Dr. Mahesh Kumar - Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Dr. Mahesh Kumar

B.Tech., Computer Science & Engineering, 1999

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARDEE | 2026

Mr. Mahesh Kumar is the Founder and CEO of Tiger Analytics, an AI and advanced analytics consulting firm serving global enterprises.

After completing his B.Tech. from IIT Bombay, Mr. Kumar went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Operations Research and Marketing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His academic foundation combines rigorous analytical thinking with practical business problem-solving.

Mr. Kumar founded Tiger Analytics in 2011 with a clear vision—to apply management science and advanced analytics to help organisations achieve superior business performance. Drawing on his academic training and industry exposure, he built the firm as an AI- and analytics-driven organisation focused on delivering measurable, business-ready outcomes.

Before founding Tiger Analytics, Mr. Kumar was on the faculty at the Robert H. Smith School of Business and Rutgers Business School, where he taught and conducted research in data mining, statistical modelling, and decision sciences. His academic and applied work addressed complex challenges in forecasting, pricing, promotions, and customer segmentation.

Under his leadership, Tiger Analytics has grown into a global organisation with over 7,000 associates, serving several Fortune 1000 companies across CPG, Retail, Insurance, BFSI, and Manufacturing. The firm has expanded its footprint across the United States, Canada, India, Singapore, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and Spain, establishing itself as a trusted partner for AI-led transformation.

Mr. Kumar has played a pivotal role in advancing the practical adoption of advanced analytics, AI, and agentic AI systems within enterprise environments. Through Tiger Analytics, he has helped organisations move beyond descriptive reporting to predictive and prescriptive intelligence, enabling data-driven decision-making at scale. His work bridges the gap between theory and practice, translating complex analytical models into business ready solutions that deliver tangible impact.

Under his guidance, the firm has developed bespoke AI and analytics solutions addressing customer intelligence, supply chain optimisation, pricing strategy, and operational efficiency. More recently, this has extended to agentic AI frameworks, where intelligent systems are designed not only to generate insights but also to act, adapt, and optimise decisions with minimal human intervention.

Mr. Kumar has also been instrumental in building and scaling high-performing analytics teams globally, fostering a culture rooted in scientific thinking, innovation, and the ethical use of data. His leadership has strengthened the role of analytics as a strategic enterprise capability, influencing how organisations approach transformation and long-term value creation.

He has been featured among India’s 100 Most Influential People in AI by AIM (2024, 2025), honoured with the Bihar Vishwa Gaurav Samman (2025) for his contributions to technology and entrepreneurship, recognised among the Fast 100 Asian American Businesses by the US Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce (2025), ranked among the Top 20 CEOs of Analytics Firms (2023), and named among the Top 10 Most Influential Analytical Leaders in India by AIM (2016, 2020).

Interests & Hobbies: I have always been interested in sports, particularly basketball and swimming. Lately, I have been learning music.

Special Memories of IIT Bombay

Two groups of people made my time in IIT Bombay truly memorable and played a lasting role in shaping my outlook on life. The first was my batchmates from the Computer Science department - we spent countless hours together in the lab, learning, building, and balancing hard work with plenty of fun. The second one was my wing mates in hostel 7, who became my family away from home. I learned immensely from them and remain closely connected with them to this day.