Category: Leaders

Mr. Shetty is an ex-banker, who has worked with Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. His knowledge and grip over the equity markets in New York and Hong Kong gave him an edge in establishing his own entities. His entrepreneurial adeptness accompanied by his love for wines led him to start his first venture Myra Vineyards in 2011. A competent entrepreneur, he turned the company into one of the leading wine manufacturers in the country. He later sold it to a Singapore/French fund named VisVires Capital in December, 2018.

A SOLID EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

Mr. Shetty’s academic qualifications have provided him with a foundation which has facilitated his ingenious business moves. After a Bachelor’s degree from Christ College in Bengaluru, he acquired a Master’s degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology. His educational background has driven him to learn about different cultures. His exposure to diverse geographical locations has enabled him to understand people’s lifestyles. His capabilities have enabled him to explore the contemporary Food & Beverage choices that people love. He also has his finger on the pulse of the younger generation, helping him keep up with the latest trends. From establishing Myra Vineyards as a meritorious business and then selling it, Mr. Shetty moved on to becoming the Chief Lifestyle Officer in the same company that acquired Myra Vineyards. Shouldering essential responsibilities, he has strived to develop the company as the second largest in India. In continuation with the success story, he created a first-of-itskind beverage brand – Salud Beverages.

BUILDING THE BRAND

Salud is an urban lifestyle brand that is distinguishing itself with unique, fresh and modern RTD (Ready-to-Drink) beverages in both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic sections. In so doing, it has opened up a unique market segment, successfully garnering mass attention. While the original idea was to launch it as a beverage, the team discovered the impact it could make when launched as a lifestyle brand. Through this excellent marketing strategy, the brand has been quickly picking up amongst gin consumers. Salud primarily translates to ‘Cheers’ with health, wealth and security being its other synonyms. It sets the objective on augmenting people’s lifestyle through its unmatched products. Salud began with India’s very first ready-todrink gin and tonic – G&T 2.0. The brand’s ethos is giving people fresh and exciting ways to celebrate through its beverages. Aiming towards a global presence, Salud’s offerings will include beverages in the alcoholic, non-alcoholic and craft spirits categories. For greater outreach, the brand has introduced its own fashion and merchandise label as well as a musical vertical under its titles – Salud Live and Salud Sessions. All these work together to offer the larger-than-life Salud experience. Salud has been associated with some of the biggest and most popular names in India. From Prasad Vanga of Anthill Ventures to Urbanl, which is the speed scaling partner, these brands have helped in accelerating the growth of Salud. Rana Dagubatti, the acclaimed actor with a huge fan following, is also an active investor and advisor associated with the company. Thanks to Mr. Shetty’s talent and efforts, investors can find greener pastures that are waiting to be explored. An entrepreneur with an eye for detail, Mr. Shetty has been quick to recognize the growing market for a niche brand like Salud and has been successfully tapping it.

Maneesh has been based in Singapore and various countries in Asia Pacific for the past 2 decades. He is a global citizen who has worked in several multinational firms spanning 10+ countries, including the US, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Singapore, Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. He is an Engineering Graduate with a Degree in Electronics & Telecom and is also a PGCGM (Management graduate) from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, (India). Not only does the leader has a strong academic background, but also has a practical and straightforward attitude towards business matters. His sharp vision and diverse skill set enable him to execute his plans flawlessly.

AN INTRIGUING JOURNEY

Over the course of 28 years, this dynamic leader has amassed a wealth of experience in key leadership roles such as Chairman, COO, Group CEO, and Technology Head in various prominent global corporations, viz., Philips, IBM, Olivetti, Spice International, and so on. Currently, Maneesh is the Director and Board member of Digilife Technologies Limited (SGX Listed) which was formerly known as SEVAK Limited, a 250 million dollar plus listed company in Singapore that operates in the areas of telecommunications, IT/system integration, and electric vehicles. He joined SEVAK Limited as Group Chief Executive Officer in 2010 and was promoted as Executive Chairman in September 2019 by the Board. His role as Chief Executive Officer of Sevak Limited ended in March of 2020 when he handed over the Chairmanship to the promoter group and was given the additional key responsibility of Chairman and Group CEO of Affinity Capital Pte Limited, a 100% owned subsidiary of the Indonesian company Seluar Global Networks, which operates a S$ 250 million telecom business in Indonesia. Maneesh also served on the boards of over 10 subsidiaries of SEVAK Limited. He serves on the honorary board of Global Schools Foundation, a 15000 students’ nonprofit organization that holds a special place in his heart. He has been the Group CEO and Director of Sevak Limited, a Main Board – SGX listed firm, for over 10 years.

