About Plant-A
Plant-A Insights Group
About Plant-A Insights Group
Plant-A Insights Group, headquartered in Manhattan New York, is one of the leading research, data and analytics firms for the development of large-scale company and industry rankings for global tier one media brands.
- Plant-A Insights Group’s vision is to give businesses and consumers guidance through facts, insights and superior technology by creating robust lists and rankings.
- Plant-A Insights Group aims to become the leading provider of market research driven insights across industries and an incubator of superior tech solutions in collaboration with strong media brands.
Our Team
CEO & Founder
Manuel is the CEO and founder of Plant –A Insights Group. Prior to joining Plant-A, Manuel held various leadership roles in the tech and research industries, including Global CEO of Onclusive, one of the world’s leading media monitoring tech companies (PE owned by STG and Bain Capital). He was also part of the founding team at Statista and held various leadership roles, including Global CSMO and CEO of the Americas and APAC. Manuel is based in New York City.
Director, Commercial Strategy
As Director of Commercial Strategy, Sofie leads sales, marketing, and commercial operations for recognition programs in partnership with Newsweek and USA Today. She manages the sales team, drives go-to-market strategy, and supports clients with award licensing and brand positioning. Sofie holds a Master’s in Entrepreneurship from Babson College and is currently pursuing a second Master’s in Project Management.
Associate Director and Enablement Lead
As Associate Director and Enablement Lead, Amanda focuses on award licensing and brand positioning, empowering clients to showcase their successes through esteemed recognitions in collaboration with Newsweek and USA Today. She also plays a key role in shaping and leading training and career development initiatives for the sales team. Additionally, Amanda manages and drives all business development for BlueHill, an advanced benchmarking analytics software. She earned her BA from UCLA, graduating Cum Laude.
Director, Data Analytics
Venkatesh Radhakrishnan serves as the Director of Data Analytics at Plant- A where he manages Data Management, Analytics, and Automation. He holds a PGP in Business Analytics and Business Intelligence from Great Lakes Institute of Management and IIT Stuart School of Business. Venkatesh specializes in developing ranking systems, dashboards, and risk-scoring engines across industries while streamlining data extraction processes using scrapers and LLMs.
Sr. Advisor – Methodology, Licensing & Sponsorship
As a Senior Advisor to Plant-A, Brian brings 40 years of entrepreneurial business experience and consults on a number of high level aspects including company direction, new products, services and more. Brian holds a degree in Marketing & Economics from St John’s University.
Vice President, Research & Operations
Chinmay oversees research and strategy activities at Plant-A. Prior to Plant-A , he was actively working in the consulting industry. Chinmay holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and completed his Post Graduation in Management for NICMAR. Chinmay also holds a CAPM® certificate from PMI.
Key Account Manager
As a Key Account Manager on the Recognitions Team for USA TODAY and Newsweek, James Koenig specializes in strategic sales and client partnerships, helping organizations amplify their achievements through prestigious workplace and customer service awards. James holds a degree from Michigan State University and is passionate about connecting businesses with opportunities to showcase their excellence.
Project Manager
Harsh is a market research expert with over 5 years of experience in financial analysis, large data analysis, private equity consulting, and industry analysis. He specializes in leveraging data-driven insights to drive strategic decisions and deliver comprehensive market assessments. Harsh holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from FORE School of Management, New Delhi, and has successfully cleared the CFA Level 1 exam, showcasing his expertise in financial analysis and valuation.
Key Account Manager
Michelle Blinder is a Key Account Manager on the Recognitions Team for Newsweek, where she focuses on fostering strong client relationships and facilitating opportunities to showcase organizational achievements through notable workplace awards. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University and is dedicated to helping businesses highlight their success.
Project Manager
Pavan oversees project planning , research and execution at Plant –A . Additionally, he is also responsible for team coordination and vendor management. Pavan holds an MBA degree in Operations and Marketing from GIM, Goa and B.Tech degree from RVCE. Prior to joining Plant-A, Pavan worked as a management consultant with Deloitte where he advised healthcare clients. Pavan is also a certified scrum master.
Project Manager
As a Project Manager for Plant A Insights, Paudie works closely with USA Today and Newsweek, specializing in overseeing key initiatives and ensuring seamless execution of award programs that recognize outstanding customer service and workplace excellence. Originally from Maynooth, County Kildare in Ireland, Paudie holds a degree from Maynooth University and is committed to helping organizations amplify their recognition through prestigous industry awards.
Project Manager
Gayatri is a recent graduate from Barnard College of Columbia University. At Plant-A, Gayatri works across the intersection of marketing and sales to boost the company’s go-to-market strategy.
Account Manager
As an Account Manager, Travis plays a vital role in Newsweek’s recognition teams, fostering strong relationships with companies and providing key insights on account positioning. A Virginia Tech graduate, he began his career in creative communications and fundraising within higher education. Now transitioning into publishing and sales, Travis is excited to bring his interpersonal skills and relationship-building expertise to the Plant-A team.
Associate Director, Research and Analysis
Adnan oversees the Desk Research and Analysis responsibilities at Plant-A Insights where he leads a team of research analysts gathering data and providing actionable insights for different projects. He holds an MBA from Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur and a BCom degree from Rajasthan University. He has previously worked with companies like IPSOS and Kantar in their research domain.
Customer Success Manager
Sr. Customer Success Manager
Nupur is a dedicated Senior Customer Success Manager at Plant-A.com, where she leads with a customer-first mindset to drive meaningful engagement and long-term client success. Nupur brings a strong foundation in communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking to every interaction. Known for blending empathy with execution, she works cross-functionally to streamline processes, anticipate customers’ needs, and deliver impactful result.
Key Account Manager
As a Key Account Manager at Plant-A, Jefferson works closely with a range of exceptional companies, specializing in managing high-impact relationships and ensuring the successful execution of strategic initiatives. Jefferson holds a degree from Babson College and is passionate about supporting innovative startups as they scale, collaborate, and lead within their industries. A New Orleans native, he is a strong team player and is always looking to celebrate the team’s success.
