Deepa Papanna

Deepa is the vice president of talent based in Bessemer’s India office.
Prior to joining Bessemer, Deepa was the director of talent acquisition at Unacademy, a multi-lingual edtech company, where she worked closely with the founder on leadership hiring, employer branding, candidate experience, and engagement initiatives.
Before joining Unacademcy, Deepa worked at boutique executive talent acquisition and advisory firms including WalkWater Talent Advisors and Longhouse Consulting.
There she hired leadership talent for venture capital firms and their portfolio companies across consumer internet and enterprise SaaS startups.
Prior to a career move into Executive Search in 2014, Deepa was a corporate sales professional at companies including George P Johnson, an experiential marketing agency, Brand-comm, a PR & brand consulting firm, and Les Concierges, an employee benefits services startup.
During her initial years of career, Deepa also worked as a media planner and buyer at Initiative, an IPG Group company.
Deepa earned her degree in commercial practice from Bangalore University.
In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and exploring new cuisines.