The 10 Most Creative CEOs to Watch in 2019 [ Business Magazine ]

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THE
10
VOL 2
February-2019
ISSUE 5
TO WATCH IN 2019
From Editor’s Desk
The Anatomy of
Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
THE NEW-AGE
CEO – A JOURNEY
TO SELF-DISCOVERY
CEO OF THE MONTH
Anil Raj
Founder, Director and CEO
Cybervault Securities Solutions
Ajay Anand
Founder and CEO
Ajay
Anand
Creating Experience, Spreading Happiness

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal
Managing Editor Devasish Kanojiya
Executive Editor Rahul Niraj
Art & Design Head Amol Kamble
Associate Designer Poonam, Shweta
Art & Picture Editor Rahul Kavnekar
Co-designer Savita Pandav
Business Development Manager
Akansha Garewal
Sales Executives Shraddha, Rutuja
Technical Head Swapnil Patil
Technical Specialist Amar, Pratiksha
Digital Marketing Manager Prashant
SME-SMO Executives Swati, Manoj
Circulation Manager Tanaji
sales@insightssuccess.com
February,2019
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From the
Editor
Leaders
Committed to
‘Giving Back’
to the Society
eing a leader never comes as a gift, it is a crown
Bearned with experience and proficiency. Converting
challenges into opportunities is what makes a leader
distinctive – a persona who has the knacks to go beyond and
see beyond the conventions. The one striving with the
philosophy that ‘knowledge must be shared’ and doling-out
knowledge in a language that people can understand is not an
easy task. However, this becomes the starting-point from
where some frontrunners step in with numerous elucidations
and tweaks to develop a system which is intelligible to others.
Today, the existing as well as the emerging industry players
are majorly focusing on ‘giving back’ to their communities.
Along with having a creative vision, they are aiming to
transform the lifestyles of the people with whom they work
and who they serve! They are working on bringing change,
becoming entrepreneurs and dedicating their lives in giving
back to the society, country, and the world at large.
The new-age leaders are filling the loopholes of the demandsupply
scenario and unlocking diversified opportunities for the
rookies and emerging tech-enthusiasts. They are focusing on
rewarding employees for their creativity and endeavors
leading to job satisfaction and overall development of an
individual. They are also efficaciously lending a hand to the
non-profit organizations with an aim to impact the lives of
many in the longer run.
Successful leaders tend to be futuristic, which help them in
analyzing today’s picture and reflect with a bigger vision for
tomorrow. Currently, the ace industrialists are giving back
with an idea to teach others to grow within the market
complexities – harnessing innovation and technology in order
to withstand the next-level densities.
To be precise, Leaders have been and will continue to
transform the lives of others with full gusto!!
Rahul Niraj
Rahul Niraj

Cover Story
8
16
CEO OF THE MONTH
ANIL RAJ
A Zealous IT Security Professional
28
Ajay Anand
Creating Experience, Spreading Happiness
22
Article
From Editor’s Desk
The Anatomy of
Entrepreneurship
INTERVIEW
36
Ranjeeta Vinil
Democratizing the World of
Healthcare for Better
Spotlight
THE NEW-AGE CEO –
A JOURNEY
TO SELF-DISCOVERY

Contents
26
DIVYASHIKHA GUPTA
Streamlining HR
Consulting Processes
20
32
BITHIKA ANAND
An Industrious and
Path-breaking Leader
34
PANCHAM BANERJI
Creating a Better ‘Digital’ World for Gen Z
RANJITH AR
Professionalizing the
Businesses with Excellence
40
42
Ravi Venugopal Gunti
A Passionate Technocrat
Satyavir Chakrapani
Transforming the Dreams
of Urban and Rural India

THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
Leaders Redening
Businesses as a Catalyst
he world is witnessing the advent of frontrunners, who are embracing changes with utmost proficiency and
Ttreading an extra mile with a vision to transfigure the environment for better! They are introducing a whole new
chapter of revolution which would create a one-of-its-kind history.
While 2018 was an enthusiastic year for the established as well as the emerging CEOs, 2019 is a year where they will
take the globe beyond the success horizons. Looking towards a bright and innovative future, we present you our special
issue highlighting “The 10 Most Creative CEOs to Watch in 2019” In this issue we will help you to walk through a
list of extraordinary personas who have benchmarked their existence by combining innovation and creativity. Keeping
up the sheer pace with the tech-enabled advancements, they have paved an artistic pathway in their respective domain
as well as the marketplace.
On the Cover of the issue, we have featured Ajay Anand, the Founder and CEO of Kaia Tourism – a gentleman who
has the knacks to convert every obstacle into an opportunity! Ajay is a seasoned entrepreneur with exemplary dexterity
and industry experience, striving to deliver unmatched travel experience to the people.
Along with such an insightful cover story, we have covered up other fascinating stories of remarkable business
personalities like Anil Raj, the Founder and CEO of Cybervault Securities Solutions Pvt. Ltd. as the CEO of the
Month; Ranjith AR is the CEO of Bramma Learning Solutions – a Coach, Mentor, Trainer and a one-of-its-kind
solution provider; Bithika Anand is the Founder and CEO of Legal League Consulting – a persona dedicated to
transforming managerial & strategic functions of the legal industry; Divyashikha Gupta is the Founder and Principal
Consultant of Stalwart Management Consulting – a self-made women, who had been successfully in dragging the
eyeballs of the business fraternity; Pancham Banerji is the Founder of AdEngage – a such success-driven
personality aiming to transform the traditional online processes; Ravi Venugopal Gunti is the Co-founder and CEO of
Smart Enovations – a technocrat, strategist and a passionate engineer; and Satyavir Chakrapani is the Founder and
CEO of Shikhar Microfinance Pvt. Ltd. – an aspiring entrepreneur who carries a vision to empower the disadvantaged
urban and rural population of India is creating a renaissance in the MFI.
While flipping the pages, take a note not to miss out an exclusive interview with Ranjeeta Vinil, the Founder and
Director of Saarathi Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
Turning some more pages will help you find an article The Anatomy of Entrepreneurship from the Editor’s Desk.
Apart from all this more interestingly, this edition also comes up with an extraordinary article The New-age CEO – A
Journey to Self-discovery by Aditya Raj Mankani, the Founder and CEO of Social DNA.
Looking at the emerging opportunities and the growing possibilities, this issue of ours will help you understand the role
of CEOs in this industry and their contribution in transforming the world for better.
So enjoy the exiting read!

Cover Story
Ajay Anand
Founder & CEO

THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
AJAY ANAND
Creating Experience, Spreading Happiness
We specialize in providing quality
corporate accommodation across the globe
handling stays and managing conferences

