The 10 Most Creative CEOs to Watch in 2019 [ Business Magazine ]

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THE

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VOL 2 February-2019

ISSUE 5

TO WATCH IN 2019 CEO OF THE MONTH

From Editor’s Desk

The Anatomy of Entrepreneurship

Spotlight THE NEW-AGE CEO – A JOURNEY TO SELF-DISCOVERY

Anil Raj

Founder, Director and CEO Cybervault Securities Solutions

Ajay Anand Founder and CEO

Ajay Ajay Anand

Creating Experience, Spreading Happiness

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Devasish Kanojiya Executive Editor Rahul Niraj Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Associate Designer Poonam, Shweta Art & Picture Editor Rahul Kavnekar Co-designer Savita Pandav Business Development Manager Akansha Garewal Sales Executives Shraddha, Rutuja Technical Head Swapnil Patil Technical Specialist Amar, Pratiksha Digital Marketing Manager Prashant SME-SMO Executives Swati, Manoj Circulation Manager Tanaji

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Editor

From the

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eing a leader never comes as a gift, it is a crown earned with experience and proficiency. Converting challenges into opportunities is what makes a leader distinctive – a persona who has the knacks to go beyond and see beyond the conventions. The one striving with the philosophy that ‘knowledge must be shared’ and doling-out knowledge in a language that people can understand is not an easy task. However, this becomes the starting-point from where some frontrunners step in with numerous elucidations and tweaks to develop a system which is intelligible to others.

Leaders Committed to ‘Giving Back’ to the Society

Today, the existing as well as the emerging industry players are majorly focusing on ‘giving back’ to their communities.

Along with having a creative vision, they are aiming to transform the lifestyles of the people with whom they work and who they serve! They are working on bringing change, becoming entrepreneurs and dedicating their lives in giving back to the society, country, and the world at large.

The new-age leaders are filling the loopholes of the demandsupply scenario and unlocking diversified opportunities for the rookies and emerging tech-enthusiasts. They are focusing on rewarding employees for their creativity and endeavors leading to job satisfaction and overall development of an individual. They are also efficaciously lending a hand to the non-profit organizations with an aim to impact the lives of many in the longer run.

Successful leaders tend to be futuristic, which help them in analyzing today’s picture and reflect with a bigger vision for tomorrow. Currently, the ace industrialists are giving back with an idea to teach others to grow within the market complexities – harnessing innovation and technology in order to withstand the next-level densities.

To be precise, Leaders have been and will continue to transform the lives of others with full gusto!!

Rahul Niraj Rahul Niraj

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CEO OF THE MONTH

ANIL RAJ

A Zealous IT Security Professional

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Ajay Anand

INTERVIEW

Cover Story

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Ranjeeta Vinil

Democratizing the World of Healthcare for Better

Creating Experience, Spreading Happiness

Article

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From Editor’s Desk The Anatomy of Entrepreneurship

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Spotlight THE NEW-AGE CEO – A JOURNEY TO SELF-DISCOVERY

Contents

20 BITHIKA ANAND An Industrious and Path-breaking Leader

26 DIVYASHIKHA GUPTA Streamlining HR Consulting Processes

32 PANCHAM BANERJI

Creating a Better ‘Digital’ World for Gen Z

34 RANJITH AR

Professionalizing the Businesses with Excellence

40 Ravi Venugopal Gunti

42 Satyavir Chakrapani Transforming the Dreams of Urban and Rural India

A Passionate Technocrat

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IN TO WATCH 2019

Leaders Redening Businesses as a Catalyst

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he world is witnessing the advent of frontrunners, who are embracing changes with utmost proficiency and treading an extra mile with a vision to transfigure the environment for better! They are introducing a whole new chapter of revolution which would create a one-of-its-kind history.

While 2018 was an enthusiastic year for the established as well as the emerging CEOs, 2019 is a year where they will take the globe beyond the success horizons. Looking towards a bright and innovative future, we present you our special issue highlighting “The 10 Most Creative CEOs to Watch in 2019” In this issue we will help you to walk through a list of extraordinary personas who have benchmarked their existence by combining innovation and creativity. Keeping up the sheer pace with the tech-enabled advancements, they have paved an artistic pathway in their respective domain as well as the marketplace.

On the Cover of the issue, we have featured Ajay Anand, the Founder and CEO of Kaia Tourism – a gentleman who has the knacks to convert every obstacle into an opportunity! Ajay is a seasoned entrepreneur with exemplary dexterity and industry experience, striving to deliver unmatched travel experience to the people.

Along with such an insightful cover story, we have covered up other fascinating stories of remarkable business personalities like Anil Raj, the Founder and CEO of Cybervault Securities Solutions Pvt. Ltd. as the CEO of the Month; Ranjith AR is the CEO of Bramma Learning Solutions – a Coach, Mentor, Trainer and a one-of-its-kind solution provider; Bithika Anand is the Founder and CEO of Legal League Consulting – a persona dedicated to transforming managerial & strategic functions of the legal industry; Divyashikha Gupta is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Stalwart Management Consulting – a self-made women, who had been successfully in dragging the eyeballs of the business fraternity; Pancham Banerji is the Founder of AdEngage™ – a such success-driven personality aiming to transform the traditional online processes; Ravi Venugopal Gunti is the Co-founder and CEO of Smart Enovations – a technocrat, strategist and a passionate engineer; and Satyavir Chakrapani is the Founder and CEO of Shikhar Microfinance Pvt. Ltd. – an aspiring entrepreneur who carries a vision to empower the disadvantaged urban and rural population of India is creating a renaissance in the MFI. While flipping the pages, take a note not to miss out an exclusive interview with Ranjeeta Vinil, the Founder and Director of Saarathi Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. Turning some more pages will help you find an article The Anatomy of Entrepreneurship from the Editor’s Desk.

Apart from all this more interestingly, this edition also comes up with an extraordinary article The New-age CEO – A Journey to Self-discovery by Aditya Raj Mankani, the Founder and CEO of Social DNA. Looking at the emerging opportunities and the growing possibilities, this issue of ours will help you understand the role of CEOs in this industry and their contribution in transforming the world for better.

So enjoy the exiting read!

Cover Story

Ajay Anand Founder & CEO

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IN TO WATCH 2019

AJAY ANAND Creating Experience, Spreading Happiness

We specialize in providing quality corporate accommodation across the globe handling stays and managing conferences

Cover Story

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he anecdote starts with a glimpse into the life of a seasoned entrepreneur, go-getter and persona striving to deliver unmatched travel experience to the people. Ajay Anand – the Founder and CEO of Kaia Tourism. A man of his words who placed his best foot forward and converted every obstacle into an opportunity!

The Voyage to Find One-self Ajay joined Balmer Lawrie & Co Ltd. as a trainee and entered into the professional world at the age of 18, where he got exposed to distinguished personalities like Dr. Abdul Kalam, Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan etc.

After two-and-a-half years of training, he joined PNO as a travel consultant and attained a diversified travel experience working with companies like Bosch, HP etc.

Later he joined American Express, where he pulled an opportunity of becoming a Team Leader for managing the end-to-end travel program of Intel, nationally. After becoming a pro at handling both domestic and international airlines ticketing and visa’s for different countries and managing end to end travel, Ajay started exploring hotel bookings, RFP (Rates for proposal), contracting, and client management to its core, Ajay functioned as a National Account Manager handling high-profile clients for FCM – an Australian based company.

This journey sculpted him into a rare breed of people who travel an extra mile to quench customer needs – a star performer honored with client appreciation certificates, global award. While his experience at FCM left him unsatisfied, his efforts dissolved despite doing every deed with hard work and determination. Also, coming from corporate travel background he saw a huge gap and opportunity to support and specialize in accommodation.

