47: "Creating Your Own Role & Crafting the Career You Want" with Danoosh Kapadia, Business Development VP
When looking for a new job, most people hit online job boards or scour LinkedIn for posted positions. They scan the bullet points of qualifications, matching them against their own experience and ultimately deciding whether they’re a close enough fit to apply. That traditional route never appealed to Danoosh Kapadia. Instead, he took advantage of internal opportunities to gain the experience he needed to make career transitions, had roles created for him, and leveraged his network to get an “in” at more than one company he was interested in working at. Danoosh has time and time again landed roles based on following his curiosity, making connections, and bringing his A-game every time.
About Danoosh:
Danoosh joined XPLANE as the Vice President of Business Development in January 2018. He manages North American Business Development and Product Development for the firm. Danoosh works with XPLANE’s key clients to understand the complex change their organizations are facing and works collaboratively with clients to transform their business and accelerate results.
Prior to joining XPLANE, Danoosh was the Head of Business Development and Partnerships for IDEO U - the educational arm of the award-winning design and innovation firm IDEO. Before that, Danoosh helped build the company General Assembly - an education-technology start-up that teaches the most relevant and in-demand digital skills across data, design, business, and technology.
The early part of Danoosh's career was spent as an Industrial Engineer designing industrial products for critical applications in oil and gas, chemical, and power where safety and reliability were paramount considerations. Danoosh holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a minor in Business Administration from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
When he's not meeting with clients, you can find Danoosh at Alamo Square in San Francisco prototyping innovative ways to make his toddler son laugh.
LinkedIn: @danooshk
