Category: Leaders

Suresh earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (Evanston, IL, USA) and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India. The well-versed leader is proficient in “Strategy Deployment” – a methodology for chalking out and implementing strategies that result in transformative performance in complex businesses. His specialities include scaling companies for rapid growth, managing global P&Ls, integrating acquisitions, expanding gross margins, managing global supply chains, and leveraging operational excellence.

A Forward-thinking Leader

Suresh took over NTE as CEO in April 2020, a period when the company needed a cultural and financial turnaround. Under his sterling leadership, a cultural and leadership transformation has taken place in the company in the last two years. Since its inception in 1981, NTE has been a founder-led business; however, Suresh, with his leadership skills, soon transformed the organisation into one with an entrepreneurial mindset. With his relentless efforts, the focused leader has enabled the organisation to serve a record 3.6 million customers in the last two years. Furthermore, due to his efforts, the company’s revenues have increased by 42% to $1.6 billion, and gross margins have increased by 190 basis points.

NTE’s workforce has grown to over 3600 employees under Suresh’s leadership. With a visionary 5-year growth plan in mind, the goal-driven leader has led the company to establish a second headquarter in Hyderabad, India, which currently employs over 50 employees. He plans to double its employee base and expand its capability over the next year. He also plans to double NTE’s revenues through a 5-year growth plan. Essentially, this strategy entails expanding brick-and-mortar retail stores.

He is investing heavily in a multi-year organizational transformation that will provide an exceptional end to end experience for customers. He also aims to double the company’s profits in the next five years by investing heavily in NTE’s omnichannel and e-commerce prowess and training his team members to serve their defined customer audience better than others.

Due to Suresh’s goal-driven strategies, NTE has gained a competitive advantage through significant technological investments, innovative brand strategies, omnichannel customer experience, and speed. Suresh says, “The customer experience is at the heart of everything we do at NTE.” He combines a deep knowledge of market research, consumer insights, and data & analytics to boost customer experience. The forward-thinking leader has helped the company achieve strong NPS and Google rankings by consistently delivering an omnichannel experience across the 126-store footprint.

A People Person

The goal of his life is to motivate and help others achieve their maximum potential. Suresh finds great joy in providing his team with opportunities to try new things. Throughout his career, he was influenced by several mentors; however, it was his high school soccer coach who had the biggest impact on the leader. He says, “After losing a championship game that was expected to be won, our coach had said that no matter how well prepared we are, sometimes even the best teams can lose. Therefore, we need to build resiliency and learn from mistakes to bounce back, whether we are playing next time or resolving the next problem.” “The ideologies and teachings of our soccer coach inspire me every day to lead 3,500+ employees,” he says.

A Multitasker

In addition to serving as NTE’s CEO, Suresh also sits on the Carlson School of Management’s Board of Advisors. He also teaches at renowned B-schools, including Northwestern’s Kellogg School, the University of Michigan’s Ross School, and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School. Suresh is known for his problem solving abilities. He says, “My experience working and living on three continents has taught me to overcome cultural and geographical barriers for solving problems efficiently.”

In order to set bold and courageous goals, he leverages the available data to get a quick grasp of problems. His team spirit is also noteworthy. The seasoned leader also believes in empowering his team. He inspires his team members to communicate, debate, and challenge openly, but when a decision is made, they support it unanimously.

Suresh considers himself a lifelong learner and is always looking for ways to learn from others. Throughout his career, he has helped several organisations create new markets, leverage global supply chains, establish talent pools, and build new capabilities using global thinking.

It has been a career milestone for him to help several companies embrace the global environment as a growth opportunity.

Giving Back to Society

Suresh emphasises CSR, especially in terms of environmental awareness. “As a manufacturer of high-powered gas engine equipment, we are also on the cutting edge of diversifying our unique commercial grade product portfolio with battery power. We are launching the first-of-its-kind battery powered log splitter and skid sprayer, with more to come,” he says. He considers battery-powered equipment an innovative and crucial way to help customers do their tasks more efficiently and effectively.

