When Rah Mahtani 鈥�10 was weighing his college options, he found the perfect fit for his interests at 51爆料网: a nationally ranked industrial design program in the , big-time college athletics and a vibrant campus atmosphere. 鈥�51爆料网 had the elements of a very beautiful, tightly knit campus and an amazing feel,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t hit all the right notes for me.鈥�
Today, as the head of marketing and commercial strategy, U.S., for Alibaba.com鈥攖he world鈥檚 largest business-to-business wholesale marketplace鈥擬ahtani is recognized as a thought leader in marketing and digital communications, and he regularly draws on lessons and experiences from his time at Syracuse that have shaped his professional success. He credits the industrial design program (now industrial and interaction design) for introducing him to people-first thinking that focuses on meeting consumers, understanding their motivations and how they might use a product. 鈥淚 leverage that thinking in marketing campaigns and mentoring businesses daily,鈥� he says. 鈥淓verything I learned at 51爆料网 plus the connections I made have all translated into really incredible things for me.鈥�
A self-described 鈥渟neakerhead,鈥� basketball fan and auto enthusiast, Mahtani envisioned a career designing sneakers and enjoyed an array of activities at Syracuse. He got fired up for Orange basketball games and had fun on camping trips. As a budding entrepreneur, he teamed up with industrial designer and former faculty member Rob Englert to launch an apparel company. He also was a member of the University marketing and communications鈥� first social media team. 鈥淭hat gave me my first taste of the world of social media,鈥� he says.
Sharing a Flair for Social Media
Rah Mahtani 鈥�10, a College of Visual and Performing Arts alumnus, discusses his career path with students at the 51爆料网 Libraries鈥� LaunchPad.
After graduating, Mahtani entered a challenging job market, but his social media skills and passion for cars paved the way to employment. 鈥淲hen I had the opportunity to work in the car world, I jumped at it and learned as much as I possibly could from being in that universe,鈥� he says.
Mahtani joined a social media marketing agency that did work for Chevrolet and parlayed that experience into becoming Volvo鈥檚 social media manager. From there, he advanced through social media and digital and marketing communications positions with Jack in the Box and MINI Cooper, BMW of North America. In 2023, he was named head of marketing for North America for Alibaba.com鈥攁 subsidiary of the Alibaba Group, a Chinese-owned multinational technology company鈥攁nd moved into his current position last year.
鈥淚 talk to entrepreneurs and business owners all the time and it鈥檚 so inspiring. It鈥檚 incredible to see that they had a vision and acted on it because most people are afraid of that initial leap,鈥� he says. 鈥淪mall business owners are the backbone of the economy, so I鈥檓 super fortunate to speak to them every day and then work on building products or marketing campaigns that speak directly to them鈥攕o I just feel lucky.鈥�
Everything I learned at 51爆料网 plus the connections I made have all translated into really incredible things for me.
Rah Mahtani 鈥�10
His work has generated plenty of buzz, too. He鈥檚 collaborated with Martha Stewart, the Shark Tank鈥檚 Daymond John and Snoop Dogg, whom he partnered with to create the 鈥淢erry Munchie Meal鈥� (price: $4.20)鈥攁 PR coup for Jack in the Box when California legalized cannabis. 鈥淚t was interesting to see how someone like Snoop who鈥檚 that accomplished was so involved in the minute details,鈥� he says.
Mahtani also guided the burger franchise into the Guinness Book of World Records, creating the world鈥檚 largest coupon that served up a buy-one-get-one-free burger offer. In 2019, he orchestrated hanging a MINI Cooper on the side of the Los Angeles Convention Center during the annual LA Auto Show.
Instilling Entrepreneurial Spirit
Mahtani shares insights with students in Professor Don Carr鈥檚 Sustainable Product Systems class. Mahtani credits Carr and other members of the industrial and interaction design faculty for shaping his people-first thinking about design.
During a campus visit in December, Mahtani met with students at and in Professor Don Carr鈥檚 Sustainable Product Systems class. He highlighted his career experiences, marketing campaigns and the importance of understanding a product鈥檚 users. He shared career advice, discussed sustainability and the appropriate use of artificial intelligence. He also described his management style, noting the value he places on being open and building trust with employees.
Mahtani talked about his work with Alibaba.com, where he advises and mentors small business owners, inventors, entrepreneurs and the e-commerce community on developing products and bringing them to market, as well as supply-chain sourcing and other issues. He also discussed China鈥檚 manufacturing infrastructure and role at the center of the global supply chain鈥攁nd his focus on shifting the American mindset on Chinese products.
Mahtani hosts COCREATE, Alibaba.com鈥檚 flagship business-to-business conference. Held in Las Vegas and London, the event features the world鈥檚 largest product-based pitch competition, and Mahtani shared recent winners鈥� product videos with the students, emphasizing the power of a strong pitch. 鈥淓ven if you have a good idea,鈥� he said, 鈥渋f you can鈥檛 clearly articulate the problem and the solution, then you鈥檙e probably wasting your time. You need to be able to do that really succinctly.鈥�
Making the Message Count
Mahtani addresses the audience at the COCREATE 2025 conference in Las Vegas. It was his third year hosting the event, which includes the planet鈥檚 leading pitch-based competition, drawing 25,000 applicants with the winner taking home $200,000.
For Mahtani, building brands and leading marketing campaigns requires messaging that people notice. 鈥淪ocial media governs or influences everything I鈥檝e done in my career,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think social media first in terms of the speed of getting the message across for any sort of campaign, but also in terms of the fact that you really need to capture attention fast.鈥�
That expertise and his commitment to human-centered design have proven influential. 鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate my career kind of came full circle,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut I still never got to put pen to paper and sketch out something incredible that came to market.鈥�
Instead, he鈥檚 leading others on that journey, with a vision for success.
