Arun Manamohan
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Arun ManamohanSenior Product ManagerI turn problems into simple products.

I’m a product manager with 17+ years of shipping apps and platforms at Shazam, Tesco, Premier Inn, Prezi and Faxi, now part of Toyota’s Kinto. Lately I’ve been building AI products hands-on — from a sales agent that reads 10,000 leads a week to a voice assistant that never touches the cloud.

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Where I’ve done the work

  • Shazam
  • Tesco
  • Premier Inn
  • Prezi
  • 118118 Money
  • Faxi
  • Kinto · Toyota
  • B2B Growth Hub

By the numbers

A few results I’m proud of

  • Android users

    Shazam on Android, grown from a weekend prototype

  • of £600m corporate revenue

    flowed through Premier Inn’s Business Booker

  • in-app loan applications

    from the new 118118 Money iOS and Android apps

  • sales leads scored a week

    by an AI agent I built for B2B Growth Hub

  • major businesses

    using Faxi, including IKEA, Gatwick Airport and Toyota Germany

  • years in product

    across consumer, B2B, mobile and now AI

Selected work

Six products, from my newest AI builds back to Shazam

Every one of these started as a messy problem: too many leads, too much paperwork, too little trust in where data goes. Here’s what I did about it, and what happened next.

012025 – 26B2B Growth Hub · client project

An AI agent that reads 10,000 leads a week, so the sales team doesn’t have to

B2B Growth Hub’s five-person sales team was buried in raw leads. I built and shipped an agent that scores every lead out of 100 against their ideal customer profile, reasoning through each one step by step. Only leads scoring above 80 reach the team.

  • Runs on a mix of frontier and open-weight models, including a cloud-hosted gpt-oss-20b.
  • Part of the business’s wider shift to AI-assisted selling.
  • 10,000+ leads scored every week
  • ~10 hours a week of manual triage saved (estimated)
  • AI agents
  • Open-weight LLMs
  • Sales
How the lead-scoring agent worksRaw leads flow into an AI agent that scores each one out of 100 against the ideal customer profile. Leads scoring above 80 go straight to the sales team; the rest are filtered out.RAW LEADSAI AGENTROUTED TOscore > 80SCORE92Checks each lead against theideal customer profile, step by stepSales team4Filtered out910,000+ LEADS A WEEK~10 HRS / WEEK SAVED
Fig. 01How the agent triages leads. Scores shown are illustrative.

022026Solaise · my own product

Solaise – A voice assistant that works completely offline

Solaise is a privacy-first, voice-first personal concierge for the Mac. Listening, understanding, the voice and Voice ID all run on your own device, and nothing changes in the world until Solaise has read the exact action back and you’ve said yes.

  • Speech by NVIDIA Parakeet, understanding by Qwen3 4B and a voice by Kokoro, all running locally on Apple Silicon. Qwen3 won a benchmark against Granite 4.2 3B and Gemma 4 E2B on Solaise’s own tasks, and prompt caching cut understanding from about 5 seconds to under 1.
  • By voice it runs your calendar and reminders, sends WhatsApp messages, briefs you on your investments, reads the news and the weather, and plans a long weekend away, flights and itinerary included.
  • An Action Governance layer is the only thing allowed to act: every action is read back and confirmed by voice or Touch ID. A privacy firewall lets only the minimum leave the Mac, such as a ticker or a town.
  • Listening, understanding and voice: 100% on-device
  • Every action read back before it happens
  • Understanding in under a second
  • 1,200+ automated tests, built test-first
  • On-device AI
  • Voice
  • Privacy by design

Visit solaise.ai

Solaise’s orb at workThe Solaise panel on a Mac. Its orb listens to “Find me an hour this week to work out”, thinks it through with a language model on the Mac, reads back “Thursday, 7 to 8 am. Shall I add it?” and waits for a yes or Touch ID before adding it to the calendar. Listening, understanding and the voice all run on the device.ON YOUR MAC9:41SolaiseConfirm“Find me an hour this week to work out”“Thursday, 7 to 8 am. Shall I add it?”Done. It’s in your calendar.Touch ID or say yesYesYesParakeet · listensQwen3 4B · thinksKokoro · speaksLISTENS, THINKS AND SPEAKS ON YOUR MAC
Fig. 02Solaise listens, thinks and speaks on your Mac, then reads the action back and waits for your yes.

032019 – 24Faxi · acquired by Kinto (Toyota)

Growing a commuter ride-sharing platform, then taking it through an acquisition

Faxi helps colleagues share the drive to work. As Principal PM I owned the whole platform — iOS, Android and back end — and managed two Product Owners and two Product Analysts, while still doing hands-on product work myself.

