Contact Us | About Babajob | Team & Board

Sean Blagsvedt, CEO

Prior to founding Babajob, Sean spent 9 years at Microsoft, interning in 1996 and 1997 and joining full-time in 1999 in the Office group in Redmond as a Program Manager, owning features such as Messenger integration, speech recognition and what was to later become the Vista sidebar. In 2002, Sean moved to the Windows Vista User Experience team, designing the Messenger experience in Vista and how the OS represents people. Finally, in fall 2004, Sean moved to Bangalore as the 3rd founding member of the Microsoft Research India (http://research.microsoft.com/india), heading the Program Management and Advanced Prototyping team, focusing on novel approaches to technology in emerging markets and new strategies in the mobile phone space.

Prior to his years at Microsoft, Sean also worked at the White House with the Internet Policy czar, Ira Magaziner and in Boston with the Lotus Corporation (IBM).  Sean holds dual bachelor degrees in Computer Science and Public Policy from Brown University (1998).  He's really likes having fun too.

Anoop Mathew, Director of Employer Relations

Anoop hails from Bangalore with extensive experience in the BPO and HR industries and is in charge of ensuring that employers on babajob are happy. Anoop previously worked for ARK Group Private Limited, a consulting and training firm, where he managed their consulting vertical. He started his career as a programmer at IDS private limited and then moved on to Merittrac Private Limited in their consulting team. Anoop has a bachelors in engineering from VTU in Belgaum, India. He is avid reader and likes to travel.

Maya Chandrasekaran, Director of Strategic Partnerships

Maya joined Babajob in July 2010. Most recently, she was with an urban MFI, Janalakshmi Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.. At Janalakshmi Maya was involved in treasury management, fund raising activities and product development. Prior to that, Maya worked with Capvent India Private Ltd., a private equity fund of funds. Her experience also includes stints at PricewaterhouseCoopers (M&A advisory) and Infosys Technologies (Corporate Planning).

Maya has a Bachelors degree in English Literature (Grinnell College, Iowa) and a JD in Media and Management (Syracuse University, NY). She loves to travel, read and watch foodshows on TV.

Rahul Kumar, Developer Architect

"I am a very fun loving guy from Punjab. I have around 4 years of experience in web development. I have worked with 2 another startups prior to joining babajob. One of them is CoCubes.com which is a startup by 2 IITians. I worked with CoCubes.com as a core member of a team and spent around 2 years there which were tremendous and one of the best parts of my professional career. I hold Masters degree in Computer Applications from Punjabi University, Patiala (2007). Apart from working I enjoy long drives, travelling, listening soft music and bowling."

Yuvarani Jayaprakrash, Office Manager

Yuvarani is a recent hire at babajob and functions as data acquisition/entry personnel speaking to customers on a regular basis and inputting job information into our database. She completed her Diploma in computer Science, Tally and Busy Win (i.e. Accounting Software). Pior to this, she worked as an Accountant for 4 years with a retail store. She has 5 members in her family. Her hobbies include listening to melodious songs creative work.

Gracy Mary, Employer Relationship Executive

I have worked at Babajob for the past two years, joining in 2008 first as a Customer Care Representative and more recently, transitioned into the role of Data Acquisition Executive as part of the company's mobile campaign. Born in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, I have spent the majority of my life in Bangalore where I live with an extended family of 6 people. My passion and interest include music, dancing and reading novels. I also paint when I have a little bit of extra time. I have completed my PUC in computer basics and before babajob, worked at HSBC Credit Cards Division for 6 months.

Praveena Sridharan, Employer Relations Officer

I am a Bangalorean and have completed my graduation and diploma in computers. I have been with Babajob for 7 months as an Employer Relations Officer. Babajob has a very good work environment with good colleague and management. I am passionate, result oriented, articulate, flexible and hardworking person.

Denesh Kumar, Job Seeker Relationship Executive

I joined babajob in November of 2008 as a Field Marketing and Customer Relations Executive. I work closely with job seekers in registering their details on our database and communicating job details with them. I am an M.Sc (Psychology) graduate and have previously worked as a lecturer in Mayura College of Arts and Science in Bangalore. I am originally from Madurai, Tamil Nadu where my family including my father, a retired Army officer, my mother and 2 younger sisters continue to reside. I have a passion for learning and developing my knowledge which has lead me to pursue various certificates in 3D Animation in Maya Software, Bio Chemistry and Yoga. I primarily joined babajob because there is a "social service" element to the business - helping people get better jobs. I enjoy working at babajob and appreciate the company of colleagues who come from different backgrounds. I love to do Social Work, listen to music and love animals.

Fellows

Seema Ramchandani, Technical Fellow

Seema's focus is to enable and mobilize communities through software. Currently, Seema is the Graphics and Performance PM on the Silverlight for Windows Phone in Redmond. Seema initially joined Microsoft in 2003 to design and build the Windows Presentation Foundation, and glass window manager introduced in Vista. Prior to her tenure at Microsoft, she did her Masters' research on brain-computer interfaces at Brown University.