Soon, the dream of becoming an entrepreneur started taking shape. Placing the cornerstones of his venture in 2009, Ajay finally established Kaia Tourism in 2010 with a vision to send people on a holiday they have never been before!

Struggle – The Constant Companion Holding the reins of an organization is not an easy task.

Leading Kaia with courage and personal savings from last few years of employment and with a personal loan obtained, Ajay started promoting Karnataka as a tourism destination. His gut feeling, confidence and the learnings which he embraced from the industry icons like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates is what kept him going.

One fine day, he realized that the idea of offering personal travel services is good but would take time to generate revenue. As such, Ajay changed his strategies and started focusing on his strength – corporate travel.

Embracing each opportunity with credibility, he built a canvas showcasing: Prominent Commitments | Competitive Price | Better Services | Ethics | Transparency An office comprising a chair, desk and a laptop slowly and steadily started achieving new heights. Ajay’s concrete endeavors helped Kaia to add more members to its foundation. He then backed the company to expand its horizons in Bangalore. Overcoming setbacks related to the expansion, finance, sales, operation and people management, Ajay firmly stabilized Kaia Tourism with utmost prominence.

As an entrepreneur, Ajay’s journey was full of struggles.

But his experience and business acumen helped him to defy conventions and go beyond the success horizons.

This is why, Kaia – a company initially started with the support of a few clients is now knobs global accommodation, conferences, and MICE PAN India.

About Kaia Tourism “We are Consolidators” says Ajay.

When corporates send their employees in India or anywhere throughout the globe they have to call the hotel directly and check them personally. There is no surety of getting the right price or the dynamics of the booking. This is where Ajay led Kaia Tourism steps in and provides state-of-the-art travel services to the corporate clients.

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If looking for an enhanced corporate stop-over we are available 24/7

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“We specialize in this segment. We don’t believe in saying we will offer the cheapest and give some lousy place to stay. Just tell the number of people, location, and number of days. We will send you options to select and confirm the booking,” states Ajay.

The company specializes in corporate accommodations across India and globally. It has worked with more than 100 clients managing their hotel bookings, and conferences (MICE) worldwide. Delivering unique services by focusing on the best negotiated rates, Kaia efficaciously ensures quality stay for its clienteles.

Empowering Personnel Ajay believes in creating and giving employees the necessary opportunities for their selfdevelopment. Empowering them with a hassle-free work-environment, he maintains a creative blend of ‘Space and Freedom’ at Kaia.

“The culture we follow, sometimes it works, sometimes it backfires, and people take things for granted. But, giving them an opportunity and enabling them to grow is also a satisfying feeling,” asserts Ajay. For him the scenario that some people, who joined as a trainee are now transformed into a manager and earning quite a

Cover Story good salary is more quenching. This gives him the will to withstand the complexities of the market.

At Kaia, Ajay focuses on building relationships with the employees at an individual level. He assigns them tasks and gives them the necessary space in order to augment and explore their abilities. Also, get-togethers are organized to build a tangible and trustworthy employeecompany rapport. Fueling personnel with motivation on each stage, Ajay boosts the company to focus on taking feedbacks from the personnel. Apart from all this, Kaia Tourism also makes swift moves and plays a pivotal role in crafting out incentive programs with an aim to cultivate a healthy competition in the team.

The Enlightening Words With his dexterity and industry experience, Ajay advices the young minds to always be ready for the struggle.

“Have that passion and burning desire of creating an empire of own. Have the spirit to clinch every moment from dusk till dawn and acknowledge the obligations to its best,” says the founder.

“If you don’t have the passion and determination your fuel will get burnt really soon. So it is important to understand that there is no other substitute for hardwork.

Focus and keep overcoming challenges and move on,” he added further.

It is significant for a company to consistently keep on reinventing. Flexibility in terms of decision-making processes would help one analyze the right direction.

The best part in the first place is to take a deep dive into the business waters, that’s when the individuals can navigate, swim against the tides, and reach the success shore. Also, making some adjustment and moving forward would definitely add more glory to the success.

The Zeal to Succeed Ajay believes that ‘motivation works itself’. Starting from scratch and facing every hitch with determination, he has a dream to create a niche in its sector by 2020, as the best service provider – the brand should attain a foremost visibility in the national market. This goal kept

Ajay going for the past nine years and with the same vision he will strive another one year to achieve it.

As a company specialized in accommodation, Kaia Tourism has spread its wings across twenty-five percent of the market, seventy-five percent of the market is still open – a long way to go!

The travel industry is witnessing evolutionary changes and growing with a full swing. In last ten years, various new hotels have been opened across India and many international brands have come in. In the next 5 years at least 3000 rooms will be added to the existing picture, due to the contribution of renowned players like Hilton, Hayat, and Marriot etc.

“We are in the right time to capitalize this growth. It gives opportunity for us not only to grow in India, but also grow in the international market, it could be the UK/Europe,” states Ajay.

In the near future, he is planning to explore Belgium, Iceland, and Netherland. Passionately empowering Kaia Tourism to be a one-of-its-kind brand, he is taking constant measures to make it run independently.

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See the WORLD upclose & enjoy the best’est stay

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If looking for an enhanced corporate stop-over we are available 24/7

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a “ Making positive contribution to society

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Anil Raj

Founder, Director & CEO Cybervault Securities Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

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CEO of the Month

ANIL RAJ

A ZEALOUS IT SECURITY PROFESSIONAL

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his screenplay describes an entrepreneur who comes from Ranchi, Jharkhand – represented by the one-and-only superstar cricketer MS Dhoni, who made India proud internationally. Anil Raj – a leader, creative thinker, modernizer, and a tech-savvy persona striving with an aim to transform the world for better!

An Exceptional Journey During his early days of schooling at St. Aloysius High school in Ranchi, Anil was an ardent follower of technology and science. Participating and winning a few science exhibitions and tech competitions, his interest was rapidly holding the reins of technology. As the next step, he moved to Delhi to pursue his B.Tech from the prestigious Delhi University, where his inclination towards computer science and technology started shaping up. This was the time when Anil recognized the necessity of ‘Security’ in an application, database, code or network, which catapulted him towards Ethical Hacking and motivated him to pillar his career in IT security.

After completing his graduation, Anil joined Appin Technologies as an Information Security Evangelist and successfully stirred his role of IT Security Trainings for corporate. His exceptional performance crowned him with the Best Employee Award and the journey unlocked the doors to Appin Pune. This is where, he earned an opportunity to work with IBM on their Vodafone project as a Senior Information Security Consultant. This volume exposed Anil to real-time VAPT projects and contributed in shaping up his professional life at its best. Later, moving to Tech Mahindra filled him with exemplary expertise to withstand the market complexities.

With this substantial amount of experience and good industry contacts, Anil established Cybervault Securities

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Solutions Pvt. Ltd. in the year 2013 with the able support of his family, well-wishers and his wife.

What Accelerates the Drive?

Anil is a first-gen entrepreneur from his family, who has a stronghold on technology. Since the beginning of his professional voyage, he looked upon global tech-enabled achievers including Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg as his source of motivation. Idolizing Jack Ma, he embraces the learnings in his personal as well as professional life. He strongly believes in his quote that “If you don’t give up, you still have a chance.”

“His business lessons have always had a strong motivation for me since my initial days of entrepreneurship,” says Anil.

He also believes in one of the other famous quotes of Jack Ma saying, “A good boss is better than a good company.”

This drives him to have a focused vision and reliance in team Cybervault. For a team to achieve the goals set upon them, a focused approach coupled with a dedicated leader is most important. Hence, along with being at the forefront, Anil also works at the ground level with his team. This creates a sense of team spirit and an environment of constant motivation. “Nothing ever has been achieved by a single person without the amalgamation of talent. Hence my team is of utmost importance in my visions,” speaks Anil.

