Category: Leaders

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.

Coming from a distinguished background of leading lawyers, industrialists and educationists, Mr. Khaitan represents the best of knowledge, entrepreneurship & dynamism. The Khaitan family runs numerous schools, each of which is a beacon of excellence in the field of education. The Khaitan School (Noida), Khaitan Public School (Ghaziabad), Khaitan Preschool (Noida), BDM International School (Kolkata), Indus Valley World School (Kolkata) and Sunny Preparatory School (Kolkata) are some of them which are operated by his family. Mr. Khaitan is an alumnus of the Modern School, Vasant Vihar. He is a Mechanical Engineer from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Inducted into the management of The Khaitan School in 2008, he has played key roles in several of the institution’s milestones including founding the Khaitan Preschool in 2013. The school has since received numerous awards for quality education and is widely recognized as a leading educational institution in Noida. Mr. Khaitan has also played an important role in seting up the Gautam Budh Nagar Chapter of the Independent School Federation of India. He co-founded The K12 education chapter of FICCI ARISE, a policy advocacy body for education. He is presently the Chair of its North Committee and the Membership Committee. He has also completed a large number of certifications, including the Business Mastery Programme & an intensive course on Digital Marketing offered by Business Coaching India run by Mr. Rahul Jain.

A MAN OF MANY SKILLS

Apart from his educational acumen, he has interests spanning sports, music and aero modelling. A technology enthusiast and an avid golf player, he is also an accomplished western classical pianist, photographer, singer and sportsman. He believes that a focused approach always leads to excellence. He has chosen his path and wants to be a leader in his field. He feels this is the secret of success of great entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates as well as great companies like Apple and Sony. In his journey towards excellence, he has created a process-driven school system. The schools have mapped out all the processes in their functioning, down to the last detail in both academic and non-academic aspects. A task-level tracking system is also in place.

TRADITION MEETS MODERNITY

Mr. Khaitan’s planning and vision helps him take decisions related to finance, hiring, marketing, digital adoption, & growth in a very prudent & holistic manner. He associates actively with leaders in the field of educational infrastructure and educationists to gain insights into the best practices in the field. Mr. Khaitan’s vision helps him to see beyond the mass production-style system of education and rote learning. He emphasizes upon the importance of education in catering and preparing children for careers that don’t even exist today. The children of today need to be able to learn, unlearn, relearn and adapt to the fast-changing world scenario. Through staff training along with leadership development programmes, he is creating a unified vision for the institution. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has thrown an unprecedented challenge at the educational system. Students along with schools are adapting to the new normal. Visionaries like Mr. Khaitan have risen to the occasion to creatively combat the crisis. Technology is now playing a major role in how education is imparted, a move that has special significance for him as he is a visionary in the field. The Khaitan School has already prepared a roadmap to deal with the rapidly changing times. Under his guidance, the institutions are well-prepared to impart world-class education to the future citizens.

Ravinder or Ravi, as he is fondly called, is a C-level Leader and Award winning Technologist with over 2 decades of global assignments in 5 continents with his base in the USA, Europe and Asia. His achievements in the professional sphere diverge into different spheres; ranging from Airlines, Aviation MROs, Aerospace organizations, Management consulting practices, award winning E-commerce ventures and brands, Robotics and AI-driven factories in the area of Forest Products, Retail, Semiconductor manufacturing, Aluminum smelting and Sports Marketing. Ravi has built trillion dollar information networks for governments and his technology frameworks have transformed domains ranging from microfinance to the largest postal services in the world.

A Harvard alumnus, Ravi is a celebrity Innovator with several patents, and is a Non-Executive Advisor to the board to several enterprises where incubation & differentiation is core necessity and challenge. He brings in technology sanity, brutal honesty and no-nonsense management thinking to facilitate rapid profitable business growth and transformation via digitization. He sits on the advisory council of many global research firms where he contributes in predicting practical future automation use cases and respective technologies.