Kenny Wolf and Lauren Lavoie, Technical Fellows

Kenny and Lauren are old friends of Sean's from Microsoft and generally amazing. They have worked tirelessly to help improve the quality of jobs sent to our job seekers. They currently travelling the world while checking-in code. We are terribly grateful to them.

Mercedes Pepper, Fellow

Prior to joining Babajob in July 2010, Mercedes was a fellow at the Partnership for Public Service where she conducted research, managed a Webinar and assisted workshops that advocated onboarding within the US federal government. In May 2009, Mercedes graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA, U.S.A, with a Bachelors degree in Anthropology and with a minor in Government. As an undergrad at Smith College, Mercedes sought to take courses that emphasized social development and international relations. While studying abroad in Fiji, Mercedes’ academia and career interests were fostered as she studied Multiculturalism and Social Change and interned with the Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding. After receiving her degree, Mercedes interned at the Hilgos Foundation where she polished her proficiency in communications and general and data management.

Mercedes’ zeal to travel has further instilled her passion for philanthropy. She has many other interests, but especially has a weakness for new adventures and loves to be physically active. Mercedes is a native Californian and ready for anything!

Board of Advisors

Ira Weise

Ira worked as the Managing Director of Babajob from until April 2008, when he re-located back to the United States. Prior to babajob, Ira founded a variety of companies as an experienced entrepreneur over the last 25 years. In 1983, he and a fellow law school friend started 800-Software, one of the US's first mail order software companies, and the first to offer free technical support, toll free order lines, and shipment from an existing inventory.  When it was sold to Digital Equipment 10 years later, it was one of the nation's five largest software retailers, with offices throughout the US and annual sales of $180 million. Following 800-Software, Ira was president of Software Sciences in Eugene, Oregon which created and sold software for the residential real estate industry until his retirement in 1996. Prior to starting 800 Software he taught elementary school in California and Jakarta, Indonesia, practiced law in San Jose, California, worked as an adjunct faculty member at the USF School of Law and started a real estate foreclosure company. Ira holds a JD degree from USF, a Masters in Educational Administration from California State University at San Francisco and a bachelor's degree from University of California at Santa Cruz. 

Ashwin Mahesh

Ash is the CEO of Mapunity.in, where, in his words, his job "lets him explore many ways in which technology can help meet the challenges posed by social problems, and act as an evangelist for some of those things to happen." Ashwin also co-edits the public affairs magazine, India Together, and is on the Visiting Faculty at IIM Bangalore's Centre for Public Policy.  He happens to have a PhD in climatology and once ran laser satellites over Antarctica for NASA as well.

Vibhore Goyal - Technical Advisor

Prior to Babajob.com, Vibhore worked as a developer for Microsoft Research India on a variety of projects including Virtual India (virtualindia.msresearch.in) and the MSRIndia SMS Server (www.codeplex.com/smstoolkit). Before joining MSR, he was the founding member of several other companies including ROS, which built Linux based OSs for mobile phones. Vibhore's areas of interest include Security & Networking and he holds a B. Tech. + M. Tech. in Electrical Engg. from IIT Bombay.

Vibhore is currently the CTO of cocubes.com based out of Delhi.

Alumni

Shruti Salghur, Marketing and Customer Service Manager

Shruti began as an intern at babajob in mid-2008 and has shown herself to be a wonderful manager, salesperson and overall fountain of energy for babajob. Prior to Babajob, Shruti worked at the Honey Project, a US based NGO dedicated to teaching youth business skills.

In her own words: At babajob, I served as a Customer Service/Marketing Manager in September 2009, leading a team of 10 who work as Customer Service Agents and job acquisition. My background includes a Master's degree in International Business and a Bachelor's in Environmental Studies from the US. After a 10-year residence in the US, I returned to Bangalore in Feb of 2008. In the US, I served as a project manager for a company called Honey Project, involved in entrepreneurship training and development. I was involved in the day-to-day operations in addition to developing a suitable curriculum, and creating marketing strategies. I also worked extensively in the recruiting field in the academic setting and a brief stint in the IT field. I also worked as an intern at DHL – North America headquarters- in the training and development field. At babajob, I started my career as a marketing intern, where I was tasked in finding different ways to enhance user engagement. I transitioned into a managerial role supervising a staff of nine in customer service, sales and marketing. Utilizing my recruiting background, I have introduced processes to assist the staff achieve their monthly goals and targets in addition to introducing HR initiatives – such as training and development and community involvement. My education goal is to pursue a PhD in Corporate Social Responsibility with a focus in Environmental Management. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, exercising, traveling.

Rachel Blatt, Researcher

Rachel Blatt is a writer and social researcher living in Bangalore. She recently graduated from Brown University in Providence, RI, U.S.A with an Anthropology honors thesis on India’s commercial surrogacy industry. Before coming to India, she was a researcher for the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women in Providence and worked to plan the 2009-10 seminar “Markets and Bodies in Transnational Perspective.” Her areas of inquiry include the overlaps of informal economies and new technologies, as well as how global flows of people and technology now involve reimagining the body and the self. Rachel reads dense ethnographies for pleasure, but she’s also into lighter reading, experimental audio, photography, and graphic design. She swears she also has a sense of humor.