Divya Krishnan helps shape technology leadership at Celonis SE – News

Tech pioneers often come from diverse and unique backgrounds, blending distinctive skills and perspectives to shape technology leadership. Divya Krishnan (pictured), vice president of product management at Celonis SE, exemplifies how an unusual journey can redefine the boundaries of this field.

When Krishnan headed to college, she wasn’t focused on planning her career. Instead, she set out to explore the two distinct interests that had shaped her early life: literature and decision science. What kind of career grows from such diverse interests? For Krishnan, it’s been defined by global consulting roles that culminated in a leadership position at Celonis SE.

“A lot of my career has been happy accidents, which I think is something I’m always cognizant of,” Krishnan told News Media in an exclusive interview. “I think that the linkage of what I studied is … a certain structure for problem-solving and for approaching human behavior and for approaching how you just break down problems.”

During an exclusive interview with News Media, Krishnan — who also spoke with theCUBE, News’s livestreaming studio during Celosphere24 — discussed how her literature background honed her storytelling and communication abilities. She also talked about how decision science has given her a framework for solving intricate business issues and achieving tangible results, reflecting Celonis’ vision of enterprise process intelligence as a catalyst for transforming workflows, fostering operational efficiency and driving real-time business adaptability.

This feature is part of News Media’s ongoing exploration of how diverse backgrounds and unique skill sets can drive innovation in the tech industry. (* Disclosure below.) 

Fusing literature and science to solve intricate problems

Krishnan was a voracious reader as a child, starting with fantasy novels that sparked her imagination. At nine, she read Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” which inspired an enduring love of classic literature. A few years later, Dan Ariely’s “Predictably Irrational” introduced her to behavioral economics, igniting an avid curiosity about human behavior and decision-making.

“Inevitably, from that standpoint on, it was very clear that I really want to do both things,” Krishnan recalled. “I was very insistent about weighting them equally.”

Carnegie Mellon University offered the ideal environment to pursue her dual interests. Its decision science program integrated psychology and economics, while the English department supported her literary ambitions. The university’s adaptable environment allowed her to immerse herself fully in both disciplines. She earned two degrees at the college: a bachelor’s of science and a bachelor’s of arts.

During her junior year, Krishnan began to see how her academic interests could be applied in a business context. An internship at a behavioral health startup gave her hands-on experience using decision science for real-world impact. Another internship at Deloitte introduced her to structured problem-solving, shaping her approach to tackling complex business challenges.

“From there, it was a very natural leap to management consulting,” Krishnan said. “That’s really where I started my career, but it was not with any clear view of the end game. Those were two things I really liked studying and spending time on, so I was going to go down that road.”

As a consultant, Krishnan honed her analytical skills over four and a half years, gaining a systematic approach to problem-solving and a deep understanding of organizational dynamics — key foundations of technology leadership. Each project strengthened her ability to break down challenges, a skill she considers essential to mastering any discipline.

“It’s really most important to find something where you’re going to be interested in learning the mental models of problem-solving,” Krishnan explained. “Physics gives you a certain view of how you break down problems. Engineering gives you a certain view of how you break down problems. English and behavioral economics give you two different views of how you break down problems, and that is ultimately what you’re learning and what you will take away.”

The leap from consulting to Celonis: A match made on LinkedIn

When Krishnan left consulting, she wasn’t searching for a specific role, but a place where she could make a real difference. Celonis, then a 500-employee startup, reached out unexpectedly.

Celonis’ Divya Krishnan talked with theCUBE at Celosphere 24 about agentic AI, process optimization and the importance of real-time data sharing among stakeholders.

“They found me on LinkedIn,” Krishnan recalled. “I wasn’t familiar with product marketing. I had never heard of process mining technology, either. All of that was new.”

Her consulting experience made her a natural fit for Celonis based on her skills in structuring ambiguous problems and engaging with clients. Krishnan also recognized how Celonis’ approach to driving technology leadership aligned with the challenges she had tackled as a consultant.

“A lot of the problems that Celonis solves for today, I saw up close as a consultant for clients around the world,” she said. “And I wanted the chance to make a real difference, which I knew I could do at a smaller company.”