  • Worked with the CEO and CTO to move from founder-led decisions to a modern product operating model, and coached product, design and engineering teams in Scrum.
  • Brought user research and data into how we decided what to build next.
  • When Toyota’s Kinto acquired Faxi, I led the move to Kinto Join and migrated users with zero service disruption.
  • 5,000+ daily active users
  • 100+ major businesses, incl. IKEA, Gatwick Airport and Toyota Germany
  • Zero service disruption through the rebrand
  • Mobility
  • Mobile platform
  • Operating model
A shared commute on FaxiA car picks up two colleagues on the way to work, filling its seats. Faxi grew to more than 5,000 daily active users across 100 plus major businesses including IKEA, Gatwick Airport and Toyota Germany.DriverColleagueColleagueIKEASEATS FILLED5,000+ daily users100+ businesses
Fig. 03One car, three colleagues, one commute.

042016 – 17Premier Inn · Whitbread plc

Turning weeks of paperwork into self-service sign-up

Businesses that wanted to book Premier Inn rooms had to get through paperwork and credit checks first — two to three weeks of it. I replaced that with self-service registration and onboarding, which opened the door to smaller businesses that had been too costly to serve.

  • Led the rebuild of Premier Inn’s iOS and Android apps — the company’s first native apps — with single sign-on across every type of customer.
  • Helped senior directors and the CTO set up Premier Inn’s London digital development hub.
  • Line-managed two Product Owners and a Product Analyst.
  • 70%+ of £600m corporate revenue through Business Booker
  • First native iOS and Android apps
  • Single sign-on for every customer segment
  • B2B
  • Self-service
  • Mobile
Premier Inn Business Booker sign-upA stack of paperwork and credit checks that took two to three weeks is replaced by a three-step self-service sign-up. Business Booker grew to more than 70 percent of Premier Inn’s 600 million pound corporate revenue.2–3 weeks of paperworkCREDIT CHECKBusiness BookerSign up in three steps1Company2Bookers3DoneCreate account70%+of £600m corporate revenuevia Business Booker
Fig. 04From a two-to-three-week paper trail to a three-step sign-up.

052014 – 16Tesco plc

Building the software behind Tesco’s award-winning hudl2 tablet

Tesco made its own tablet, and I owned its custom version of Android, built on Google’s open-source AOSP. I led an engineering team in Taipei, including firmware and low-level systems engineers, and kept software releases in step with hardware manufacturing.

  • Owned how native apps, including My Tesco, worked across the hudl ecosystem, and the partner relationships behind them.
  • Ran customer interviews, focus groups and diary studies to shape onboarding and engagement.
  • Pioneered a Child Safety feature that was later adopted across the industry.
  • Launched the multi-award-winning hudl2
  • +19% basket spend through the My Tesco app
  • Child Safety feature adopted industry-wide
  • Hardware
  • Android OS
  • User research
The hudl2 tabletA tablet running Tesco’s custom version of Android, with the My Tesco app highlighted for a 19 percent rise in basket spend, and a child safety switch that was later adopted across the industry.9:41hudl2MyTescoChild safetyOnCUSTOM ANDROIDbuilt on AOSPwith a Taipei teamCHILD SAFETYlater adoptedindustry-wide+19%basket spend viathe My Tesco appHUDL2multi-award-winning launch
Fig. 05A tablet with its own operating system — and a switch that kept kids safe.

062009 – 11Shazam · acquired by Apple

Taking Shazam on Android from a weekend prototype to 60 million users

When I joined, Shazam on Android was a weekend prototype. We grew it into a dedicated product squad and an app used by more than 60 million people worldwide, 14 million of them every day.

  • Pioneered LyricPlay, which shows the lyrics in time with the song you’re listening to.
  • 60M+ Android users
  • 14M daily active users
  • LyricPlay is now used in Apple Music globally
  • Consumer
  • Android
  • Growth
LyricPlay on Shazam for AndroidA phone listens to a song, then shows the lyrics scrolling in time with the music, highlighting the line being sung. Shazam on Android grew to more than 60 million users, 14 million of them daily.NOW PLAYINGLyricPlay demowords land on the beateach line lights upright as it’s sungno more guessingjust sing along1:183:1560M+Android users14Mdaily active users
Fig. 06LyricPlay, reimagined. Lyrics shown are placeholders.

Around the world

Built with teams in five regions

I’ve led and worked alongside teams across the UK, Europe, North America, India and Asia-Pacific — from C-suites to firmware engineers.

Map of places I’ve worked: London, Budapest, Niš, San Francisco, Houston, Bengaluru, Taipei. LondonBudapestNišSan FranciscoHoustonBengaluruTaipei
  • London
  • Milton Keynes
  • Welwyn Garden City
  • Budapest, Hungary
  • Niš, Serbia
  • San Francisco, US
  • Houston, US
  • Bengaluru, India
  • Taipei, Taiwan

Experience

Eight product roles, one habit: start with the customer

  1. Oct 2024 – Aug 2026

    Independent Product Consultant — AI-native & agentic products

    Self-employed · London, UK

    In late 2024 I stepped away from full-time work to learn AI properly — by building it. I took on part-time consulting, building production AI systems for clients, alongside projects of my own.

