Meet #Boomerang Mayank Singh

A toss and return - the journey of a boomerang. Similarly, an employee that launches from their experience at a company to later return - a boomerang! For our many #OdessaBoomerangs, they describe how they maintained a connection while away and liken their decision to come back to "a comfortable return".

Meet Mayank Singh, who boomeranged back to his goal of building products at Odessa. He is passionate about translating business needs into dynamic products in order to transform the way customers work. And he is doing exactly that.

Starting at Odessa

Mayank Singh was an experienced Business Analyst when he joined Odessa in 2010. “Odessa had around 100 employees spread across offices in Bangalore and Philadelphia at that time. I had the opportunity to translate business requirements into functional solutions for a diverse group of customers – so much of that work done is still part of our platform today,” said Mayank. As the company grew, so did Mayank’s scope of work. He began to manage and mentor a team of business analysts, helping to train up the next wave of customer whisperers. “My background in enterprise implementation was very useful to call upon and help define best practices for how we worked.”

As with many Odessans, Mayank was able to grow and build a career path that aligned with his interests. “I remember being shown the Asset Profile UI in my initial interview and being asked to create a functional specification document in an hour,” said Mayank. “The gauntlet was laid out. It was pretty clear to me from there that I could learn a lot.” It was all the opportunities he was given to learn and be pushed outside of his comfort zone that kept Mayank at Odessa for four years.

Career catch and release

In 2014, the startup boom was making waves in India. “My career was all about delivering enterprise systems for banking and financial services up until this point, but I really wanted to explore the world beyond,” said Mayank. He made the decision to jump into e-commerce with one of the fastest-growing companies in Bengaluru – Flipkart. Now on the other side of the software development lifecycle, Mayank was learning more about product design and technology development, taking the designs he was used to concepting and building them into reality.

“The challenges were different – supply chain management, process improvement, and development. I was able to build upon my experience and add new tools to my arsenal,” said Mayank. While enjoying the broader experience, Mayank still realized that there was something special about the Odessa culture that he missed.

Act Two: Back at Odessa

After two and a half years at Flipkart, Mayank decided to make his way back to Odessa as a Product Manager. “I missed it! I reached out to my former manager and was welcomed back with open arms,” he said. “I immediately jumped back into solving complex techno-functional business challenges, learning from customers and business teams. It felt like coming home.”

A lot of things had stayed the same and a lot had changed. Odessa had the same tight-knit workforce and innovative culture that Mayank remembered. "In my time away, Odessa had also assumed a more dominant position in the market, going to market with a platform-led, future-forward strategy. More nimble and agile than ever, the teams were delivering a techno-functional suite of solutions to help customers be competitive and successful," he said.

“Today, I am part of an awesome team that manages product operations and components of our functional platform roadmap,” said Mayank. “I am surrounded by talented, driven, friendly colleagues – genuinely, some of the nicest people you will ever meet.” Mayank has been back with Odessa for more than four years in his second act, now in the role of AVP, Product Management. “My overall career trajectory has been uniquely my own. I receive incredible support from mentors and managers, and I strive to provide the same to others. I never want to stop learning and I’m thankful for a company that supports me in that.”

Advice for future Boomerangs

What advice does Mayank have for #OdessaAlumni? He says, “Sometimes the best journeys are the ones that surprise you! If you’re open to making a comeback as an #OdessaBoomerang, keep up with the latest and stay in touch with your connections.”