Category: Leaders

With over 14 years of stellar professional experience in the Oil & Gas, Construction industry behind him, Mr. Mahesh Patil joined the Horizon International Group of Industries in 2017 as the Managing Director. The role was challenging and different from what he had done before but he took the challenge head-on. He worked tirelessly to put his expertise to good use and transform the conglomerate’s journey. With his hard work and dedication, he won new stakeholders for the business while maintaining a strong association with all existing ones. He utilized every opportunity that came his way fully and enabled a transformation in the way business was conducted at the Horizon Group. He maximized efficiency and pushed innovation to achieve the desired results. He delivered on his mandate and brought the Horizon Group to an all-new level.

A DEMOCRATIC LEADER

Courageous and unfazed by challenges, Mr. Patil has a proven track record of forming lasting strategic alliances and changing the course of growth wherever he has worked. He maintains the pace of his unrelenting work by getting his own hands dirty. He works like a team member and not a boss. Another too that has helped him maintain a robust work culture is clear and open communication. He firmly believes that communication is one of his greatest strengths. He leads his team by facilitating open communication and tries to bring out the best in every team member. A true leader, Mr. Patil becomes one with his team to get results. In his team, every opinion is heard and respected, and that is one of his key mantras to keep the teams moving towards the larger goals.

TRANSLATING VISION INTO RESULTS

Mr. Patil had the expertise and the vision but to translate those ideas into tangible results was no easy feat. Through effectively crafted business plans and a result-oriented approach, Mr. Patil not only achieved his targets but exceeded them. He ensured that the company is operating as cost-effectively as possible so that it can withstand the economic pressures. It was his mission to make the Horizon Group a frontrunner in the industry with exemplary service to all the clients, and he achieved it with his determination and carefully crafted business strategies. It was his relentless work that has helped the Horizon Group grow 25-30 % year on year and from manpower strength of 150 in 2016 to a current number of 1150 and growing. Mr. Patil also led the diversification of the business into multiple other sectors like oil and gas, international recruitment, eco-friendly products, trading, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, Information Technologies and Immigration Services.

However, the most innovative initiative led by Mr. Patil has been HiresGulf. An online job portal, HiresGulf is one of his most praiseworthy innovations. With the use of artificial intelligence-based technologies that offer a one-stop solution for both employers as well as job seekers, HiresGulf has become a game-changer for the industry. HiresGulf is one of the most user-friendly web Application and Mobile Applications is available to download in English & Arabic from iOS, Android & App Gallery. It has databases from Asia, the Middle East, European, and the African region. It was started with a vision to be the leading online job portal that covers all of these geographies. Another impactful initiative, led by Mr. Patil is the new arm where Horizon started manufacturing masks, bags, etc. during the pandemic. Mr. Patil realized the huge gap between the demand and supply of masks during the Covid pandemic and decided to step in. He led the formation of a new unit at Horizon that started manufacturing Eco-Friendly products such as Masks, shopping Bags, etc that were made from recycling waste products.

NAVIGATING THE PANDEMIC

The pandemic brought with it a set of unique challenges for each and every one. For an enterprise like Horizon Group, it was a very difficult time. To sustain in an unprecedented time when most of the projects were stalled and the workforce was idle, it was crucial to survive and come out of it without sinking. Once again, Mr. Patil and his team stepped in and salvaged the situation with a strategic approach. Through this well-thought plan, Mr. Patil was able to recover 85% of the company’s sales revenue.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Mr. Patil has been recognized time and again for his vision and his entrepreneurial streak. He brings to his work a go-getter attitude and attention to detail which has made him the recipient of appreciation from all quarters. In 2020, he was named the Best Entrepreneur for the successful launching of HiresGulf, an Online Job Portal. This award was given to him awarded by Horizon International Group. The previous year he was also awarded for Outstanding Performance and Leadership by Horizon International Group. In his previous assignments as well, he has been a recipient of various awards. In the year 2016, he was awarded in appreciation of Global Visionary Guidance & Exceptional Leadership by Delta Recruitment. At Smou Group, he was the Excellent Performer in 2014 and Employee of the Year in 2013.

