Arathi Rao has over 10 years of experience in market research, competitive strategy, and product management. She currently works as a Manager of Market Research and Strategy at Match.com, where she conducts quantitative and qualitative research to understand consumer behavior and inform strategic decisions. Prior to this, she worked as a Software Engineer and Project Manager.

1. ARATHI RAO
2467 Prunetree Ct San Jose 95121 arathi.rao@gmail.com  (972) 804-5997
CONSUMER INSIGHTS& MARKET RESEARCH
Market ResearchCompetitiveStrategyManagement
Innovative and versatile consumer insights manager with extensive experience in market research, competitive strategy, IT
project management and product life-cycle. Proven record of using research methods to understand consumer behavior
andmake strategic business decisions. Experience with competitive intelligence gathering and tracking industry trends.
Excellent blend of analytical, business and leadership skills. Detail-oriented with exceptional writing, presentation and
communication skills. Works effectively with cross-functional teams.Experienced inmanaging global teams and vendor/client
relationships.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Primary Research Secondary Research Competitive analysis
Research Strategies Data Analysis Project & Product Management
EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
MATCH.COM, Dallas, Texas 2010 – Present
Manager, Market Research & Strategy
Developed and managed research that directly and significantly impacted company strategy. Designed and conducted
large quantitative and qualitative studies to understand consumer behavior, identify industry gaps and help make key
decisions regarding new product concepts, company strategy, public relations and marketing efforts.Conducted
competitive intelligence gathering and analysis of the industry, research on emerging trends, new products and
presented actionable insights to C-level on a regular basis. Championed consumer insights within the company. Acted
as a consultant to various business units within Match.com and its other entities to conduct research initiatives and
help meet their strategic objectives.
Key Achievements:
 Helped change company strategy and close an existing gap in the online dating space by conducting
qualitative and quantitative research on two new product concepts, resulting in the company undertaking new
initiatives tosignificantly increasenew customer acquisition, retention and change the landscape of offerings
in this industry.
 Established Match.com’s leadership position and promoted new customer acquisition by developingnew
claims around category expansion to demonstrate effectiveness of online dating and effectiveness of
Match.com in producing relationships.
 Established Match.com as the authority on all aspects of singles lifestylevia the Singles in America studies
(repeated annually).Received extensive nationwide media coverage on the studies (Time, Newsweek, USA
Today, Today Show, Good Morning America, etc.).
 Designed and conductedbrand tracking studies to track health of the Match.com brand and providedsenior
management with recommendations on strategic directives (US & Canada).

2.  Competitive analysis of industry to track the competitive landscape; utilized secondary research and tools
such as comScore, Alexa to gather data on competitors. Presented insights on industry trends, new entrants,
incumbents to senior/C-level management on a regular basis.
 Conducted testing on Match.com TV commercials to drive decisions on airing commercials on different TV
networks.In addition, conducted studies to understand media consumption habits to make strategic decisions
on media related investments.
Key Achievements - MBA Internships (Spring 2009 – Summer 2010):
 Traxo, Dallas, TX: Conducted in-depth data analysis to understand visitor behavior and effectiveness of PR
efforts.Identified key performance metrics and designed customized dashboards.
 Cisco Systems, Richardson, TX: Explored “Software as a Service” as a viable model for an existing
product. Provided recommendations on positioning, differentiation and go-to market strategy.
 Microsoft, Irving, TX: Developed strategy and recommendations for a distributed Software Development
Center (SDC) for building custom software in a highly scalable manner.
 Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), Dallas, TX: Conducted competitive analysis for an IT Chargeback
consumption model. Proposed new strategy to increase revenue and improve customer relationships.
Cisco Systems, Richardson, Texas Jan 2007 - 2008
Software Engineer, Quality Assurance
Performed quality assurance for IP telephony products for the Small-Medium Business (SMB) market. Involved in all
aspects of testing. Worked with cross functional teams to identify business processes and related test scenarios.
Key Achievements:1)Effectively managed complex load builds for entire department, allowing for timely product
release. 2) Reduced defect rates by 90% by identifying problems and conducting root cause analysis.
Science App International Corp (SAIC), Bangalore, India 2003-2005
Project Manager
Led a 20-member team to successfully deliver key IT solutions. Performed project planning, scheduling, tracking, and
reporting.Managed client relationships and oversight of team. Recruited new employees.
Key Achievements:1)Achieved cost savings of $4M by developing a global delivery model. 2) Reduced average
application migration time by 50%, providing savings of over $600K.
Avaya/Lucent Technologies, Holmdel, NJ 1997 – 2002
Senior Software Engineer
Designed and developed solutions for new and existing telecom products and features; mentored team.
Key Achievements:1) Saved department >$10Kbyimplementing, installing and providing training on a new test tool.
2) Improved customer satisfaction by resolving critical field issues in a timely manner.
EDUCATION
Master of Business Administration,the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas – July 2010
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, University of Denver, Denver, CO
Professional Associations: American Marketing Association, Project Management Institute, National Association
for Professional Women