WGBI Member Spotlight Series – Manasa Nalla
Our next WGBI Member Spotlight shines on Manasa Nalla, an innovation strategist whose engineering roots and consumer-centered thinking have made her a trailblazer in the battery industry.
⚡ Career Journey: From Engineering to Innovation Strategist
Manasa’s entry into the battery industry was driven by a lifelong fascination with how complex technologies shape everyday life. With a foundation in Electrical Engineering, she gravitated toward the intersection where technical possibility meets real-world impact. Batteries, she found, occupy that space uniquely. “What drew me to batteries specifically is their invisible yet indispensable role in modern life,” she explains. “Working in this industry means you’re not just designing a component — you’re enabling ecosystems and helping shape how the world powers the future.”
Today, Manasa serves as Associate Director, R&D Product Innovation & Strategy at Duracell, where her work sits at the convergence of engineering, consumer insight, and commercial strategy. Her scope is both technical and strategic: collaborating with device manufacturers, translating emerging device trends into actionable R&D roadmaps, launching industry-first innovations, and crafting technical product stories that make complex breakthroughs accessible. “I focus on driving innovation that delivers meaningful consumer impact,” she says, “advancing category-shaping innovations that improve safety, influence industry standards, and support long-term growth.”
Her career path from core engineering into innovation strategy is, in her view, a natural evolution—one shaped by a growing passion for connecting technical possibilities with consumer insight and business value. It’s a through-line she carries into everything she does.
🤝 Industry Insights: Engineering Rigor Meets Consumer Empathy
Manasa brings a perspective that is both analytically grounded and deeply human. She believes the future of the battery industry belongs to leaders who can bridge the technical and the tangible. “I believe the future of our industry belongs to leaders who can translate complexity into clarity and connect technical excellence to meaningful everyday impact, that truly resonates with end users,” she says. “That’s when inventions become innovations.”
That philosophy has been tested and refined through experience. Early in her career, Manasa navigated the challenge of establishing credibility in highly technical rooms where women were often underrepresented. Her response was deliberate and pragmatic. “I learned quickly that preparation, clarity of thought and communication, and maintaining a big picture perspective are powerful equalizers,” she recalls.
Among her standout achievements: advancing innovations that improved battery safety and performance, forging strategic partnerships with device manufacturers to build Duracell’s industrial product line, PROCELL, and developing a digital tool that translated complex technical performance data into clear business value—making innovation both visible and measurable. These are not just career milestones for Manasa; they are proof points that technical excellence and human-centered thinking can and should coexist.
🌐 WGBI Involvement: Representation, Connection, and Community
For Manasa, joining WGBI was a natural extension of her professional values. “I joined Women in the Global Battery Industry because I believe representation and connection are critical in highly technical industries,” she explains. She sees WGBI as more than a network—it’s a platform where women across roles, from manufacturing to marketing to R&D, can exchange insights and support one another’s growth.
Looking ahead, Manasa is equally committed to both learning and contributing. For her, membership is dual-purpose: “expanding my global perspective while helping inspire the next generation of technical and strategic leaders.”
She is also enthusiastic about WGBI’s mentorship program and the conversations it opens up around navigating careers in technical leadership. “Mentorship is a powerful multiplier,” she says. “The most rewarding part of mentorship is often helping someone see possibilities they may not yet see for themselves.”
💼 Advice and Inspiration
Manasa’s advice to women considering the battery industry is both practical and energizing. She encourages women to build deep technical competence, develop business fluency and consumer empathy, seek cross-functional exposure early, and join communities like WGBI. “The battery industry is one of the most consequential and fast-evolving sectors in the world,” she says. “There has never been a more exciting time to shape the future of energy.”
When asked about role models, Manasa reflects on the leaders who have shaped her most profoundly—those who combine technical depth with strategic vision, while leading with empathy and empowering their teams. The lesson she carries forward: “Innovation isn’t just about being first — it’s about creating solutions that are meaningful, human-centered, and grounded in a deep understanding of the people who use them.”
🌿 Life Beyond Work
Away from the lab and the office, Manasa recharges by spending time in nature and exploring new places. She gravitates toward activities that foster reflection and creativity—a deliberate counterbalance to the intensity of her professional life. “Over time, I’ve learned that balancing periods of intensity with intentional pauses is key to staying resilient and inspired,” she shares.
It’s a rhythm she has found essential—stepping back, resetting, and returning with a fresh perspective. In a field that demands constant forward momentum, Manasa knows that stillness, too, has its own power.
Manasa Nalla’s story is a testament to what becomes possible when engineering rigor meets human-centered vision—and when women in technical industries are given the platform, community, and confidence to lead.