Cover Story
The anecdote starts with a glimpse into the life of
a seasoned entrepreneur, go-getter and persona
striving to deliver unmatched travel experience
to the people. Ajay Anand – the Founder and CEO of
Kaia Tourism. A man of his words who placed his best
foot forward and converted every obstacle into an
opportunity!
The Voyage to Find One-self
Ajay joined Balmer Lawrie & Co Ltd. as a trainee and
entered into the professional world at the age of 18,
where he got exposed to distinguished personalities like
Dr. Abdul Kalam, Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan etc.
After two-and-a-half years of training, he joined PNO as
a travel consultant and attained a diversified travel
experience working with companies like Bosch, HP etc.
Later he joined American Express, where he pulled an
opportunity of becoming a Team Leader for managing
the end-to-end travel program of Intel, nationally. After
becoming a pro at handling both domestic and
international airlines ticketing and visa’s for different
countries and managing end to end travel, Ajay started
exploring hotel bookings, RFP (Rates for proposal),
contracting, and client management to its core, Ajay
functioned as a National Account Manager handling
high-profile clients for FCM – an Australian based
company.
This journey sculpted him into a rare breed of people
who travel an extra mile to quench customer needs – a
star performer honored with client appreciation
certificates, global award. While his experience at FCM
left him unsatisfied, his efforts dissolved despite doing
every deed with hard work and determination. Also,
coming from corporate travel background he saw a huge
gap and opportunity to support and specialize in
accommodation.
Soon, the dream of becoming an entrepreneur started
taking shape. Placing the cornerstones of his venture in
2009, Ajay finally established Kaia Tourism in 2010
with a vision to send people on a holiday they have never
been before!
Struggle – The Constant Companion
Holding the reins of an organization is not an easy task.
Leading Kaia with courage and personal savings from
last few years of employment and with a personal loan
obtained, Ajay started promoting Karnataka as a tourism
destination. His gut feeling, confidence and the learnings
which he embraced from the industry icons like Richard
Branson, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates is what kept him
going.
One fine day, he realized that the idea of offering
personal travel services is good but would take time to
generate revenue. As such, Ajay changed his strategies
and started focusing on his strength – corporate travel.
Embracing each opportunity with credibility, he built a
canvas showcasing:
Prominent Commitments | Competitive Price | Better
Services | Ethics | Transparency
An office comprising a chair, desk and a laptop slowly
and steadily started achieving new heights. Ajay’s
concrete endeavors helped Kaia to add more members to
its foundation. He then backed the company to expand
its horizons in Bangalore. Overcoming setbacks related
to the expansion, finance, sales, operation and people
management, Ajay firmly stabilized Kaia Tourism with
utmost prominence.
As an entrepreneur, Ajay’s journey was full of struggles.
But his experience and business acumen helped him to
defy conventions and go beyond the success horizons.
This is why, Kaia – a company initially started with the
support of a few clients is now knobs global
accommodation, conferences, and MICE PAN India.
About Kaia Tourism
“We are Consolidators” says Ajay.
When corporates send their employees in India or
anywhere throughout the globe they have to call the
hotel directly and check them personally. There is no
surety of getting the right price or the dynamics of the
booking. This is where Ajay led Kaia Tourism steps in
and provides state-of-the-art travel services to the
corporate clients.

“
If looking for an
enhanced corporate
stop-over we are
available 24/7
“
“We specialize in this segment. We don’t believe in
saying we will offer the cheapest and give some
lousy place to stay. Just tell the number of people,
location, and number of days. We will send you
options to select and confirm the booking,”
states Ajay.
The company specializes in corporate
accommodations across India and globally. It has
worked with more than 100 clients managing
their hotel bookings, and conferences (MICE)
worldwide. Delivering unique services by
focusing on the best negotiated rates, Kaia
efficaciously ensures quality stay for its
clienteles.
Empowering Personnel
Ajay believes in creating and giving employees
the necessary opportunities for their selfdevelopment.
Empowering them with a hassle-free
work-environment, he maintains a creative blend of
‘Space and Freedom’ at Kaia.
“The culture we follow, sometimes it works, sometimes
it backfires, and people take things for granted. But,
giving them an opportunity and enabling them to grow
is also a satisfying feeling,” asserts Ajay. For him the
scenario that some people, who joined as a trainee are
now transformed into a manager and earning quite a