He makes sure that the company comes forward to express solidarity, particularly during times of natural catastrophe. He has led NTE in establishing multiple stores to serve in disaster-prone areas such as Texas, Louisiana, Florida to help customers recover from hurricanes and other natural disasters. He praises his team, saying they are quick to mobilise and offer relief to our communities during catastrophic failures and emergency relief efforts.

Finally, Suresh has been a huge proponent for serving the trades and building future trades professionals. Two important examples illustrate this: NTE’s Tools for the Trades program and their support of the Texas High School Welding Series. “Tools for the Trades partners with high school career and technical education programs by donating much needed tools and equipment to provide instructors with the right tools they need to teach the classes. Through our leadership in the Texas High School Welding Series, we partner with Texas based companies to host welding events where students can earn the professional certification needed to begin their career in welding.”

Remarkable Achievements

Because of his leadership initiatives, numerous awards and accolades have been bestowed on the organisation. In 2022, Newsweek named NTE’s e-commerce website the Best Online Shop in the DIY, Tools, and Supplies category. Moreover, NTE has consistently been recognised as one of Minnesota’s Top Workplaces for five consecutive years. From a product perspective, NTE’s NorthStar brand NorthStar Electric Power Washer, designed and built at NTE’s manufacturing facilities, won Consumer Reports’ award as Best Heavy-Duty Electric Power Washer in 2021. What’s more, as a company dedicated to innovation, NTE has been granted 66 patents around the globe.

Rahi One Travels

Emiratis swear by Rahi One Travels’ services, whether for official trips or vacations. Though there is no shortage of travel agents in the UAE, customers and clients choose Rahi One because of the quality of its services. And the man responsible for this quality is the founder of the business, Mr. Shafiqul.

Located in Ajman, Rahi One Travels L.L.C. is famous for its customer-centric approach to business. The principle behind every company of Mr. Shafiqul is “Responsibility Is Prayer,” and Rahi One is no different. The sense of responsibility and attentiveness towards customers’ needs has made the company grow by leaps and bounds.

A Story Worth Telling

Mr. Shafiqul’s life is the classic story of how a small boy made his way to success despite all the odds. He started his career as a salesman at a monthly salary of BDT 500 in a dates shop in Khatungonj, Chittagong, in 1993.

At that time, BDT 500 was insufficient for even one person, but Mr. Shafiqul still worked with patience and grit. He also worked as the loading and unloading staff at the Chattogram seaport to earn a little extra income.

Mr. Shafiqul was a student of Fazilin from 1999 to 2000. During this period, he could get free food and stay as a muezzin at a mosque. He kept working and living with frugality then, and so saved some money and bought shares of land. Slowly but consistently, he kept growing financially by making some profit through land deals.

Start of a Long Journey

After facing a lot of struggle, Mr. Shafiqul finally won the test of time. In 2015, he emerged as a competent and hard-working entrepreneur. He started his travel agency Rahi One Travels in Ajman, UAE.

When starting his business, Mr. Shafiqul had an idol in mind – Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, the former and longest-serving Prime Minister of Malaysia. Believing in the life principle that “Man is equal or greater than his dreams,” the entrepreneur dreamed big and worked hard enough to make his dream a reality.

Bringing Social Changes

Mr. Shafiqul’s philanthropic endeavours have contributed to his good reputation. Using the hard-earned money, he has set up a Hefzokhana, an orphanage, and a Women’s Dhakhil Madarasha in Bangladesh. He is also associated with similar institutions dedicated to serving the underpriveleged. The philanthropist is the Chairman of the Anumia Ayesha Khatun Foundation and Shafiqul Islam Rahi Etimkhana and Hefzokhana in Bangladesh. He also serves as Chief Advisor at the Baitun Noor Jame Masjid in the Asian country.

Seeing his extraordinary work for society’s betterment, many organisations, such as Satkania Association, Khagoria Association and Chittagong General Hospital Patient Welfare Association – all in Bangladesh – have made him a lifetime member.

