After my disastrous performance in CAT, I realized that there is not much left for me in this country and it’s high time I leave.
Having said that, I want to clarify that I love India and more than anyone else I want to prove it to myself that I do.
Last week was hectic. On Tuesday, I got a chance to meet and dine with some incredible people, people whom I could only imagine to be with in my dreams. I am not talking about either Kate Beckinsale or Salma Hayek but Akshaye Bhargava and Venkatesh Ramod. Obviously, I am nuts. You do not know who they are and they do need an introduction, unfortunately. Akshaye is the CEO of Progeon (the BPO Arm of Infosys) and Venkatesh that of Nipuna (the BPO arm of Satyam).
I met them and a lot of other top notch CEOs and COOs over lunch in the Sheraton. Sounds like a dream sequence from a regional film? It was surely like that. I must thank Sriram, one of my acquaintances in Infosys who arranged for it. Before you start envying this less fortunate soul, let me reveal that I got some passes for the Indiatimes BPO Conclave – An annual event conducted by the Times of India Group to facilitate thought provoking discussions on the BPO and ITES industry.
I surely was a misfit I neither belonged to the media nor the ITES industry, but, as the meeting advanced it proved to be interesting even for an outsider like me. Definitely, time well spent. Though I cannot quote everyone, among the no. of CEOs, Founders, CIOs and CFOs who spoke during the meeting, I can surely quote some.
Akshaye Bhargava – CEO of Progeon.
Profile: 22 yrs with CITI Bank at various levels. He was instrumental in setting up the E-Serve Customer Care (A Captive unit of Citibank). A finalist at the ERNST&YOUNG Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Educational Background: PGDBM IIMC
Views on BPO Industry: He was specifically optimistic about the future of Indian ITES and BPO industry and explained his optimism with objective reasons. (According to the latest NASSCOM Survey Software exports will touch an approximate 300 Billion dollars by 2010).
One important aspect of his analysis was that of the decrease in working population (25-40) around the world by 2020. Surprisingly, according to him, China would also have a scarcity of labor. And you know who clear winner here is…
(... come on Indians keep up the good work).
He also prophesied that Captive companies (BPOs of large Multinationals like HSBC etc..,) will do better than independent BPOs.
Raman Kumar – Founder & CEO, CBay Systems (A niche health care BPO)
Profile- Founded the company in 1998. Has over 22 years of experience in managing various public and private enterprises.
Educational Background- Masters in Organizational and Management studies, Yale University.
Views on BPO Industry: Mr. Raman Kumar, apart from briefing us about his and his company’s accomplishments, introduced us to something called Niche outsourcing and the pros and cons of it. He also explained his journey in founding a BPO, the research, marketing etc…,
Anthony Joseph – Director - HR, Convergys
Profile – Prior to convergys he served at sumilar positions in Deloitte and EDS.
Educational Background – MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Views on BPO Industry: Anthony Joseph was particularly candid in replying to questions about attrition rates prevalent in the industry. He spoke about Branding of a company, employee satisfaction among others.
One particular statement, I remember jotting down in my pad and probably will remember for a while is “Brands should tickle both the external and internal customers of an organization. Brands should reflect the true values followed by the company and any effort to disguise will eventually fail”.
Take away from the meeting: Apart from the scrumptious network lunch the meeting was definitely an eyeopener about the immense opportunity in the field of BPO and KPO. The only thing that is essential here is a creative idea and thorough research to implement.
Current Music: U2- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Having said that, I want to clarify that I love India and more than anyone else I want to prove it to myself that I do.
Last week was hectic. On Tuesday, I got a chance to meet and dine with some incredible people, people whom I could only imagine to be with in my dreams. I am not talking about either Kate Beckinsale or Salma Hayek but Akshaye Bhargava and Venkatesh Ramod. Obviously, I am nuts. You do not know who they are and they do need an introduction, unfortunately. Akshaye is the CEO of Progeon (the BPO Arm of Infosys) and Venkatesh that of Nipuna (the BPO arm of Satyam).
I met them and a lot of other top notch CEOs and COOs over lunch in the Sheraton. Sounds like a dream sequence from a regional film? It was surely like that. I must thank Sriram, one of my acquaintances in Infosys who arranged for it. Before you start envying this less fortunate soul, let me reveal that I got some passes for the Indiatimes BPO Conclave – An annual event conducted by the Times of India Group to facilitate thought provoking discussions on the BPO and ITES industry.
I surely was a misfit I neither belonged to the media nor the ITES industry, but, as the meeting advanced it proved to be interesting even for an outsider like me. Definitely, time well spent. Though I cannot quote everyone, among the no. of CEOs, Founders, CIOs and CFOs who spoke during the meeting, I can surely quote some.
Akshaye Bhargava – CEO of Progeon.
Profile: 22 yrs with CITI Bank at various levels. He was instrumental in setting up the E-Serve Customer Care (A Captive unit of Citibank). A finalist at the ERNST&YOUNG Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Educational Background: PGDBM IIMC
Views on BPO Industry: He was specifically optimistic about the future of Indian ITES and BPO industry and explained his optimism with objective reasons. (According to the latest NASSCOM Survey Software exports will touch an approximate 300 Billion dollars by 2010).
One important aspect of his analysis was that of the decrease in working population (25-40) around the world by 2020. Surprisingly, according to him, China would also have a scarcity of labor. And you know who clear winner here is…
(... come on Indians keep up the good work).
He also prophesied that Captive companies (BPOs of large Multinationals like HSBC etc..,) will do better than independent BPOs.
Raman Kumar – Founder & CEO, CBay Systems (A niche health care BPO)
Profile- Founded the company in 1998. Has over 22 years of experience in managing various public and private enterprises.
Educational Background- Masters in Organizational and Management studies, Yale University.
Views on BPO Industry: Mr. Raman Kumar, apart from briefing us about his and his company’s accomplishments, introduced us to something called Niche outsourcing and the pros and cons of it. He also explained his journey in founding a BPO, the research, marketing etc…,
Anthony Joseph – Director - HR, Convergys
Profile – Prior to convergys he served at sumilar positions in Deloitte and EDS.
Educational Background – MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Views on BPO Industry: Anthony Joseph was particularly candid in replying to questions about attrition rates prevalent in the industry. He spoke about Branding of a company, employee satisfaction among others.
One particular statement, I remember jotting down in my pad and probably will remember for a while is “Brands should tickle both the external and internal customers of an organization. Brands should reflect the true values followed by the company and any effort to disguise will eventually fail”.
Take away from the meeting: Apart from the scrumptious network lunch the meeting was definitely an eyeopener about the immense opportunity in the field of BPO and KPO. The only thing that is essential here is a creative idea and thorough research to implement.
Current Music: U2- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
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