Cover Story
good salary is more quenching. This gives him the will
to withstand the complexities of the market.
At Kaia, Ajay focuses on building relationships with the
employees at an individual level. He assigns them tasks
and gives them the necessary space in order to augment
and explore their abilities. Also, get-togethers are
organized to build a tangible and trustworthy employeecompany
rapport. Fueling personnel with motivation on
each stage, Ajay boosts the company to focus on taking
feedbacks from the personnel. Apart from all this, Kaia
Tourism also makes swift moves and plays a pivotal role
in crafting out incentive programs with an aim to
cultivate a healthy competition in the team.
The Enlightening Words
With his dexterity and industry experience, Ajay advices
the young minds to always be ready for the struggle.
“Have that passion and burning desire of creating an
empire of own. Have the spirit to clinch every moment
from dusk till dawn and acknowledge the obligations to
its best,” says the founder.
“If you don’t have the passion and determination your
fuel will get burnt really soon. So it is important to
understand that there is no other substitute for hardwork.
Focus and keep overcoming challenges and move on,”
he added further.
It is significant for a company to consistently keep on
reinventing. Flexibility in terms of decision-making
processes would help one analyze the right direction.
The best part in the first place is to take a deep dive into
the business waters, that’s when the individuals can
navigate, swim against the tides, and reach the success
shore. Also, making some adjustment and moving
forward would definitely add more glory to the success.
The Zeal to Succeed
Ajay believes that ‘motivation works itself’. Starting
from scratch and facing every hitch with determination,
he has a dream to create a niche in its sector by 2020, as
the best service provider – the brand should attain a
foremost visibility in the national market. This goal kept
Ajay going for the past nine years and with the same
vision he will strive another one year to achieve it.
As a company specialized in accommodation, Kaia
Tourism has spread its wings across twenty-five percent
of the market, seventy-five percent of the market is still
open – a long way to go!
The travel industry is witnessing evolutionary changes
and growing with a full swing. In last ten years, various
new hotels have been opened across India and many
international brands have come in. In the next 5 years at
least 3000 rooms will be added to the existing picture,
due to the contribution of renowned players like Hilton,
Hayat, and Marriot etc.
“We are in the right time to capitalize this growth. It
gives opportunity for us not only to grow in India, but
also grow in the international market, it could be the
UK/Europe,” states Ajay.
In the near future, he is planning to explore Belgium,
Iceland, and Netherland. Passionately empowering Kaia
Tourism to be a one-of-its-kind brand, he is taking
constant measures to make it run independently.
“
See the
WORLD
upclose
& enjoy the
best’est
stay

If looking for an
enhanced corporate
stop-over we are
available 24/7
““

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“
Making a
positive
contribution
to society
“
Anil Raj
Founder, Director & CEO
Cybervault Securities
Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
16
February 2019|

CEO of the Month
ANIL RAJ
A ZEALOUS IT SECURITY PROFESSIONAL
This screenplay describes an entrepreneur who
comes from Ranchi, Jharkhand – represented by the
one-and-only superstar cricketer MS Dhoni, who
made India proud internationally. Anil Raj – a leader,
creative thinker, modernizer, and a tech-savvy persona
striving with an aim to transform the world for better!
An Exceptional Journey
During his early days of schooling at St. Aloysius High
school in Ranchi, Anil was an ardent follower of technology
and science. Participating and winning a few science
exhibitions and tech competitions, his interest was rapidly
holding the reins of technology. As the next step, he moved
to Delhi to pursue his B.Tech from the prestigious Delhi
University, where his inclination towards computer science
and technology started shaping up. This was the time when
Anil recognized the necessity of ‘Security’ in an
application, database, code or network, which catapulted
him towards Ethical Hacking and motivated him to pillar
his career in IT security.
After completing his graduation, Anil joined Appin
Technologies as an Information Security Evangelist and
successfully stirred his role of IT Security Trainings for
corporate. His exceptional performance crowned him with
the Best Employee Award and the journey unlocked the
doors to Appin Pune. This is where, he earned an
opportunity to work with IBM on their Vodafone project as
a Senior Information Security Consultant. This volume
exposed Anil to real-time VAPT projects and contributed in
shaping up his professional life at its best. Later, moving to
Tech Mahindra filled him with exemplary expertise to
withstand the market complexities.
With this substantial amount of experience and good
industry contacts, Anil established Cybervault Securities
Solutions Pvt. Ltd. in the year 2013 with the able support
of his family, well-wishers and his wife.
What Accelerates the Drive?
Anil is a first-gen entrepreneur from his family, who has a
stronghold on technology. Since the beginning of his
professional voyage, he looked upon global tech-enabled
achievers including Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and
Mark Zuckerberg as his source of motivation. Idolizing
Jack Ma, he embraces the learnings in his personal as well
as professional life. He strongly believes in his quote that
“If you don’t give up, you still have a chance.”
“His business lessons have always had a strong motivation
for me since my initial days of entrepreneurship,” says Anil.
He also believes in one of the other famous quotes of Jack
Ma saying, “A good boss is better than a good company.”
This drives him to have a focused vision and reliance in
team Cybervault. For a team to achieve the goals set upon
them, a focused approach coupled with a dedicated leader is
most important. Hence, along with being at the forefront,
Anil also works at the ground level with his team. This
creates a sense of team spirit and an environment of
constant motivation. “Nothing ever has been achieved by a
single person without the amalgamation of talent. Hence
my team is of utmost importance in my visions,” speaks
Anil.
About Cybervault
Cybervault Securities Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a service-based
company with Information Security Audits as its key service
portfolio. Anil Raj is the Founder, Director and CEO of
the company. Under Anil’s guidance, the company
prominently undertakes VAPT, Web & Mobile Application
Testing, Desktop & System Audits and so on. These
February 2019| 17

