Suraj Nedungadi, AVP – Strategy at YAAP, has paid tribute to late founder Atul Hegde in a deeply personal LinkedIn post, remembering him as “a visionary, pioneer and a master of his craft” whose mentorship shaped not only his career, but his life. Based on the post shared after Hegde’s untimely passing, Nedungadi reflected on the opportunity Hegde gave him as a fresher and the trust he placed in him over more than eight years at the company.
Nedungadi wrote that Hegde brought him into YAAP’s Founder’s Office at a time when he had “no experience and very little value to offer”, and went on to mentor him closely, hear out his ideas and create opportunities far beyond what someone at his stage could have expected. He described Hegde as a leader who judged people by the quality of their thinking rather than their age or experience, a trait that would go on to shape YAAP’s culture.
Here’s what he shared on LinkedIn:
“I'm not one to post about loss on social media. But I'm making an exception today, because it's important for me to state the truly profound impact that Dr Atul Hegde has had on my life. And the deep sadness I feel at his untimely passing.
I joined YAAP practically as a fresher, with no experience and very little value to offer - utterly & completely raw. Any other leader wouldn't have given someone at that level a second look. But Atul chose to take me under his wing and mentor me as a part of the Founder's Office - an opportunity that has truly changed the trajectory of my life in ways that are difficult for me to express.
Even as someone of his stature, he took the time to guide me, mentor me and hear out my wild ideas (that were inevitably buried in 50-slide decks) - a level of patience and kindness that not many leaders have. He not only heard them out, but also took my ideas seriously - as if they came from a peer - and always gave me real, constructive feedback. And in those one-to-ones my age and experience didn't matter, only the quality of my ideas did (a trait that laid the foundation for how we operate at YAAP today: the best idea in the room always wins). He took a chance on me and gave me opportunities that someone of my age and experience would've never had. I've travelled the world, met leaders of industry & government and been in rooms I had no business being in, all because he chose to take that chance.
He was truly a visionary, pioneer and a master of his craft. He has not only transformed the industry for the better, but he has also transformed countless lives, much like he did mine. He had a crystal-clear vision of what he wanted YAAP to become from day one - even when we were a scrappy little team and didn't see our own potential. I've seen that vision come to life before my very eyes, and I'm honoured that he let me play a role in that journey. A journey that has only just begun.
In the more than 8 years I've spent at YAAP, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time working closely with him, and I got to witness his thought process up close and learn something new from him every single day without exception - and I had much more left to learn. I trusted him blindly with my career because I knew he always had a plan for me that was bigger than I could see, and he proved me right year after year. And the professional and leader I am today is because of his generosity & guidance. And I hope to honour his vision for YAAP alongside Manan Kapur, Anjan Roy, Anup Kumar, Raj Nayak and the rest of the amazing team at YAAP.
I'll forever be indebted & grateful for what you have done for me. Thank you for taking a chance on me.”