    OutcomeShipped a live lead-scoring agent handling 10,000+ leads a week, and built Solaise, a privacy-first voice assistant for the Mac.

  2. Sep 2019 – Jun 2024

    Principal Product Manager

    Faxi · acquired by Kinto, Toyota · London, UK & Niš, Serbia

    Owned the ride-sharing and messaging platform across iOS, Android and back end, led a team of Product Owners and Analysts, and helped the company grow up from founder-led to a proper product operating model.

    Outcome5,000+ daily active users across 100+ major businesses; seamless move to Kinto Join.

  3. Mar 2019 – Aug 2019

    Lead Product Manager (Contract)

    118118 Money · Milton Keynes, UK & Houston, US

    Built an in-app loan application with automatic eligibility checks behind the scenes, so nobody had to handle cases by hand. Used Google Analytics and Firebase to improve every stage of the funnel.

    OutcomeNew iOS and Android apps: 30,000+ in-app applications and 10,000+ weekly active users.

  4. Jul 2017 – Mar 2019

    Senior Product Manager, Product Practice

    Prezi · Budapest, Hungary & San Francisco, US

    A former Tesco Product Director brought me in to help Prezi move from engineering-led to product-led. I designed a “squads and tribes” structure with the C-suite, owned onboarding and retention, and ran dual-track delivery: design two sprints ahead (build to learn), engineering close behind (build to earn).

    OutcomeA new three-step onboarding wizard lifted early engagement by 12%, and time on platform and repeat usage by 21%.

  5. Jan 2016 – Jun 2017

    Senior Product Manager, B2B & Apps

    Premier Inn · Whitbread plc · London, UK

    Rebuilt the iOS and Android apps, set the digital strategy for business customers, and replaced weeks of paperwork with self-service sign-up.

    OutcomeBusiness Booker grew to more than 70% of Premier Inn’s £600m corporate revenue.

  6. Feb 2014 – Jan 2016

    Senior Product Manager, Connected Products

    Tesco plc · London, UK & Taipei, Taiwan

    Owned the custom Android OS for the hudl tablets, led an engineering team in Taipei, and looked after app integrations and partners across the hudl and My Tesco ecosystem.

    OutcomeLaunched the multi-award-winning hudl2; +19% basket spend through the My Tesco app.

  7. Jan 2012 – Feb 2014

    Product Manager, Marketplace

    Tesco plc · Welwyn Garden City, UK & Bengaluru, India

    Owned the roadmap for the automated trading APIs and the Merchant Hub seller portal behind Tesco Direct’s marketplace, working with architects, engineers and QA to build out the REST APIs.

    OutcomeThe catalogue grew from 40,000 to more than 100,000 products.

  8. Mar 2009 – Dec 2011

    Product Manager, Android App

    Shazam · acquired by Apple · London, UK

    Took Shazam on Android from a weekend prototype to a dedicated product squad, and pioneered LyricPlay.

    Outcome60M+ Android users and 14M daily actives. LyricPlay is now used in Apple Music globally.

How I work

Four things I bring to every team

  1. 01

    Customers first

    I start with the people using the product, not the feature list. Interviews, diary studies and data show me where the real problem is.

  2. 02

    Make it simple

    Most problems arrive messy and ambiguous. My job is to find the simplest version that actually moves the numbers.

  3. 03

    Build to learn, then build to earn

    Test ideas cheaply before engineering commits to them. Design and research run ahead, so the team builds things we already know people need.

  4. 04

    Hands-on or leading — both

    I’m as comfortable writing user stories inside a squad as I am leading several squads. And I can hold my own with engineers without pretending to be one.

Toolkit

What I work with

Product & delivery

  • Product strategy
  • Roadmap prioritisation
  • Jobs to be done
  • User stories
  • KPI design
  • Scrum
  • Kanban
  • SAFe
  • Dual-track agile
  • Jira & Confluence

AI & LLMs

  • Agentic architecture
  • Multi-agent harnesses
  • Context engineering
  • RAG
  • LLM evaluation
  • AI-native prototyping
  • Voice agents
  • Claude Code
  • Google Antigravity
  • Google Cloud
  • Ollama

Research & analytics

  • User interviews
  • Diary studies
  • Focus groups
  • Workshop facilitation
  • A/B & multivariate testing
  • AARRR growth
  • Google Analytics
  • Firebase

Technical

  • iOS
  • Android
  • AOSP
  • Progressive web apps
  • REST APIs
  • Full-stack platform architecture

People

  • Stakeholder management
  • Line management
  • Influencing without authority
  • Cross-functional teams
  • Cultural intelligence

Education & learning

  • 2001 – 2005

    BSc Business Information Systems

    University of Hertfordshire · First-Class Honours

  • Jun 2026

    5-Day AI Agents Intensive

    Kaggle × Google · Online

Contact

Got a messy problem? Let’s make it simple.

I’m based in London. The quickest way to reach me is LinkedIn.

Message me on LinkedIn