“
Turning knowledge
and expertise into
value for money
“
services are the primary pillars of Cybervault quenching
clientele from diverse backgrounds such as Banks, IT
Companies – MNC and national, Manufacturing, Servicebased
companies, Healthcare Companies and many more.
Anil’s business prowess has helped the company in
partnering with EC-Council USA – a global organization
for Information Security Trainings and Certifications in
order to offer trainings for global certifications in
Information Security. As such, the company has
successfully conducted corporate trainings for major MNCs
like IBM, Syntel, Persistent, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant,
TCS, PWC, Delloite, Dell, HSBC and many more.
With Anil’s concrete endeavors, Cybervault has collected
various jewels in its pocket including:
- Outstanding Achievement in the field of IT by Indian
Organization for Commerce and Industry in 2018
- Outstanding Achievement in the chosen field of activity by
Global Achievers Foundation
Cybervault also rolls out a huge patronage to the leading
Engineering colleges in Pune such as MMCOE, and G.H.
Raisoni. Also, NBN Sinhgad Colleges has signed MOU
with the organization for cybersecurity activity as part of
their industry curriculum every year. On the company’s
behalf, Anil is often invited as a speaker at various
symposiums. Recently, he was called in the capacity of
Cybersecurity Expert at 31st International Conference on
VLSI Design.
“Our wide corporate reach exemplifies the quality of our
trainings,” asserts Anil
Some Speedbreakers on the Way
Entering into the market and establishing an enterprise
within the complexities of the market is not an easy task!
Industry is dynamically evolving and so are the challenges.
But, converting challenges into deliverable results has
always been the success mantra for Anil, which helped him
in delivering quality and proficiency in its sector.
Like any other emerging company, the major challenge
faced by Cybervault was the availability of skilled
professional. Skilled manpower comes at a price and at the
initial stage of business, it was difficult to attract such
resources. After hiring the resources, the second challenge
was sustaining such resource. It was difficult to gain the
trust of customers. Gradually as time passed, Anil’s
credibility of valuable resources and proven industry
projects made things much easier and unlocked the doors to
success.
A Bigger Canvas
Change is the only constant in the IT security industry – it
is difficult to analyze security breach and predict the mind
of a hacker. As such, upgrading and upscaling of knowledge
is the key to maintain vigilance about the latest attack
vectors and the ways of tackling them. “In my constant
endeavor to upgrade myself I believe in having a sound
industry network to keep abreast with the latest trends and
techniques the industry is following in today’s dynamically
evolving era,” states Anil.
Words of Expert – Dream then Achieve!
Anil advices the budding entrepreneurs to stay focused and
never lose sight of the goal. He says, “The journey will be
tough today, tougher tomorrow but surely it will be
beautiful the day after tomorrow. Also, to achieve
something it is necessary to dream about it. If you have
achieved it mentally, you will surely achieve it physically.”
He also advices the novices to be systematic and organized,
as opportunity and success can knock the doors anytime!
Future Footsteps
Focusing on growth-oriented goals, Anil takes pride in
saying that Cybervault would be a leading provider of
Information Security Services in the next five years.
Currently, he aims to expand his territory in terms of talent
and space. He is planning to magnify the company portfolio
in order to diversify into the sub-sectors of IT. To achieve
continuous growth, Anil will assist the company in
accessing the finest infrastructure and achieving the
paramount manpower.
Acknowledging that a small step towards such initiatives
builds up a strong base for the foundation of growth, Anil
says “I am in the process of introducing more niche
technologies to corporates like Advanced Java, Python etc.
by partnering with global certification providers and expert
industry trainers.”
18
February 2019|