INNOVATING EXCELLENCE

An inventor par excellence, Ravi has recently created 4 types of respiratory systems ranging from Ventilators to Oxygen Concentrators; 7 types of affordable Robots for healthcare, hospitality, aviation, automotive and citizen services; and a multipurpose Drone for security & civil services. In the year 2020, he created algorithms and products for direct democracy, future airports, business value of customer emotions, and others based on Blockchain, IoT and Artificial Intelligence. He has invented several systems ranging from cross-compilers to encoders to machines to modern software in diverse domains namely Aviation, ITeS, Manufacturing (Forest products, Semiconductor, Automobile), Mining, Public Services (Postal, Citizen, Finance), Retail, Sports & Fitness and Technology.

INCUBATING STARTUPS

Quite recently, Ravi has incubated 2 startups, 1 global institution and has helped in maturing 3 startups to profitability. He actively contributes through advisory, & co-creation services, Hackathons and innovation funding to create massentrepreneurship at grassroots across rural, towns and cities in India, USA, Singapore, Scotland, Mexico and Africa. As an angel investor, he has mentored and managed more than 60 start ups over the last decade.

A LEADER IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD

True leaders motivate and inspire others to do the right thing by charting a visionary course and, in turn, create something new out of the familiar. Ravi is one such leader who believes that leadership is the ability to map out the best route to success and is always dynamic, inspiring and designed to excite others into action. Describing himself as a leader and sharing some of the unique aspects about his leadership style, he elaborates, “I have always been associated with an organization or institution where incubation or change is the core necessity and challenge. This has enhanced my natural ability to apply art and science to solve today’s problems and build a sustainable foundation for tomorrow. Hence, my professional persona is focused on creation, influencing my social style, management philosophy and leadership virtues.”

He further adds, “Change has been constant in my professional life. My management philosophy has evolved over the years and leadership style as per the situational practicality and environmental context of time and space. But if it has to be classified into conventional buckets, I would say that my management philosophy has been in the range of autocratic to democratic, but always leading and never controlling. There are nine commonly defined leadership styles, mine oscillates and varies from transformational to servant and laissez-faire to democratic.”

Ravi takes failure in his stride and believes that “Failure is critical to Creative Leadership.” He is of the view that “Depiction of Future is essential for Meaningful Leadership” and vehemently believes that “Compassion and Courage are mandatory to bring change.” He aptly concludes, “Overall as an inventor and a rescue pilot, life has provided me with ample opportunities to see life and death both from close quarters; hence wisdom to focus on good Karma is central to my existence.”

DEDICATED TO SERVING HUMANITY

As a leader who believes in leading from the front, Ravi feels that “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” He rightly asserts, “Loud speech, profusion of words, and possessing skillfulness in expounding scriptures are merely for the enjoyment of the learned. They do not lead to liberation. Among the contributory factors of liberation, devotion stands supreme, and it is the search for one’s own true nature that is meant by devotion.”

In his bid to connect with his true self, Ravi has been inventing products and services to serve humanity, save lives and enhance the civilization. As a rescue pilot, he has saved lives across the globe. He has served various international agencies by flying several hundred hours as emergency response expeditions ranging from COVID to floods to earthquakes.

Owing to his ground zero experience as a frontline leader, he has some useful tips for the industry. He stresses, “COVID lockdown has exposed several flaws especially great versus good i.e. great government, great domains, great companies, etc. versus the good. Good is not good enough. Everyone needs to learn. Irrespective of the status of the lockdown, the speed of change will continue. Companies will have to use this momentum and fully embrace agile strategy and the resultant operating shift.”

In this regard, he vehemently asserts that companies must “learn fast and reflect continuously.” Alluding to the changed business scenario in the post COVID-19 world, he strongly feels that “leveraging technology is the key to smooth sailing through the troubled waters.”

Shilpa began her career with a jewelry manufacturing company in Bangkok after completing her degree in jewellery designing from SNDT in Mumbai. She was very clear about the fact that she wanted to pursue jewellery designing over fashion designing because she adores the detailed, delicate, and meticulous handwork that goes into creating jewellery pieces.