Going Strong With Each Passing Day

The idea of starting his business was seeded in young Mr. Shafiqul’s mind when he was just in secondary school. He fulfilled his dream in 2015 when he established Rahi One Travels, and never looked back.

To the leader, the venture was just the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. In 2021, Mr. Shafiqul started another travel company in Chattogram, Bangladesh – also named Rahi One. Within just one year, the company has garnered a huge base of satisfied customers. Thanks to his positive and hard working outlook towards business and life, both his companies are winning laurels.

Executive Par Excellence

Mr. Aggarwal is a creative thinker with high energy and the enthusiasm to drive innovative and disruptive digital technologies. A business leader who has played multiple roles successfully, he has been leading a large team of Architects, and has gained considerable experience in pre-sales, management, partner business development, and consulting. He has gained wide industry recognition for his consistent success in achieving sustained revenue and profit gains. Currently, as the Principal Strategist, he drives a portfolio worth $1 billion in the pipeline for Cloud and Application Modernization business. Prior to this, as a Modern Application and Application Outsourcing Business Lead for Asia & LATAM, he has delivered 30%+ YOY growth for the Cloud and Application business worth $250 million. As the Director, Technical Sales at Microsoft, Singapore & India, he was instrumental in developing innovative Cloud solutions & Cloud practices with the Microsoft Global SI and National SI partner ecosystem. As Co-founder and Chief Architect for Partner Enterprise Architect Team (PEAT) at Microsoft, he established a Global SI-led $400M Azure consumption business for Microsoft. He also built and led a large global team of Cloud Solution Architects and aspiring Solution Architects. As Senior Architect at Microsoft India, he has been involved in the solution architecture for first-of-its-kind projects like Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme, BangaloreOne, e-District, Rural ICT, Nemmadi, etc.

Glorious Achievements

Mr. Aggarwal is known for his customer-partner obsession and is recognized as a leader in the field of Solution Architecture by both Microsoft and the International Association of Software Architects (IASA). He was globally the first Architect to get certified as Microsoft Certified Architect – Databases and Microsoft Certified Architect – Solutions. He is also a Certified IT Architect – Distinguished (CITA-Distinguished) by IASA, Prosci Change Management Practitioner, TOGAF 8 Certified Enterprise Architect, and Six Sigma Green Belt. He has served on the review boards of MCA and IASA Architect Certification Programs. Mr. Aggarwal is a prominent industry expert and a well-known voice in leading Cloud and Digital Transformation, Application Modernization and Outsourcing, Solution-offering and GTM strategy development, Partner Business Development programs, Solution Architecture, Azure, SQL Server, IoT, AI, Building, and leading high-performance teams. He has worked extensively on Organizational Development and Integration, and is a domain expert in ITES, Retail, and Public Sector.

Lessons In Sustainability

Mr. Aggarwal believes the mantra for success today includes a healthy mix of innovation with thoughtfulness and corporate social responsibility. He feels to stay relevant; organizations must embrace the power of sustainable business solutions. The pressures around improved environmental, social and governance efforts are an outcome of the increasing expectations of diverse stakeholders. He points to migration to cloud computing as one of the ways businesses can achieve their sustainability goals and experience substantial net energy and carbon savings.

With every company making the move to cloud computing, it will help in reducing global carbon emissions, drive circularity, and result in more sustainable products and services. He has time and again highlighted that ensuring sustainability has become an integral part of corporate strategy, which can be achieved only by harnessing the power of environment-friendly IT practices. He firmly believes that by combining cloud with the 4th Industrial Revolution technologies, firms can drive better customer outcomes.

LEADING WITH EXPERTISE

An accomplished leader in the tech industry, Rajesh Pathak knows what is best for a company’s growth. Over the past 20 years, that is what he has learned during his stints with major multinational tech firms such as BT Group, Alcatel Lucent, Ciena and Novell. From beginning his career as an engineer at Hughes Networks Systems to now holding the position of Country Director – India & SAARC at Accedian, Rajesh’s career graph has added to his job profile and expertise with each responsibility. He is now using the same experience to help Accedian understand its customers’ experience and support them throughout their digital transformation efforts.

