Mahesh Muralidhar is a New Zealand National Party-affiliated figure who has stood as a candidate in parliamentary elections [32].
Muralidhar attended Napier Boys High School, according to a single secondary source [25]. He went on to study at the University of Auckland and the University of New South Wales [26][27]. According to a single secondary source, he also worked in Sydney and Tokyo at some point during his career [21].
His earlier career included roles in the technology sector. According to single secondary sources, he held people operations and leadership roles at Airtasker [6][14] and held positions at Canva, variously described as Head of People Operations, Head of People, early executive leader, or adviser and operator [4][5][7][10][12]. A single secondary source also references leadership roles at UsTwo [15]. According to another single secondary source, he worked as a barista at a Starbucks on Queen Street at some point [8].
Muralidhar is the Chief Executive of Phase One Ventures [2], an Auckland-based venture capital firm [23]. According to single secondary sources, he is also described as a founder of the organisation [13][24]. He has been described, according to single secondary sources, as a mentor and investor to start-up companies in New Zealand and Australia [16], and as a mentor and volunteer adviser more broadly [17]. He has also served as a board member of Ministry of Awesome, according to a single secondary source [22].
In the 2023 general election, sources differ on the electorate in which he stood as a candidate — some sources indicate he was a National Party candidate for the Tāmaki electorate [31][30], while at least one source places him as a candidate for Auckland Central in 2023 [28]. All confirmed sources associate him with the National Party [32].