Manasa Nalla

Manasa Nalla is a distinguished product innovation leader, currently serving as an Associate Director at The Duracell Company, where she drives consumer-centric product innovation strategy. With extensive experience in creating products at the intersection of consumer needs, technical feasibility, and impactful user experiences, she bridges engineering expertise with business needs and consumer insights. Part product manager, part innovation strategist, and part user researcher, she designs, develops, and executes innovations that deliver value to both consumers and businesses.

Manasa has held multiple critical leadership roles at Duracell, leading global cross-functional teams and spearheading multiple key initiatives in battery design and delivery. Her contributions span across multiple major innovations such as child safety technology, Power Boost Ingredients, creating impactful product demonstrations in both B2B & consumer markets. In her previous role, she led the global relaunch and expansion of PROCELL brand, partnering with leading global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and co-designing next generation batteries and battery powered devices.

Manasa is also recognized as an expert in the innovation ecosystem. She served as a judge for leading global innovation programs such as Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Edison Awards, and MIT IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge - roles reserved for individuals with demonstrated authority in evaluating technological innovation. She has been invited to speak at the World R&D summit and Society of Women Engineers (SWE) annual conference, further reflecting her respected industry standing. She is a Senior member of esteemed organizations such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and SWE, and contributes her insights to the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and the McKinsey Executive Global Survey Panel, and volunteers as a STEM mentor with SWE and Mentor Together non profit organizations.

Manasa holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut School of Business and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Haven.