Karyn Tham Desai
Austin,TX
Summary
Visionary Executive with expertise in product, operations, and program management, recognized for unifying diverse teams and enhancing operational efficiency. Proven ability to manage multi-million dollar P&Ls while adapting to evolving business needs. Committed to fostering collaboration and innovation, building high-performing teams that drive significant impact across functions and geographies.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Founder
Karyn Tham Desai Consulting, LLC.
12.2023 - Current
- Consulted with Sr. Management at various companies to develop and execute strategies for growth in multi-faceted industries, enhancing product experience across offerings to create a cohesive marketplace generating revenue in international markets
- Champion the adoption of emerging technologies and best practices to enhance operational efficiency and competitive advantage
- Partner with business leaders to align technology initiatives with strategic objectives, ensuring IT investments deliver maximum value
- Oversee complex projects from inception to completion, including scope definition, resource allocation, risk management, and performance tracking
- Develop comprehensive business cases and cost-benefit analyses to support technology investments and budget planning
- Cultivated strong relationships with key stakeholders, navigating organizational dynamics to secure consensus and support for technology initiatives
Head Tech Enablement & Operations
Softwaytek
01.2025 - 09.2025
- Fostered and expanded client relationships to generate role requirements.
- Grew and managed new client relationship generation, aligning role requirements with client needs
- Oversaw recruiters and recruitment ecosystem, streamlining processes for faster market response
- Developed and implemented talent and client acquisition strategies, enhancing alignment with business goals
Sr. Director, Global Commercialization Strategist
Visa Developer Platform/Modern Client Experience
02.2022 - 10.2023
- Created and led consumer-centric product roadmap, ensuring timely and budget-compliant delivery through collaboration with IT and business stakeholders
- Led the Product Development Stage Gate process by working cross functionally to prepare and present stage gates to upper management, stakeholders, et al.
- Collaborated with the tech team to ensure products adhered to requirements, timeline, and cost.
- Managed corporate cross-functional acquisitions to enhance global Token offerings beyond Visa cards, driving strategic growth
- Led go-to-market strategies for multiple product launches, driving ~15% - 30% increase in market penetration and ~$15M revenue growth within first 3 years of launch for said products
- Pivotal role delivering on high stakes, confidential contracts, achieving ~$8 million growth in key client partnerships/extensions – i.e., Universal (VDP), SW Airlines (VDP), Apple (VTS)
- Increased YoY realized revenue by ~$9-$10MM over three years through enhanced operational cash-flow strategies
- Created, leveraged, & grew 'Center of Excellence': Go-To-Market/Bus. Ops, Assets, Socialization, Sales Activation/Optimization increasing Product/Program speed to market by 26% in one quarter of Go Live
- Delivered multiple key initiatives in parallel to global markets, on time, under budget, with original scope
Sr. Director, Global Commercialization Product Manager, Digital Solutions
Visa, Inc.
01.2020 - 02.2022
- Led global Sales Enablement and GTM commercialization team responsible for 3-year, double digit growth for Visa Token service, Token ID and Digital Value-added Services resulting in 23% improvement in VTS client optimization and 15% revenue increase and conversion rates within 25 months
- Managed global team (15+) to evangelize digital products to Visa enterprise clients, strengthen client relationships, and integrate products and services
- Created and developed 'Center of Excellence' for Go-To-Market, Business Operations, Assets, Socialization, and Sales Activation
Sr. Director of Product, Digital Solutions
Visa, Inc.
06.2017 - 01.2020
- Developed Visa Token Service product strategies based within lifecycle management goals & exceeded transactional, provisioning and payment volume goals ahead of schedule 2 years in a row
- Drove and developed business management functions to enhance team operating rhythm, including implementing key business reviews and improving processes for greater effectiveness
- Managed PMO team to streamline upstream ideation, product socialization, and legal and risk activities, prioritizing incoming initiatives aligned with corporate strategy and regional goals
- Managed $60MM budget, overseeing POs, vendors, contractors, and fiscal strategies
Director/Sr. Program Manager, Client Services
Visa, Inc.
12.2010 - 06.2017
- Executed projects across diverse programs, collaborating with multiple technology organizations
- Managed business and tech PMs to successfully deliver the $20MM Global Visa Online product that transformed the US centric Visa Online resource for our clients worldwide, consolidating multiple regional platforms with an estimated cost savings of $2MM over 5 years
- Managed implementation of financial features resulting in $3.2MM revenue gain over 5 years
- Delivered 30+ customer-facing engagements, ranging from 3-month strategy initiatives to 18-month cross-functional product deliveries
Sr. Tech Program Manager, Finance
Cisco Systems
Milpitas, USA
08.2009 - 08.2010
- Milpitas, CA
Sr. IT Program Manager, Product Development
WageWorks, Inc.
San Mateo, USA
01.2006 - 01.2009
- San Mateo, CA
Education
Business Leadership Degree -
Cornell Johnson School of Management
08.2022
Skills
- Business strategy
- Project management
- Data analysis
- Product development
- Technology integration
- Market research
Accomplishments
- Successfully completed Cornell Johnson School of Business Management Amplify program (2022)
- Speaker for Texas Conference for Women (2018)
- Stanford Advanced Placement Graduate (2016)
- Founder of VISA ATX PRIDE ERG (2014)
- Professional Mentor, LGBTQIA+ Advocate/Speaker/Mentor
Timeline
Head Tech Enablement & Operations
Softwaytek
01.2025 - 09.2025
Founder
Karyn Tham Desai Consulting, LLC.
12.2023 - Current
Sr. Director, Global Commercialization Strategist
Visa Developer Platform/Modern Client Experience
02.2022 - 10.2023
Sr. Director, Global Commercialization Product Manager, Digital Solutions
Visa, Inc.
01.2020 - 02.2022
Sr. Director of Product, Digital Solutions
Visa, Inc.
06.2017 - 01.2020
Director/Sr. Program Manager, Client Services
Visa, Inc.
12.2010 - 06.2017
Sr. Tech Program Manager, Finance
Cisco Systems
08.2009 - 08.2010
Sr. IT Program Manager, Product Development
WageWorks, Inc.
01.2006 - 01.2009
Business Leadership Degree -
Cornell Johnson School of Management