About Cybervault Cybervault Securities Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a service-based company with Information Security Audits as its key service portfolio. Anil Raj is the Founder, Director and CEO of the company. Under Anil’s guidance, the company prominently undertakes VAPT, Web & Mobile Application Testing, Desktop & System Audits and so on. These

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Turning knowledge and expertise into value for money

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services are the primary pillars of Cybervault quenching clientele from diverse backgrounds such as Banks, IT Companies – MNC and national, Manufacturing, Servicebased companies, Healthcare Companies and many more.

Anil’s business prowess has helped the company in partnering with EC-Council USA – a global organization for Information Security Trainings and Certifications in order to offer trainings for global certifications in Information Security. As such, the company has successfully conducted corporate trainings for major MNCs like IBM, Syntel, Persistent, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, TCS, PWC, Delloite, Dell, HSBC and many more.

With Anil’s concrete endeavors, Cybervault has collected various jewels in its pocket including: - Outstanding Achievement in the field of IT by Indian Organization for Commerce and Industry in 2018 - Outstanding Achievement in the chosen field of activity by Global Achievers Foundation Cybervault also rolls out a huge patronage to the leading Engineering colleges in Pune such as MMCOE, and G.H. Raisoni. Also, NBN Sinhgad Colleges has signed MOU with the organization for cybersecurity activity as part of their industry curriculum every year. On the company’s behalf, Anil is often invited as a speaker at various symposiums. Recently, he was called in the capacity of Cybersecurity Expert at 31st International Conference on VLSI Design.

“Our wide corporate reach exemplifies the quality of our trainings,” asserts Anil Some Speedbreakers on the Way Entering into the market and establishing an enterprise within the complexities of the market is not an easy task!

Industry is dynamically evolving and so are the challenges.

But, converting challenges into deliverable results has always been the success mantra for Anil, which helped him in delivering quality and proficiency in its sector.

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Like any other emerging company, the major challenge faced by Cybervault was the availability of skilled professional. Skilled manpower comes at a price and at the initial stage of business, it was difficult to attract such resources. After hiring the resources, the second challenge was sustaining such resource. It was difficult to gain the trust of customers. Gradually as time passed, Anil’s credibility of valuable resources and proven industry projects made things much easier and unlocked the doors to success.

A Bigger Canvas Change is the only constant in the IT security industry – it is difficult to analyze security breach and predict the mind of a hacker. As such, upgrading and upscaling of knowledge is the key to maintain vigilance about the latest attack vectors and the ways of tackling them. “In my constant endeavor to upgrade myself I believe in having a sound industry network to keep abreast with the latest trends and techniques the industry is following in today’s dynamically evolving era,” states Anil.

Words of Expert – Dream then Achieve!

Anil advices the budding entrepreneurs to stay focused and never lose sight of the goal. He says, “The journey will be tough today, tougher tomorrow but surely it will be beautiful the day after tomorrow. Also, to achieve something it is necessary to dream about it. If you have achieved it mentally, you will surely achieve it physically.”

He also advices the novices to be systematic and organized, as opportunity and success can knock the doors anytime!

Future Footsteps Focusing on growth-oriented goals, Anil takes pride in saying that Cybervault would be a leading provider of Information Security Services in the next five years.

Currently, he aims to expand his territory in terms of talent and space. He is planning to magnify the company portfolio in order to diversify into the sub-sectors of IT. To achieve continuous growth, Anil will assist the company in accessing the finest infrastructure and achieving the paramount manpower.

Acknowledging that a small step towards such initiatives builds up a strong base for the foundation of growth, Anil says “I am in the process of introducing more niche technologies to corporates like Advanced Java, Python etc. by partnering with global certification providers and expert industry trainers.”

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We not only deliver service to our client but make a long term relation with them

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Bithika Anand An Industrious and Path-breaking Leader

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hallenges are life’s way of testing a person’s mettle.

While a majority of the population is intimidated by challenges, some thrive on them and there are even few who challenge themselves to be better than they are. Bithika Anand falls into the rare category of self-motivated people who continuously challenge themselves and are blessed with the ability to see every challenge as an opportunity. An all-rounder, right from her childhood and always a people’s person, she has enjoyed holding positions of responsibility right from her school days. Her decision to take up Chartered Accountancy (CA), a course considered very difficult and with low pass percentage, as her career reflects her love of being at the forefront of path-breaking initiatives. She decided to be an entrepreneur after having a very rewarding career working for other organizations, and what kept her going was the feeling of taking up something new and unexplored.

A Leader in the Making Bithika’s professional life started at S.B. Billimoria & Co. and KPMG, leading accountancy firms, where her work primarily covered audit and taxation. She then took up the role of CFO with India’s topmost law firm, erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co and was soon given the dual responsibility as the COO. She promoted a culture of work delegation, took active charge of hiring smart professionals for strengthening business support teams, and started actively building contacts and developing the corporate law practice of the firm. Her work was very satisfying but not satiating and the dynamics soon took her to a kind-of ‘Intellectual Saturation’. At this point, her increased interaction with management consultants across the globe acquainted her to the concept of management consultants dedicated to the legal industry and was instantly drawn to it. There were no management consultants dedicated to legal fraternity in India at that time and it fell in line with her habit of venturing into the no man’s land. This was the stepping stone of setting up her consultancy in 2010, called ‘White Water Advisors Pvt. Ltd.’, under which, she created the brand ‘Legal League

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Consulting’ dedicated to transforming managerial & strategic functions of the legal industry.

Finding Firm Grounds Legal League Consulting is devoted to identifying priorities, driving initiatives and crafting implementation plans for business performance and growth for Indian & International Law firms, LPOs and Legal Departments of large Indian & Multi-national Companies. It provides services across all facets of management for the legal industry, including Strategy and Business Planning, Partnership Structuring, Human Resources Development, Practice Development, Knowledge Management, Brand Enhancement and other related services.

Expanding her horizon to non-legal and other industry sectors, she set up her Global Talent Search Organization, ‘Human Elevation’, that provides comprehensive solutions to legal and corporates across all sectors including Banking & Finance, Energy, Real Estate & Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment and Power and more. The mission is to meet the client’s recruitment challenges, through talent search and planning.

Taking the Industry by Storm For Legal League Consulting, the sailing was not smooth initially. The factors surrounding the legal environment, secrecy involved, the hesitancy of law firms to share confidential information added to the issues. Bithika says “I had to convince the decision makers to divulge the details after signing strong Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with them. Restrictions imposed on advertising, marketing and soliciting of work by Lawyers made it difficult to approach law firms and apprise them of management concepts, who were not too keen to try newer concepts like brand enhancement, online engagement with students, growing practice by way of travelling and speaking at conferences and adopting best HR practices.” All these factors made it extremely difficult to onboard the initial few clients.

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We work with an unmatched fervour to constantly strive towards creating and identifying new opportunities which would enable everyone associated with us to reach the next level of growth.

Bithika, not the sorts who would leave anything half-baked or who would sit back and relax, took the challenges head-on. Together with her team, she extensively read articles and thought-papers and merged them with her experiences and real-life situations to develop products for the Indian Legal Market. She met both - veterans as well as young achievers, from within and outside the fraternity to develop long-lasting relationships which gave her a different perspective about life, management style of each dignitary, their driving force, their success mantra and many other aspects of their personality.

Her constant efforts led to her biggest achievement, establishing her firm as India’s first management consultancy for the global legal industry. As the Premier Management Consultant, its notable achievements include exploring mergers and acquisitions among law firms in India, experimenting with hybrid partnership structures, promoting new and upcoming niche practice areas, professionalization and outsourcing of business support functions, running legal departments like mini law firms; and growing reliance on automated technology-driven solutions like Cloud Computing and AI. Today, she is reckoned as a “Management Guru” for Law Firms, Managing Partners and Partners, not just because of her exceptional acumen and competence, but also because of her inherent qualities of being a trusted advisor and confidant.