As the linchpin of the company, he is wellversed with the SGX listing standards, MAS guidelines, and all International business and financial compliance rules governing how to conduct multi-country trade.

SHIFTING FROM INFORMATION TO INNOVATION

To prepare for the future EV innovation and revolution in autonomous electric vehicles (AEV), Maneesh played a pivotal role in shifting the company’s focus from “Information to Innovation.” The proactive chief also took the initiative of reorganizing his company with the help of his shareholders and promoters. Consequently, an additional innovation unit within the company was entrusted with investigating emerging technologies. This spawned a new business unit, Singapore Electric Vehicles Pte Limited (a subsidiary of SEVAK Limited), one that would go on to become a pioneer in Singapore and ASEAN. His role in propelling the new business unit to become Singapore’s first 100% commercial electric vehicle fleet company deserves special mention. Maneesh is also the one behind the invention of Singapore Vehicle Advanced Keylogger (SEVAK) Software, which is a product of his ingenuity. Developed by an internal engineering team, it has been architected, coded, developed, and deployed on the cloud as a SaaS. As a strategic leader, he has overseen the acquisition, integration, transition, and growth strategies of at least 10 projects for his group firms. He was also in charge of the $250 million Affinity Group and the Selular Group (an Indonesian company that is a subsidiary of SEVAK Limited).

INDUSTRY AND SOCIAL WORK

Maneesh has been recently elected as Vice Chairman of Singapore Indian Chamber Of Commerce (SICCI) in 2020, and the Chairman of Committees leading “Incubation and Startups” and “Bilateral and Multilateral Trade relations” for Singapore via SICCI. He is the Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee of SGTech formerly known as Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) and a member of Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), Singapore Computer Society (SCS), Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SVCA), Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF). He is also a Hon Governing Board member of Global Schools Foundation at Singapore. Maneesh was also involved in key events as a core committee planning and executing member for G2G (Singapore and India) large events, and bilateral trade and connectivity discussions, where both High Commissions were involved, and firms like SICCI and SGteck were also involved. He was a part of a business delegation with SBF where Singapore PM also visited India in the year 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maneesh was a senior member of the Singapore Indian Chamber’s COVID Relief task force to raise funds and worked tirelessly to provide aid and support via Red Cross and the High Commission to various states and cities in India.

MASTERING CHALLENGES WITH ZEAL

Maneesh believes in leading by example. When his company Sevak Limited plunged into losses in 2015, he became the first CEO in Asia-listed businesses to willingly accept S$1 salary. Consequently, many board members, as well as members of the management team, followed suit. With his unwavering efforts and tenacious spirit, he pushed the firm back into profit the following year and then off the watch list with clear audit opinions in consecutive years. Profits have been flowing since then and there’s been no turning back.

AN ALL-ROUNDER

Sport has always been a driving force in Maneesh’s life. He is an ardent cricket player and has represented State teams in U-22 Col CK Naidu Trophy. He has also captained College and University teams in India, viz. R.D.V.V. University team in Jabalpur (India). He also captained Ceylon Sports Club Singapore and the Singapore Indian Association during his 15 years of playing Division 1 cricket in Singapore. He says, “Sport trained me how to lead, and I found myself at ease in that role.” For him, the analogies between sport and business are quite relevant. A hobbyist at heart, he has a 4-year diploma in the percussion instrument called Tabla. He also has a Certificate in Film Production & Planning from Singapore Media Academy.

Birendra’s journey can leave anyone awe-inspired. He was born to a family of poor farmers and grew up in a remote village in West Bengal (India), where there was no electricity till 2010. He pursued his graduation from outside of his village. He was always passionate about working in IT sector. After completing engineering, he started one of the finest technology companies of that time – Tandem, which was later acquired by Compaq and is now a part of HP. He has been in the technology domain for a long time, working for large corporations such as HP.

The successful entrepreneur attributes his accomplishments in the entrepreneurial world to the virtues instilled in him by his father, which enabled him to reach the pinnacle of success.

AN INSPIRING JOURNEY

Following his stint in the IT sector, Birendra ventured into the entrepreneurial realm, by launching an IT consulting firm Fusion Tech with his American colleagues. The company quickly expanded from a small team of a few people to a workforce of 360 people. Fusion Tech was acquired by a venture capitalist in 2006, after which it merged with Alliance Consulting, a US-based firm. It is now part of EPAM, one of the largest companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The launch of a company called Subah, based in West Africa has been one of the highlights of his career. Under his direction, the company focused on how to generate revenue for the West African government so that the revenue can be utilized for the welfare of the people. “We started Subah with five people and soon it became a 1500 people team within five years, with over $100 million turnovers,” says the leader.

