Introduction

Keka is a leading HR SaaS platform built to streamline core HR functions, including payroll, performance management, and workforce analytics. Since its founding in 2015, Keka has become the platform of choice for over 7,000 businesses across India and the Middle East. With a product-first approach and strong focus on user experience, Keka continues to redefine how businesses manage and engage their workforce.

Problem Statement

As Keka prepared for its next phase of scale and global readiness, the company faced a critical leadership challenge. It needed a seasoned VP of Engineering to lead its engineering function and enable platform evolution. The role required expertise in microservices architecture, cloud-native systems, and AI integration, along with a deep understanding of organisational scale and performance optimisation. The ideal candidate would have to work closely with the founding team, driving strategic alignment between product development and business goals. However, finding a leader with the right mix of technical depth, growth-stage experience, and cultural compatibility proved challenging in a highly competitive SaaS talent market.

Execution & Solution

Purple Quarter partnered with Keka to lead a focused technology leadership search. Using our proprietary Behavioural Metrics Model (BMM), we identified Venkatesh Gurumurthy as a Nurturer - a leadership archetype that closely aligned with Keka’s culture and growth vision.

Venkatesh held senior engineering leadership positions at industry giants like Google, Deloitte, Salesforce, and Acko. He brought over 20 years of experience in building scalable platforms and leading high‑performance engineering teams. Recognising the criticality of the role, we advised Keka to elevate his designation from Vice President of Engineering to Chief Technology Officer, ensuring an alignment between Keka’s vision and Venkatesh’s career aspiration.

Looking Forward

Currently, Venkatest drives Keka’s technology vision, innovation agenda, and digital transformation roadmap across platform engineering, Cloud & cybersecurity, and AI & automation practices – anchoring every initiative to measurable business outcomes. He has supported $18M in revenue and enabled 50% faster release cycles through disciplined strategy execution and innovation alignment.

For more information, please reach out to the Marketing Team.