MARCHING TOWARDS A BRIGHT FUTURE

Mr. Patil is now looking to lead Horizon’s growth into many other geographies including the UK, Canada, and the Philippines. He is looking to add new lines that will serve wider areas of industrial prospects and will give Horizon the leverage to cover additional markets. Under his leadership and guidance, Horizon International Group is also looking to launch its Chartered Accountancy Firm in the UAE. This new arm will provide professional financial services like auditing, taxation, accounting, financial analysis, risk management, and consultancy services on financial structures to varied businesses.

CREATING THE RIGHT BALANCE

He is also a strong advocate of robust CSR policies. He feels CSR is incredibly important to create a stronger brand image and recognition in the industry. He also implemented best practices and policies for sound corporate governance by executing good ethical practices, innovative strategies, and fair and transparent work culture. He is inspired by his grandfather who wanted him to stay strong in difficult situations. Lately, he has been featured in Khaleej Times and The Energy Year.

VERSATILE LEADERSHIP

Mr. Samuel’s optimism and visionary capacity set him apart from his peers. He is a versatile leader who can quickly adapt to different roles and responsibilities. The multi-talented individual is also a manufacturing engineer, serial entrepreneur, venture idea generator, inventor, and innovator. Born in 1947 in Tamil Nadu, India, Samuel was the youngest of his parents’ eight children. He was named after Prince Phillip, who married Queen Elizabeth the same year. His primary education was at a small Montessori school in Chennai, followed by high school at Madras Christian College High School. He then enrolled in Vivekananda College, followed by College of Engineering, Guindy, to pursue the BE (Mechanical) course.

Having worked for the government and private corporations in manufacturing, projects, development of new venture ideas, and foreign collaborations for 12 years, Mr. Samuel established a consultancy named Transprojects for identifying and setting up new venture ideas and foreign associations. He holds several US patents. Solar air conditioning (Australia), high vacuum technology (Liechtenstein; USA), coal beneficiation (USA), and optical lenses (USA) are some of the innovative ideas he generated for clients. He was also appointed by Unilever as an entrepreneur to handle a project which involved creating fresh flower essences with a small French company. Consequently, he founded Indfrag Ltd. in 1989 to extract the fragrance of flowers like jasmine and tuberose.

He switched to plant extracts for Health and Nutrition when producing floral components was no longer profitable. Following that, the business flourished, and he once again diversified it into cosmetic plant extracts. Under his able leadership, Indfrag has expanded exponentially over the years, offering a variety of plant extracts for the health and beauty industries. Mr. Samuel divided up his company into two parts in 2016. He sold the major part of the company for a high price, compensating all stockholders 126 times compared to 9.6 X for Sensex Index.

DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE IDEAS

Samuel has had a long-standing fascination for generating original business concepts. He wants to provide these suggestions for free to youngsters looking for business ideas. To that end, he has developed a website called Idearampage. His message to youngsters is that experiences in life can teach us valuable lessons, and we can always find a workaround for any circumstance.

A COMPASSIONATE LEADER

Mr. Samuel aims to assist underserved communities. He is a fervent supporter of women’s equality. His company has a girl power team with a long list of accomplishments to their credit. In 2017, he gave up his successful career as an entrepreneur to focus on giving back to society. His only son, Fabian, is currently in charge of the business, which has been doing even better due to his strong commitment to sustainability. Mr. Samuel still guides his business, but in his spare time, he works on charitable causes such as offering interest-free loans to small street vendors who are struggling due to high-interest rates, or converting used hotel soap into new ones and distributing it to the poor. Innovations and ideas never fail to motivate him, and he is always willing to provide his knowledge, expertise, and resources to people, businesses, and industries.

His relentless commitment has earned Indfrag numerous awards, including the Best EOU (MSME) for Food & Agro products for 2008-09’ and ‘Export Excellence Award 2003-04’ by MEPZ and “Best vendor of the year” bestowed by a sizeable American customer three years in a row.

Founding Partner & CEO at AJMS Global Consulting, Dr. Abhishek is a well-known name among many fintech enthusiasts. He is the founder of AJMS Global, a boutique consulting firm incepted in 2018. Under his leadership, a mere 4-year-old firm AJMS Global Consulting has become a Superbrand in the Middle East. Within a short span, he has expanded the operations of the firm in many countries across the Central and South Asia and the Middle East. Along with this flagship firm, he has founded and managed many sizeable firms such as AInsurtech (IT Services and IT Consulting company)and RemitEx Technologies or “DIGI” (a Regtech solutions company). Dr. Abhishek’s unique contributions to the financial world separate him from many others in this industry. On one hand, he is making real-life changes by establishing and working with many fintech and banking companies and on the other, he is spearheading innovation in finance with his thought leadership.