Birendra recently co-founded Science4Data, a FinTech and media analytics firm in New York. Currently, the leader is spearheading GreenFinch in India which provides digital transformation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to various telecom operators, financial institutions, and federal agencies in the United States, Africa, and India.

SPREADING ROOTS & WINGS

Birendra has been instrumental in the development of businesses in various parts of the world, including the USA and Europe. The technologist-cum-investor is currently focusing on spreading presence in Asia, especially India to empower the Indian farmers in particular and support the Indian economy in general. He believes that India is witnessing remarkable growth in terms of IT. Therefore, he intends to concentrate his efforts on agricultural technology in India and surrounding countries. ”That, I feel, is the one area in which the APAC countries have been battling for a long time to improve their output, productivity, and yield”, says the thoughtful leader.

INNOVATION RUNS THROUGH HIS VEINS

Birendra is a forward-thinking leader who stays on top of industry trends and innovations. As a growth enabler, he prioritizes two things–innovation and continuous improvement. Over the years, he has built a strong foothold in the IT industry. His mission is to provide businesses with a cutting-edge set of tools to help them grow faster. He also wants to assist his clients in achieving their organizational goals. At the same time, he believes in empowering his team for greater business success. He is quite adventurous and eager to explore uncharted terrains. From inventing solar base stations for remote African villages to empowering Indian villagers through Fintech, he has done it all. For example, he founded a financial services company for people residing in rural villages more than a decade ago, when only a few Indian villagers had a basic mobile phone. Birendra came up with the breakthrough idea of doing banking transactions utilizing a simple mobile phone. His goal was to provide financial tools to underserved businesses in India, particularly in the last mile, where no financial services had previously been available. That was a remarkable concept, which was implemented in over 100 villages across India.

A GEM OF A PERSON

Birendra’s commitment to society is unshakeable. He believes that it is important that we use our earnings to benefit the society that has invested so much in us. “It is our duty that when we become capable of earning a living, we should give back to society for the welfare of the less fortunate,” says the benevolent leader.

He adds, “Every person has a unique value chain. So one of my value chain principles is that everything I take, I must give back.” The leader established almost six basic IT training schools and trained over 6000 children from various countries and remote areas on the African continent.

Birendra also emphasizes the need for waste management. “One of the areas in which we made significant contributions has been waste management. We created a solution that can track your garbage bin and identify whether it is empty or full. It also sends you notifications about how long it has been empty. It can also keep track of the types of raw materials that are derived from garbage,” says the C-suite leader.

GAINING PROMINENCE AS AN INDUSTRY LEADER

For his outstanding contribution to the IT sector, Birendra has been honored with European Business Award. He is also the recipient of the UK Asian business person of the year. What’s more, he has also received the President Award from Ghana for his voluntary services to Africa’s army in various security areas, which have been highly beneficial to their security issues. Additionally, he was also honored with the Falcon Award in Africa for his work on innovative revenue tracking tools for the government. He was also a guest speaker in the United Nations ITU programs several times. Birendra has quickly ascended the success ladder as a result of his unwavering commitment to succeed and enormous desire to make it big. He sees an exciting future ahead of him, full of new adventures and possibilities that will help him grow as a person.

With a Ph.D. in Geographic Information Systems from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Dr. Sukanta has also obtained an Executive Management degree from the McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia, USA. The spirited leader has over two and a half decades of professional experience and has held a variety of challenging managerial responsibilities in IT, OT, and consulting in various large projects and programs in Electricity, Telecommunication, Transportation and various other engineering fields around the world. What’s more, he has worked for numerous multinational IT giants in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Owing to his earnest and determined efforts, Inovaantage is continually charting new trajectories of success. “The company began as a utility software solution company and has since expanded to include two other verticals: telecommunications and transportation. The healthcare solution is the next vertical we want to focus on”, says the future-focused leader.

Dr. Sukanta is noted for his brilliant strategic thinking skills, which aid in his long-term planning. Inovaantage has successfully expanded its global reach under his charismatic leadership. In just a few years since its inception, the IT solutions company has established a presence in multiple countries, including Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, Africa, India, and the Philippines. The company is currently preparing to establish a presence in the United Kingdom.

EYEING OPPORTUNITY IN ADVERSITY

Dr. Sukanta is a forward-looking visionary leader who is always prepared to deal with any crisis. Even a global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dampened the spirits of many industrial bigwigs, could not stop him from achieving his goal of global business expansion. “Even during the outbreak of the coronavirus-induced pandemic, we have successfully made good progress in Australia. Also, we managed to build a strong client base wherever we launched the business during the pandemic.” The ambitious leader adds, “With all of our previous achievements, we have now upped our ambition of becoming a global leader, something we never imagined when we first started.” Dr. Sukanta is a goal-oriented leader whose unwavering efforts have helped Inovaantage earn the boundless trust of hundreds of consumers around the world. “I view consumer trust as my accomplishments and career highpoint,” he says. The confident leader adds, “Every year, we set a goal for ourselves and successfully achieve it. With that confidence, we have raised our goal proportionately more than the previous years and achieved success once again despite the pandemic. We have gained the trust of hundreds of customers worldwide and the number is getting bigger with time. We now believe we can be global leaders and are in discussions with potential investors to take that dream forward.”