“
We not only
deliver service
to our client
but make a long
term relation
with them
“
February 2019| 19

Bithika Anand
An Industrious and Path-breaking Leader
Challenges are life’s way of testing a person’s mettle.
While a majority of the population is intimidated
by challenges, some thrive on them and there are
even few who challenge themselves to be better than they
are. Bithika Anand falls into the rare category of
self-motivated people who continuously challenge
themselves and are blessed with the ability to see every
challenge as an opportunity. An all-rounder, right from her
childhood and always a people’s person, she has enjoyed
holding positions of responsibility right from her school
days. Her decision to take up Chartered Accountancy (CA),
a course considered very difficult and with low pass
percentage, as her career reflects her love of being at the
forefront of path-breaking initiatives. She decided to be an
entrepreneur after having a very rewarding career working
for other organizations, and what kept her going was the
feeling of taking up something new and unexplored.
A Leader in the Making
Bithika’s professional life started at S.B. Billimoria & Co.
and KPMG, leading accountancy firms, where her work
primarily covered audit and taxation. She then took up the
role of CFO with India’s topmost law firm, erstwhile
Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co and was
soon given the dual responsibility as the COO. She
promoted a culture of work delegation, took active charge
of hiring smart professionals for strengthening business
support teams, and started actively building contacts and
developing the corporate law practice of the firm. Her work
was very satisfying but not satiating and the dynamics soon
took her to a kind-of ‘Intellectual Saturation’. At this point,
her increased interaction with management consultants
across the globe acquainted her to the concept of
management consultants dedicated to the legal industry and
was instantly drawn to it. There were no management
consultants dedicated to legal fraternity in India at that time
and it fell in line with her habit of venturing into the no
man’s land. This was the stepping stone of setting up her
consultancy in 2010, called ‘White Water Advisors Pvt.
Ltd.’, under which, she created the brand ‘Legal League
Consulting’ dedicated to transforming managerial &
strategic functions of the legal industry.
Finding Firm Grounds
Legal League Consulting is devoted to identifying
priorities, driving initiatives and crafting implementation
plans for business performance and growth for Indian &
International Law firms, LPOs and Legal Departments of
large Indian & Multi-national Companies. It provides
services across all facets of management for the legal
industry, including Strategy and Business Planning,
Partnership Structuring, Human Resources Development,
Practice Development, Knowledge Management, Brand
Enhancement and other related services.
Expanding her horizon to non-legal and other industry
sectors, she set up her Global Talent Search Organization,
‘Human Elevation’, that provides comprehensive solutions
to legal and corporates across all sectors including Banking
& Finance, Energy, Real Estate & Infrastructure,
Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment and Power and
more. The mission is to meet the client’s recruitment
challenges, through talent search and planning.
Taking the Industry by Storm
For Legal League Consulting, the sailing was not smooth
initially. The factors surrounding the legal environment,
secrecy involved, the hesitancy of law firms to share
confidential information added to the issues. Bithika says “I
had to convince the decision makers to divulge the details
after signing strong Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)
with them. Restrictions imposed on advertising, marketing
and soliciting of work by Lawyers made it difficult to
approach law firms and apprise them of management
concepts, who were not too keen to try newer concepts like
brand enhancement, online engagement with students,
growing practice by way of travelling and speaking at
conferences and adopting best HR practices.” All these
factors made it extremely difficult to onboard the initial few
clients.
20
February 2019|

THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
“
We work with an unmatched
fervour to constantly strive
towards creating and
identifying new opportunities
which would enable everyone
associated with us to reach
the next level of growth.
“
Bithika Anand
Founder & CEO
Bithika, not the sorts who would leave anything half-baked
or who would sit back and relax, took the challenges
head-on. Together with her team, she extensively read
articles and thought-papers and merged them with her
experiences and real-life situations to develop products for
the Indian Legal Market. She met both - veterans as well as
young achievers, from within and outside the fraternity to
develop long-lasting relationships which gave her a
different perspective about life, management style of each
dignitary, their driving force, their success mantra and many
other aspects of their personality.
Her constant efforts led to her biggest achievement,
establishing her firm as India’s first management
consultancy for the global legal industry. As the Premier
Management Consultant, its notable achievements include
exploring mergers and acquisitions among law firms in
India, experimenting with hybrid partnership structures,
promoting new and upcoming niche practice areas,
professionalization and outsourcing of business support
functions, running legal departments like mini law firms;
and growing reliance on automated technology-driven
solutions like Cloud Computing and AI. Today, she is
reckoned as a “Management Guru” for Law Firms,
Managing Partners and Partners, not just because of her
exceptional acumen and competence, but also because of
her inherent qualities of being a trusted advisor and
confidant.
budding entrepreneurs and that any venture takes time to
give returns. She adds, “Great businesses are never
established in a risk-averse environment. So it is important
to move with plan and patience, returns will always be
achieved if meticulous and thought through steps are taken
with foresightedness and strategic plan.”
Miles to Go
Bithika describes her team as dynamic, innovative and
proactive, with a vision to continuously evolve and redefine
the surroundings, through innovation and an eagerness to
venture into the lesser known. Coming years will see Legal
League get actively into publications and rankings. It is
making in-roads into webinars, podcasts and television
production, writing and conducting workshops about
management concepts for law firms and legal departments.
It will also be engaging more actively with the Senior
Counsels, Judges and students section in the legal industry.
It may also, in the longer run, expand the scope of the
services to other professions and help them with
management and professionalization of their business
support set-up. Bithika says “The entrepreneurial spirit in
me keeps me on my toes. My mind is constantly bubbling
with ideas and I see a plethora of opportunities surrounding
myself. I will endeavor to set up other businesses to keep me
creatively satisfied.”
The Mantra for Success
Bithika shares one key mantra – “Have patience” with the
February 2019| 21

Anatomy
THE
OF
Entrepreneurship
“In the journey of an entrepreneur, the most important thing is self-belief and
the ability to convert that belief into reality” – Mukesh Ambani.
The universe is entering into the age of the
entrepreneurship, where starting a business and
creating a niche in the complexities of the market
is not an easy task. Success comes to those who have the
flair to convert every challenge into an opportunity.
Being an entrepreneur in this digital world comes with a
successive wave of challenges and risks which can
surely abate the journey.
Entrepreneurship is a way of life to stir operations, be it
a technology company, non-profit, or service business. It
is about being resilient, creative, resourceful, scrappy
and relevant. A tough pathway to survive, grow and
thrive.
Learning from the experiences and implementing it into
the multifarious future arena can drive the success
voyage towards the stairways of successful
entrepreneurship. Taking small and concrete moves by
embracing the technology changes can successfully hold
the reins of an efficacious entrepreneur. An entrepreneur
who has the vision to cross the horizon and look beyond
the conventional processes of the industry can define the
true essence of entrepreneurship. An ace leader who can
guide the existing and emerging young to be the
cornerstones for tomorrow.
Being Logical and Calculated
Decision-making is a key aspect to gain fruitful
22
February 2019|