She relied on her instincts and judgment to put her business ideas into action. She also worked tirelessly to foray into the jewellery design industry, eventually developing her brand and establishing a thriving company based on her passion and knowledge in the field. All the struggles have helped her evolve into a motivated, confident and humble person.

INNOVATING EXCELLENCE

Shilpa claims that fear is the greatest impediment to success; thus, she never lets it get the better of her. The bold entrepreneur is never afraid of trying new things or experimenting with new ideas. She never sets limits for herself and is always looking for new opportunities to challenge herself. It is her courage and self-confidence that motivate her to stand strong even in the face of adversity.

She has always been optimistic about her aesthetic jewellery collections. She believes in her ability to innovate and create something truly extraordinary for her clients. A lot of thinking, planning, and hard work goes into each of her creations which does not cause her to question her ability or choices. Her collection “Aakriti’ is an example of a unique collection that grew out of sheer curiosity.

Shilpa places a high value on quality and honesty in her work, ensuring that each piece she produces becomes a priceless possession for its owner. At the same time, she ensures that her eye-catching creations make her clients feel exhilarated.

As a business owner, Shilpa is always looking for new ways to provide value to her customers. In response to the current pandemic situation and rising gold prices, she created the affordable “Shagun” collection wherein lightweight gold pieces in gorgeous geometrical patterns highlight the contemporary trends welded with India’s vibrant culture. She also emphasizes exceptional customer service to provide her customers with a one-of-a-kind purchasing experience.

The exquisite and delicate craftsmanship shown by Indian artisans never fails to fascinate her. Her collections – TARAASH” and “AAKRITI” – feature designs that reflect her unwavering commitment to ethnicity, values, and tradition. Her designs never fail to represent India’s diverse cultures and art forms admirably. Additionally, she looks for beauty and inspiration in everything, even the tiniest detail of nature.

A compassionate entrepreneur, she supports some of the highly skilled artisans of the nation. Since many of them are falling behind in terms of technology and innovation, she works to empower them and provide them with more work and opportunity for growth.

GARNERING GLORY

Shilpa’s designs have not only made an indelible impression on her clients, but also have helped her win multiple awards. Her first jewellery exhibition, which took place in Delhi, was a big hit. Many prestigious awards were bestowed upon her for her innovative designs, including the Best Jewellery Designer and Businesswoman award by India leadership awards. What’s more, her endeavors have also earned her the prestigious “Women Entrepreneur of the Year” by National Excellence Award.

Dr. Sridhar aims at offering ethical service and improving the standards of palliative care in India. She opines that India’s palliative care scenario is transforming dramatically; therefore the leaders in this sector have to gear up to evolve accordingly. After having graduated from Sri Ramachandra University in 1992, she has been practicing as the Medical Director & Founder of RMD Nursing Home for over 25 years. Apart from providing medical care at RMD Nursing Home, she currently looks after the administration of the 120-bedded healthcare facility in four different locations at Chennai, Sriperumbudur, and Madurai. She is also the Founder Medical Director of RMD Specialties Hospital, a 50-bedded hospital that offers oncology, palliative, and geriatric care services at Amarambedu, Kundrathar, & Sriperumbudur District. Through RMD Pain Relief & Palliative Care Trust, she offers palliative and hospice services to patients from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Moreover, to make palliative care viable in India, she regularly conducts sensitization and training programs for healthcare workers to integrate pain management, palliative care, and geriatric care with hospitals. What’s more, the patients and their attendants are provided with a welcoming and relaxed environment to ensure that they get the best care.

PROVIDING BETTER LIVELIHOODS TO THE NEEDY

Dr. Sridhar is the daughter of Mr. Ram Dave, the ex-Sheriff of Madras who was also a renowned philanthropist. Right from her childhood, she was exposed to philanthropic activities that inspired her to pursue her own philanthropic ventures as she grew up. Dr. Sridhar has been taking regular initiatives to train rural as well as urban youngsters from socio-economically disadvantaged families so as to employ them as caregivers and geriatric nurses. Under her guidance, women from rural parts of Tamil Nadu are educated, trained, and absorbed immediately in hospices and other palliative centers so that they can find their feet and become financially independent. Dr. Sridhar is a member of the Women Empowerment Forum. She is a strong advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Moreover, as a member of the Anti-women Domestic Violence Association, she takes measures to assist women who suffer silently in their homes. Other than spreading palliative and hospice care awareness, she regularly participates in CSR activities such as cancer awareness, Pink Movement, AIDS awareness, the Anti-tobacco movement, and much more.

REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Sridhar is the winner of many awards and accolades including the Mayan Award for Health and Fashion from Hon’ble Dr. Kiran Bedi (the ex-Governor of Puducherry), Vasavi Ugadi Puraskar Award for exemplary contribution to society and humanity, Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement, Justice Dr. K. S. Sanjivi Award for Home Care and Elderly Patients Care Service in 2016, Spirit of Humanity Award 2015 for contribution in the field of livelihood, Global Achievers Award 2015 for Excellent Performance and Outstanding Contribution for the Progress of the Nation and the World, among others.

She has been dedicatedly contributing as a faculty in the Indian Association of Palliative Care, Umaiyal Achi College of Nursing, Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Balaji Nursing College, MAC Nursing College, and Skill Development MES Course, among others.

A PASSION FOR IT

Hailing from a middle-class Indian family, Mr. Puthucode honed his skills working in the IT industry before deciding to pursue business. An entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience, he started SQC in 2001 and has worked with many prominent companies during his career including the Big Five Consulting Firms. A pioneer among Indian tech leaders, he has adopted unparalleled approaches & added new capabilities to SQC. His tryst with computers began in the 1980s when he worked as a part-time teacher at a computer centre. The passion he has for computers continues to this day & it has been a defining factor in turning him into a popular name in the IT industry.

A COMPELLING VISION

SQC is a firm that is known for providing IT services in Software Quality Assurance & Process Improvement among other areas. Innovation is the cornerstone at SQC, which has expanded its offerings by adding more PMI-certified training courses & IT consulting services that are truly disruptive. The firm is planning to set up an office in the UK in the next 2-3 years to elevate business growth.

ACHIEVING MILESTONES

Mr. Puthucode’s unique business style and strategies reflect his extraordinary mind. He is recognized as the leader who never fails in his endeavors and is known for upholding quality. He has never given up after failed attempts & has created numerous milestones in his journey. A renowned leader, he has helped a leading B2B MSME in India & its parent company in the US achieves growth of 200% CAGR.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Mr. Puthucode has been acknowledged in the list of ‘Top 10 Global Indian-origin CEOs of 2020’ by CEO Insights. SQC has been recognized among the Top 10 Quality Management solutions & services providers worldwide – in 2019 & 2020 – by CIO Review. SQC has also been recognized among the 10 companies for bringing Key Innovations in QA/Testing by APAC Business Headlines. He has been a part of multiple conferences as a speaker & an author of several industry articles worldwide, including ISACA Conferences and the Better Software Conference. He has been Forbes’s Technology Council Member since 2017, which is an inviteonly forum of US-based business leaders.

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY

At SQC, philanthropy is regarded as a strong motivator in gaining a deeper understanding of the responsibilities people have towards society. In the present scenario, Mr. Puthucode contributes to charities like the Red Cross. He has also helped his teenage son in establishing a non-profit organization to collect & recycle used eyeglasses. Started with the idea of making it accessible for those that need them, the firm has collaborated with ‘One Sight’ & ‘Eyes for the Needy’. It has also monetarily contributed to the production of local masks & PPE in the USA & has made donations in Southern California to the cause of fighting COVID. He is planning to start a teaching CSR initiative by opening IT training Institutes/centres at tier 2 cities in India in 2021 & 2022.

Currently, the company has three state-of-the-art workshops of one lac sq. ft. for manufacturing customized FRP tanks and other pollutioncontrol equipment. Priya is also one of the founders of Smt. Madibai Sardarmal Dakle School, Sanjan (Gujarat, India) — the CSR wing of Dakle Industrial Plastics. which is a pre and primary school and aims for imparting high-quality education to her employees’ children at a very subsidized cost.

