About Guru
Meet the Team
-
Inder Guglani
Founder & CEO
There has never been a day when Inder did not consider himself an entrepreneur. With an unconventional approach to risk-taking, Inder is driven by fierce optimism and an unshakeable belief in Guru's core mission: to bring Employers and Freelancers together from around the globe to get work done. With this aim, Inder has taken Guru from a start-up to an established market leader in a fast-paced, emergent industry.
Inder and his company have been recognized nationally for innovation and leadership in the online services industry. He was honoured with Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Business Services in the Upper New York, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia Region. He is a past recipient of four Presidential Awards for Excellence. For the immense hard work he put in Guru, the company was among the "Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in the United States" by Inc.com, Red Herring and Businessweek Small Biz magazines.
Inder holds a Masters in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds a Chartered Accountant Certification from the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with Honors from Delhi University.
Outside the office, Inder serves the Pittsburgh community, focusing on entrepreneurship education and international arts. He is a Board Member at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and a Charter Member of The IndUS Entrepreneurs.
-
Shankar Krish
Vice President - Product Development
Always at the top of his game, Shankar has been heading the Product Development team at Guru since 2008. His ideas and insights to make the goals of the business, marketing and design teams turn into reality are always right on target. As a true thought leader, he pushes the Development and QA teams to stay up to date with technology, research and find solutions that help improve the performance of our product. When not working, he prefers a game of tennis or racquetball. He also likes to play and teach violin whenever he gets time. A Good Samaritan, he is a part of an organization that supports and funds local underserved community.
- Two words that describe you:
- Committed and detail-oriented
- Daily News Source:
- NPR, BBC, Flipboard
- Best advice you've ever received:
- Never forget Murphy's Law "Anything that can possibly go wrong, does."
- Best advice you've ever given:
- Look at everything from the customer's perspective, not yours.
-
Abhilash Jain
Senior Development Manager
Having been with Guru since the beginning of operations in India, Abhilash manages a dedicated team of developers who consistently build and improve the product to meet customer needs more effectively. As the Senior Development Manager, he has worked diligently towards shaping a secure and a user-friendly experience for all professionals on our platform. He always guides his team to take prompt decisions with a proactive approach. When he is not working, he spends time with his kids, explores new places in the city and cooks different cuisines.
- Two words that describe you:
- Patient and hardworking
- Daily knowledge source:
- Mashable
- Social network of choice:
- Best advice you've ever received:
- Criticism helps an individual to be better.
- Best advice you've ever given:
- Quality is essential in everything.
-
Rajneesh Sharma
Quality Assistance Manager
A humble and an approachable leader, Rajneesh heads the Quality Assistance team at Guru. He makes sure that our platform meets the established standards of quality, usability and performance. His attention to details and problem-solving skills help him deliver on our customer experience goals. Rajneesh believes in simple and valuable experiences in life. When not working, he loves to cook, tend to his garden and play harmonium.
- Two words that describe you:
- Simple and thoughtful
- Daily knowledge source:
- TEDx Videos
- Social network of choice:
- Best advice you've ever received:
- Success comes with years of practice, patience and hard work. There is no such thing as "overnight success."
- Best advice you've ever given:
- Don't wait for an opportunity, create it.
-
Heidi Stanczak
Web Analytics Lead
A fierce leader with impeccable product knowledge, Heidi has been with Guru since the early days. She leads Web Analytics and Digital Marketing as a growth consultant. In her 17 years at Guru, she has witnessed the platform grow from a few thousand to over 3 million users. Her passion for web marketing and zeal to self-learn makes her the best at what she does. Riding on her strategic and risk-taking abilities, she plans to pin Guru as the leading online freelance marketplace for professionals to connect and get work done.
When she is not working, she runs 5Ks and 10Ks, plays tennis and practices classical piano. She also enjoys capturing picturesque moments with her camera and reading non-fiction literature.
- Two words that describe you:
- Self-driven and a strategic risk-taker
- Daily News Source:
- NPR
- Social network of choice:
- Best advice you've ever received:
- Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
- Best advice you've ever given:
- Be a class-act professional in everything you do.
-
Karan Binani
Digital Marketing and Product Manager
Karan manages Product and Marketing at Guru. His knowledge in almost every facet of UI/UX has enabled him to become a key driver of operational efficiencies and marketing assets. Karan aims to establish Guru as the go-to platform for getting work done by professionals from across the world. He doesn't believe in settling for mediocrity and pauses to self-reflect at every stage to improve constantly. When he's not at work, he spends time reviewing tech products on his YouTube channel and loves snowboarding.
- Two words that describe you:
- Committed and passionate
- Daily knowledge source:
- Medium, Flipboard and YouTube
- Social network of choice:
- Best advice you've ever received:
- Right and wrong is a matter of perspective.
- Best advice you've ever given:
- Best things happen when you least expect them.