I’m Abhisek, and I spend my days finding the sweet spot between what’s technically possible and what actually matters to businesses.

My journey at 84.51°- Kroger’s data science consulting arm and before that at Mu Sigma, has been about gradually zooming out. I started as a hands-on data scientist building models, moved into a hybrid role where I balanced technical work with shaping product direction, and eventually transitioned fully into leading R&D strategy and initiatives. That progression taught me something important: the most impactful work happens when you can bridge the technical depth with the strategic vision of what we should build and why.

What I love most is the translation layer: taking complex technical problems and making them tangible for business stakeholders, then turning business needs into something my team of researchers and developers can actually build. It’s less about the algorithm and more about asking the right questions, understanding what problem we’re really solving and why it matters.

That’s what excites me about product management. My favorite moments aren’t just when the model performs well, but when we’ve shaped the right product that people actually want to use and which removes friction. There’s something energizing about being at that intersection, understanding user needs, making strategic trade-offs, and bringing the right people together to build something useful.Outside of work, I build AI tools for my own life: a custom GPT that acts as my tennis coach (creating on-court and off-court training regimens), a productivity agent that helps me see through everything on my plate and prioritize effectively, and an agent that helps me get started on hard open-ended problems to break through perfectionist paralysis. I’m drawn to philosophy and science, spend time on the tennis court, and am passionate about fitness and movement quality.

On my vacations, I love traveling to new places with my partner and trying all kinds of coffee places, visiting libraries, and hiking wherever the opportunity arises. I’m a huge F1 fan and tennis fan, and I make it a priority to travel to a tennis tournament every year to watch live. There’s something about experiencing tennis in person that never gets old; if only to remind myself why I will never turn pro in my 30s. I love animals, especially my cat Marshie—and I’m currently based between the US and Canada. Always happy to connect with people working at the intersection of analytics, product, and AI.