66degrees Names Subhashini Panyam Chief People Officer

Panyam joins the executive team to sharpen the company's human resources infrastructure, with a specific focus on the development of its forward-deployed engineers (FDEs). These professionals serve as the primary link between the firm’s technical capabilities, such as the Paradigm platform, and the specific operational challenges faced by clients in the healthcare, retail, and financial services sectors.

A core pillar of her mandate involves the launch of FDE University, an internal program set to begin its first cohort this October. The initiative aims to bridge the skills gap by taking experienced Google Cloud engineers and training them in business process acumen and agentic workflows. By formalizing this training, the company intends to ensure that engineers provide immediate, localized value upon deployment.

Beyond technical enablement, Panyam is tasked with unifying the company’s global workforce across North America and India. CEO Ben Kessler emphasized that Panyam’s appointment is central to the firm's ambition of scaling its delivery model, noting that the engineers represent the primary client experience of the brand. Panyam will focus on fostering a cohesive culture that prioritizes continuous learning and leadership development, ensuring that personnel in every market operate under a single, integrated standard.