A VERSATILE PROFESSIONAL

He has honed several skills. His journey of building expertise started with his degrees in finance. He has a doctorate in FinTech Innovation from Ecole Superieure Robert De Sorbon, an MBA from the Xavier Institute of Management, MS (Finance), and also earned the ACAMS certification. Certifications in Blockchain, Python, and other emerging financial technology help him keep up with the latest trends in the FinTech world. Thanks to the strong knowledge base and his passion for continuous learning, Dr. Abhishek has gained expertise in comprehensive frameworks of risk management related to market, operations, regulation, internal control, auditing, and much more. He has also worked with a large number of banks and other financial institutions in various capacities. The clients that have benefited from Dr. Abhishek’s work include major MNC banks, insurance companies, finance houses, exchange companies and many more.

RECOGNIZED BY MARKETS & INSTITUTIONS

His work is recognized by both markets and institutions, which appreciate his work by collaborating with his firms. The client retention rate at AJMS and DIGI is around 95% – a rarity in the industry. Institutions recognize Dr. Abhishek’s work by awarding him and the firms founded and managed by him with jobs of critical importance. Leading media organizations of various countries have reported RemitEx as one of the fastest growing FinTech unicorns in the Middle East, and AJMS as the fastest growing and dominant GRC powerhouse. For its unique services, AJMS has been felicitated by Dubai Economy. AJMS’ novel product Actuarial Disclosures & Profitability Tool (ADPT) grabbed the award for the best actuarial and IFRS 17 solution for 2022 at the InsureTech Conference held in Dubai.

LONG ROAD AHEAD

Dr. Abhishek feels that he has to work even harder to boost FinTech innovation. This is exactly why he is promoting many companies that are running at the forefront of the payments technology sector. Many fintech companies are now providing financial services to customers who were earlier unbanked and, many startups are focusing on millennials to help them learn financial management for a more secure life. He strongly believes that financial technology can help in solving a lot of challenges faced by society and intends to work in this direction.

FUELING MARKET EXPANSION

A management graduate from Asia’s finest business school, Divyashikha has always dreamt of setting milestones in domestic and international markets. Consequently, she launched Stalwart World, a top-notch, people-centric organization that caters to all its partners and stakeholders through state-of-the-art business models. To ensure diversity of ideas, she collaborated with like-minded entrepreneurs to create self-empowering, technology-driven innovative business solutions. Stalwart World’s services cover 4 business segments through Stalwart Business Consortium LLP (SBCL), a division to collaborate with food and beverages (F&B) and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands for increasing their sales, marketing, and distribution network and facilitating them with more accessible, affordable, and hassle-free market entry. Outsourcing the brands’ sales, marketing, distribution, and revenue solutions to SBCL’s sales partner enables these brands to completely focus on streamlining and strengthening their manufacturing/sourcing and product portfolio. The company’s second business division is the Stalwart Management Consulting (SMC) that provides cost-effective and impactful human resource solutions to help build sustainable and competitive teams for clients.

Stalwart Wellness, the third business segment works to ensure the all-around wellness of partner businesses’ employees. Few such initiatives appreciated by Stalwart Wellness’s clients include “Wonder Woman” for helping working women excel in their respective professional fields and “Fit for Life” for cardiac care, weight loss, and diabetes management. Similarly, Stalwart–YOU 7.0 is a platform for facilitating upskilling through experiential learning that includes concepts from films, music, and dramas and links business objectives to outcomes.

DELIVERING EFFECTIVE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Divyashikha firmly believes that the overall success of a business depends on 6 basic tenets — corporate governance, independence, transparency, professionalism, accountability, and code of ethics. In the initial phase of her entrepreneurial journey, Divyashikha realized that as an industrialist, she would have to assume multiple roles ranging from sales and accounts management and marketing to operations and human resource management. The challenge of managing the company’s finances on a day-to-day basis inculcated in her a habit of scrutinizing the expenses and channelizing operations for better outcomes. A more nuanced understanding of different aspects of her business operations has helped her organize them to achieve business objectives efficiently.

