Welcome to The People Behind the Programs, a blog series celebrating the voices, stories, and impact of the community professionals powering connection and belonging across the globe.

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Meet Rohit Radhakrishnan, the Community Lead for Asia Pacific & Japan at UiPath, based in the bustling city of Bengaluru, India. Rohit’s journey into community work began quite unexpectedly, but as he shares in his own words, it has become a deeply fulfilling path.

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How It Started

I stepped into the world of community long before I knew it could be a career. During my university days in a small town in India, I was passionate about entrepreneurship. That passion led me to gather like-minded students, and soon we had unintentionally built one of the largest ecosystems of student entrepreneurs in the country. It was my first real experience of what a thriving community could become, people supporting each other, celebrating wins, learning from failures, and growing together.

What fascinated me then (and still does) is the kind of people you get to spend your time with in community work, individuals who are self-driven, deeply passionate, and radiate positivity. Over time, you realize their energy rubs off on you. Suddenly, you’re in a role where your professional growth is fast, your personal growth is constant, and the joy you receive from seeing others succeed is unmatched.

After nearly eight years working in the startup ecosystem—supporting founders, creators, and dreamers, I found an opportunity to shift into a new kind of community: developers and AI enthusiasts. It felt like a natural evolution. The same passion, the same curiosity, the same drive, just in a different domain.

Today, after almost four years at UiPath, leading the community across the APJ region, I can say this journey has been one of the most fulfilling chapters of my life. I didn’t choose the community industry deliberately… the community chose me, shaped me, and continues to inspire me every single day. The CMX Industry Award that I received last year was absolutely a result of this inspiration that the community provides me everyday. 

A Day in the Life

In my current role, I manage a global community of automation, AI, and agentic-technology professionals and students. It’s a group defined by curiosity and speed, because the tech landscape is evolving at an astronomical pace, our community is always racing to stay ahead. And that energy keeps me on my toes every single day.

A typical day rarely looks the same, but it always starts with people. I spend a large part of my time talking to developers, students, COE leaders, partners, colleagues, and anyone in the ecosystem who’s willing to share a few minutes. These conversations happen everywhere: on calls, in person, at events, or over coffee. Ideas spark unexpectedly, patterns emerge, challenges surface, and opportunities begin to form.

Every program we run - workshops, meetups, bootcamps, content, recognition initiatives, comes directly from the insights gathered in these conversations. It makes the role incredibly dynamic. One day I’m deep in planning an event, the next I’m experimenting with a new idea, and the day after that I’m learning from a story someone told me that completely shifts my perspective.

What I love most is that my work is a blend of discovery and creation. I get to learn from thousands of individual stories while also playing a small part in shaping new ones. That blend of continuous learning, rapid experimentation, and meaningful human connection is what makes this role not just a job, but a journey that evolves with the community itself.

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The Tools that Power My Work

Our official community lives on Discourse and Bevy, and we still manage several groups on Meetup.com, Slack, and other platforms. These give us structure, scale, and the ability to run programs globally.

But the real heartbeat of our community—the speed, the energy, the everyday conversations—often comes from the user-driven groups on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and LINE. These aren’t owned by us; they’re created and run by the community itself, which makes them incredibly lively. Ideas spark faster, questions get answered instantly, and members support each other in real time.

If there’s one thing others should know: while official platforms give you a foundation, sometimes the most meaningful engagement happens where your community naturally gathers, even if that’s in a humble WhatsApp group buzzing at 2 a.m.

Advice for Newcomers

My advice for anyone starting in community work is this: communities exist with or without us. People naturally find each other, support each other, and build together. Our role is to create the platforms, spaces, and foundations that make their journey easier, faster, and more meaningful.

While organizations give us KPIs and OKRs, always design your programs with community members at the center. When you serve the community first, the numbers will follow, often in ways you never expected.

Show up with humility. Be open to learning every single day. Some of your greatest insights will come from the people you serve, not from strategy decks or metrics dashboards.

And remember: community work is a long game. If you lead with empathy, curiosity, and consistency, you’ll not only help the community grow—you’ll grow with them.

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Resources I Suggest

Please reach out to me directly for personalized recommendations - tailored resources can significantly impact your understanding and growth in community building.

Here are some resources that are always a go to for me,

• Design Thinking resources by Standford d.School This really helps me to exercise on the empathy piece which is super crucial in any community role. 
• The Community MBA from CMX

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💬 Let’s connect on LinkedIn — I’d love to hear from fellow community builders.

💡 The People Behind the Programs is a blog series that shines a light on the community professionals powering impactful programs around the world. Want to share your story or nominate someone doing incredible community work? Submit your spotlight here.

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Are you passionate about building communities?

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