In the past two years since he joined the company, Rajesh has successfully accomplished rapid business growth and a fair market share. In simple words, he is making the change Accedian needs to make to be in a strong position in the Indian market.

MOVES THAT MATTER

Before Accedian, Rajesh held several crucial positions responsible for multifold growth. He helped companies such as Ciena and BT Global incubate, develop and create a sustained market for security products, network solutions across the enterprise and service provider networks, artificial intelligence and machine learning based analytics solutions, network and applications analytics, and network detection. He handled the teams with a cross-cultural mix and ensured smooth functions. Rajesh further created new markets and increased market and segment growth by understanding the pulse of the tech field. His experience shows that he can grow a mid-size business into a sizeable profitable organisation, thereby creating immense stakeholder value.

Leadership and mentorship are also inevitable parts of Rajesh’s work. He is known for his inclusive leadership style in the industry. During his stint at British Telecom, he was credited for creating a strong partner ecosystem in India. His stints are marked by unprecedented moves he made as a leader. Whether developing large teams for India and SAARC market or setting up a Product Centre for Excellence, he has always proved his mettle.

BEYOND ACCEDIAN

Rajesh’s life beyond his corporate life is equally fascinating and ambition-driven. He often chairs multiple juries for evaluating start-up ideas by young professionals.

The famous mentor also helps entrepreneurs through incubation for commercialisation — another branch of the inclusive growth strategy he uses for leadership roles. The only difference is that, through these mentorship programmes, he aims to assist new-age entrepreneurs in achieving bigger goals in life. Rajesh understands that a combination of hard work and a sense of accountability helps get to the best results. It is what he passes on to the next generation in the hope that it will create a positive impact at large. For his role as a mentor, he credits the inspiration he himself received from a few of his mentors, who shaped his thinking and leadership style during his early years. He also practices astrology and guides people who seek help on the larger aspects of life beyond work.

THE AWARDS AND FELICITATIONS

A leader who does excellent work never gets unnoticed. Rajesh, too caught the eyes of the industry. For his work and achievements, he has been awarded several times. In 2015, he was given the People Leadership Choice Award by Business Today. In 2021, he was felicitated with the “India Achievers Award for Business Leadership” by the Indian Achievers Forum. In 2022, he was given Pathfinder Award and APAC Sales Award for his incredible work at maximising sales and revenue across the APAC region.

BREAKING RECORDS

Real estate brokerage is a tough nut to crack, especially in luxury real estate. But Luxury Concierge Real Estate’s track record has made it look like an easy job. The man behind this successful venture is Shitij Kapoor.

Last year, the real estate market of Dubai saw some record breaking numbers. According to the Dubai Land Department, there was a growth of 71% in the total value of transactions. A big part of this growth is credited to his company, Luxury Concierge Real Estate (LCRE), which made a made record sales worth Dh1.3 billion at the Dubai Land Department.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Out of the total sales of Dh1.3 billion, Shitij alone brought in Dh1.05 billion. The numbers tell that the key to LCRE’s success is its leadership. However, the leader refuses to rejoice or turn complacent about his staggering success. He is busy hiring multicultural staff and enabling them with skills that help the company expand its reach further to international markets.

Shitij has earned clients from North India, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Africa, thanks to his dynamic personality and a long list of contacts. He has also convinced several Western investors by showing Dubai’s vibrant and safe culture.

INHERENT BUSINESS EXPERTISE

Shitij comes from a family of businesspersons. His family has a pharmaceutical business in the capital of India with multiple interests in real estate. Bubbling with the entrepreneurial spirit, the young Shitij decided to take the family’s legacy to the next level.