Her deep knowledge and insight into various businesses have enabled her to choose the right members for the core team of experts and the ancillary team of efficient employees who stand by her in times of business uncertainty. A good communicator, Divyashikha believes that effective leadership involves two-way communication and listening to constructive feedback from clients, teams, and various stakeholders. Both help devise and adopt new business strategies to enhance individual and group performance.

ENSURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Divyashikha believes in maintaining a strong relationship with her clients and providing them with in-depth market intelligence to support their 360-degree growth. Therefore, she emphasizes uniformity in the quality of service for all clients across any stage of the entrepreneurial journey. This has enabled her to establish her organization as a trusted and time-tested partner of many businesses by helping them to scale new heights of growth and success.

Mr. Aizaz is based in India and holds an MSc and an MBA. With an analytical mindset and a strong aptitude for strategy, he possesses excellent people management and communication skills. He brings a lot of vigor, commitment, and honesty to the work. One reason for his first continuous growth is his relentless pursuit of excellence and not resting on his laurels. He continuously strives to keep his customers happy and participate in making of digital India.

A FIRM TEAM LEADER

His perspicacity helped him manage a professional team of consultants from various countries, culture and successfully deliver critical, time-bound projects in digital banking technology and operational process optimization of the Issuance and Acquiring platform. He is a team player, a coach, and a mentor for his squad, and he periodically adopts the roles of coach, visionary, authoritarian, and pacesetter.

ENSURING EXCELLENCE

Mr. Aizaz’s decade-long experience in fintech industry has been extremely beneficial for the organization. Mr. Aizaz introduced excellent governance-related reforms as a crucial necessity for success. He and his team possess the necessary critical skills to ensure that governance is taken more seriously and new digital payment channels are quickly launched into the market in full compliance with necessary regulations. His firm Indipaisa collaborated with Indian Payments Bank, licensed lenders and insurers to provide top notch fintech services at competitive pricing and assist small Indian companies keep up with the country’s digital move toward a cashless society. The company is dedicated to innovation, in-depth subject matter knowledge, and technical fintech competence that the Indian SME market requires.

EXPLORING NEW VENTURES

Mr. Aizaz has established himself as a leader who recognizes the importance of MSMEs in the Indian market. For a decade, his organization has been supplying digital banking technology to various regions in MENA, Asia, and Europe and now the focus is towards India with a brand name “Indipaisa”. His business is already live with merchants in Delhi/NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka and has recently collaborated with banks and fintech companies in India to deliver end-to-end digital commercial banking solutions, driven by social networks, to millions of underserved Indian micro-SMEs. He has experienced and comprehended the issues encountered by MSMEs on several occasions. In order to address this, he developed disruptive product development with his team, which has been guided over the past ten years by AI and Machine learning analysis of MSME needs.

AWARDS GALORE

Mr. Aizaz’s expertise in his field has turned him into a trendsetter for which he has been awarded several honors globally. His firm was recognized as the “Best Technology Company in the Middle East” during the “Qatar Business Awards 2019.” Receiving the title of “No. 1 Fintech Company in Qatar” for his organization is yet another feather in his hat, along with awards such as the “Best Mobile Money App in the Middle East” and the “Best Payment Processing Company in the Middle East”.

LEADING FROM THE FRONT

Rajesh is a self-made man who has earned a reputation for himself through sheer hard work and talent. The career-driven, detail-oriented, and dynamic individual has extensive leadership experience in several renowned corporations. His specialities include strategy, product, revenue and brand building. He had also worked for Justdial Ltd. as the Group Vice President for Global Operations. During his tenure Justdial went from being a start-up to a VC-backed corporation to becoming a public company. 2 other companies he was involved with have listed on stock exchanges in India and USA.

