Sowmya V Kumaran

Commander
DISC Type : D

Director , Engineering - AI Infrastructure Platforms at Cisco

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Overview

Sowmya V Kumaran is the Director of Engineering for AI Infrastructure Platforms at Cisco, specializing in multi-cloud environments, Kubernetes, and modern applications. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, colleagues consistently describe her as an amazing, meticulous, and accomplished manager with deep functional knowledge.

Sowmya is passionate about mentorship and developing future leaders, particularly in an AI-driven world. She actively encourages growth within her teams and has a keen interest in fostering talent and exploring the skills needed for the next generation of leadership.

She proudly contributed to a significant milestone at Intel, helping to launch a full EdgeAI software stack including a container OS and management platform.

Personality Overview

Strong-Willed

Candid & Clear

Impact-Driven

They prefer to be the ones controlling the conversation or defining the terms.  They respond well to strong and respectful communication. More than the product, they care about the impact of the product.

Topics They Care About

AI-Powered Leadership
She is actively engaged in discussions about the future of leadership in an AI-powered world, focusing on the necessary skills and mindsets to stay ahead.
Building AI Teams
She is currently hiring for an innovation team at Cisco, focused on reimagining how enterprises can harness AI with startup-like agility and rapid iteration.
Edge AI Stacks
She highlighted her contribution to a major milestone at Intel involving the launch of a complete software stack for Edge AI, including OS and AI suites.

Media Appearances

Sowmya has no verified media appearances

Work History

8-2025
Director , Engineering - AI Infrastructure Platforms at Cisco
12-2023 - 7-2025
Senior Director , Engineering - Edge Software Platforms Division , Intel at Intel Corporation
2-2023 - 12-2023
Director , Engineering R&D - Modern Apps , Multicloud connectivity and Security at VMware
2-2022 - 2-2023
Senior Engineering Manager - CTO Office - Networking and Advanced Security , Innovation Products at VMware
12-2020 - 1-2022
Senior Engineering Manager - Office of the CTO ,Research & Innovation - Cloud Architecture at VMware

Education

2016 - 2016
Tanmatra - Women in Leadership from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 21 Location : Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director , Engineering - AI Infrastructure Platforms at Cisco
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Insights For Selling To Sowmya

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Objectively showcase the impact that your product creates
  • Refer to testimonials from well-known industry leaders
  • Speak about competitive differentiation that your product offers

DONT's

  • Don't try too hard to forge relationships with them
  • Do not back off when challenged, respond with a confident, objective answer instead
  • Don’t take too much time in sending them information if they ask for any

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Sowmya is

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

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

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Sowmya move?

  • They can reach decisions fairly quickly if they are convinced.
  • Can Sowmya take some risk or not?

  • They don’t mind risks but can be quite binary about them.

You And Sowmya

Personality Compatibility


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