Gaurav Rastogi is Senior Director of Enterprise Data Analytics and Business Intelligence at Hertz Corporation, where he leads global analytics capabilities focused on delivering trusted, scalable, and business-critical insights. His career began on the front lines of technology, resolving high-severity production issues that could halt operations across different enterprises. Those early experiences instilled discipline, calm decision-making under pressure, and a deep appreciation for building simple, reliable solutions to complex problems.
Over time, Gaurav transitioned from hands-on engineering into leading teams responsible for designing and operating enterprise data platforms, while remaining actively engaged with emerging technologies, particularly in AI. He has worked extensively with modern cloud and analytics ecosystems, including AWS, Microsoft platforms, Palantir, Databricks, and Tableau, applying them pragmatically to make data measurable, trustworthy, cost-efficient, and secure.
Throughout his career, his focus has remained consistent: maintaining system stability, protecting customers, and enabling better decisions through high-quality data. In his current role, Gaurav brings together people, process, and platforms to run enterprise analytics at scale. He invests heavily in team development, clear prioritization, and outcome-driven delivery, using meaningful KPIs to align analytics work to business value.
By building strong teams, reducing complexity, and maintaining a relentless focus on impact, he helps Hertz turn data into a dependable asset for customers and the organization alike. Looking forward, Gaurav remains committed to learning, sharing, and raising the bar for practical, responsible data and AI leadership.
As a data and AI leader, which traits and skills do you think matter most, and which of those have been most influential for you in your current position?
“There are traditional skills which are often talked about, but in my experience, they only deliver immense results if applied correctly.
“My team size is more than 120 people and when you are leading such diverse teams one of the skills you need is to be able to provide clarity to your team by maintaining effective and transparent communication.
“The other skill I believe is to be an effective listener as most of the time your team just want you to listen and comment on their perspective.
“Lastly, I believe being decisive in moments of crisis by taking calculated risks is an important skill to have in addition to collaboration, prioritization, and other routine duties.”
Reflecting on your career, what is one non-traditional piece of advice (outside of technical skills) you would give to an aspiring data or AI leader aiming for the C-suite?
“I have always kept two quotes written in my notebooks and write it still today:
- There is no substitute to hard work. The growth and credentials you get through hard work are not short lived. You will reach the position, but also feels respected due to your knowledge, empathy, and experience.
- Fail fast. Your biggest teacher will be your own failures, not somebody else’s failures. Don’t be afraid to fail as those failures will build the foundation of your success. Keep manifesting your goal, look at yourself in that chair, car, house, team event, speaker role, or panel and all of it will eventually come true.”