Sasanka (Sashi) Gandavarapu

Commander
DISC Type : D

Senior Director, Data Science - GenAI & Personalization at Walmart

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Overview

Sasanka Gandavarapu is a Senior Director of Data Science at Walmart, leading initiatives in Generative AI and personalization to redefine eCommerce. His background includes designing Walmarts last-mile delivery strategy and developing a machine learning model at The Home Depot that captured $200M in lost sales. He holds a Masters in Data Science from UC Berkeley.

Colleagues consistently describe him as exceptionally bright, knowledgeable, and skilled at finding solutions amid ambiguity. He is recognized for his profound understanding of mathematical models and his ability to maintain a big-picture perspective while managing projects effectively.

Unique fact: While at UC Berkeley, he co-developed a capstone project called "Make News Credible Again, " creating a framework to identify fake news articles automatically.

Personality Overview

Risk-Taker

Very Quick

Decisive

They put a lot of effort into ensuring personal success.  They do not care very much about building rapport or relationships. They prefer to move quickly, and expect the same from others.

Topics They Care About

Generative AI Commerce
Currently leads a team at Walmart focused on GenAI, Personalization, and Agentic Commerce to re-invent the eCommerce experience.
Omni-Channel Strategy
Led the design of Walmart's last-mile strategy, contributing to its #1 ranking in US same-day delivery.
Explainable AI/ML
Presented to the C-Suite at Sam’s Club on leveraging millions of data points to create an explainable AI/ML model for long-term network strategy.

Media Appearances

Sasanka has no verified media appearances

Work History

6-2025
Senior Director, Data Science - GenAI & Personalization at Walmart
4-2023 - 6-2025
Director, Omni-Channel Supply Chain Strategy and Data Science at Walmart
1-2022 - 4-2023
Sr. Director, Data Science at Georgia-Pacific LLC
11-2019 - 2-2022
Director Data Science at Georgia-Pacific LLC
5-2018 - 11-2019
Principal Data Scientist - Machine Learning at The Home Depot

Education

2015 - 2017
Masters in Information and Data Science from University of California, Berkeley
2007 - 2009
Master's from University of Wisconsin-Madison

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 18 Location : Atlanta, Georgia, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : Senior Director, Data Science - GenAI & Personalization at Walmart
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Insights For Selling To Sasanka (Sashi)

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical
  • Hold your ground without indulging in one-upmanship
  • Use phrases like ‘it’s your decision’, ‘strategic impact’ etc.

DONT's

  • Don’t be in a rush to invite them for a social meet and greet
  • Do not hesitate from asking counter questions, just avoid challenging their authority
  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Sasanka (Sashi) is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Sasanka (Sashi)

  • If they are not convinced, they will have no hesitation in telling you the same.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Sasanka (Sashi) move?

  • If convinced, they can reach decisions quite fast.
  • Can Sasanka (Sashi) take some risk or not?

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

You And Sasanka (Sashi)

Personality Compatibility


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