THRIVING IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

Having lost his father when he was only 12, Rajesh received very little education as his family was not well off financially. At the age of 16, he moved out of his home and spent 3 months living at a railway station. To survive, he used to take up odd assignments like serving as an office boy, washing horses at the racecourse, garment factories, fibre glass units, working as a waiter and so on. He did manage to go to college with his small earnings, but could never manage to complete his education. The realization that he needs education, but not necessarily from a university or college, came early to him. Life was teaching him every day by throwing challenges that were far bigger than a young boy could handle. At the Railway station he started borrowing books and learning for himself. When people got off trains, he would request them to donate him books if they had. Rajesh always dreamt and believed that despite all the hardship he was going through, one day, he would become a person that the entire world would recognize and respect. It was his dream to own a big house, drive a Mercedes car, travel the world, employ people in all places, and be loved by all. His hard work, dedication, focus, and honesty have enabled him to achieve his dreams and more.

MATERIALIZING HIS DREAM

Rajesh started his first full-time employment with Getit Yellow Pages, which was still a startup at the time. His decision to join the company shaped the next 30 years of his life. Later, he decided to join Justdial, where he was responsible for establishing a sales channel as a consultant. Soon after, he was offered a position at Indya.com, India’s first horizontal portal, he became the first Indyan to set up a Yellow Pages on the internet. After a successful stint at Indya.com, he rejoined Justdial in 2002 and played a key role in the growth of the company. He also launched the Justdial Yellow Pages which went on to become a huge success. Rajesh was involved in Justdial attempting to launch in the USA. Although his career was at its peak, he wanted to do something more meaningful. That’s when the idea of Xelpmoc started evolving. His idea became a reality in 2016 with the launch of Xelpmoc Design & Tech, which is now listed on the stock exchange. It was one of the many ventures he has started. In 2017, Rajesh exited Xelpmoc to pursue setting up or investing in multiple other ventures in Gaming, ecommerce, fintech, hyperlocal logistics, food, real estate, prop tech etc.

A BENEVOLENT SOUL

Rajesh regularly participates in a variety of activities to encourage deserving youngsters, as he feels that he should give back to society. Hundreds of young people have been hired into his companies and he has played a key role in them achieving their dreams. He has also mentored several young entrepreneurs who have launched their own enterprises very early in life. He prefers watching movies when he is not working. He enjoys comedies, especially slapstick flicks. Aside from watching movies, he enjoys paragliding and skydiving. He is passionate about driving around the world and has already driven parts of 4 continents.

Being a lawyer is not merely a vocation. It gives an individual the power to bring justice and discipline in the society. For this, one must have a strong sense of responsibility, be unbigoted, and dedicated to the profession. Dr. Bhat is that one person.

The Forerunner of SS Law— one of the leading law firms in India — Dr. Bhat has been offering legal services for about three decades. Till now, he has empowered and helped hundreds of individuals and businesses with several law services.

THE MULTIFACETED MASTER

Dr. Bhat’s exceptional expertise comes from years of experience and high qualification. To be the best in his field, he made sure his educational experience becomes rich and vast. Today, he not only holds a Bachelor in Law and an MBA but also an LLM, MFM, CFA, M.Phil. and PhD. His multifaceted education has shaped him into one of the most respected lawyers in the country.

He now specializes in criminal law, family/divorce, civil, IPR, personal injury, property, corporate law, arbitration, and mediation. His organization SS Law also provides advisory, training, and investigation services in Trial Court, High court, and Supreme Court.

But this all-rounder approach is not the only USP of his organization. Dr. Bhat understands the trust his clients put in him and makes sure that the team devotes its time to find the best solutions with a personal touch.

The success story of Dr. Bhat does not stop here. He is also known for his expertise in finance and business, which he keeps sharing through his books like Security Analysis and Portfolio Management, Financial Management: Principles and Practices, and a few more. He has also won corporate awards for his remarkable business acumen and exceptional work.

BANKING ON VALUES

Staying ahead in the legal field is one thing but staying ahead while adhering to values and ethics is commendable. Since the beginnings of his career, Dr. Bhat promised himself to do his work with integrity and loyalty. No matter what the case was, he did not leave his values.

Now, these two are the touchstones by which he runs his law firm. Another thing that highlights Dr. Bhat’s commitment to his profession is his Pro-Bono-Work initiative. Through this initiative, he offers legal services to people from low-income groups and minorities. With these values and philosophies, Dr. Bhat has created a team of lawyers that are not just exceptional at their job but also possess a strong character.

