Profile
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Bio
LinkedIn User
Amar is a pragmatic and talented leader who effectively blends strategic vision and tactical execution to inspire teams and deliver results. On numerous initiatives, Amar routinely showed a strong ability to draw clear and actionable insights from disparate, complex inputs in order to guide business decisions. He also demonstrated an exceptional ability at forming a productive, inclusive organizational culture that motivates and inspires teams to grow and deliver results. I highly recommend Amar as a senior leader.
LinkedIn User
Amar is one of those rare leaders who makes you want to be a better person. I had the pleasure of working for him twice during his time at Pearson. First in the Efficacy & Research team and then later in Product Management. His leadership style makes you feel empowered and inspired. Amar puts his time and focus on helping his teams do their best work. In 2019 he put together a very thoughtful talent development program for the Product Management organization and encouraged people to take their professional goals seriously. This went a long way to build morale and help people feel cared for. I have learned a lot about the leader I aspire to be as a result of his coaching. I was always impressed with Amar’s ability to break down and present complex information in a clean and simple manner. He is a warm and inviting person and that shines through in every interaction with him. Team members find him very approachable and willing to dig in and do the work. This created a safe culture in the Product Management organization where people felt free to express their ideas and challenge each other respectfully. Amar would be an asset to any organization, and I would work for him again anywhere anytime.
LinkedIn User
Amar is a pragmatic and talented leader who effectively blends strategic vision and tactical execution to inspire teams and deliver results. On numerous initiatives, Amar routinely showed a strong ability to draw clear and actionable insights from disparate, complex inputs in order to guide business decisions. He also demonstrated an exceptional ability at forming a productive, inclusive organizational culture that motivates and inspires teams to grow and deliver results. I highly recommend Amar as a senior leader.
LinkedIn User
Amar is one of those rare leaders who makes you want to be a better person. I had the pleasure of working for him twice during his time at Pearson. First in the Efficacy & Research team and then later in Product Management. His leadership style makes you feel empowered and inspired. Amar puts his time and focus on helping his teams do their best work. In 2019 he put together a very thoughtful talent development program for the Product Management organization and encouraged people to take their professional goals seriously. This went a long way to build morale and help people feel cared for. I have learned a lot about the leader I aspire to be as a result of his coaching. I was always impressed with Amar’s ability to break down and present complex information in a clean and simple manner. He is a warm and inviting person and that shines through in every interaction with him. Team members find him very approachable and willing to dig in and do the work. This created a safe culture in the Product Management organization where people felt free to express their ideas and challenge each other respectfully. Amar would be an asset to any organization, and I would work for him again anywhere anytime.
LinkedIn User
Amar is a pragmatic and talented leader who effectively blends strategic vision and tactical execution to inspire teams and deliver results. On numerous initiatives, Amar routinely showed a strong ability to draw clear and actionable insights from disparate, complex inputs in order to guide business decisions. He also demonstrated an exceptional ability at forming a productive, inclusive organizational culture that motivates and inspires teams to grow and deliver results. I highly recommend Amar as a senior leader.
LinkedIn User
Amar is one of those rare leaders who makes you want to be a better person. I had the pleasure of working for him twice during his time at Pearson. First in the Efficacy & Research team and then later in Product Management. His leadership style makes you feel empowered and inspired. Amar puts his time and focus on helping his teams do their best work. In 2019 he put together a very thoughtful talent development program for the Product Management organization and encouraged people to take their professional goals seriously. This went a long way to build morale and help people feel cared for. I have learned a lot about the leader I aspire to be as a result of his coaching. I was always impressed with Amar’s ability to break down and present complex information in a clean and simple manner. He is a warm and inviting person and that shines through in every interaction with him. Team members find him very approachable and willing to dig in and do the work. This created a safe culture in the Product Management organization where people felt free to express their ideas and challenge each other respectfully. Amar would be an asset to any organization, and I would work for him again anywhere anytime.
LinkedIn User
Amar is a pragmatic and talented leader who effectively blends strategic vision and tactical execution to inspire teams and deliver results. On numerous initiatives, Amar routinely showed a strong ability to draw clear and actionable insights from disparate, complex inputs in order to guide business decisions. He also demonstrated an exceptional ability at forming a productive, inclusive organizational culture that motivates and inspires teams to grow and deliver results. I highly recommend Amar as a senior leader.
