AI • Operations • Automation

Turn operational chaos into leverage.

I help SMB owners turn the manual, messy parts of their business into connected systems that are easier to run, easier to scale and far less dependent on people doing repetitive work.

Leadscapture → qualify
Customersbook → communicate
Peoplehire → onboard
Operationsdispatch → deliver
AI +
Automation
the connective tissue
The problem

Your business works.
But it works too hard.

You don't need another app. You need someone who can look at the whole operation, find where time and information leak out, and make the pieces work together.

Too much lives in people's heads.

Tribal knowledge, follow-ups and exceptions become bottlenecks.

Good software, bad handoffs.

CRM, scheduling, payroll and communication tools exist; but nobody connected the dots.

Owners become the operating system.

Every unusual request lands back on the person who knows how everything works.

AI feels exciting; and abstract.

You know it can do more. You just need someone to translate it into your actual workflows.

What I do

Technology that actually
changes the way work gets done.

I sit between business strategy and implementation; translating messy real-world operations into systems, automations and practical AI workflows.

AI Operating Systems

Map where AI can remove repetitive work, accelerate decisions and create an always-on layer of operational intelligence.

AI workflowsAgentsKnowledge systems

Workflow Automation

Connect the tools you already use so information moves automatically instead of being copied, chased and re-entered.

ZapierMakeAPIsWebhooks

Operations Transformation

Redesign the process itself; from lead intake through delivery, billing, reporting and follow-up.

Process designSOPsDashboards

People + Systems

Make recruitment, onboarding, performance and people operations more structured without turning the company into a bureaucracy.

People OpsRecruitmentHR automation
The playbook

Find the friction.
Design the system.
Remove the slack.

The work starts with your business, not a technology shopping list.

01

Map the operation

Trace how a lead becomes revenue, where information moves and where humans repeatedly intervene.

02

Expose the manual slack

Identify copying, chasing, checking, scheduling, reporting and decision bottlenecks.

03

Build the connective tissue

Use the right combination of native software, automation, AI and lightweight custom tools.

04

Make it usable

Document the new workflow, train the team and measure whether the system actually saves time.

Where this gets real

Especially useful when your business
looks a little like this.

HOME SERVICES

Trades · Outdoor Care · Cleaning& Sanitation

Lead intake, booking, dispatch, technician communication, estimates, follow-ups, reviews and reporting; connected instead of scattered.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

EdTech · Non-Profits · Research& Grants · B2B

Turn enquiries into structured pipelines, proposals, project handoffs, recurring reporting and client communication without administrative drag.

GROWING SMBs

When the owner is the bottleneck

Build repeatable operating rhythms so the company can make decisions and execute without every question reaching the founder.

The technology layer

Not married to one platform.
Obsessed with the outcome.

The stack is selected around the workflow. That can mean connecting existing tools, replacing a broken process, or building something lightweight when nothing off-the-shelf fits.

CRM + SalesHubSpot · Salesforce · Lawmatics
AutomationZapier · Make · APIs · Webhooks
Work ManagementMonday · Zoho · 90.io · Google Workspace
Data + ReportingSheets · Excel · SQL · Power BI · Looker Studio
Web + DigitalWordPress · Cloudflare · HTML · CSS · JS
People SystemsHRMS · Recruitment · Onboarding · Performance
AILLMs · knowledge workflows · AI-assisted operations
Custom glueScripts · lightweight apps · integrations
Poonguntan Cibi in a formal suit
About Cibi

A strategist who likes to get his hands dirty.

I work at the intersection of strategy, operations, people and technology. Over the last decade, I've worked across education, social impact, consulting, EdTech, people operations and service businesses; usually in the messy middle where a company needs structure but doesn't want to become slow.

“I don't automate people. I automate the work that keeps good people from doing the work that matters.”

My niche is practical transformation: understanding how the business actually runs, finding the repeated friction, and then using technology to make the better way the default way.

Languages
English · Full professionalTamil · Native / bilingualHindi · ProfessionalMalayalam · ProfessionalSanskrit · ElementaryFrench · Elementary
The long version

Curiosity came first.
The systems came later.

Cibi as a child

I've always been fascinated by how things work; and by the possibility of making them work better. That curiosity eventually moved from taking things apart to understanding businesses, teams, technology and the invisible systems connecting them.

Today, that same instinct shows up in my consulting work: find the unnecessary friction, understand why it exists, and design a simpler way for the business to operate.

“The goal isn't to add more technology. It's to make the business feel lighter.”

Strategy → implementation

I don't stop at the slide deck.

My work has repeatedly put me in the room where strategy has to become an actual workflow: people have to use it, systems have to talk to each other, and somebody has to own the outcome.

That is why I am equally comfortable discussing operating models, recruiting, SOPs and KPIs; or opening a workflow builder, writing a script, connecting an API and testing the thing myself.

Cibi speaking at a podium
Credentials

Curiosity is part of the job.

A long-running habit of learning across AI, operations, people, data, consulting and technology. These are the credentials visible in the current credential screenshots provided for the redesign.