In 2012, he moved to Dubai to start a brokerage arm of his family business. In the initial years, he focused only on investors from two geographies: India and Dubai. But as his venture tasted success, he planned to take the business to a global level and reach every continent.

To attract investors from all over the world, LCRE hosted a number of property exhibitions in many countries, including South Africa, Mauritius, Congo, Kenya, France, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Senegal, Hong Kong, Ghana and Russia. Furthermore, by hiring multicultural staff, the company has managed to communicate with people from different nationalities and finally created a global presence.

PROPERTY FOR THE TOP 1%

Considered an old hand at cracking luxury real estate deals, Shitij has experience of working on the Main Line for more than one and a half decades. During this period, he has managed to create personal and professional relationships with investors worldwide. Moreover, many successful business leaders seek him out mainly because of his integrity, professionalism and loyalty to the work.

Dubai, full of iconic architecture and magnificent skylines, has coveted properties for the top 1% of luxury home buyers. With the UAE managing the COVID-19 pandemic exceptionally well, the city’s attraction as a real estate investment destination grew further. This proved to be an opportunity for Shitij, as he led LCRE to capitalise on all its hard work and contacts made over the years. Today, he enjoys a high-net-worth clientele from the world over. It has proved to be a perfect market for LCRE and a talent like Shitij.

The leader has also enabled the company to accomplish best standards and enter elite clubs and partnerships. LCRE is a Platinum member of the Alliance by Emaar, Chairman’s Club Damac, and channel partner for Sobha (an Indian multinational real estate developer), making it one of the most credible real estate firms in Dubai. Thanks to Shitij’s relentless work in the past year, it also became a member of the Billion Round Table in 2022.

A TRUE BUSINESS LUMINARY

Anuj Gupta’s personality certainly reflects the charm and charisma of a global leader. With his decisive leadership and deep industry knowledge, he has shown what it means to be a CEO. He took strategic steps for the company in times of need.

The resultant success made the company grow from a ₹100-crore company with 800 employees to a ₹1500-crore organisation with more than 3,000 employees. The growth has not stopped here. WIth the passage of time, Hitachi Systems has been adding new feats to retain its global position.

EXPERIENCE SPEAKS

With two decades of experience in the IT space, Anuj is an all-rounder. From entrepreneurial start-ups to large global corporations, he has seen varied organisational scenarios. Earlier, he was a part of two ventures that saw exponential growth under him.

One of them was his own start-up Trident Infotech. He started the company with family seed capital and built it into a 100-member pan-India company in just five years.

Anuj has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the H.R. College of Commerce. Later, he completed his Management Degree in Finance from the University of Singapore. Additionally, he has completed the Prestigious Hitachi GAP training from the Harvard Business School.

Anuj has the best of both worlds. He applied the learnings of his educational background to the real-life scenarios of the corporate world. In his 20-year long career, he has mastered the art of doing business and handling the ups and downs of the corporate industry.

The business leader is also a well-known speaker and panelist who has spoken at the IIMs and industry forums such as the DSCI, the NASSCOM and the ET Council of Leadership. He is also an integral part of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the global leadership community of Chief Executives driven by the world’s best leaders.

MAKING DREAM TEAMS

Anuj’s experience taught him that creating a strong team is one of the most crucial ways to strengthen a business. Therefore, he ensures that the company hires people with zeal to learn and improve.

To foster growth, the CEO and Director has created a nurturing and encouraging work culture in Hitachi Systems. In fact, it is his dream to turn the firm into a place where people would aspire to work and partner with.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

A great example of Anuj’s resilience is the company’s growth despite the pandemic. He joined Hitachi Systems in 2021 — a hard time for the business world. But he did not let the pandemic affect the organisation’s business and work culture. Hitachi Systems remained fully functional, while offering the highest level of support to the employees and their families.

AWARDS SO FAR

The industry leader has received several awards for his outstanding work and business acumen. In 2021, he was awarded “Business Leader of the Year” at the 19th Global edition of Times Ascent. Some other titles he has won are in categories such as Visionary Leader, Master Entrepreneur, Best Emerging CEO, Influencer of the Year, and so on.