A DRIVEN LEADER IN A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY

Legal practices in India have seen a dramatic change over the past few years. People can easily get legal advice within a few clicks. This has increased the competition in field by many folds. However, this competitive and dynamic environment is nothing but an exciting challenge for him. In fact, Dr. Bhat hopes the change keeps happening as it gives him the opportunity to help more and more people. The satisfaction that comes from happy clients encourages him to continue his profession and keep making a difference in people’s lives.

VISION TO OFFER INVALUABLE SERVICES

Known for his charismatic personality, Amit is a prominent name in the logistics industry. A graduate from the University of Delhi, Amit earned his Master’s degree in Business Management in 2004. He has worked for well-established and reputable companies which have helped him gain a wealth of experience and exposure in the field of logistics.

Asia Shipping was established by Amit in 2012 in New Delhi with branch offices in major export centres in India. As part of its efforts to provide its customers with the best services at the most competitive rates, it offers advanced shipping services, customs clearance, warehouse management, and other logistics support products.

DEMONSTRATES AN INNOVATION-DRIVEN MINDSET

Amit’s dynamic leadership approach and innovative business development policies have helped Asia Shipping achieve and surpass all its targets over the years. In a short span of nine years, the organisation has grown from a simple start in freight forwarding services from India to Latin America, to one offering a wide array of logistics services from the Indian sub-continent to the rest of the world.

In addition to being registered with the Federal Maritime Commission, USA and CBSA, Canada, the organisation has membership in several international associations, including IATA, WCA, EAN, and FIATA.

The AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) and GDP(Good Distribution Practices) certified company was launched in collaboration with M/s Asia Shipping, Brazil [Asia Shipping Transportes Internacionais Ltda], a multinational logistics provider, which has been ranked the number one logistics organisation in Brazil for over 17 years, and operates through its 40 branches in 12 countries. Currently, it is rated among the top 30 logistics companies in the world.

ON AN EXPANSION SPREE

Under Amit’s stewardship, Asia Shipping, India has expanded its footprint across several cities in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Gandhidham, Ludhiana, Jamshedpur, and in the India sub-continent, Bangladesh and Dubai . Besides developing its own international network of agents and correspondents around the globe, the organisation, under his leadership, has been active in exporting and importing across all major trade lanes worldwide.

The ambitious leader also plans to continue expanding his organisation by strengthening the existing branches as well as opening new ones. Additionally, he is already involved in expanding the organisation’s international network to strengthen its global presence.

Also, he plans on adding new products and verticals to his organisation’s inventory in the coming years. Moreover, he hopes to be able to capitalize on the newly emerging opportunities that are arising from the change in the international trading environment resulting from the opening up of world markets following the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A FUTURE-FOCUSED LEADER

Amit is a visionary leader who is always ready to face the uncertainties of the future. International cargo movement has been adversely affected by the COVID-19-induced pandemic in a variety of ways, including decline in production, inland transport constraints, storage capacity constraints and limited loading/unloading capacity at ports as well as airports.

His creative strategies and out-of-the-box thinking and proactive approach have helped his organisation to persevere and progress through the COVID-19 crisis also.

Mr. Sandhu is a highly experienced leader, who has held posts with RTOs and Higher Education Providers (HEPs), including Chief Executive Officer roles for International Colleges and Compliance and Quality Assurance Manager roles within several RTOs, TAFEs, and Universities. Additionally, he has been a Business Systems Project Official with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) since 2008. Mr. Sandhu is an Australian citizen and Canadian permanent resident.

AN INSPIRING CAREER JOURNEY

Mr. Sandhu jumped at the chance to start his career when he was just 14 years old. His professional career began as a web designer and developer in Solan, a picturesque Himalayan town.

Despite starting his career at such an early age, he has been a constant learner. The lifelong learner balanced his career with a variety of academic courses and qualifications, which aided in his rapid advancement up the corporate ladder. In addition to two MBAs and three master’s degrees in IT and systems, Mr. Sandhu holds a Graduate Diploma in Management Learning, a Diploma in Training Design and Development, a Diploma in Vocational Education Training, a Diploma in Work, Health and Safety, a Diploma of Quality Auditing, an Advanced Diploma in Management, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Technology, and a variety of other courses and qualifications.