ON AN EXPANSION SPREE

A perfect combination of ingenuity, foresight, and agility, Priya aims at taking the company to new heights of success with new products and innovative ideas. To expand the manufacturing of high-volume chemical storage tanks, she added the company’s second unit in 2012 with a hightech facility. This was followed by the third expansion in 2018 for manufacturing highly customized pollution control equipment and molding products. Priya further aims at expanding the company’s manufacturing units by building its fourth workshop for high volume FRP tanks catering to the chemical, dyes, and pharmaceutical industries globally. She is a focused leader who believes in going the extra mile to ensure client satisfaction. She has been successfully handling renowned multinational clients such as Bayer, Unilever Corporation, Fosroc & Syngenta, besides handling site services for the last 12 years. Some of her momentous accomplishments include the planning and execution of the prestigious 500 cubic meters of tanks at the new Maldives International Airport, including their installation and commissioning. She also handled the first ocean fish farming project in Sri Lanka, including the supply & installation of fishing tanks. She looks up to her father and father-in-law as her pillars of strength. Their guidance has been the root of her drive and inspiration to become a successful entrepreneur. She credits her success to her husband Mr. Anand Maganlal Dakle, who is her pillar of strength and the main reason behind the success of Dakle Industrial Plastics. Her biggest strength is her son who is a very simple, adjusting and non-demanding child, thereby making her journey as a working mother very easy.

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY

As a staunch supporter of the Indian Government’s ‘Vocal for Local’ and Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) campaigns, Priya encourages the procurement of local products from local suppliers who meet the standards. She also places the health of the planet at the forefront of her agenda and makes concentrated efforts to increase the green cover by planting trees all around the manufacturing units. During the pandemic, she waived off the annual school fees for all children studying in Smt. Madibai Sardarmal Dakle School and full salaries were paid to the schools’ teaching and the non-teaching staff. What’s more, instead of laying-off employees due to the pandemic, she has employed more workers keeping in mind the short-term challenges and the firm’s long-term goals.

GLORIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS

Priya has been honored with prestigious laurels. She was awarded Social Entrepreneur 2020 Award at Women Entrepreneurship Awards 2020 by Startup Vapi on Women’s Day. She was also nominated for the prestigious Vyapaar Jagat Convention & Awards 2020 in the category of Education Hero of the Year 2020. Recently, she has been appointed as Vice President, JITO, Ladies Wing Vapi.

Varis grew up in Vadodara, Gujarat (India). In 2011, he moved to Dubai (UAE) – the world’s most dynamic, future-forward business ecosystem. He possesses a Master’s Degree in Commerce & Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. The Certified Financial Planner is also a Wealth Manager, Investment Analysis & Portfolio Manager, Capital Market & Financial Market, Derivative & Securities, Mutual Funds Distributor & Insurance Advisor. Also, he has a CISI certification in UAE for rules & regulations for the Emirates Securities & Commodities Authority. He is also a Bloomberg Certified-Equity, Fixed income, Forex & Commodities professional.

FOCUSED ON STRATEGIC EXPANSION

Varis plays a vital role in giving FINCASA Capital an international presence. In less than 5 years, the company has grown from one Office to five offices including main office in Dubai, Branch offices in Cyprus, Canada, Peru and Greece. Fincasa has partnered with His Highness Sheikh Juma Bin Ahmed Bin Juma Al Maktoum, Member of Ruling Royal Family of Dubai. Global Women Empowerment Summit 2019 was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Juma, which was dedicated to the best female professional practices in the region. Fincasa Capital sponsored this event by supporting the “Woman everything” initiative. He believes that the firm’s incredible culture is the key to its ground-breaking success. The values-driven leader aims at developing and reinforcing a business model that cares equally for its clients, workforce, stakeholders as well as partners. His priority is to create and sustain a business model that inspires everyone in FINCASA to build a client-centered business.

