Professional Overview
Karthik Raman is currently the Chief Revenue Officer, Board Member, and Shareholder at RevDau, an AI startup based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He assumed this role in July 2024 and acts as a management member and investor. He spearheads global revenue and growth efforts for RevDau, focusing on the Telecom and Enterprise markets within the EMEA region. His responsibilities include driving partnerships, market expansion initiatives, formulating and owning the business strategy to significantly increase market share and revenue, and representing the company as its key public face in the industry.
Previously, Karthik served as Regional Director & Global Accounts Manager EMEA at Sycomp (May 2022 – March 2024), managing multi-national accounts with full P&L and acting as the voice of Sycomp to their customers by leveraging global delivery and integration capabilities.
From 2012 to 2022, Karthik held senior leadership positions at IBM, culminating as Industry Lead for Telecom & Media in MEA, managing key markets such as Saudi Arabia, East Africa, and overall Telecom business accounting for 70% of IBM MEA’s telecom revenues. He led new opportunity creation, built and piloted annuity services and MVPs using IBM’s technologies, and developed go-to-market partner ecosystems, particularly in 5G and Edge computing spheres. His IBM tenure was notable for strategic outsourcing and managed services transformations, customer experience management programs, and robust CXO relationship management at scale.
His long career in telecommunications began earlier at Reliance Infocomm, where as Key Accounts Head for BFSI (2003–2006), he managed major banking clients and won multiple enterprise selling awards, pioneering first-of-their-kind telecom solutions for banking in India.
Domain Expertise & Technical Competencies
- Telecommunications: Extensive experience in telecom enterprise solutions, network transformations, and strategic outsourcing; deep understanding of telecom CAPEX vs OPEX models and OSS-BSS workflows.
- Artificial Intelligence & Cloud: Leadership in AI startups and enterprise AI applications focusing on network AI, cloud and 5G solutions.
- Sustainability, ESG & Circular Economy: Certified in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge (2024) and serving as lead advisor for ESG and sustainability services at Ideal Capital Management Consultants, Dubai (since April 2024).
- Business Growth & Revenue Strategy: Proven track record of driving revenue growth, market expansion, and managing business P&L across multiple industries and regions.
- Partner Ecosystem Development: Built go-to-market partner models and joint B2B2X solutions for complex telecom and enterprise cloud environments.
- Thought Leadership: Author of multiple LinkedIn articles on future technology trends including AI bias, cloud vs edge computing, and regional technology strategies; active convener and board member in industry groups like the Indian Business Professional Council (IBPC) UAE.
Career Milestones & Achievements
- Instrumental in IBM’s largest telecom IT transformations through back-to-back strategic outsourcing programs, firmly establishing IBM as a global leader in telecom IT services.
- Led IBM’s Telco Digital & Cognitive services deployment in MEA, including impactful projects with stc, Mobily, Zain, Airtel Africa, and Safaricom.
- Developed innovative MVPs and proofs-of-concept encompassing AI, machine learning platforms, and real-time analytics, significantly contributing to telecom client success in the MEA region.
- Drove the launch and operational growth of a startup (rapidEffect) from inception, including product development, sales, and client management across Tier 1 OEMs.
- Recognized five times as IBM Top Talent with multiple accolades for client leadership and performance excellence.
- Successfully started and scaled multiple enterprise service businesses globally, including media and satellite TV business unit in Oman and instrumentation sales in Indonesia.
- Certified Independent Non-Executive Director by the Directors’ Institute under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (2024).
Education & Certifications
- Directors’ Institute – World Council of Directors: Certified Independent and Non-Executive Director, Corporate Governance & ESG (2024)
- University of Cambridge: Business Sustainability Management – ESG, Circular Economy (2024)
- INSEAD, Singapore: Executive Management Program – Client Executive Program with distinction (2008–2009)
- Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies: Diploma in International Business (1994–1996)
- Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune: Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering (1989–1993)
Additional certifications include IBM Industry Gold Member, IBM Certified Sales Professional, and Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals.
Language Skills
- English (Fluent)
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Tamil
- Indonesian
Industry & Community Involvement
- Convener, Technology & Telecom Focus Group, Indian Business & Professional Council UAE (since March 2024)
- Member, Science and Technology Business Council & EMTT Focus Group, IBPC UAE
- Volunteer and Economic Empowerment Speaker with Swades Foundation and Toastmasters (since 2019)
- Active participant in dialogues on AI sovereignty and digital infrastructure strategies pertaining to the GCC and Indian markets.
Public Thought Leadership & Content
Karthik Raman regularly publishes insights on LinkedIn addressing key themes such as the future of AI and cloud computing, sustainability, and digital transformation within telecom. Example articles include:
- “How does a desert nation like the UAE sustain its food needs?” (Feb 2024)
- “From ‘I,Robot’ to Reality: Challenges and Bias in the realm of AI” (Dec 2023)
- “Cloud Computing Vs Edge Computing: Which is the future?” (Nov 2023)
His commentary frequently emphasizes the urgency of sovereign AI infrastructure and rapid deployment of technology platforms to maintain competitive advantage in the digital era.
Contact Information
- Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Email: 1karthikraman@gmail.com
- Followers on LinkedIn: Approximately 3,675+
This profiling synthesizes Karthik Raman’s strategic role in scaling AI and telecom businesses within EMEA, his recognized expertise in technology-driven enterprise revenue growth, and leadership in sustainability advisory—all underpinned by over 30 years of global, multi-sector experience. His active engagement at the intersection of telecom, AI, cloud computing, and ESG positions him as a highly influential executive driving innovation and partnerships within the evolving technology landscape.