Bithika Anand Founder & CEO

budding entrepreneurs and that any venture takes time to give returns. She adds, “Great businesses are never established in a risk-averse environment. So it is important to move with plan and patience, returns will always be achieved if meticulous and thought through steps are taken with foresightedness and strategic plan.”

Miles to Go Bithika describes her team as dynamic, innovative and proactive, with a vision to continuously evolve and redefine the surroundings, through innovation and an eagerness to venture into the lesser known. Coming years will see Legal League get actively into publications and rankings. It is making in-roads into webinars, podcasts and television production, writing and conducting workshops about management concepts for law firms and legal departments.

It will also be engaging more actively with the Senior Counsels, Judges and students section in the legal industry.

It may also, in the longer run, expand the scope of the services to other professions and help them with management and professionalization of their business support set-up. Bithika says “The entrepreneurial spirit in me keeps me on my toes. My mind is constantly bubbling with ideas and I see a plethora of opportunities surrounding myself. I will endeavor to set up other businesses to keep me creatively satisfied.”

The Mantra for Success Bithika shares one key mantra – “Have patience” with the

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Anatomy THE

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Entrepreneurship “In the journey of an entrepreneur, the most important thing is self-belief and the ability to convert that belief into reality” – Mukesh Ambani.

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he universe is entering into the age of the entrepreneurship, where starting a business and creating a niche in the complexities of the market is not an easy task. Success comes to those who have the flair to convert every challenge into an opportunity.

Being an entrepreneur in this digital world comes with a successive wave of challenges and risks which can surely abate the journey.

Entrepreneurship is a way of life to stir operations, be it a technology company, non-profit, or service business. It is about being resilient, creative, resourceful, scrappy and relevant. A tough pathway to survive, grow and thrive.

Learning from the experiences and implementing it into the multifarious future arena can drive the success voyage towards the stairways of successful entrepreneurship. Taking small and concrete moves by embracing the technology changes can successfully hold the reins of an efficacious entrepreneur. An entrepreneur who has the vision to cross the horizon and look beyond the conventional processes of the industry can define the true essence of entrepreneurship. An ace leader who can guide the existing and emerging young to be the cornerstones for tomorrow.

Being Logical and Calculated Decision-making is a key aspect to gain fruitful

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From Editor’s Desk outcomes. Connecting the dots of decisions with data and logic enables an entrepreneur to reach the customers on-time. To attain an approach which is spot-on, evaluate and iterate the choices made and implement them by recognizing the current scenario.

Motivation comes through Focus When it comes to achieving milestones, focus is a much needed ingredient. This focus is what keeps one selfmotivated and gives the power to dismantle the risks associated with the accomplishments. Also, regular goalsetting unlocks various opportunities to keep an entrepreneur focused and constantly engaged in value addition.

One should passionately believe in their venture and follow a never giving up pathway to unlock the success doors. Besides, success doesn’t happen overnight, embracing and focusing on every minute of the day will motivate one to reach the peak. Most of the successful businesses are established through a brief stint of hardwork – facing problems, stresses as well as setbacks Execute with Agility “Tough times never last, but tough people do” – Robert H. Schuller, American Christian televangelist and author.

Capitalizing and idea can truly explore entrepreneurship to its core. Execution of products and services which can overcome the hurdles of demand and supply would make the process agile enough to develop with each passing day. Be confident and outgoing to create a one-of-itskind history. Besides, taking risks is pivotal for a business to be at the forefront of innovation. It is significant to understand that success is all about handling responsibilities effectively instead of being impulsive.

When it comes to keeping up with the customer needs, competitors and an ever-changing marketplace, adapting to change is a skill one should master in. Being agile empowers and individual to uphold momentum and pursue diversified progress. History spells that most of the renowned entrepreneurs possess intense go-getter personas. Nothing comes in situ, Entrepreneurship is about exploring the world and earning a repute with robust work ethics.

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Creativity and Innovation go Hand-in-hand In today’s tech-enabled world, entrepreneurs are looking out for new-age approaches and crafting out solutions like never before. Creativity and innovation are the flavors to cook a delicious success cuisine. Discovering unique products, services and operations by keeping customer choices in mind, appeals to both the customers and employees at its best.

Building Connections The framework of entrepreneurship requires a platform based on effective connections. Charisma in networking with employees, influencers, and customers will help lead valuable relationships crucial for business excellence in the longer run. These associations are what make a business stand out amongst the crowd. An entrepreneur should know that making connections is a key attribute and personality trait to paint the canvas of entrepreneurship.

Inventing Tomorrow’s Sky The future of entrepreneurship is evolving with newer directions and looks extremely bright. As the companies are reshaping to outshine its competitors, the opportunities for entrepreneurs are exponential – empowering innovation economy. The future is no longer going to be isolated to startups and new businesses, every organization will be entrepreneurial even those which have been around for decades or longer. This will hold the individuals within tightly knit groups who are passionate about their goals and drive them towards the pathway comprising groundbreaking ideas. Days aren’t far where the phrase the scenario will change from individual between jobs to successful individual with his/her own profitable company.

The world is expanding its dimension, where new business ideas are the filling the loopholes in the jobcreation. A place where opportunities are knocking the doors like never before. Surely, the entrepreneurs are taking mankind towards enhanced standard of living – creating new businesses, jobs and conditions for a flourishing society.

-Rahul Niraj

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Divyashikha Gupta Streamlining HR Consulting Processes

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his inspiring story is about a young and dynamic persona who not only dreamt of a castle but rather crafted the design for a Management consulting platform. As the Founder, Director and Principal Consultant of Stalwart Management Consulting (SMC), Stalwart Business Consortium LLP (SBCL) and Stalwart Learning Solutions (A vertical of SBCL), Divyashikha Gupta is the inspiration behind the company’s signature characteristics.

An Adroit Leader - Dreaming the Impossible While her approach towards her work is thoughtful, open, analytical and often challenging; her insight, integrity, and candor to the partnering process have successfully dragged the eyeballs of the business fraternity.

With more than one-and-half decades of diverse experience, Divyashikha has stirred various critical profiles for prestigious global organizations including JP Morgan, Temasek Holdings, and Hutchison 3 Global Services. Her expertise rests on Staffing, Learning and Organizational Development, Change Management, Talent Engagement, and Talent Development. At Stalwart (Group Companies), her responsibilities are client management, strategic planning, evaluation of operational capabilities, risk assessment along with monitoring and assuring profitability of the group.

As a management graduate and a passionate entrepreneur, Divyashikha has been very defiant about her “giving back to society” values. She is an active participant of various social initiatives launched by Stalwart – Gurukul Academy and WOW – Women of Worth. While Gurukul supports the underprivileged and poverty-stricken masses of the society, WOW is a signature campaign to encourage and promote gender inclusion at the workplace.

teams from all disciplines to achieve business outcomes.

Relentless determination to deliver the client’s requirements and an ability to build business relationships at all levels in the multi-vendor environment.

Extensive experience in assurance and health check of program delivery providing insights and scrutiny in project governance and controls.

Proven track record in driving business process improvements and change management in project portfolio management environment.

The Inception Saga Starting as a traditional recruitment company in 2009, SMC has evolved as a complete ‘solution-provider’ offering unique solutions that helped to maintain the UVP of the entity. Adding value to the proposition, SMC always focused on UVP that assisted them to cement themselves in the competitive market. Retaining its core values, SMC has blended a new-age solution that is an even mix of technology like AI, ML while maintaining the human touch in recruitment and talent solutions.