LIFE BEYOND BUSINESS

Anuj is a fitness and sports enthusiast. In fact, he was a state level badminton player, and his passion for the sport has not faded a bit. Whenever he gets free time, he plays badminton, along with cricket and golf.

When it comes to understanding what the future holds, it is not wrong to say technology is going to be a game-changer. Today, technology has become an inevitable part of our lives and those who explore its deep secrets are endowed with great success. Saitej Annareddy is one of those passionate technologists who dived into the world of blockchain technology and discovered a new treasure. An ardent technophile, Saitej Annareddy is the founder of successful ventures such as Chakravuyha, Coinovy OU, Smashit. live, and DLT Labz. Now, he is planning to take these ventures to newer heights while exploring the wonders of blockchain.

JOURNEY TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

From a young man who had humble beginning to a respected entrepreneur in Dubai, the life story of Saitej Annareddy is memorable tale of inspiration. Saitej Annareddy was born in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, and completed his school education at Bhuvanagiri Public School in the state. In 2013, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the Hindustan Business School, Bangalore. While the early years of his life were not easy, they did not stop Saitej Annareddy from pursuing his passion. During his college years he supplied electronic payments to government contracts. That was his first initiative in the technology sector. During this time, he started thinking about how he could build a faster and more secure payment system. After that, his real stint with technology began in 2014. He worked in several companies such as Sulekha.com and Virtual Arena before finally starting his first firm, Chakravuyha. With this venture, Saitej Annareddy leveraged the use of blockchain technology to eliminate the asymmetric traffic flow problem and allowed ownership of data to empower its owner. Everything scaled even more when he co-founded LaunchMyIco and DLT LABZ the same year. Both the firm opened new avenues of blockchain technology and Saitej Annareddy wasn’t the one to be stopped here. In 2021, he co-founded Coinovy—a digital finance app with digital assets that combine an unlimited number of wallets to send, receive, exchange, earn and borrow.

AN INFLUENTIAL FIGURE

The years of experience and industry insights have made Saitej Annareddy a name to reckon with. The expertise that is reflected in his interviews and interactions is enough to highlight his visionary ideas for the blockchain sector. This is why he gets invited to speak at various national and international events. For instance, he was a speaker at the International Blockchain Summit. He was also one of the key speakers at the Thailand Blockchain Authority and Singapore Blockchain Meet conducted by SAM. Moreover, Saitej Annareddy was also a member of the Chief Advisory Board at the International Blockchain Symposium 2.0 (Malaysia) in 2017.

EYES ON TOMORROW

True technologists like Saitej Annareddy never rest. He keeps working on new ideas and push their boundaries through hard effort, enthusiasm, and tenacity. The young entrepreneur, Saitej, brings a fresh perspective to the field of cryptocurrency by offering new services and platforms.

He believes that one should always meet new people and learn new perspectives. No knowledge is ever enough; with this motto in mind, Saitej Annareddy hopes to build more cryptocurrency exchange applications in the future.

LEADING WITH EXPERIENCE

Futuristic, perseverant, and affable, Mr. Girish has all the qualities required to be a pioneering entrepreneur. Coming from a family of business owners, he has all the insights and experience needed to understand every aspect of the business world.

Today, Mr. Girish is putting everything he learned into turning his company into a global enterprise. As a co-founder and CEO of Greytip Software, he has enabled more than 15,000 businesses to streamline their HR & payroll activities.

FOLLOWING FAMILY’S FOOTSTEPS

The year was 1994. Mr. Girish had recently completed his B.E. (Computer Science) from SJCE, Mysore. But instead of going for a traditional 9 to 5 job in a multinational, he decided to follow his entrepreneurial spirit.

Along with his college friend Sayeed Anjum, he laid down the foundation of Greytip Software. They first created a bulletin software that received an offer from Unilever. In 1988, he moved the company to Bangalore and created a 15-member company.

