AI ยท Transformation ยท Builder

Engineer.
Builder.
25 years in.

Started writing code in India. Moved to Italy, then London. Spent two decades inside Unilever, Mars, Shell and BP making large technology programmes actually land. Now building AI tools that work for people who don't call themselves technical.

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India
โ†’
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy
โ†’
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง London 2005
๐• @mekalav LinkedIn
๐Ÿ”
Background

The long way round

I started as a software engineer in India. Writing code, building systems, figuring out how enterprise software actually behaves when real people touch it.

That curiosity took me to Italy, then to London in 2005. Over the next two decades I worked inside some of the world's largest companies. Unilever, Mars, Shell, BP. The kind of transformations that touch hundreds of millions of consumers without any of them knowing it happened.

Programme governance, AI strategy, data platforms, digital marketplaces. I've shipped them all, usually across three continents at once, usually with a budget someone said was too small.

In 2024 I stepped back from corporate life. In 2025 I came back briefly to support the Magnum Ice Cream separation from Unilever, working on the technology side of the M&A programme. Then back to building. The gap I keep seeing: AI is genuinely useful, but almost nobody outside tech is getting the benefit of it. That's the problem I'm working on.

Career

Where I've been

2025
Unilever ยท Transformation Consultant

Magnum Ice Cream separation (M&A)

Brought in to support the Magnum Ice Cream business separation from Unilever. Technology and programme workstream within a complex M&A transaction.

2024 to now
Human Agency ยท Founder

Building AI products for real people

Building practical AI tools, from personal assistants to school communication platforms. Focus on everyday usability over technical novelty.

2020 to 2024
Unilever ยท Transformation Programme Lead

Global Media Analytics Platform

Enterprise-wide data transformation. Tableau to Power BI migration, ยฃ5M budget, 50 person team across 3 continents. 98% on-time delivery.

2018 to 2020
Unilever ยท Global Transformation Manager

Net Revenue Management

Analytics suite for pricing, portfolio and promotional strategy. Built in eCommerce and Amazon data. Emerging markets growth tools.

2013 to 2018
Shell ยท Unilever ยท Leaseplan

Digital platforms and BA leadership

B2B eCommerce at Shell. Brand platform across 160 markets at Unilever. Digital transformation at Leaseplan.

2000 to 2013
Unilever ยท Mars ยท BP

Engineer to Analyst to Programme Manager

The foundations. R&D systems at Mars, global brand platforms at Unilever, the full stack from writing code to running programmes.

Now

What I'm building

๐Ÿค–

Miru

A WhatsApp-first personal AI assistant. School comms, fuel prices, train times, area reports. Useful AI for people who don't call themselves tech-savvy.

miru.humanagency.co โ†’
๐Ÿข

Human Agency

How AI changes the relationship between humans and work. Frameworks, tools and thinking for organisations trying to figure out what comes next.

ai.humanagency.co โ†’
Articles

Things worth reading

Thinking out loud

Occasional writing on AI adoption, building products, and what 25 years in enterprise tech actually taught me. No noise.

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