AN ACTION-ORIENTED LEADER

Dr. Sukanta believes in leading by example and promotes an action-oriented leadership culture. He is motivated by a strong sense of urgency, concentrating on the task at hand and ensuring its timely completion. The proactive leader holds daily meetings with his team for better communication and workflow. He also enthusiastically leads his team in moving a vision forward to achieve goals and make impressive progress. Under his motivating leadership, his team has been creating products and services that are innovative and ahead of the competition. “Being a good leader entails many distinctive aspects. Leading by example and at the same time encouraging individuals to make decisions and accept ownership of the roles assigned to them are both important for the growth of an organization, and I ensure that I do my best to keep my team motivated,” he says.

PRIORITIZING EMPLOYEES

Dr. Sukanta considers his workforce as the company’s first stakeholder, followed by customers. Like a true leader, Dr. Sukanta emphasizes the growth and involvement of his team. “Most significantly, I have kept my focus on being very people-oriented, since people are the heart and soul of Inovaantage,” says the CEO. He continues, “We’ve come a long way since investors launched Inovaantage in 2017 to being one of Southeast Asia’s most recognized brands. Our people have played a critical role in the development of a company from its inception to the present day, and we attribute our success to their unwavering efforts.” The empathetic leader also ensures his company gives adequate space to each employee so that they can manage their workload and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Even during the Covid-19 outbreak, the leader encouraged everyone to work from home. He affirms, “Even though the coronavirus outbreak triggered pay cuts, and layoffs across industries, we have been sensitive to our workforce and have not laid off a single employee. There haven’t been any salary cuts either.”

DEDICATED TO SOCIAL WELFARE

In addition to being an astute businessman, Dr. Sukanta is also a good samaritan taking care of society. The compassionate leader says, “CSR is in our DNA. It is an important aspect of providing our customers with sustainable value. By keeping CSR at the forefront of our minds, we can ensure that we are always thinking about our company’s place in and influence on a rapidly evolving world. We are also focusing Tier II cities as outsourcing hub to generate more employment for less privileged.” On a local and national level, we at Inovaantage are constantly striving to strengthen our focus on social responsibility, whether it’s championing women’s rights, preserving the environment, conserving wildlife, or eradicating poverty,” he adds.

WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION

Dr. Sukanta’s sincerity and unmatched capabilities have earned Inovaantage, a lot of recognition in the form of awards. In April 2021, the company was awarded the SBR (Singapore Business Review Technology) Excellence Award for software – Energy Category for Volt Var Optimisation (VVO). The Technology Excellence Awards, presented by SBR, was held via studio award presentations and video conferencing sessions throughout the second and third week of April 2021.

Talal was born and brought up in Kuwait. Hailing from a simple, middleclass family; he always had big dreams. He wanted to start his own business and reach great heights. However, his family was not very supportive of the idea since trading was seen as a risky business back then and not something to be pursued as a career. After doing a few jobs here and there, Talal realised his lifelong dream of owning a business. From being an employee to donning the hat of an employer, he has made quite a journey. A journey that should be shared and celebrated!

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Even though Talal graduated from Philadelphia University with a degree in Information Technology, his interest was always in the finance sector. To gain knowledge about the financial industry, he worked with a few financial companies. This allowed him to gain some knowledge about the investment business and the experience needed to take that plunge into his entrepreneurial journey.

He founded VI Markets in 2010 and his company went on to become the most recognized and leading Trading platforms in the Middle East. In the past 11 years, VI Markets has achieved great success. It was the first Kuwaiti company to get the licence from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Talal worked hard to get that. Today, VI Markets is one of the few companies that is regulated by the FCA and offers a global presence as a tailored online trading company. Vi Markets has also won the best partner in the World for five consecutive years with One Financial Market based in the UK. “I’m proud of my company VI Markets and what it had achieved in the past 11 years,” says Talal.

SKY IS THE LIMIT

Talal is a believer of this saying – ‘sky is the limit.’ In his words, “I always aspire to achieve greater things. I do achieve goals and set millions after it.” Achieving goals is what motivates him to go beyond. This is the reason he didn’t stop even after VI Markets was well-established. He started another initiative called Yasmeen. A forum exclusively for women, designed specifically to support women empowerment in business and the world of financial investment, through structured training and education on commerce and the world’s financial markets. It is a program in which presenters, workers, and the target audience are all women.