Embracing comprehensive strategies and concrete efforts, Divyashikha has enabled SMC to evolve as a reliable partner in all aspects of workforce and talent solutions.

Recruitments, HR consulting, customized L&D solutions, CXO and leadership coaching, HR strategy formulation & Implementation, designing & implementing Performance Mapping & Enhancement programs, Onboarding Buddy services, are few of the exquisite services rendered by SMC. Acknowledging the changing business environment, SMC diligently follows and educates its clients about the VUCA (Volatality, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) philosophy.

Key attributes that define her commitment to business Experienced at leading, managing and motivating large

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Divyashikha Gupta Founder, Director & Principal Consultant

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Better Times Ahead

SMC offers services such as Permanent Hiring, Contract Hiring, Payroll and Compliance, Staffing Solutions. The talent firm has various solutions to be provided in learning and development such as training, signature modules, functional, behavioral and excellence modules, and artbased modules. Where candidates need to be assessed to determine their suitability for specific types of employment, it provides Assessment Centers with biometric testing, and graphology supported assessments, psychometric tests that are used for recruitment as well as learning and development. Last but not least, it offers Stalwart Assessment Sheet - an AI-based professional assessment sheet that showcases the capabilities and suitability of the candidates.

Today, the old methods of attracting people to organizations or for clients may not really work in the future. Companies need to create their own talent by engaging those leaving education and investing significantly in their careers.

Companies will also need to adapt to this changing environment. All of these factors, coupled with the rise of social media and direct hiring models will significantly impact the traditional operating model.

Surpassing Challenges One of the biggest challenges that SMC has faced is to continuously re-invent themselves and their client services.

“We believe that the reason for our existence is to minimize the clients’ efforts and help them achieve their objectives – which could be fast and accurate closure or a more efficient workforce or having a unified, highly productive in-house HR Team”, asserts Divyashikha. She further added – “It is here that our deep commitment to client satisfaction, helps us understand the exact ask – both spoken and unspoken, and helps us develop and deliver solutions that make our clients keep coming back for more.”

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Divyashikha while sharing her insights said “It is predicted that the demand for highly skilled workers presents a real opportunity for consulting organizations like ours, which are essentially operating on a fixed retainer plus hiresuccess model and at the senior end of the spectrum. These agencies will, therefore, be able to demand a premium in the future and will continue to be highly sought-after because of the specialized ability to match the exact client expectations.”

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RANJEETA VINIL Democratizing the World of Healthcare for Better

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anjeeta Vinil is the Founder and Director of Saarathi Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. – a company which has changed the paradigm of health management services in India. She has been instrumental in rolling out healthcare services with a single focus on creating a positive difference to the lives of patients. Under her aegis, Saarathi has defined the true essence of Innovation, quality and compliance to its core. To get more insights on how her knacks have transformed Saarathi into a preferred partner in the pharma industry, we bring you an exclusive interview with Ranjeeta.

Brief us about you and your journey since the beginning of your career I was associated with patient relationship management very early in my pharma career. Working closely with patients and seeing their plight was a huge revelation. In spite of several breakthrough innovations in the field of medicine, the benefits reach only a miniscule segment of the population. I felt the patients deserve to get better outcomes for the treatment they are paying for. I felt that the existing healthcare system was not patient centric and felt a strong urge to change it.

Fate could have it, at the peak of my corporate career; I was detected with breast cancer. My personal experience through the journey to recovery brought me even closer to the plight of the patients and that was the turning point that gave rise to Saarathi Healthcare, in 2008.

Starting as a patient-centric Disease management company, we conceptualized and launched one of the first disease management programs in India way back in 2008. Over the years the concept has gained prevalence and today we

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partner with majority of the top Pharma companies who believe in our patient centric approach. This I feel is a paradigm shift in the healthcare deliverables in India.

What was your source of motivation? Or, who is your role model or the person that inspires you?

More than motivation it was my urge to change the system that kept me going.

Kindly tell us about the challenges you faced to withstand the complexities of the industry.

We went through a lot of challenges initially. Our patient centric healthcare model was in complete variance to the existing practices in the Pharma industry. In the absence of any proven results, the pharmaceutical companies were not comfortable in forgoing their set practices which were in vogue for decades. The top management who saw sense in the concept were apprehensive in adopting the model amidst strong opposition from the sales department.

The challenge was not just about introducing a new model but it was about replacing an existing proven model. But in spite of the challenges we persevered and finally a few forward thinking companies agreed to try out our model on a trial basis. Finally it was the positive feedbacks from patients that proved the success of the programs.

All our disease management programs have been our own innovative creations. Hence our challenges were unique and needed specific tailor made solutions as there were no previous proven procedures to go by.

Brief us about the healthcare scenario from your perspective.

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Interview with Insights Success

Ranjeeta Vinil

Founder & Director Saarathi Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

The mere population in India makes the healthcare scenario very demanding. This huge population with resource constraints coupled with the lack of an eective healthcare management system makes the scenario even more complicated.

Lack of Infrastructure in terms of hospitals, clinics diagnostic centers and trained healthcare professionals are further exacerbated by underutilization of resources due to a chaotic healthcare system. These constraints have led to a major share of the resources being allocated for curative services leading to lack of long term permanent solutions. The primary focus in

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the healthcare should be to better this ratio between Healthcare services and patients. Reduce the number of patients and increase the healthcare services.

Kindly describe in brief about your company and its services/products.

Saarathi since its inception has been involved in finding innovative solutions to optimally utilize the existing resources for better healthcare and treatment outcomes.

Patient Empowerment Solutions With our Innovative Disease management programs linked with Patient empowerment solutions, we help fill gaps in the existing healthcare delivery system. Saarathi’s services are primarily focused on Patient centric coordinated care supported by CRM platforms to deliver high value treatment outcomes and empower patients to take control of their disease through awareness, patient centric support and counseling. Through our various disease management programs and other patient engagement initiatives we have touched the lives of more than 5000000 patients till date.

Support to healthcare Practitioners The doctor patient ratio in India is well below the required standards, it gets even worse when it comes to specialist doctors. Saarathi undertakes multichannel engagements with physicians to support them garner skills and knowledge to cope up with the changing trends in healthcare. These activities help in augmenting the existing doctor resources which are scarce in the country. In a span of nine years we have engaged with more than 200000 Doctors across the country Tele Medicine Majority of the Healthcare spend can be attributed to hospital visits primarily for episodic care. In addition to preventive care which is one way of reducing hospital visits we need to look at other available alternative options for hospital care. Saarathi with its combination of tele counseling facilities and other point of care interventions has been working towards alternative options like home care for patients through tele medicine. This not only reduces hospital visits but can also help avert medical emergencies.

Rural Healthcare The real need for health care facility in India lies in the vast

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rural population. With our team spread across varied geographic locations, we work with local care givers to educate and empower rural patients for better wellness and treatment outcomes. The activities include, creating awareness, Counseling Patients, conducting screening camps. Also, facilitating value added services like Loan schemes for treatment, distribution of Free Medicines, guiding patients to avail the right treatment etc.

State us about your company’s achievements under your leadership.

SH has been an entrepreneur effort in the true sense. We approached the Industry with a new concept which was in complete variance to the existing practices in the Industry.

Today more than the growth, we feel proud of the change which we have brought about in the healthcare deliverables in India. Majority of the top Pharma companies in India today are our clients that follow our model.

Saarathi was launched as a Proprietorship in 2018 and today we are one of the largest PRM companies in India with over 300 educators with global footprints in Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. Some of our main achievements over the years has been the way we continued to grow the company in spite of challenges and the changing industry scenarios.