RAISING THE BAR

Varis has over 15 years of global experience in developing and executing strategies in asset management, investments, and financial services. He demonstrates outstanding abilities in business development and management. He also has a strong skill set for investment banking, asset management, insurance, product management & team management. The visionary leader is also known for his excellence-driven approach. His constant focus on excellence helps him raise the bar and maintain the quality of his work. The stalwart has multiple talents and skills. He has extensive expertise in launching a variety of companies globally. He also fulfils his responsibility as the co-founder of Medley Capital and Key Investments. He promotes FDI and FII across North & Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East, and also specializes in cross-border international investment & investment migration. He is currently the board member in Medley Capital, Finco, FidentiaX, Bluechip Capital, Seguro Group, Arlo Associates, Key Investments and many more. What’s more, he also acts as a judge and an investor in various start-up events and competitions.

A SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS LEADER

Varis is equally passionate about FINCASA Capital’s approach to CSR. He regularly initiates numerous philanthropic activities across the globe. He believes that improving communities has a direct bearing on the success of the firm and its employees. He also holds that he has a duty towards the people he works with within the company. Apart from contributing to social welfare activities, he also designs and implements several CSR initiatives. He stands tall among his peers for his stellar contributions. He is indeed a leader who walks the talk.

AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER

Mr. Thakker has an illustrious career that spans across three decades and has been marked by his outstanding contributions to the insurance field. He has held various respectable positions such as that of President of Indian Merchants Chamber for 2014-15. He holds an Associate Degree (A.I.I.I.) from the Insurance Institute of India along with being a faculty at numerous other institutions related to insurance and management. Being a member of the Managing Committee of the IndoAmerican Chamber of Commerce along with being on the Executive Committee of the Indo-American Society in Mumbai, he has extended his valuable contributions to numerous forums.

Under his able leadership, Global Insurance has established itself as an esteemed composite broking firm that offers various distinguished services and insurance products to various individuals and companies. Over the years, it has won the trust of its clients and has gained an edge over its competitors.

By virtue of Mr. Thakker’s guidance, the organization has bolstered its governance standards and has developed a technology tool called GPS (Global Policy Service) that has changed the way services are provided.

UPHOLDING ETHICS

A firm believer in the idea that only an ethical approach can lead to a successful entrepreneurial journey, Mr. Thakker has always incorporated honest and principled methods while strategizing his business agenda. He has guided the company towards pioneering some of the best practices in the insurance industry. ‘Growth with Governance’ is the idea with which the enterprise has moved ahead and offered some of the most exclusive and sought-after solutions in the insurance domain.

A VISIONARY LEADER

Through meticulous coaching, Mr. Thakker has been able to develop an efficient team at Global Insurance. The skilled employees at the firm are extremely able and agile. Together, they have been instrumental in giving direction to the way insurance is perceived within India and beyond. Through the various programs on Risk Management, the firm has been able to bring forward a significant aspect of financial freedom in case of calamities and unforeseen incidents. The role of insurance and reinsurance advisors has been underlined by its efforts in making individuals and organizations disasterready. Owing to his innovative strategies in the field, Mr. Thakker has brought the focus on the emerging insurance needs and purchase strategy relevant for a sustainable business.

Mr. Thakker is also thoughtful about society and strives to work towards solving issues. He believes in the idea of ‘making things happen’ and works for the betterment of the underprivileged. He has actively involved himself in the activities that bring about a positive and meaningful change in society. By supporting the education of the youth in rural and remote areas, he has bettered their opportunities for employment.

A prudent risk management leader in the region, Ramesh is majorly responsible for the reduction in credit risk losses for the bank thereby leading to a very healthy portfolio. This has directly contributed to its growth and no wonder, Deutsche Bank is headed for growth in the MEA region. Under his able leadership, the bank registered the lowest NPL (Non-Performing Ratio) in Turkey in the years 2018 and 2019 (Source: SNL) amidst the most turbulent period for Turkish economy in decades.

Ramesh possesses a rich experience in Risk Management (Corporate, FI, Sovereigns, Structured financing, Investment Banking & Retail Banking) and Relationship Management (Corporate Banking) covering conventional and Islamic Banking. He has efficaciously handled all tiers of corporate business including SMEs, mid, large and very large corporates.