The enthusiasm of Celonis’ customers also stood out to Krishnan. Unlike many tech implementations that often fall short, Celonis consistently delivered on its promises, inspiring Krishnan’s confidence.

“All the customers really liked the product,” she said. “Their enthusiasm wasn’t lukewarm: It was very high, because the product did what Celonis said it did.”

Krishnan was also intrigued by the chance to join a startup. The opportunity to make a significant contribution and the company’s growth potential made it a leap worth making.

“I was very hungry for a chance to see immediate, tangible results,” she said. “Celonis has certainly delivered on that.”

Revamping the playbook: Krishnan’s impact on Celonis’ technology leadership

Since joining Celonis, Krishnan has played an integral role in shaping the company’s positioning and messaging. Collaborating with colleagues across the company, she was instrumental in driving a shift toward redefining Celonis as a platform for process intelligence, further cementing its reputation for technology leadership. This transformation has not only solidified Celonis’ identity, but also revolutionized how customers view its role within their technology stack.

“I think one [achievement] is the decisions we’ve made, especially within the last year, around the evolution of our company positioning,” Krishnan said. “We doubled down on Celonis as a platform for process intelligence as opposed to our previous positioning, which was really around owning and driving execution and automation ourselves.”

Changing the company’s positioning was no small feat. Krishnan worked closely with the marketing and executive teams to ensure the changes resonated internally and externally. These efforts have significantly improved how customers perceive Celonis’ role in their tech stack.

“We used to think of Celonis as being all over the tech stack,” Krishnan recalled customers saying. ‘We thought of you as a business intelligence tool. We thought of you as next-gen enterprise resource planning. We thought of you as an automation tool. Now we really understand where Celonis fits in.’”

Krishnan is also proud of Celonis’ rigor in testing new ideas before rolling them out. Her team works diligently to ensure every message, product feature or initiative is thoroughly vetted by internal teams, customers and even cold prospects.

“There’s nothing that we put out that has not been tested with our go-to-market teams and with customers,” she said. “In some places, that’s already table stakes, but for us, that was still something that wasn’t quite yet in place.”

Exploring uncharted territory: A look at Celonis’ future plans

As Celonis evolves, Krishnan focuses on refining product positioning and shaping features to maximize customer adoption. These priorities keep the company aligned with its mission to deliver meaningful value.

Celonis’ Divya Krishnan, speaking at Celosphere 24.

“We’re always asking, ‘Are we owning the right space? Are we building the right things? Are we explaining things the right way? And how do we do all those things better?’” Krishnan said. “It’s been a real joy to sort of own that for Celonis.”

Krishnan sees potential in product-led growth, an untapped but promising area for Celonis to explore as it continues to define the future of technology leadership. Her work exemplifies this spirit of navigating undefined paths, and she embraces the challenge of bringing clarity to complex initiatives — whether defining the company’s category to refining its messaging, all while opening new pathways for customer engagement and adoption.

“Most of the projects that I look back on at Celonis have been where the road forward was kind of ambiguous,” she said. “And my role was to sort of put structure around it and emerge with something really tangible.”

Applying lessons learned to empower women

Beyond her contributions at Celonis, Krishnan uses her expertise in decision-making and communication to empower others. Based on her own experiences, she formed the Ask Smarter organization in 2017 to teach negotiating skills to women and girls.

“Negotiation is a survival skill. It’s like swimming,” Krishnan said. “Only most of us learn how to swim by the time we’re 10 or 12. Negotiation is something you learn over a lifetime, but that’s a long time to wait to be really excellent at it.”

Krishnan’s workshops highlight women’s unique negotiation abilities despite their tendency to ask less and potentially face penalties. She emphasizes the value of skills such as active listening, anticipating scenarios and strategic thinking that women possess and can use to their advantage.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see someone walk into a workshop unsure of themselves and leave confident enough to negotiate for a cup of coffee in an exercise,” she said. “It’s a great reminder of what people can accomplish with a little practice and the right tools.”

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE was a paid media partner for Celosphere 24. Neither Celonis SE, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or News.)

Photo: Philipp Guelland/Celonis