90+ Professional certifications
Continuing Professional Education Credits
and counting
01

Learning Microsoft 365 Copilot for Work

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

02

AI-Powered People Management Certification

National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)

03

AI-Powered OKRs for Managers: Align, Track, and Deliver Results

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

04

Why Managers Struggle to Delegate

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

05

How Microenterprises and Distributed Leadership Drive Growth

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

06

Hands-On AI: Turn Spreadsheets into Web Apps with Google AI Studio

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

07

Google Sheets: Advanced Topics

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

08

The Future of Workforce Learning: AI Powered Personalization for Skill Development

Project Management Institute

09

A Practical Guide to Upskilling Your Organization on AI

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

10

Introduction to Large Language Models (LLMs) and Prompt Engineering by Pearson

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

11

OpenAI API: Function Calling

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

12

Responsible AI Certification

All Tech Is Human

13

Responsible AI Foundations Professional Certificate by All Tech Is Human

All Tech Is Human · Mar 2026

14

Principles of Responsible AI

All Tech Is Human

15

Operationalizing AI Governance

All Tech Is Human

16

History of Responsible AI

All Tech Is Human

17

Governing Agentic AI Systems

All Tech Is Human

18

AI Tips for Business Analysts

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

19

Bill George on Self-Awareness, Authenticity, and Leadership

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

20

Statistical Analysis with Wolfram Language

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

21

AI for Project Management: Boosting Collaboration with Generative AI

LinkedIn · Mar 2026

22

Programming Foundations: Beyond the Fundamentals

LinkedIn · Sep 2024

23

Programming Foundations: Fundamentals

LinkedIn · Sep 2024

24

Career Skills in Software Development

LinkedIn · Sep 2024

25

Building Rapport on Virtual Sales Calls

LinkedIn · Sep 2024

26

Sales Strategy: Qualifying Opportunities

LinkedIn · Aug 2024

27

Managing Your Sales Process

LinkedIn · Aug 2024

28

Better Relationships and More Sales: Using ChatGPT to Sell

LinkedIn · Aug 2024

29

Google Mobile Sites Certification

Google · Jan 2024

30

Keka Hire (ATS)

Keka Academy · Dec 2023

31

Process Improvement Foundations

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

32

Using Questions to Foster Critical Thinking and Curiosity

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

33

Crafting Questions to Make Better Decisions

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

34

Coaching Yourself through the Ambiguity of Leading

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

35

Making Quick Decisions

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

36

Solving Business Problems

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

37

Problem-Solving Techniques

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

38

Virtual and Hybrid Meeting Essentials

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

39

How to Stop Wasting Time in Meetings

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

40

PowerPoint: Eight Easy Ways to Make Your Presentation Stand Out

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

41

Leading Virtual Meetings

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

42

30-Minute Resume Refresh

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

43

Managing Virtual Teams

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

44

Level Up Your Remote Team Experience

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

45

Connecting and Collaborating in a Virtual or Hybrid Workplace

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

46

Building Relationships While Working from Home

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

47

The Long-Distance Teammate: Staying Connected (Book Bite)

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

48

Introduction to Prompt Engineering for Generative AI

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

49

Applied AI for Human Resources

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

50

Leveraging Generative AI for Project Management

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

51

Prompt Engineering: How to Talk to the AIs

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

52

Values and Ethics: Case Studies in Action

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

53

Contracting for Consultants

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

54

Data-Driven Presentations with Excel and PowerPoint (365/2019)

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

55

Consulting Foundations: Client Management and Relationships

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

56

Statistics Foundations 1: The Basics

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

57

Decision-Making Strategies

LinkedIn · Aug 2023

58

The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

59

R Essential Training: Wrangling and Visualizing Data

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

60

Getting Started with Power BI

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

61

Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900) Cert Prep: 1 Cloud Concepts by Microsoft Press

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

62

Business Analysis: Essential Tools and Techniques

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

63

Gamification of Learning

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

64

Agile Instructional Design

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

65

Lean Technology Strategy: Running Agile at Scale

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

66

Lean Technology Strategy: Economic Frameworks for Portfolio and Product Management

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

67

Business Analysis Foundations

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

68

Scrum: The Basics

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

69

Lean Six Sigma for a Sustainable Future

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

70

Data Visualization: Storytelling

LinkedIn · Jul 2023

71

Fundamentals of Project Management

Philanthropy University · Apr 2020

72

Fundraising: Connecting With Donors

Philanthropy University · Feb 2020

73

Human Resources: Creating an Employee Handbook

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

74

Communicating with Empathy

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

75

Become an HR Business Partner

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

76

Human Resources: Running Company Onboarding

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

77

Human Resources: Managing Employee Problems

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

78

Employer Branding to Attract Talent

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

79

Human Resources in the On-Demand Economy

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

80

Talent Management

LinkedIn · Apr 2019

You mentioned there should be 97 credentials. The supplied screenshots contain 80 distinct visible entries, so the remaining 17 have intentionally not been invented or inferred.

People I've worked with

What the work feels like
from the other side.

Payal Mahawar

“Cibi consistently demonstrated exceptional organizational prowess… with a strong focus on structured processes, coupled with transparent and empathetic communication.”

Payal MahawarCEO, YourHomeSchool
Surabhi Yelsangikar

“An extremely creative, enthusiastic and efficient person to work with… always came up with creative ways to spread awareness.”

Surabhi YelsangikarFounder, Tvarita Arts Collective
Shraddha Chakravarty

“Cibi has a great sense of ownership… his educational equity perspective and ability to learn constantly stood out.”

Shraddha ChakravartyDeputy General Manager, Godrej
Aditi Banerjee

“He takes pride in what he does… he is an excellent learner and I wish him all the best ahead in all walks of life.”

Aditi BanerjeeRussell Reynolds Associates
Watch / listen

The Strategist's Playbook

A little more context on how I think about work, systems, strategy and the messy reality behind business transformation.

Watch on YouTube →
Have a messy operation?

Let's find the work your business shouldn't be doing manually.

Tell me what is eating your team's time. I'll help you separate the problem worth solving from the technology worth buying.

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