Through his business venture Career Calling International, the visionary leader aids in the development of skill pool of personnel to cater to the needs of global industry. Over the years, Career Calling International has grown to become a well known provider of professional development and workshops around the world through its subsidiaries — Edu learning and CAQA skills. Additionally, CAQA Recruitment and Career Calling Jobs are two of its subsidiaries that provide employment services.

BUILDING A POOL OF SKILLED LABOUR

Mr. Sandhu’s motivation for starting Career Calling in Australia was the fact that, when he first began looking into the market, he could not find any compliant learning or assessment resources. Even though he had resources at his disposal, none of them met his expectations. Thus, by means of Career Calling, he decided to facilitate audits, compliance support, advocacy for industry best practices, and much more.

Additionally, the tech-savvy leader invests a great deal in research, advanced technology, and the recruitment of exceptional talent. Since he believes that the very foundation of any organisation is its people, his primary goal has always been to identify individuals who are self-motivated. Furthermore, his team is composed of individuals with backgrounds in education or training.

In addition, he has some brilliant business analysts who assist the organisation to grow. Stakeholder feedback, along with benchmarking principles established in accordance with industry best practices, are used to assess the quality and efficacy of training offered by his company. Simultaneously, Mr. Sandhu consistently adopts efficient methods to better run the businesses and processes, while treating his employees like his extended family.

A leader with big plans, he is currently seeking suitable expansion opportunities across a broad range of market segments, including training and assessment, digital and on-line media, networking, and technology solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made it more difficult for him to interact with the relevant individuals and businesses all over the world, but he gratefully accepts all of their offers and looks forward to interacting with them via video conferencing tools. With this in mind, his CAQA Publications has begun developing resources for Google Books and Amazon Kindle, with plans to make them available on 28 other platforms by the end of 2022.

Recently, he formed an agreement with Sydney-based EduLabs to deliver real-lab environments to clients.

A MULTI-TALENTED INDIVIDUAL

As a training consultant, Mr. Sandhu has broad project management experience in risk management, compliance, and administration. Over the years, he has been involved in nearly one hundred audits across Australia and is extremely knowledgeable about government compliance standards. Moreover, he provides consulting advice regarding ASQA/VRQA, TEQSA, ACPET, DET-HESG, VQF/Higher Education, ANMAC, AHPRA, CRICOS, ESOS, and ISO.

He also founded Australia’s first online radio station, Sukh Radio, in 2009 and served as a radio jockey with Australia’s premiere Punjabi radio station, interviewing some of his favourite celebrities in the world, among many other accomplishments. In addition, as a certified social media expert, he contributes a number of articles to Social Media Today.

MOMENTOUS ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2013, Mr. Sandhu was voted by Internet Choice Awards as the best blogger. His tweets have trended worldwide more than 45 times. Additionally, LinkedIn included his profile in the top 1% of most-viewed profiles for both 2012 and 2013.

Additionally, Canadian author, entrepreneur, and social media expert Evan Carmichael listed Mr. Sandhu among the top 100 social media specialists worldwide for the period from 2012 to 2016. He also won the first prize in a mini story competition organised by Haryana Punjabi (Sahit) Kala Manch in 2005. Moreover, between 1988 and 2000, he always won first prizes as a participant in stage acts and dramas.

In his spare time, Mr. Sandhu enjoys composing poems, writing stories, and learning new languages. He also has a YouTube channel with over 5.69k subscribers. Additionally, the compassionate leader is also a philanthropist. Over 500 non-profit organisations have benefited from his volunteer work.

Dr. Kapur has an unrelenting passion and dedication toward improving agricultural produce with better quality seeds that don’t harm the soil. He has spent a large amount of his career engaging in R&D to develop these high-yielding hybrid seeds in vegetable, cereal, and oil seed crops. His simple vision was to transform the seed sector and he dedicated his life to achieve transformation in agriculture for better outcome.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