Although the primary focus of the program is on financial management and broking it is not solely focused on it because the research showed Talal that many women who entered the financial sector usually got into loans or banks without any basic foundation. This program thereby focuses on laying a strong foundation of the financial industry and educating women to choose the right path most suited for them.

It is a program dedicated to providing women in the Arabic world with services tailored specifically to their individual needs. Created for women, by women, Yasmeen focuses on the increasing number of financially active women in the Middle East who run their own businesses or manage their own investments. Yasmeen has social networks that allow women to share their experience in business with other women and that leads to more women getting inspired to pursue their career ambitions. It makes for an open, safe space to discuss challenges faced by the women.

EMPOWERING THROUGH EDUCATION

Educating and promoting awareness in people has been one of the main goals of Talal. Education has been important to him because when he entered the financial sector he also learnt by educating himself through whatever channel he could. He believes in educating not only those people who want to enter the financial sector as professionals but also masses who want to start trading and manage their portfolios.

At VI Markets, there is a huge array of educational resources that Talal offers in a bid to help aspiring people who want to enter this industry. “We strive to provide all those interested in online trading to join our free seminars and workshops held every week,” he shares. Due to the pandemic, most of the courses are now available online to accommodate the demand.

To further his reach and aid his awareness mission, social media has also been his ally. He has a follower base of over 64,000 followers on the social media platform Instagram, which mainly comprises Kuwaiti and Middle Eastern traders. He shares his daily trades and educates them on portfolio management through his account. “I believe in leading through educating. Educating my staff, my clients and all those interested in the financial markets was and will always be my main motto in life. Through education, you are empowering people and that is the main trait any leader should possess,” he asserts.

Mr. Talal believes in giving back to the society and helping the underserved get access to quality education. To further his cause of educating masses, he has built schools in Indonesia and even helped building schools and compounds to serve hundreds of children in India.

VALUING VALUES

VI Markets is a name to reckon with and it can all be credited to the business ethics of Talal. He believes in his team and they work together to provide the best-in-class services to all their clients. Talal swears by a few values that he has also ingrained in all his team members. These are transparency in carrying out deliverables, accountability in handling projects and fairness through the evaluation process.

Talal is a family man at heart. He credits his brother for wherever he has reached today. “My elder brother Mohammad is my biggest inspiration in life. He was my main supporter when I began this journey and I owe most of my success to him. He supported me by all means.”

GLORY ALL THE WAY

Talal has won many honours owing to his charismatic personality and his business ethics. He was chosen the ‘Most Inspiring Man’ by CP Magazine in 2018. He also earned a place in ‘The Arab Power List 2021’ among others. The future looks quite promising for him as he looks to build on his work and grow his business globally. He has a well established name in Kuwait and the Middle East and now would like to expand all across the globe.

Veena completed Bachelor of Commerce from BMCC Pune in 2015 and Chartered Accountancy in 2019. She has been associated with Dahotre & Dahotre Chartered Accountants as Associate Partner since 2019. Her life inspiration has always been her family and maternal grandfather who encouraged her to read books, pick up good qualities and skills, and keep evolving as a person and a true professional day-by-day.

BRINGING HER COMPANY’S VISION TO REALITY

Veena believes that a true leader inspires others to follow the right path and guides them to emerge as new leaders. She has always worked hard towards earning the leadership role that she proudly fulfils today. She is appreciative and empathetic towards her team, and also believes in creating a healthy and disciplined yet competitive work environment for maximum results. She is an inspiring leader who nurtures team spirit and supervises the overall operations of the company.

The high point in her career has been to remotely manage the entire team operating from different parts of the country successfully during the pandemic. Under her synchronized efforts, the company proactively supported the new ways of working and the IT team also lends a helping hand in familiarizing everyone with the new processes. Under her guidance, the company was able to grow even during the COVID-19 crisis.

SPEARHEADING A DEDICATED TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS

Veena believes that the company’s guiding principles – Innovation, Teamwork, Integrity, Respect and Achievement – have been the keys to achieving the company’s vision and developing a safe, satisfying and fun work culture that they’re proud of. She values her team’s contributions and rewards their efforts from time-to-time.

She ensures that the highest-quality service is delivered to her clients through goal-setting sessions, understanding their requirements, raising finances and timely complying with various laws to align them with the market. Besides, a special CRM is used for team management and research purposes.

