This is a profile image of Chandra Gnanasambandam

Chandra Gnanasambandam

Senior PartnerBay Area

Helps high-tech companies transform performance by setting business, product, and go-to-market strategies that create sustainable value

Chandra coleads the firm’s work in technology hardware and IT services globally. He previously led Fuel—a McKinsey company focused on start-ups—as well as our work in the software space in North America. He was also a founding partner of McKinsey’s Bangalore office.

Chandra serves some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing cloud companies—on both the software and hardware sides—on large-scale transformations, and has a track record helping clients achieve significant growth in their market capitalization. He brings deep expertise in product management and engineering.

Examples of Chandra’s recent client work include the following:

  • helping a global top-five software company transform its product architecture and engineering practices from on-premises to public cloud
  • leading one of the world’s largest B2B go-to-market transformations for a top cloud company, resulting in market-beating bookings growth
  • crafting a leading hardware company’s strategy to enter and win in the edge-computing market

In addition to his client work, Chandra is deeply interested in the impact of technology trends on global business practices and speaks frequently on the topic at conferences and panels across North America.

Video

TiEcon 2014: Cloud infrastructure: Leading technological trends in cloud orchestration,” panel discussion about the standards and technologies emerging to address the paradigm shift in cloud infrastructure, June 2014

McKinsey & Company's Chandra Gnanasambandam on retail and the new consumer experience,” speech delivered at the TN Retail Conference of the Confederation of Indian Industry, August 2012

Published work

Turning consumer and retail companies into software-driven innovators,” McKinsey & Company, September 2023

Yes, you can measure software developer productivity,” McKinsey & Company, August 2023

Unleashing developer productivity with generative AI,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

What separates top product managers from the rest of the pack,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

Every company is a software company: Six ‘must dos’ to succeed,” McKinsey Quarterly, December 2022

The SaaS factor: Six ways to drive growth by building new SaaS businesses,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022

Responsible product management: The critical tech challenge,” McKinsey & Company, March 2022

Cloud-migration opportunity: Business value grows, but missteps abound,” McKinsey & Company, October 2021

Hardware’s business-model shift: Finding a new path forward,” McKinsey & Company, March 2021

Developer velocity at work: Key lessons from industry digital leaders,” McKinsey & Company, February 2021

Transforming infrastructure operations for a hybrid-cloud world,” McKinsey & Company, October 2019

The product management talent dilemma,” McKinsey & Company, November 2018

New demand, new markets: What edge computing means for hardware companies,” McKinsey & Company, November 2018

Reimagining software services for the cloud and the digital world,” McKinsey & Company, February 2018

Grow fast or die slow: The role of profitability in sustainable growth,” McKinsey & Company, October 2017

Innovation Is as Much About Finding Partners as Building Products,” Harvard Business Review, July 2017

A machine-learning approach to venture capital,” McKinsey Quarterly, June 2017

Product managers for the digital world,” McKinsey & Company, May 2017

An executive’s guide to software development,” McKinsey & Company, February 2017

The perils of ignoring software development,” McKinsey Quarterly, February 2015

From box to cloud: An approach for software development executives,” McKinsey & Company, January 2015 (PDF–690 KB)

Next-generation IT infrastructure,” McKinsey & Company, April 2014

Online and upcoming: the Internet's impact on India,” McKinsey & Company, December 2012 (PDF–2.52 MB)

Past experience

BEA Systems
Senior director, global accounts

Sun Microsystems
Java architect

Education

Georgia Institute of Technology
MS, engineering

University of Saskatchewan
MS, engineering