A veteran in the food production industry, Dr. Arvind Kapur started his career in 1980 after completing his Ph.D. from Panjab Agriculture University in plant physiology and understanding molecular genetics functionality. Prior to that, he had completed B.Sc (Hons) and M. Sc (Hons) from the same university. After completing his education in 1980, he joined the PAU as an assistant professor in the plant breeding department. Soon, he was promoted to associate professor and in 1988 he left the university to join Pioneer Seed Company which became Proagro seed company in 1990. His journey to transform and lead some significant developments in the food production industry thus began. With a strong background in breeding and molecular genetics, Dr. Kapur worked diligently at Proagro. He was leading multiple functions at Proagro including R&D. Shortly after joining, in 1994, he was made the director of Proagro-PGS, a joint venture between Proagro and Plant Genetic Systems of Belgium, a leading company for biotech research. At Proagro-PGS, he started the first-ever experimental research on genetic modification in mustard seed in India. Soon he became the MD of this JV and led the development of the first transgenic mustard hybrid with “Seedlink” technology. His vision had always been to transform the seed sector and modernize the food production industry. With his dedication and hard work, he has been able to realize his vision and take this industry way beyond anyone would have thought. In 1998, Proagro merged with Agrevo-Hoechst and Aventis and finally in Bayer, and Dr. Kapur became the MD of Nunhems India after merger. He started the operations of vegetable seeds of the Global company Nunhems of Netherland in India. In a short span of 10 years, Nunhems became the leader in the vegetable seed sector and Dr. Kapur expanded its growth into China, Indonesia, and Thailand. By then he was also leading the R&D APAC region and thus led this company into geographical expansion. A few years down the line in 2009, Dr. Kapur decided to take plunge and started a vegetable seeds subsidiary under Rasi Seeds company with a different brand name HyVeg and that’s how began his entrepreneurial journey as CEO of Rasi HyVeg.

LEADING A REVOLUTION

In 2015, HyVeg was demerged from Rasi Seeds and named Acsen HyVeg. Dr. Kapur became the MD of this new entity and led this company to touch greater heights. Under his leadership and vision, Acsen HyVeg has been continuously providing the best quality vegetable seeds to small and medium land holding farmers. Dr. Kapur’s aim is not limited to developing the best quality hybrids but he is also working diligently to improve local open-pollinated varieties of vegetable crops. It is this foresight and futuristic vision that has led the company to be the 5th ranked company in Asia and number 1 in India ranked by ‘Access to Seed Index’ a global organisation supported by Bill Gate Foundation and FAO, a UN body. Dr. Kapur has made it as his mission to cover more acres with performing seeds and protect the soil as well as the environment through resistance breeding to reduce the chemical usage. Since the beginning of his career, Dr. Kapur has been committed to transforming agriculture through improved genetics and new technologies and he has translated this passion into his work at Acsen HyVeg. Dr. Kapur’s passion is contagious and rubs off on all his team members. The targets might be difficult to achieve but it is his strong support and work ethic that makes his entire team dedicated to the same cause. He is a people’s manager and believes in taking his entire team with him. He listens, guides, supports, and delegates work according to the team member’s ability. Only a true leader can bind a team together and ensure that while the collective dream gets fulfilled, each team member also gets enough space to grow and realize their own personal career goals.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Dr. Kapur has over 40 years of legacy behind him and his expertise in the food production area is truly unmatched. For his stellar contribution to the agriculture sector, he received the Bhartiya Udyog Ratan Award in 2006 and again in 2015. This award was presented by the Indian Economic Development and Research Association (IEDRA). He also received recognition from one of the leading publications Marquis Who’s Who which publishes short biographies of exceptional performers from all over the world. Dr. Kapur was listed in this prestigious magazine for three consecutive years from 2013-15. In 2020, he was named amongst ‘10 Best Leaders in Agriculture Industry’ by CEO Insights Magazine. He has also won the “Best Leader in Agriculture” Award by Food 2.0 Dubai. He has also shared the depth of his knowledge and experience in many papers and articles. With over 25 scientific articles and 25 professional articles to his name, he is one of the most noted authors in the sector. He also has published book chapters in Michigan State University publication on Vegetable breeding in climate change. Dr. Kapur is also a very sought-after name for lectures in India and all over the world. He has delivered more than 250 lectures on Biotechnology, Agriculture policies, IPR, and other related subjects. Most recently, he published an article in the magazine Business Sight’s 10 Most Trusted Brands of the Year 2021. He is also a prominent member of CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, and PHDCCI, Chairs the APSA Committee, and also member of the IP committee of ISF and was a board member of the Indo- Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology (ISCB). Presently he is vice chair of FSII.