LinkedIn User
Amar is one of those rare leaders who makes you want to be a better person. I had the pleasure of working for him twice during his time at Pearson. First in the Efficacy & Research team and then later in Product Management. His leadership style makes you feel empowered and inspired. Amar puts his time and focus on helping his teams do their best work. In 2019 he put together a very thoughtful talent development program for the Product Management organization and encouraged people to take their professional goals seriously. This went a long way to build morale and help people feel cared for. I have learned a lot about the leader I aspire to be as a result of his coaching. I was always impressed with Amar’s ability to break down and present complex information in a clean and simple manner. He is a warm and inviting person and that shines through in every interaction with him. Team members find him very approachable and willing to dig in and do the work. This created a safe culture in the Product Management organization where people felt free to express their ideas and challenge each other respectfully. Amar would be an asset to any organization, and I would work for him again anywhere anytime.
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Credentials
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SAFe 4 Certified Agilist
Scaled Agile, Inc.
Experience
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KaiPod Learning
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United States
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Education Administration Programs
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1 - 100 Employee
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Founder & CEO
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2020 - Present
Founder working on a new educational model to deeply personalize student learning by blending online and small-group experiences. YCombinator S21 batch. Founder working on a new educational model to deeply personalize student learning by blending online and small-group experiences. YCombinator S21 batch.
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On Deck
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United States
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Technology, Information and Internet
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200 - 300 Employee
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OnDeck Scale Fellow
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2021 - Present
On Deck Scale (ODS) is a close, trusted community of CEOs leading high growth venture-backed companies from around the world. On Deck Scale (ODS) is a close, trusted community of CEOs leading high growth venture-backed companies from around the world.
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Pearson
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United Kingdom
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Education
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700 & Above Employee
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SVP of Product & Portfolio Management (Chief Product Officer)
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2017 - 2020
Accountable for the strategy and execution of technology and learning products for Pearson's online learning division.Selected accomplishments:* Defined and implemented a new product strategy to win in new markets for online learning, while growing the core business (~30% YoY). Launched successfully in 2020.* Innovated a new business model and product offering in response to COVID-19 which went to market in record time (10 days) targeting 100,000 new students across the US.* Improved customer activation, conversion, and retention in collaboration with go-to-market leaders from marketing and sales by aligning product strategy and roadmaps.* Built a team of 50+ product managers and user experience designers. Recruited and invested in top talent from leading ed-tech organizations. Transformed culture scores from the lowest in the organization to the highest in less than 18 months.
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SVP of Efficacy (Strategy & Transformation)
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2013 - 2017
Global SVP of Pearson's “big bet” to define, measure, and improve learning outcomes across every digital product in the portfolio.Selected accomplishments:* Developed and implemented the strategy to scale the Efficacy function from pilot to maturity, where it influences ~$5bn of revenues from education technology products.* Challenged education technology product management teams to get out of their comfort zone and design more effective and engaging digital products.* Led Pearson’s research agenda on the future of work; forecasted impact of global trends on online learning, employment, and the workforce.* Represented Pearson externally in keynotes, panels, and other forums on the future of work, artificial intelligence in education, or the global evolution of ed-tech.
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McKinsey & Company
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Business Consulting and Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Engagement Manager
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2010 - 2013
Advised corporations and education institutions on issues of strategic importance, such as product launch, new market entry, and financial transformation.Selected accomplishments:* Guided the top administration of a leading graduate school in a strategic planning process; resulted in new program launches.* Piloted strategic planning at an Ivy League university that resulted in a sustainable financial model for a new school and the design of 21st-century campus infrastructure.* Led implementation planning for a major education foundation to improve the quality of educator preparation in the United States resulting in grants nationally.* Designed and implemented projects to turn around the equipment business for a Fortune 500 technology company, leading to 25% productivity growth translating to $60M in savings.
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Portfolio Manager / Systems Analyst
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2003 - 2008
Drove change in a time of great innovation for drug discovery, due to the introduction of genomics & proteomics. Accelerated scientific pursuits through new products and analytics.Selected accomplishments:* Set product roadmaps by balancing customer need, technical feasibility, and quality requirements; reduced certain R&D times by ~80% and resource requirements by ~50%.* Co-developed and launched agile software methodology for all projects; implemented product management practices such as iterative development and development sprints.
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Thomas Memorial School
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United States
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Principal (Sabbatical from Eli Lilly)
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2006 - 2007
Led turnaround of a struggling school of 1,000 students and 75 staff amidst financial constraints, talent shortages, and academic struggles. Built management routines and streamlined operations.Selected accomplishments:* Launched after-school tutoring programs that improved academic outcomes and elevated the high-school graduation rate from 60% to 90% within one academic year.* Implemented teacher development and mentoring efforts that resulted in significantly-improved teacher performance and consistently higher attendance rates.
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Education
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Y Combinator
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Harvard Business School
MBA, Business -
Purdue University
Bachelor of Science (with Highest Distinction), Computer Science