Mr. Sudhakar Bathina

AI-Accelerated Cross-Channel Activation: Engineering Personalized Marketing at Scale

Abstract:

This presentation explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI) are transforming the engineering of personalized, cross-channel marketing campaigns. We discuss the evolution from manual, siloed operations to automated authoring, proofing, and personalization at scale. Key engineering patterns such as real-time data pipelines, standardized payloads, and modular personalization frameworks are highlighted. By combining automation, personalization, and AI-driven orchestration, enterprises can achieve faster campaign activation, higher engagement, and measurable business impact — all while reducing operational complexity.

Profile:

I am a seasoned technology leader with over 18 years of experience driving large-scale digital transformation across leading retail enterprises. As Senior Engineering Manager at Albertsons Companies, he leads cloud-native initiatives that power omnichannel personalization, enterprise messaging, and marketing innovation for more than 23 million customers, enabling over 2 billion annual transactions. His leadership has delivered measurable business impact, including a $500K reduction in operational costs through platform modernization, $80M in incremental revenue from marketing automation, and $256M in revenue growth through hyper-local personalization.
Previously, Sudhakar served as Technical Architect at JCPenney, where he modernized fulfillment and order management systems, delivered $3M in annual savings, and launched curbside pickup across 850+ stores in record time during COVID. He also played pivotal roles in eCommerce modernization at Hudson’s Bay Company and Target Corporation, contributing to flagship digital programs that scaled to millions of users and generated significant revenue growth.

An advocate for engineering excellence and mentorship, Sudhakar has coached talent to leadership roles while establishing enterprise CI/CD standards and DevOps maturity. With advanced credentials in AI leadership, cloud platforms, and software engineering, he continues to shape the future of omnichannel commerce and enterprise marketing technology.