Saarathi as a company today is recognised for its deep understanding of patient needs. In our ten years of operations we have worked with more than 5 lakh patients in more than 24 Therapeutics areas. Saarathi in Sanskrit means Friend Philosopher and guide and true to our name we continue to hand hold patient through their journey.

How do you see yourself and your company in the near future? Tell us about your future goals.

I believe that this is just the beginning of our journey. With a vision to ‘Democratise Healthcare world over’, we intend to positively impact as many verticals in the healthcare industry as possible to ensure our vision, not only in India but the world over What would you advise to the budding entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurship is a hard and challenging journey, but at the end of the day, the satisfaction in seeing what you have created impacting the society in a positive manner is worth all the sacrifices.

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PANCHAM BANERJI Creating a Better ‘Digital’ World for Gen Z he Ace element that drives a CEO towards success is ‘Creativity.’ This creativity coupled with a focused vision can help adapting to the market changes, adopt innovative practices and disrupt industries like never before. Also, the key to being a creative CEO lies in accepting changes and going beyond the conventional procedures.

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advertising agency with the core focus on digital marketing.

Being the founder, Pancham along with his team has carried out effective measures in order to position the company amongst the top-notch market leaders in performance marketing. Under his aegis, the company has created a niche in the sectors of Advertising & Marketing, Professional Training, and Certifications.

Pancham Banerji is one such success-driven persona aiming to transform the traditional online processes. His professional journey was flooded with challenges and risks, but the flair of converting every challenge into opportunity carved him into a seasoned entrepreneur. With his innovative prowess and expertise in digital marketing, Pancham established AdEngage™ – a Digital Marketing Company.

The company specializes in E-commerce Development, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Digital Advertising & Analytics, Product Packaging Solutions, Conversion Rate Optimization, and Content Creation. It has combined its digital marketing skills with Offline marketing, PR, Branding and more in order to open up unlimited growth opportunities for the clients.

What Pulled the Trigger?

Setting the cornerstones of the company in 2010 was not an easy task for Pancham, as the digital marketing world was facing the impact and overall return on investment from Social Media Marketing from 2010-2014. Surpassing this challenge with a prominent approach in digital marketing, which was focused on organic marketing and generating ROI, he assisted the company to stall tall amongst its peers.

Today after eight years, several brands across India rely on AdEngage for up-to 90% of their overall sales, which truly defines Pancham’s entrepreneurial triumph.

About AdEngage Generally, all the marketing activities are aimed at generating more business and reaching out to new prospects. Unfortunately, many marketing agencies have failed in generating steady business and profits from digital marketing efforts for their clientele. This is where AdEngage steps in. Established with a vision to solve sales and marketing challenges through digital marketing and consultancy, AdEngage is an award winning marketing and

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Coming from an Advertising and Media background, Pancham soon realized the potential of Digitalization and started working towards helping SMEs to build their business online, especially through social media marketing.

That’s how the journey started for Pancham and AdEngage came into existence. “I believe my approach towards organic marketing and generating a good steady flow of revenue for our clients really helped us sail through tough times as clients continued showing their faith on us and allowed us to build a solid business model for AdEngage,” says Pancham. “My role model is anyone who is willing to succeed in life. Anyone who wants to be different, wants to create something unique is my role model,” he added further.

Pancham’s Take on Current Scenario Advertising expenditure on Digital platforms like Google and social media sites in India have finally gained pace and are consistently growing. This is a positive sign for many

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young and established Digital Marketing agencies.

Pancham believes that SMEs in India may still take a couple of years to show complete confidence in Digital Marketing rather than experimenting with the platform.

As far as MNCs and bigger brands are concerned, he senses a need for agencies that can be a one-stop solution provider to all the Digital Marketing, Advertising and Performance Marketing needs. Talking about Performance Marketing, Pancham says, this will be in high demand in the coming years as more businesses turn up to Digital Marketing for reach and revenue generation.

Guiding the Neophytes Pancham’s philosophy of life is to work with a determined vision as if there’s no Plan B. “If you want something to happen for you, go for it passionately until you achieve it.

Wake up early and dedicate at least 13-15 hours to your work every day. There are no shortcuts so you need to work very hard; literally,” asserts Pancham. He advices the beginners to always hire passion over certificates or degrees and get themselves a co-founder who shares the same values, and is equally passionate about their vision.

Pancham Banerji Founder two years.” Foreseeing a bright future for AdEngage, Pancham and his team have started working towards implementing their vision to generate profitable outcomes.

They are presently working towards expansion in different geographies especially Central India, Gujarat and South East Asia in the coming years. This core team is also planning to integrate AI and VR in its present marketing and advertising services in the upcoming years. In the coming years, setting up own production team for AD’s and short films, implementing PR campaigns nation-wide, and executing events from concept creation to offline implementation would be successfully accomplished.

“In the future, if I get a chance, I would love to create an institution aimed at creating entrepreneurs and innovators for the future and give them the chance to change the world,” says Pancham.

With many new ventures and projects in the pipeline for 2019 and 2020, Pancham looks forward to many new milestones for its parent organization Goodlight Ventures.

For the next ten years, the company aims to focus on expanding their portfolio of services and entering new business verticals.

Future Footsteps Envisioning a better version of him Pancham says, “I work hard every day to achieve a certain ‘me’which I desire to become, therefore I would like to achieve it in the coming

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Ranjith AR Professionalizing the Businesses with Excellence

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he story starts with a glimpse into the life of an established trainer and entrepreneur, also the creator of the training programme TPR (Thought Process Reengineering), Sajeev Nair, who was receiving tremendous enquiries from SMEs for setting up and streamlining their business growth. He was truly dedicated towards training sessions rather than being a consultant to a company. However, acknowledging people’s approach towards consulting, Sajeev decided to spread his wings and establish a company named Bramma Learning Solutions in 2008.

At that point of time, he found Ranjith AR – an avid implementer with hands-on experience in consulting domain aligned with multinational companies like IBM and Helix. But, functioning as a consulting firm was not an easy task as consulting was not so common in Kerala and many people were doubtful about the need of a consultant.

Businessmen were not aware about the opportunities and convenience that a consultant can bring for them. As such, the initial resistance was big. But, with unified efforts of Ranjith, Bramma successfully gained three clients from Sajeev’s training sessions and started stepping towards achieving more milestones.

Under his aegis, Bramma started from the top by mentoring business – made businessmen consulting-ready and then entered into their organizations. Ranjith’s determination started defining the true essence of success and the scenario changed. More references came in, things worked well and people started believing in the company. Thus, the company strived hard with an aim to create 1000 successes in small and medium business segment by professionalizing their internal systems and procedures. Slowly and steadily the number of clients started increasing and thus the team size!

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Bramma was now on its way to create a niche and transform its sector for the better.

Meet the Proficient Persona Ranjith AR is the CEO of Bramma Learning Solutions.

With an experienced hand in developing practical business solutions for more than a decade, he is a Coach, Mentor, Trainer and a one-of-its-kind solution provider. Ranjith has consulted and provided strategic directions for more than 400 SMEs in Kerala and the Middle East and trained over 100,000 people across the world. Being an International trainer of business reengineering, sustainability and team building, he has efficaciously provided talks to corporates like Mitsubishi, Asian Paints, Vedanta, Alfa Laval and more.

He is an innovative thinker and ideator for advertising concepts and ideas, who was associated with Rediffussion, Mudra and Grey Worldwide for specific assignments.

Ranjith has expertise in Graphic and Instructional Designing and has been an independent consultant for e-learning companies like Cell, Edurite, Aptara, Learnnext etc. Apart from all this, he is also a professional quiz master with more than 200 career quiz titles and more than 500 quiz shows as master to the credit.

About Bramma Bramma is a state-of-the-art platform providing end-to-end solutions to the clientele. It sets the frame of vision, mission, and goals for a company through vision setting exercises, mind mappings, and thorough company analysis.