By virtue of his varied roles with Multinational and Regional Banks in Managerial capacity, he has gained exposure of handling credit risk of 28 different countries across Middle East, Africa, Europe (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey & France) and India.

WORKING TOWARDS GROWING AND ENABLING GROWTH

Ramesh is extremely passionate about teaching and training and contributes by sharing his knowledge and experience by teaching management level students so that he could bring theory and practice together. “I teach various management and finance subjects to students in Dubai as part of my inner drive to impart education in the field of finance,” he says.

According to him, the 3Ps of growth on which every leader should focus are People, Productivity and Performance. He has introduced multiple initiatives for people development under the vision ‘Grow & Enable Growth.’ He asserts, “Holistic development of an individual is always at the forefront of my priorities.”

He brought about various initiatives for knowledge and skills enhancement of his team in the organisations he has worked with. By virtue of various training programs initiated by him, his teams have shown significant improvement in self-awareness, emotional competency, self-motivational skills, empathy & social skills.

A TRUE-BLUE VISIONARY

According to Ramesh, the acid test of a good leader is whether he or she can survive the adversities posed by the changing market scenario. According to him, “How a leader navigates or saves his ship during rough weather is the most important.” He asserts, “Challenge the challenge, else you will be challenged.”

Ramesh is of the view that a true leader should have empathy for his people, be a crisis manager and a good communicator. Describing his leadership style, he asserts, “Participative, Peoplefocused hands-on leadership” has been my style. Leaders either micro manage or have a laissez-faire approach, both of which prove counterproductive. Finding mid-way leaders in today’s world where results delivery is the key KPI, has become difficult. In such an environment, while no micro management is resorted to, I believe in knowing the way to do every function within my remit. This has helped in managing manpower planning, succession planning, workload analysis and employee coaching in an effective manner.”

His earnest efforts, dedication and passion have enabled Ramesh to come a long way. He vehemently believes that “being appointed as the Vice Chairman of the UAE Banking Federation’s Risk Committee was the career high point. This was a risk consultative committee chosen amongst risk professionals from 52 different banks within the country.”

He further elaborates, “This was achieved through gaining the confidence of the fellow bankers in the country which in turn was gained through consistent practice of effective risk management during my tenure in risk management in this country.”

Sharing his vision for the future growth of the organisation, he delineates, “Facilitating risk management to achieve a near zero credit risk loss in the Middle East and Africa region in the next 2-3 years is the short term goal.” “Establishing an industry-best business and risk model across the region is the long term vision,” he adds.

DEDICATED TO BUILDING A BETTER SOCIETY

Ramesh is an altruist by nature and is deeply dedicated to making this world a better place. He emphasizes, “CSR is key not only to my company but also to me in my personal capacity. Deutsche undertakes multiple CSR initiatives not only in UAE but in other Middle Eastern countries as well through the Bank’s Middle East Foundation. CSR is core to our values in the Middle East, we have a separate department for this, and a regular budget is allocated annually.”

He further elaborates, “In my personal capacity, I have been involved in teaching and supporting Refugee mentorship programs. I have focused on the needy segment of the society and have personally coached them for various professional exams over the years and as a result, it is gratifying to have built a pool of professionals in UAE and India”

He adds, “We have distributed free hygiene kits to hundreds of workers in the country. For those rendered unemployed without shelter and waiting to be repatriated back home, free clothing and food was collected and distributed.”

A GLORIOUS SAGA OF AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Ramesh has garnered numerous awards and accolades in his illustrious career spanning around 2 decades.

He was felicitated with ‘Excellence in Finance Industry – Leaders’ award for his rich contribution to the finance industry in the Middle East. He is also the recipient of the ‘Hichki Teachers’ Award’ for his outstanding contribution to the field of education in the UAE.

Amongst various awards recognizing his holistic contribution, the ‘EMEA Paragon Award for Leadership’ in the MEA category stands a testament to his leadership in many walks of life.