Principal AI Product @ Clean Harbors - Director, AI CoE

Education: • Bachelor of Engineering (BE), India. • Master’s in information systems (MS), Northeastern University, Boston. • Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), Northeastern University, Boston. (In Progress) Malhar has been instrumental in leading the AI initiatives in both traditional AI/ML and Generative AI (GenAI), working closely with our business leadership to transform our company in the Environmental Services industry and showcase our leadership in the AI space. His role includes the following: Direct Collaboration with Top Leadership: Malhar Deshpande has worked directly with our Executive Chairman, CEO, and other top executives such as our CTO, SVP, CIO, and CPO to shape and implement our AI strategy. His collaboration with these leaders has been crucial in driving initiatives that focus on revenue growth, cost reductions, and operational efficiency. Building and Leading International Teams: Malhar has successfully built and led international teams across the US and India, managing and providing technical direction. His ability to work effectively across different cultures, strategies, and markets has significantly contributed to our global operations. Establishing the AI Center of Excellence: Malhar established our AI Center of Excellence and crafted the strategy that has positioned us at the forefront of AI in Environmental Services. His work has addressed key challenges, including operational safety, customer satisfaction, and overall revenue enhancement. Innovation and Intellectual Property: Malhar is currently working on multiple patentable innovations aimed at enhancing operational safety in the Environmental Services area, increasing customer satisfaction, and driving revenue growth. Collaboration with Microsoft: In this role, he has collaborated closely with our partner Microsoft to enhance their AI solutions, ensuring better development outcomes and aligning them with our strategic goals. Thought Leadership and Publications: He is actively working on multiple papers in the AI domain, preparing for presentations at major AI/ML and vendor conferences (e.g., Microsoft, Gartner). He also serves as a technical advisor within various teams in the organization and various startups in the Boston area. He is technical reviewer for AI/ML books and one of them is releasing in January 2025 – Modern AI Agents Subtitle: Solve complex challenges with AI agents, RAG, and Knowledge Graphs. From an educational standpoint, Malhar holds a Master’s degree in Information Systems and is currently completing his MBA at Northeastern University, which further complements his technical expertise in traditional AI/ML, GenAI, Azure, and programming languages like .NET and Python. His ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms, translate business requirements into AI/ML and GenAI principles, and build products with AI/ML at their core has been vital to our company’s growth. His exceptional problem-solving skills, excellent communication, proactive attitude, strong sense of ownership, and ability to inspire and motivate team members have fostered a positive and collaborative work environment. The advantages of using AI in a services organization are manifold, and Malhar’s work has been pivotal in harnessing these advantages for our Environmental Services company.