The strategy team develops prominent business model and strategies for the companies. Started with just three

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employees, now it has thirty full time employees and around twelve part time domain experts associated with the team.

At Bramma, consultants act as the CEOs for its clients and consistently focus on restructuring the organizations. The company exclusively designs and develops KRAs, KPIs for each staff, help in recruiting the best talent, conduct high power training sessions, and do through follow up to implement the MIS. “Unlike many other consulting companies, we make sure that the system we design is implemented in the organization by proper follow up,” says Ranjith. If any issues happen, the rectifying measures are also taken! The company also takes care of the entire management aspect of an organization to make them move to the next level including HR, Operations, Finance and the Sales & Marketing, which makes it one-of-the-rare consultants in the country. In short, Bramma is a name synonymous for a one-stop shop showcasing practical yet out-of-the-box marketing strategies.

Ranjith AR CEO marketing strategies and the financial operations. Today, the company is rolling out services in five different countries including India, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

In 2018, Bramma also has started a funding platform.

Future Roadmap Leading with excellence, Ranjith has been instrumental in enabling Bramma to be an all-inclusive brand in the SME sector in Kerala. In the coming years, he is planning to expand his empire and drive Bramma to be the final word of entrepreneurship in South India and in the Gulf region.

As such, the company will be creating social business circles all over the nation to spread the awareness of entrepreneurship and to help rural India in gaining strength, thereby contributing to the economy. “Bramma is also planning to execute activities starting from business courses and joint ventures to funding platforms etc.,” asserts Ranjith.

Transformation ‘Step-by-step’ During its initial days, Bramma focused on business process reengineering. Later in 2011, under the leadership of Ranjith, the company started its operations in the Gulf region. With his sheer dedication, in 2015, Bramma Makeover was introduced, which magnificently empowered the entire activities including process systemization,

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THE NEW-AGE CEO

A JOURNEY TO Self-discovery W

hat is the key essence of the journey of selfdiscovery for the “New-Age CEO”?

My roots lie in my DNA, being a 3rd gen in the family of entrepreneurs I always knew that I had leadership and confidence in me that was a fabric of all my learning from my Father and my Grandfather. Empathy and EQ taught by my mother together became a successful mix towards becoming the CEO of Social DNA. People only see the tip of the iceberg which is either success or the failure but what goes into it is a lot of patience, risk, strategy, trials, learning, and sweat. To choose this journey one must wear a metal jacket and the only enemy is the mind, which continuously challenges the wit and only the strong and persistent survive.

The chair of the CEO in this era is more of responsibility

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rather than a comfortable seat. The journey towards success while being in this position is like the flight of a kite, rising above all the hurdles and challenges and continuing to fly by maneuvering the strong winds. The most important aspect of this flight is to stay grounded to the base, which comprises of strong ethics, philosophy and the carefully chosen team of people that needs to continuously be empowered for strength.

About Management skills that would drive an entrepreneur to become a leader?

I have been blessed to come across some really amazing set of people who help me in the journey. They have been the pillars of strength that hold Social DNA together. Business has always been and will be about empowering people. It is critical that A CEO understands his team and manage their skills in the right way, so as to create great leaders. The

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Spotlight

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Aditya Raj Mankani is the Founder and CEO of Social DNA, one of the leading digital marketing agencies in Hyderabad. With over 15 years of experience in the areas of ďŹ nance and manufacturing, Aditya combines his business acumen and passion for technology to provide resultoriented digital strategies to help clients achieve their marketing objectives. An alumnus of the prestigious Hyderabad Public School, Aditya pursued his higher education from the University of South Florida in Tampa Bay, USA where he completed his double graduation in Finance and Information Systems.

Aditya Raj Mankani Founder & CEO Social DNA

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leaders that we create will light up the path towards glory that we aim to achieve as an organization. The grooming of leaders with a strong sense of character and continuous refinement of their skills takes a great deal of persuasiveness and empathy, after all, we are dealing with delicate, highly creative minds. While we are at this herculean task of carrying them on our shoulders, we need to find the perfect balance of work and personal lives for both ourselves and our people. Happy people form a happy organization.

What are the key attributes that every CEO should master?

Key attributes of a great CEO cannot merely be defined by words, but must be constantly shaped and polished like a sculpture. The most important one being agile, the confidence to make fast decisions that can affect the course of the journey of the organization. The second one is about problem-solving which needs to be based on a strong sense of empathy towards the people involved; after all, everything that we do is for them. Strategizing synergy forms the third most important attribute. Partnership and alliances that we form are what makes our journey a memorable one. The final attribute is networking; we are as resourceful as the people that we know. Our work is a product of people that we collaborate and coordinate with. With the right people, we don’t merely tread, we waltz our way to success. With all these key attributes, the thirst for reaching greater heights should drive us.

What are the major challenges faced by the business leaders of 21st century and tricks to overcome them?

The journey towards bigger goals involves overcoming great challenges and hurdles. The major challenges of a CEO in the 21st century come in various forms. The most crucial decision comprises making the best out of the arbitrage moments in the fast-changing world. Opportunities have often knocked the doors of Social DNA disguised in the form of challenges and we are glad to have made the best out of them. Dealing with the everchanging norms and laws of the technological world is a tricky task. Effectively managing the human resource is never a breeze as identifying the most prominent skillset of person takes keen observation and time. In this wired era of knowledge explosion, a strong will to learn and unlearn every day is challenging and heavily rewarding at the same time.

Few words on future of emerging CEOs in the age of rapid change?

Future is full of sunshine for the leaders of organizations that aim to bring “Disruption” to the industry through their work. To do that kind of revolutionary innovations takes a great amount of perseverance and watchfulness for the right opportunity. Let the idea of change be a thing to look forward to. Success is theirs who look at challenges and smile before they take it by the horns.

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Ravi Venugopal Gunti A Passionate Technocrat cience and Engineering complete each other. While science is all about exploring, understanding and gaining knowledge, it is engineering that transforms science into action. The word engineering is derived from the Latin words “ingenium” meaning “cleverness” and “ingeniare” meaning “to contrive or devise”. Human beings have always fallen back on engineering to devise inventions for better living and nothing motivates Engineers more than the desire to find solutions to problems.

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Ravi has excellent knowledge on all the Global OEM Design Standard, processes and technologies and has worked for almost all Auto-OEM projects directly or indirectly. He is an expert in setting-up offshore development centres for Global OEM’s and Tier-1 suppliers. Smart Enovations, which he co-founded in 2011 with Dr Bonde and Dr CVR Reddy is an engineering solutions and services organisation working in the field of product design and validation and information technology.

Ravi Venugopal Gunti is one such technocrat, strategist and a passionate engineer who considers the journey of finding the answers to tough engineering problems as his primary source of motivation! He considers his current team and his senior colleague, Dr Dilip Bonde as his source of inspiration. He also idolizes Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra and Elon Musk for whom he has worked during his journey for the past 25 years in different areas.

Engineering Innovations

The Trajectory of Success Ravi completed his Master of Engineering from Guindy Engineering College (Anna University), Chennai. He worked as a trainee on the IRS 1B project at ISRO satellite centre, Bangalore. He then joined Tata Motors as a Senior Design Engineer and was part of the core team which started the design of the Tata Indica as part of The Advance Engineering Group in ERC (Engineering research centre).

He later joined DSQ software and as part of the Founding member of its Engineering Division, he worked for VW, Audi, Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Damiler etc. The entrepreneur in him then collaborated with other technocrats to establish an engineering services organisation “Plexion Technologies” with the financial backing of JP Morgan.

This was later acquired by Mahindra Group and transitioned into – Mahindra Engineering and Mahindra Aerospace in 2006.