VALUING VALUES

Veena emphasizes that inculcating good values in the youth through education and awareness can make a huge difference. She is of the view that strong education support can help turn the youth of India into responsible citizens who truly understand the meaning of social responsibilities and don’t shy away from fulfilling them. Under her exemplary leadership, the firm has adopted technology-friendly practices, and the tech teams have devised specific procedures, practices and systems for faster approvals and controls, Segregation of Duties (SoDs) coupled with strong review mechanisms to avoid potential frauds within the company, and to improve accuracy. These are just a few among the many steps taken by the company to maintain good corporate governance and improve customer satisfaction.

For the short-term and long-term growth of the company, Veena wishes to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people by making financial issues and financial compliances stress-free and easier to deal with. Under her able guidance, the company is already on the road towards rapid growth, and envisions expanding its network both domestically and internationally.

DILIGENT & DEDICATED

Born in Kushtia, Mr. Shadi began his journey as a contractor for various projects for the government and non-government institutions. He attributes his knowledge and expertise to the time he devoted to learn the nitty-gritty of the real estate sector. All his hardwork through the years finally helped him establish his own enterprise in 2007 — the Assure Group. Mr. Shadi has been a commendable leader who flexes his leadership style for his team members to motivate and inspire them. Owing to his able leadership, the company has experienced a visible growth and expansion in the last decade. He has led the way to make the business successful in various other fields through ventures such as Assure Builders Ltd., Assure Properties Ltd., Assure Tourism Ltd. & Assure General Hospital to name a few. His customers get to select from the company’s various projects which are far-stretched to residential, commercial and integrated types in the realty sector.

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY

A leader who strongly believes in social welfare, Mr. Shadi has planned programs to develop his home-town of Kustia. Along with social service, he has also overseen a funding program for the education of the underprivileged children. Mr. Shadi believes in helping and providing for the less fortunate. He has been conducting multiple day-long medical campaigns for the poor including eye checkups. His programs have motivated people from all walks of life and it is such a delight to see the doctors participating and providing medical facilities to the underprivileged. Mr. Shadi’s honesty, passion, and respect for one another are his greatest assets.

It is a well known fact that over the last few years, the mobile phone industry has witnessed a huge spike in demand due to smart phones. Today, consumers are more inclined towards smart phones. This transformation occurred with the change in the lifestyles and requirements of the consumers. The fast paced life demanded remote calling service. Alongside, there was a rise of the telecom industry supporting the need for the smart phone market. Several telecom operators also entered the market with their unique range of services and offerings. However, the payment mode or the payment method was not particularly secure while the transaction was taking place. It needed companies like CELLPAY to provide a fast and secure mode of payment.

Furthermore, the digital landscape has widened its reach to suffice its benefits to customers at large. Additionally, it has leveraged numerous companies to connect with its customers to provide its services and offerings. Today, customers are relying heavily on branded payments to control their budgets. “Digital payments have become a substantial category within the alternative payment methods space, chances are you’ve probably used a form of digital payment at some point in your life, either for yourself or someone else — you’ll recognize them in the likes of gift cards, mobile top-up or prepaid payment cards,” states Parvez Jasani (President of CELLPAY).

ADDRESSING THE CUSTOMERS’ ISSUES

An experienced leader, Parvez saw digital transformation as an opportunity to transform a top cell phone company to DDS (DIGITAL DELIVERY SERVICE) firm. While the transformation was happening around, he motivated himself to learn more about telecommunication. As he went further, his passion made him realize that using Prepaid Platforms and Mobile Telephones in the U.S. does not offer a one-stop-shop to make payment online. Also, the services were inconvenient for making payments. This was soon countered by CELLPAY through its customer-centric and problem solving approach. CELLPAY not only offers convenience and top-ups but is also the finest payment platform including unbanked/ underbanked, underserved wireless customers by providing a convenient, secure, instant, and one-stop solution for all their needs 24×7. Parvez understands that secure payment is one of the crucial issues for any customer. Addressing the issue, CELLPAY has developed unique no-pin top-up delivery which converts every PIN to a direct top-up and makes recharge convenient.

ENHANCING THE SECURITY

Under his able leadership, CELLPAY has introduced three different ways for payment which include online payment, IVR, and text 2 pay in order to further enhance the security. It has also developed a number validation to protect the consumer from choosing the wrong carrier, an added protection against double loading. The distinct features of CELLPAY are as follows:

1. Protection from online hackers: CELLPAY’s Unique Cellphone Number Validator (Patent process to be initiated)
2. Protection against double-loading (single payment and multiple recharges): restricting double loading for a pre-defined period
3. Fraud protection: 160-point verification (the type of card, POP/POS device, IP address tracking, Country of origin for the request, etc.)

HIS SECRET RECIPE TO SUCCESS

Owing to Parvez’s dedicated and focused efforts, CELLPAY has been recently ranked #5 on Inc. 500 list. Sharing his success mantra, he says, “Have a Great Idea. All businesses start as an idea, whether they end up as successful businesses or not. Some businesses are successful as soon as they launch based solely on the strength of the ideas behind them.”

