Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Member Board of Directors at Shopify

New York, New York, United States

Overview

Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah is a strategic financial executive with over 25 years of experience leading complex global businesses in technology and industrial sectors. He recently served as CFO of Uber. His career is marked by a transition from chemical engineering, with degrees from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Purdue University, to senior finance leadership.

Born in Sri Lanka, Prashanth is passionate about developing future leaders and empowering entrepreneurs, a value rooted in his experience as the son of small business owners. He is actively involved in his community, serving on advisory boards for the University of Michigans School of Engineering and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Unique fact: His career in finance was sparked by a manufacturing project that brought to life the supply and demand dynamics he heard about at his parents dinner table.

Personality Overview

Not Easily Convinced

Value Seeker

Systematic

While they don't hesitate to ask questions, they are generally risk-averse and tend to be late adopters.  It is quite likely of them to ask for pricing or other concessions. They prefer to fully evaluate every situation.

Topics They Care About

Global Business Transformation
He has a track record of scaling global businesses and driving organizational transformation at companies like Uber, Analog Devices, and WABCO.
Mergers & Acquisitions
He has significant M&A experience, having led the $28 billion acquisition of Maxim Integrated and the integration of Linear Technologies while at Analog Devices.
Leadership Development
He is passionate about growing the next generation of leaders, specifically mentioning his use of the 70-20-10 model for learning and development.

Media Appearances

Uber Announces New Chief Financial Officer. Featured in Uber Investor Relations (Official Press Release)

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Uber has appointed a new CFO—its third in three years. Featured in Fortune

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Uber Accelerates Growth Outside of Cities, Names New CFO. Featured in The Wall Street Journal

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Work History

6-2024
Member Board of Directors at Shopify
11-2023
Chief Financial Officer at Uber
9-2017 - 11-2023
Chief Financial Officer at Analog Devices
6-2014 - 9-2017
Chief Financial Officer at WABCO
Member Board Of Directors at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Education

1988 - 1992
BS from University of Michigan
1996 - 1998
MBA from Purdue University Daniels School of Business

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : New York, New York, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Member Board of Directors at Shopify
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Insights For Selling To Prashanth

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Tell them that you will come back if you don’t have a good answer for a question
  • Emphasize on objective proof of ROI, help them do a thorough evaluation
  • If you have a lower priced product compared to the competition, call out the same

DONT's

  • Avoid phrases like ‘do not worry about’, ‘no one compares to’ etc.
  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence
  • Avoid rushing them, be polite and patient

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Prashanth is

  • Ensuring that the product delivers ROI, cost-effective pricing and process compliance are very important for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Prashanth

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Prashanth move?

  • If they have the information that they need, they can move fast at making their decisions.
  • Can Prashanth take some risk or not?

  • If they believe that they have analyzed the situation well, they can take a little risk.

You And Prashanth

Personality Compatibility


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