Rakshana Balakrishnan is an accomplished cloud infrastructure product leader with over 12 years of experience in designing and delivering technical cloud-based products from concept to launch, including 0-to-1 and 1-to-n products. At AWS, she empowers global customers to create better business outcomes through their cloud journey, by delivering impactful products focused on optimizing cloud spend, improving the cloud security posture, and accelerating AI/ML innovation. Her expertise lies in defining a compelling vision and narrative for each product, conducting in-depth customer research, crafting multi-year roadmaps, managing P&L, defining success criteria metrics, and executing effective go-to-market strategies. Her prior experience at PwC involved implementing custom AI/ML products for customers in the Pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, she holds a Masters degree in Information Systems from Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.
As a recognized thought leader, Rakshana has spoken at numerous international conferences, published articles on cloud product management, and served as an industry judge at prestigious award programs. Passionate about fostering diversity in STEM, she serves as a community engagement leader and actively mentors hundreds of young women, in partnership with globally recognized non-profit organizations.
Upcoming Talks
UXDX Community: Washington, DC 2025
15 October 2025
AI agents are rapidly becoming more prevalent in cloud products, transforming how users interact, discover value, and build trust. The success of these integrations depends on striking the right balance between automation and user control, while tackling the challenges of trust, bias, and transparency. In this talk, we’ll explore how product leaders and designers can rethink UX when embedding AI agents into cloud products, while straddling usability and transparency.
What you’ll learn:
- How AI agents are reshaping user expectations in cloud products
- The UX challenges unique to AI-driven interactions
- Practical strategies for designing intuitive, human-centered AI experiences
UXDX Community: Washington, DC 2025
15 October 2025
What does modern product development look like in an era defined by economic uncertainty, AI, and shrinking career ladders? Join Swarna Pandu and Rakshana Balakrishnan as they reflect on how creating products has evolved in recent years and discuss the realities of shipping in uncertain conditions, the pressures on product teams to do more with less, why hiring is fundamentally changing, and how mid-level and junior talent can adapt and grow in a market that’s no longer predictable. Whether you’re designing, coding, or driving product strategy, this session will help you understand how to stay relevant, resilient, and ready for the next shift.