He is of the view that the sole purpose of any entrepreneur or business is to create a customer and hold the customer with unique solutions and services. The majority of the time, energy, and money should be applied to creating customers for the business.

Further, he advises, “Your strategy should Be Continuous Improvement: The business world is rapidly changing, and competition is both aggressive and plentiful. Focus on ways to improve yourself and your business. If a day goes by when your business is not getting better, then you can be sure it’s getting worse.”

INEVITABLE TRANSFORMATION

For the entire world, 2020 was the year of many startling changes. We all have witnessed businesses shutting down and also a few businesses changing their strategies to adapt and keep the ball rolling. Another major transformation that took place was forced digitalization. Every company was pushed towards online and remote working. This also meant that there was a huge surge in digital payment methods. Conversing about these changes and their aftermath, Parvez asserts, “The first is, we had no choice. We all were quarantined in our homes. We needed to buy things, and everybody had to buy things online. Eventually, this necessity turned out to be convenience. Soon people realized the benefits of digital payments which ensure that they no longer have to wait in long lines at a cashier; the products can be delivered whenever and wherever they want.”

A PIONEER IN DIGITAL PAYMENTS

Transformation is a part of the business world. Those who understand business understand how transformation helps the business to push beyond its limits. Parvez is one such leader who has been efficiently enabling CELLPAY to emerge as a pioneer in digital payments sector. Furthermore, he is also thriving to make it a one-stop-shop for all your digital payment needs including top-up, international top-up, gift card, sim card, crypto payment, bill payment, lotto, and anything and everything can be digitally delivered. CELLPAY understands that there is a constant change in the demands of the customers. The company is in the process to make its own POS serve B2B store (convince store).

Currently, 80 million people in the US are underbanked and 20 million undocumented and most of them pay by cash. CELLPAY is developing a platform, which will be deployed in convenience stores where they can make cash payment for phone bill, utility bill, & buy a gift card. It is also adding bitcoin so that the customers can also buy bitcoin with cash.

A dedicated professional, Mr. Venkatachalam has been efficiently driving NLG towards new horizons of growth. He took over the reins of the company in 2003 and facilitated its growth into the largest insurance company in Oman and a major insurance player in the region with business operations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, in addition to Oman. From a pure Life insurance company, he diversified its product portfolio to General and Medical Insurance; today NLG offers a wide range of insurance solutions, customized as per market needs. He also ensured the expansion of its business operations into other countries in the GCC region.

Owing to his dedicated efforts, today NLG is listed in the Muscat Securities Market and has grown into one of the largest insurers with a market share of around 65% in health insurance in Oman and is amongst the top players in the UAE. NLG also has a large personal lines portfolio, especially motor insurance where it is one of the top 2 insurers in the country. With its more than 190 sales/service touch points and over 500 dedicated insurance professionals, it touches the lives of about 1 Mn customers.

INNOVATING FOR SUCCESS

A leader who continually encourages innovation, Mr. Venkatachalam personally reviews all the innovative ideas and concepts put forth by the employees and devises varied strategies and interventions for the growth and expansion of the organization. By virtue of his sheer dedication, NLG has emerged as a pioneer in Digital Transformation in insurance sector and provides a comprehensive online sales and service platform through website, mobile app and web-based General Insurance Management systems. He also established bidding process for motor insurance claims to provide transparent, fast and best price claims management.

Under his leadership, NLG has acquired TPA company ‘Inayah’ in the UAE to further strengthen claims management. He also ensured the establishment of back office support in India to provide faster and economical business operations.

He has also been actively involved in the conceptualisation of ALFA – an online training platform that offers a wide range of knowledge and skill enhancement program for employees.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

A socially-responsible leader, Mr. Venkatachalam leaves no stone unturned in making the world a better place. He asserts, “As leaders in the insurance industry, we understand that it is our moral duty and responsibility to give back to society. Every year we mark a part of our earnings for CSR. We make various efforts especially in the field of health, education, environment and cultural heritage. Be it distribution of school kits, books or conducting health camps, blood donation camps or constructing facilities and providing aids for differently-abled. We also participate strongly in various cultural activities of the local markets/countries that we operate in and be a part of the developing society.”

Talking about some of the measures he had undertaken to cope with the challenges faced in the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation, he says, “We have done a good job so far in terms of managing the crisis due to the prevailing COVID 19 pandemic situation and could very well run our business operations smoothly in all the markets that we operate, which includes Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. We have done well in terms of navigating through the challenges from the start as we were business ready for any such eventualities through our well-structured Business Continuity Plan. Not just the company’s management, but the employees at all levels and across departments responded well and responsibly as a large part of our operations was being done online and virtual with the lockdown that was put in place.”