They did in-depth market research and started focusing on creating products that would redefine how HR departments work on payrolls. In 1999, the company launched the first payroll module and had about 40 clients who used it for basic payroll software needs.

As the years passed, Greytip Software became greytHR, with a customer base of over 5000 customers. Under Mr. Girish’s leadership, the company expanded its operations to some of India’s megacities, such as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR, and Pune. It also went international with its presence in the UAE.

SPEARHEADING SUCCESS

Developing the right product wasn’t the only thing that helped Mr. Girish establish greytHR as a market leader. He always believed that a proficient team is a key to a successful business. That’s why he insists on creating a healthy workspace where people are not just employees but leaders in their own sense. He supports the senior team members as he considers them experts in their respective areas and believes they are better decision-makers in their fields. For this, Mr. Girish encourages a participative style, where he believes every team member should be able to contribute.

Mr. Girish has always been cognizant of his clients’ needs. He did not start the company out of thin air. He and his partner first found a niche that they believed was a critical issue many companies faced at that time.

After working tirelessly, they developed India’s most reliable and cost-effective payroll solution on the cloud. They took the classic SaaS model and modified it as per the needs of the Indian companies. It clicked, and then there was no looking back. Later, Mr. Girish focused on bringing more effective and creative solutions to the portfolio. His innovative strategies and perfect leadership enabled greytHR to process 15 Lakh+ user records monthly. His company’s clientele is also remarkable and includes Hindustan Unilever, Deloitte, Capgemini, Toshiba, Healthify Me, Scotiabank, Dunzo, Rapido, Hutchinson, ClickDesk, Clovia, and Jamboree.

BEING A GUIDING LIGHT

The journey of Mr. Girish is no less than an inspiring tale for many Indian entrepreneurs. To help and guide these new-age businesspeople, Mr. Girish always shares his thoughts and life journey on different platforms.

He is one of the founding members of iSPIRT (Indian Software Product Industry Round Table), a think tank for the Indian software products industry. Mr. Girish is also a mentor at the Founder’s Institute, India.

SOARING HIGH

Mr. Sayeed is a prominent name in the tech world because of his strong leadership and passionate personality. His entrepreneurial journey began right after he finished his higher studies. Since then, he has spent more than 25 years in the industry.

This rich experience has empowered him to run a company that proudly boasts of managing more than 15,000 customers and over 18 lakh+ employee users. Now, Mr. Sayeed is focusing on expanding the company’s reach to an international level, with GCC countries as the first milestone.

FROM TECH TO BUSINESS

Mr. Sayeed has always been a technophile. Therefore, he pursued an MCA from the Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore, Karnataka. While in college, he connected with Girish Rowjee, another student who was doing engineering at the same college.

Their dreams matched, and they decided to start an organisation of their own in the year 1994. Mr. Sayeed completed his final year project in the company he co-founded. Thus, Greytip Software is where Mr. Sayeed began his career. And looking at the success chart of the organisation, it is not incorrect to say that his decision was perfect.

Today, as Co-founder and Chief Technology Ofiicer of Greytip Software, Mr. Sayeed focuses on improving greytHR, their HR tech offering. He also oversees other aspects of product development, including requirements engineering, usability, programming, and quality. Other departments such as R&D, innovation labs, and product development also come under his leadership.

SETTING INNOVATIVE STANDARDS

Whatever role he takes, Mr. Sayeed strives for perfection and leaves no stone unturned to produce the best results. He wants to fuel SME growth via better people practices, superior employee experience, better employer branding, and overall productivity of the entire organisation.

For this, he has worked on creating a resource library where the customers can learn more about effective HR practices. Not just this, his company also has a vibrant community and hosts webinars with experts to spread awareness and learning.

During Covid too, he did not stop his initiatives. Under the leadership of Mr. Sayeed, the organisation tailored its employee policies to help them work seamlessly from home. Moreover, Mr. Sayeed introduced apps to provide mental wellness counseling to help their employees cope with stress and tension associated with the pandemic.

