Consulting / Entrepreneurship

2023 onwards

The idea of ‘ThinkShop‘ was born way back in 1999, when I first started a web-design studio called ‘UncommonWisdom’. It subsequently took the form of a Consulting firm focused on Technology solutions & Customer Engagement (2013 -2017). The current version – ThinkShop Solutions LLP – marks its third avatar, and sports a new identity, but continues its focus on Digital Transformation & CX solutions.

‘ThinkShop‘ works at the intersection of Business, Technology & Customer, bringing 25+ years of expertise in cross-functional solutions to help clients achieve their Business goals. We engage with client teams and vendor resources to deliver programs that involve multiple stakeholders spanning Customer Experience, Technology and Product Design. Engagements include creating Digital Roadmaps, Customer Journey & UX Audits, Communication Design for Customer/Employee Engagement, Fractional ‘CXO as a Service’, or Training Workshops as needed.

2013-2017

Naveen started ThinkShop – his second venture – in 2013, launching a Consulting firm at the intersection of Business and Technology.

As the Chief Everything Officer at the helm of ThinkShop, he worked with leading players in Financial Services and EdTech, across a portfolio of solutions that included digital-first Product Development, UX Design, Customer Engagement and Program Management.

In 2018, after four years with ThinkShop, Naveen went back to industry, to apply his skills to problems of Scale.

At the Edelweiss Group, Naveen shaped enterprise-wide Customer Strategy to help transform the Group from a product-focused to a customer-focused culture. As a Charter Member of its Customer Council, his role involved driving key CX initiatives across entities, from Wealth Advisory & Asset Management to Capital Markets & Insurance.

Subsequently, he moved to Aegon Life as COO, where he spearheaded its Digital Transformation agenda. At Aegon, he had the privilege of leading teams that successfully designed, built and managed an industry-leading ‘Digital First’ framework for end-to-end Operations, spanning Product Development, UX Design, Underwriting, Claims & Customer Service.

After a very eventful stint in Aegon Life, Naveen joined Microsoft India as a Senior Director & Industry Advisor for Cloud & Enterprise solutions. At Microsoft, he worked with top-tier clients in Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI) across India, through their Digital Transformation initiatives.

1999-2001

Naveen was fascinated with the power of the Internet since 1995 – before the first public cyber-cafe was available in India. Circa 1999, soon after a degree in Business Management, he started a web design studio – ‘ UncommonWisdom‘ – to help organizations make the most of the Internet.

His boutique venture was way ahead of its time, since startups were not even a word yet! However, it did deliver some interesting work in the space of Digital Marketing, Web Design and User Experience (UX) for some enterprise-grade applications, including the opportunity to design the UX for one of India’s first Internet Securities Trading platforms.

In 2000, Naveen returned to industry to gain experience of large-scale, enterprise functions.

What followed were stints with organizations of all shapes and sizes, in roles that spanned Technology, Process & Communication Design, with a focus on Financial Services. This included working with Digital/Consulting organizations (Mudra Digital, Indigo Consulting, Experian, etc.), as well as ‘intrapreneurial’ assignments on the client side (ICICI Group, Motilal Oswal, etc.), building capabilities and redesigning processes, to help align them to the new reality of the always-on world.