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The IT-enabled engineering services of Smart Enovations include product conceptualization, engineering design and CAE simulations, tooling and manufacturing process simulations, robotic simulations and support, product life cycle management, embedded IOT, ML and AI. It also provides IT software services including application development, big data solutions, cloud enablement, analytics, mobile app, and enterprise support services.

Ravi has been instrumental in developing the knowledge base as well as processes for delivering services, complete product designs and proven prototypes to world-wide OEMs working in the modern fore-front technologies. The first interior design of the high-end premium car was carried out in India under his stewardship.

Team Ravi, Dr Bonde and Dr Reddy have been successfully working together for the past 20 years. Ravi says,“We are technocrats with our grounding from various fields such as the Indian space program, leading the design and engineering of India’s cheapest car and developing aerospace solutions. We are now working closely with new generation mobility solutions.”

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Creative Engineering

The company is a IT & Engineering design and product development firm. It has successfully executed various engineering solutions projects like design of spacecraft structure and Rover. It is also developing solutions in Electric Vehicle (EV) area and design and development of new age mobility solutions suites.

Ravi Venugopal Gunti Co-founder & CEO

focused towards niche areas in which other competitors don’t operate and quickly adapt itself to business especially in AI and ML. He asks his team to always think innovatively and construct creative solutions and that success lies in identifying unique and niche areas.

Start Small to get it Right!

Complexities and Changing Scenario of the Industry The Industry, Ravi points out, is changing at a very fast pace. Industry 4.0, as it is called, and new age production systems with AI, ML is maturing faster. Smart Enovations supports customers in this area to embrace this transformation. Development in Urban mobility and Smart City solutions are transforming city landscapes and his team is happy to be able to utilize the many opportunities above.

About the challenges, he says, “Engineering solutions are complex – every product development suite comes with its own complex variables and each of challenges has to be overcome as we build new creative solutions/ products.” He believes that quality and innovativeness will always help companies to sail through the times.

The recent emission issues and a quick shift of the industry towards EV was again a challenge which he quickly adapted to and his company was able to deliver solutions to EV industry needs and also developed solutions around it.

The recent digital emergence brought complexities in the business again and his team came out with solutions

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As a serial entrepreneur, Ravi advises the next-gen to focus on their commitment and not to deviate. He advises, “Believe in the team. Keep it simple, don’t look for complex solutions. But it won’t come easy. Don’t think about “Boiling the Ocean”, start small and get it right. Build it Big! Last Long!”

Innovative Solutions for the Future Ravi aims to be one of the top 10 companies in the domain and focus on upcoming technology areas by choosing niche areas like AI, ML and IoT and focus to achieve these objectives, through creative and innovative products and services in next five years. Smart innovations is always on the look for emerging digital technologies. These constitute areas like Automation, Robotics Simulation, AI and products in EV technology area along with their pursuit to expand to new geographies. He suggests, “We will work on solutions in AI, ML and IoT and design and development of IT solutions under Industry4.0!”

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Satyavir Chakrapani Transforming the Dreams of Urban and Rural India

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he foundation of Micro Finance Industry was laid by Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus in the year 1976. With the passing of each decade, this segment has gathered momentum and has been a major boon for the rural inhabitants of the country in achieving financial independence.

“It’s always darkest before the dawn” - Thomas Fuller, English theologian, and historian.

Due to the recent turn of events in the Indian financial sector, the microfinance universe is witnessing a transitional wave. Sailing through these rough waters demands a leader who is persistent and carries the acumen to answer every change of events.

A Soulful Visionary One such aspiring entrepreneur who carries a vision to empower the disadvantaged urban and rural population of India is creating a renaissance in the MFI is Satyavir Chakrapani. Spending his childhood in the rural segments, Satyavir had a very modest upbringing. His parents didn’t allow their socio-economic status and education to be a hindrance in working with the rural communities and that motivated Satyavir to stay attached with the rural grassroots. The rural culture has always inspired him to think beyond his strength and perceived ability. The takeaways and the learning’s from his childhood days had a huge impact on his life that later crafted the roadmap of his professional career. He candidly accepts that meeting his childhood village friends at regular intervals keeps him humble and grounded. The company of his friends redirected him to analyze the outcomes of the various development programmes from the customer’s point of view. It has also assisted in shaping his spirituality, which is the foundation of his thought process!

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The Inception Saga Education played a pivotal role in cementing his perception towards the rural base and the financial complexities prevalent in the country. As a management graduate from EDII, he is also a law graduate along with having a Master’s degree in History. His professional career spans over two decades wherein Satyavir has acquiredrich and diversified expertise in areas such as Community Based Organisations (CBOs), Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), e-governance, ICT, and microfinance.

2005 was a memorable year for Satyavir, going back he recalls, “I was invited by the founder of Delhi House Society (a Society that runs various programs for destitute and disadvantaged communities in Delhi), to initially help and then to subsequently take it over, since it was on the verge of closing down owing to various challenges and posed a threat to its existence. It is there where I saw the realities of the streets from a whole new perspective and inspired me to continue to multiple jobs; one to earn and other to serve and give. Leading Sewa Ashram led me to target the inter-generational poverty where families could start their own entrepreneurial ventures - something that is preventive than curative”.

Eventually, this experience was the platform based on which Shikhar came into existence with a motive to enhance access to finance and entrepreneurial opportunities. The tagline – “Shikhar to Shikhar” is an attempt to connect with the masses and expresses the partnership of theorganization. Over the years, Shikhar has been focusing on building relationships with clients and design products that would address the life cycle needs. Although it hasn’t grown to the proportion of the industry but it has focused on the client with its principles and continues to march on its path of growth.

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Empowering communities by providing financial services and livelihood opportunities

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Right from the first day, Shikhar has enabled thousands of families to come out of the clutches of poverty.

The Company - Business & Geography As the CEO and Managing Director of Shikhar Microfinance Pvt. Ltd. (SMPL), Satyavir founded Shikhar in 2007 with an aim to provide access to finance and entrepreneurial opportunities.Headquartered in New Delhi, it is engaged in micro financing lending activities, providing financial services to poor women in India who are organized as Joint Liability Groups. Today it has a dominant prominence in the Northern and Central India in states like Delhi NCR, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha through 28 branches.

It also hasBC partnership with renowned entities like MAS Financial Services, Suryoday SFB, and Belstar Investment & Finance Pvt. Ltd that helps them to reach out to a larger consumer base.The company offers small value collateral free loans ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 INR and individual loans upto 5,00,000 INR. All financial transactions are conducted in the group meetings organized near the habitats of the borrowers.

The Rightful Intent Underlining poverty and depravity as the roadblocks for development, Satyavir strongly feels that these issues need multilevel engagement and multi-level stakeholder partnerships.Over the last decade, he is working with

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Satyavir Chakrapani Founder, MD, & CEO

regulators in order to create an enabling environment and a common platform thereby bringing the poor at the center stage of any function. He asserts that “I have been doing this by being an industry member on a quasiregulatory body to enforce self-regulation.”

Putting forth his thoughts, Satyavir thinks that in a developing country like India, one needs to think creatively, holistically and develop projects and ideas that will create more harmony. However, there should be equilibrium among the different sections of the society who recognize and honor each other’s existence to live a life of fullness.

On the parting note, he acknowledges that life has taught him a lot and he wishes to build a value-based, Godfearing society that offers equal opportunities and minimizes uneven control of resources. In this pursuit, many Shikhar’s will be birthed to partners with the less advantaged to offer them opportunities and shore them to their heights.

“I wish investors in Microfinance sector take a long term outlook for exit that will pave the way for lower cost of credit to customers and that the Regulator will ensure a level playing field for all kinds of entities, who serve this segment of the society,” concludes Satyavir.

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