THE VISION AHEAD

Mr. Sayeed is working with some of the top names in the corporate world. A few of these are Wipro Enterprises, WeWork, Brigade, Lotte, India Post Payments Bank, Dunzo, HealthifyMe, Rapido, Instamojo, Acme Fitness, Greenpeace and Sheenlac Paints. Geographically, greytHR is present in India’s megacities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR, and Pune. It also has offices in the UAE.

But the vision of Mr. Sayeed is even greater. He aims to serve 50,000 SME customers and 5 million employees globally in the next few years. Besides being a leader at greytHR, Mr. Sayeed is also a corporate member of NASSCOM and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).

LIFE BEYOND BUSINESS

Mr. Sayeed may be a business magnate, but he also gives proper time to his personal life. He loves to read, network, and cook in his free time. He is also a sports enthusiast and prefers to watch tennis and football now and then.

AN EPITOME OF SUCCESS

Vermeiren India Rehab, a sales office in India, was started in 2011 under Mr. Qadri’s guidance. Later, the firm started its production facility in July 2016 at Sricity SEZ, Andhra Pradesh. The facility has 17 acres of land with a 25,000 sq. ft. built-up area, employing around 500 highly skilled workers. Vermeiren India Rehab’s factory currently has a production capacity of 2 lakh chairs per annum with accessories. It is equipped with world-class machines and technologies for CNC metal bending, robot welding, metal cutting, powder coating, stitching, PU tire manufacturing, plastic injection moulding, and assembly lines to manufacture manual wheelchairs, commode wheelchairs and geriatric chairs.

A TEAM THAT LEADS

Mr. Qadri considers all his employees his priority and always encourages the team to work harmoniously. He ensures that conflicts are quickly solved and promotes a happy and positive working environment. Mr. Qadri’s vision is to have a strong emotional bond between the team, consequently creating good communication and a sense of belonging. Positive and regular communication helps to keep the team morale high and increases their ability to achieve the goals. He avoids rigid rules and policies so that the company can bring greater flexibility to their employees to handle changing situations. His long term goal for Vermeiren India Rehab is to establish the biggest production company for the Vermeiren Group and produce patient beds and hoists along with wheelchairs to cater to the Indian and global markets. The short-term goal is to increase the range of products in the coming months.

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY

Mr. Qadri encourages his team to work towards the welfare of society. The team members get actively involved in various social responsibility activities of the company. Every year, Vermeiren India Rehab offers apprenticeship and training to ITI diploma holders, and support for upgrading their tool rooms and infrastructure development for polytechnic colleges, which helps the students learn the subjects better with changing technologies. In addition, Mr. Qadri encourages the distribution of books and stationery items to students in surrounding villages to motivate them to do better in their studies.

CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR GROWTH

Mr. Qadri ensures that all the employees of Vermeiren India Rehab Private Limited have free access to him. He is open to taking ideas from them for the continuous improvement of the workplace for a positive output. The company periodically arranges development programmes to improve employees’ skills and personality. Mr. Qadri is a believer of healthy work culture. He promotes good work relationships and non-competitiveness among employees, which, in turn, help in team building and increasing the overall productivity of the company and individuals. Furthermore, he supports the employees by offering them numerous benefits, such as food, personal accidental insurance, transport, term insurance and Mediclaim.

BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENTS

Vermeiren India Rehab today has a global presence. Its exports have increased by 90% as compared to the previous year. Today, the company provides goods to countries in Europe, the Middle East and Australia. In India, the company supplied wheelchairs for election booths in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Government tender orders (Karnataka), International Red Cross, multi-speciality hospitals, NGOs such as the Association of People with Disability, Mobility India, The Ability People, Jaipur Foot, and Rotary clubs. Mr. Qadri loves what he does and has complete faith and confidence in making the work successful. He firmly believes in his team, and expects them to continuously support and help him to succeed at work in any circumstance.