He further elaborates, “We could manage to do business as usual even while keeping in line with Government directives of lock down and social distancing to keep our customers as well as our business partners and employees safe. It was a challenge, but every-one in the company rose to the occasion and we could achieve good results which is evident from our first half financial results. Another positive thing is that we did not have to reduce our operating staff by even one and we have retained all our employees. Some of the innovations/initiatives that we undertook were promoting online/digital sales through multiple channels – website, social media, online GIMS, mobile app, encouraging the use of digital Medical card instead of the usual plastic card in order to maintain social distance and reduce contact, providing VPN based Work From Home facilities for our employees, formation of COVID 19 committee to ensure the safety and health of all our employees which included Doctors, teams from Infra/admin and HR. We also reached out to our customers and business partners through digital media and informed and updated them regarding the situation and the measures we were taking to cope with it. We also facilitated claims management digitally, with least personal contact so that customers do not face any difficulty and are able to benefit from the insurance cover they have taken from us.

He adds, “All in all we have contributed $455,000 towards endowment fund supporting government initiatives to overcome the threat of COVID 19.”

A LONG SAGA OF ACHIEVEMENTS

For two consecutive years – 2018 and 2019, Mr. Venkatachalam was recognised as The Best CEO of the Year and NLG was adjudged the best company in large cap segment at AIWA Awards. Under his able leadership, NLG has won various awards and accolades for its outstanding growth and business achievements namely ‘Best Life Insurance Company’ at Insurance Awards by World Finance, and ‘Bizz Awards’ by World Confederation of Business for three consecutive years – 2015, 2016, 2017. NLG also received ‘Innovative Digital Services-Insurance’ Award at The New Age Banking and Finance Awards 2019 and was recognised as the ‘Most Trusted Brand in Oman – 2019.’

For its outstanding contribution towards the growth of Oman, the company was recognized by Forbes Middle East. It received the title of ‘Best Insurance Company – Oman 2020’ under the category of ‘Digital Transformation’ from Global Banking & Finance Review 2020.

Established in 1981 in Surendranagar, Gujarat, Indiana Ophthalmics is one of the leading companies in the eye-care sector. Nirav has taken forward the legacy of the business started by his grandfather, the Late Mr. H. D. Bhatt. Along with his brother, Mr. Tarang, the CTO of the company, Nirav adeptly takes care of the organisation by ensuring smooth operations and efficient execution of decisions taken by the management. His vast experience and extensive knowledge enable him to efficiently oversee the diverse levels of functioning of the firm.

VISION FOR GROWTH

Under his headship, Indiana Ophthalmics has achieved many feats, which include receiving quality approval from the nations such as Ethiopia and Uganda. Owing to his outstanding vision, the firm has achieved 25% growth rate for 3 financial years. Moreover, their hopes and ambitions have not dampened despite the pandemic and they are optimistic about becoming stronger in the coming years. Besides, he is also aiming to achieve impeccable quality standards to match the international benchmarks and accomplish higher levels of accreditations such as the European GMP.

Under his guidance, the company also aspires to make groundbreaking developments in ophthalmology and introduce better eye-care solutions and products, which could be made available to common people at affordable prices.

RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS EMPLOYEES AND SOCIETY

Nirav considers each employee of his firm as a family member and therefore has compassionately stood by them in the times of pandemic. While most of the other organizations validated paycuts, Indiana group ensured that their employees were paid double the actual amount, considering the declining incomes within their families.

Apart from this, he is a well-known wildlife photographer, which again enables him to reinforce the ‘Go Green’ initiative within his company’s premises. Avoiding plastic and encouraging extensive planting are some of the activities, which he educates the local people about. Under his guidance, the company has also been helping the underprivileged in the times of natural calamities by making regular contributions.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Nirav ascertains an atmosphere that is conducive to productivity. He ensures this by making it easy for the employees to directly converse with the management, when required. Conducting training programs, persuading them to come forward and speak their minds, imparting language skills are some of the other ways adopted for a productive environment. A dedicated team has been deployed to visit seminars and exhibitions, and learn the new-age techniques in the eye care segment.

PAVING WAY FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Being a charter president of the Rotary Club of Wadhwan City, Nirav has been an active participant in bringing about a change through blood donation camps, personality development courses, and by educating the public on various socially relevant topics.

With sincere efforts to bridge the skill gap, Nirav and Tarang have set up a public laboratory for testing the quality and efficacy of pharmaceuticals and food products. The idea is to provide the new graduates with a platform for unmediated training and create better opportunities for them. As responsible healthcare experts, they undertake many such humanitarian initiatives for making a substantial difference to the society.