When Rah Mahtani ’10 was weighing his college options, he found the perfect fit for his interests at Syracuse University: a nationally ranked industrial design program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, big-time college athletics and a vibrant campus atmosphere. “Syracuse University had the elements of a very beautiful, tightly knit campus and an amazing feel,” he says. “It hit all the right notes for me.”
Today, as the head of marketing and commercial strategy, U.S., for Alibaba.com—the world’s largest business-to-business wholesale marketplace—Mahtani 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. “I leverage that thinking in marketing campaigns and mentoring businesses daily,” he says. “Everything I learned at Syracuse University plus the connections I made have all translated into really incredible things for me.”
A self-described “sneakerhead,” 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’ first social media team. “That gave me my first taste of the world of social media,” he says.
Sharing a Flair for Social Media
Rah Mahtani ’10, a College of Visual and Performing Arts alumnus, discusses his career path with students at the Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad.
After graduating, Mahtani entered a challenging job market, but his social media skills and passion for cars paved the way to employment. “When 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,” he says.
Mahtani joined a social media marketing agency that did work for Chevrolet and parlayed that experience into becoming Volvo’s 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—a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group, a Chinese-owned multinational technology company—and moved into his current position last year.
“I talk to entrepreneurs and business owners all the time and it’s so inspiring. It’s incredible to see that they had a vision and acted on it because most people are afraid of that initial leap,” he says. “Small business owners are the backbone of the economy, so I’m super fortunate to speak to them every day and then work on building products or marketing campaigns that speak directly to them—so I just feel lucky.”
Everything I learned at Syracuse University plus the connections I made have all translated into really incredible things for me.
Rah Mahtani ’10
His work has generated plenty of buzz, too. He’s collaborated with Martha Stewart, the Shark Tank’s Daymond John and Snoop Dogg, whom he partnered with to create the “Merry Munchie Meal” (price: $4.20)—a PR coup for Jack in the Box when California legalized cannabis. “It was interesting to see how someone like Snoop who’s that accomplished was so involved in the minute details,” he says.
Mahtani also guided the burger franchise into the Guinness Book of World Records, creating the world’s 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’s 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 Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad and in Professor Don Carr’s Sustainable Product Systems class. He highlighted his career experiences, marketing campaigns and the importance of understanding a product’s 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’s manufacturing infrastructure and role at the center of the global supply chain—and his focus on shifting the American mindset on Chinese products.
Mahtani hosts COCREATE, Alibaba.com’s flagship business-to-business conference. Held in Las Vegas and London, the event features the world’s largest product-based pitch competition, and Mahtani shared recent winners’ product videos with the students, emphasizing the power of a strong pitch. “Even if you have a good idea,” he said, “if you can’t clearly articulate the problem and the solution, then you’re probably wasting your time. You need to be able to do that really succinctly.”
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’s 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. “Social media governs or influences everything I’ve done in my career,” he says. “I 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.”
That expertise and his commitment to human-centered design have proven influential. “I’m fortunate my career kind of came full circle,” he says, “but I still never got to put pen to paper and sketch out something incredible that came to market.”
Instead, he’s leading others on that journey, with a vision for success.
