Shekar Gandla

• Directed Delivery portfolio strategy for GenX network and Distribution Intelligence ecosystem, aligning a $500M+ AMI deployment portfolio across five utilities with regulatory requirements, technology roadmaps, and customer commitments.
• Orchestrated the strategic synchronization of technology roadmaps and product delivery cycles for a cross-functional organization of 45+ professionals. Standardized program execution and dependency management, leading to measurable gains in output predictability, lower defect rates, and a streamlined delivery pipeline
• Governed large systems integrators through complex MSA, SLA, and SOW negotiations — managing vendor risk during multi-vendor AMI transitions and maintaining service continuity for OpenWay AMI customers through disciplined contract and performance management. Guided the technical and financial strategy for large-scale RFI/RFP responses, architecting end-to-end modernization plans for projects exceeding $500M. My approach focused on 'principled delivery planning'—balancing the drive for solution innovation with a disciplined commitment to major utilities across north America.
• Led innovation and market strategy through competitive analysis and technology trend monitoring, guiding GenX network interoperability and third-party integrations; launched AMI-centered programs from ideation to delivery with R&D, marketing, and sales.
• Deployed grid-edge ML models for outage management, temperature monitoring, solar awareness, and EV load forecasting — expanding AMI 2.0 Distribution Intelligence capabilities and enabling proactive anomaly identification for utility customers like SMUD, PG&E, TECO, LUMA and SCE.
• Established KPI governance frameworks with milestones, resource allocation, and performance dashboards to build executive consensus and enable data-driven portfolio optimization across AMI program.
• Mitigated enterprise-scale compliance risk by leading risk assessments for standards-based and multi-vendor metering environments, ensuring operational resilience and cybersecurity asset protection across all program engagements.

Subject Matter Expert for SCE's Smart Connect Program — owning technical direction for smart meter communications, outage management, wildfire detection analytics, and predictive battery-failure modeling across 50,000+ sq miles of service territory.

• Architected SCE's Metering Strategic Plan and Roadmap, aligning next-generation AMI capabilities with the company's long-term grid modernization vision and California regulatory requirements — directly influencing senior leadership decisions that shaped SCE's AMI trajectory.
• Designed and deployed MSOAPP, an automated AMI remediation platform that eliminated manual meter intervention at scale, saving millions in operational costs and earning CEO-level recognition for operational innovation.
• Advanced wildfire detection and predictive analytics capabilities — including battery failure prediction and grid-edge sensing — enhancing reliability and resilience across SCE's distribution network.
• Led cross-functional process standardization as Metering Technical Advisor (MTAT) across Customer Service Business Unit — mentored engineering teams, removed operational impediments, and delivered complex improvements that enhanced grid performance.
• Drove next-generation metering requirements through collaborative stakeholder engagement across SCE's IT, Operations, Grid Modernization, and Regulatory teams — ensured AMI solution alignment with grid of the future.