Rajesh Arora

Commander
DISC Type : D

VP, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Principal Financial Group

Cupertino, California, United States

Overview

Rajesh is the VP and Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Principal Financial Group, where he leads enterprise-wide data, AI, and analytics strategy to drive business transformation. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Louisiana State University, colleagues describe him as adaptable, brilliant, and a natural leader.

He is passionate about community impact, recently joining the Board of Directors for iJAG (Iowa Jobs for Americas Graduates). He is committed to the organizations mission of removing barriers, expanding opportunity, and empowering Iowa’s youth to succeed.

Rajesh has been recognized as one of the Top 40 most influential Leaders in US Finance and a Top 100 Data and AI leader in North America.

Personality Overview

Strong-Willed

Decisive

Very Quick

They like to stay in control of the negotiation or defining of the terms.  They prefer to move quickly, and expect the same from others. They do not care very much about building rapport or relationships.

Topics They Care About

Ethical AI Governance
He implemented a two-tiered governance model at Principal, featuring an Ethical and Responsible AI Working Group to ensure proper oversight for all AI use cases.
AI-driven Transformation
His mission is to embed AI as a core capability to enhance efficiency, improve customer outcomes, and drive value realization across the enterprise.
Workforce AI Literacy
He champions company-wide education on AI, believing that empowering all employees, not just technical experts, is critical for successful adoption.

Media Appearances

Inside Principal Financial Group's AI Transformation — with Rajesh Arora. Featured in Spotify Podcast

See Now

Work History

7-2024
VP, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Principal Financial Group
1-2020 - 7-2024
Sr Director - Business Applications and Products at Pacific Gas and Electric Company
4-2018 - 1-2020
Sr Director - Enterprise Platforms and Applications at Pacific Gas and Electric Company
5-2016 - 4-2018
Director - IT Managed Services at Pacific Gas and Electric Company
8-2011 - 5-2016
Director - Electric & Gas Business Applications at Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Education

General Management Program (GMP) from Harvard Business School
MS from Louisiana State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 29 Location : Cupertino, California, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : VP, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Principal Financial Group
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Insights For Selling To Rajesh

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Refer to testimonials from well-known industry leaders
  • Make sure that you circle back fast on any action items, it wins their trust
  • Hold your ground without indulging in one-upmanship

DONT's

  • Don’t be in a rush to invite them for a social meet and greet
  • Do not back off when challenged, respond with a confident, objective answer instead
  • Don't try too hard to forge relationships with them

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Rajesh is

  • Conviction around the impact matters the most to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Rajesh

  • If they are not convinced, they will say no without any hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Rajesh move?

  • If convinced, they can reach decisions quite fast.
  • Can Rajesh take some risk or not?

  • They do not shy away from taking risks, but can be quite binary about them.

You And Rajesh

Personality Compatibility


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