From Editor’s Desk
outcomes. Connecting the dots of decisions with data
and logic enables an entrepreneur to reach the customers
on-time. To attain an approach which is spot-on, evaluate
and iterate the choices made and implement them by
recognizing the current scenario.
Motivation comes through Focus
When it comes to achieving milestones, focus is a much
needed ingredient. This focus is what keeps one selfmotivated
and gives the power to dismantle the risks
associated with the accomplishments. Also, regular goalsetting
unlocks various opportunities to keep an
entrepreneur focused and constantly engaged in value
addition.
One should passionately believe in their venture and
follow a never giving up pathway to unlock the success
doors. Besides, success doesn’t happen overnight,
embracing and focusing on every minute of the day will
motivate one to reach the peak. Most of the successful
businesses are established through a brief stint of
hardwork – facing problems, stresses as well as setbacks
Execute with Agility
“Tough times never last, but tough people do” – Robert
H. Schuller, American Christian televangelist and author.
Capitalizing and idea can truly explore entrepreneurship
to its core. Execution of products and services which can
overcome the hurdles of demand and supply would make
the process agile enough to develop with each passing
day. Be confident and outgoing to create a one-of-itskind
history. Besides, taking risks is pivotal for a
business to be at the forefront of innovation. It is
significant to understand that success is all about
handling responsibilities effectively instead of being
impulsive.
When it comes to keeping up with the customer needs,
competitors and an ever-changing marketplace, adapting
to change is a skill one should master in. Being agile
empowers and individual to uphold momentum and
pursue diversified progress. History spells that most of
the renowned entrepreneurs possess intense go-getter
personas. Nothing comes in situ, Entrepreneurship is
about exploring the world and earning a repute with
robust work ethics.
Creativity and Innovation go Hand-in-hand
In today’s tech-enabled world, entrepreneurs are looking
out for new-age approaches and crafting out solutions
like never before. Creativity and innovation are the
flavors to cook a delicious success cuisine. Discovering
unique products, services and operations by keeping
customer choices in mind, appeals to both the customers
and employees at its best.
Building Connections
The framework of entrepreneurship requires a platform
based on effective connections. Charisma in networking
with employees, influencers, and customers will help
lead valuable relationships crucial for business
excellence in the longer run. These associations are what
make a business stand out amongst the crowd. An
entrepreneur should know that making connections is a
key attribute and personality trait to paint the canvas of
entrepreneurship.
Inventing Tomorrow’s Sky
The future of entrepreneurship is evolving with newer
directions and looks extremely bright. As the companies
are reshaping to outshine its competitors, the
opportunities for entrepreneurs are exponential –
empowering innovation economy. The future is no
longer going to be isolated to startups and new
businesses, every organization will be entrepreneurial
even those which have been around for decades or
longer. This will hold the individuals within tightly knit
groups who are passionate about their goals and drive
them towards the pathway comprising groundbreaking
ideas. Days aren’t far where the phrase the scenario will
change from individual between jobs to successful
individual with his/her own profitable company.
The world is expanding its dimension, where new
business ideas are the filling the loopholes in the jobcreation.
A place where opportunities are knocking the
doors like never before. Surely, the entrepreneurs are
taking mankind towards enhanced standard of living –
creating new businesses, jobs and conditions for a
flourishing society.
-Rahul Niraj
February 2019| 23

Divyashikha Gupta
Streamlining HR Consulting Processes
This inspiring story is about a young and dynamic
persona who not only dreamt of a castle but rather
crafted the design for a Management consulting
platform. As the Founder, Director and Principal
Consultant of Stalwart Management Consulting (SMC),
Stalwart Business Consortium LLP (SBCL) and Stalwart
Learning Solutions (A vertical of SBCL), Divyashikha
Gupta is the inspiration behind the company’s signature
characteristics.
An Adroit Leader - Dreaming the Impossible
While her approach towards her work is thoughtful, open,
analytical and often challenging; her insight, integrity, and
candor to the partnering process have successfully dragged
the eyeballs of the business fraternity.
With more than one-and-half decades of diverse experience,
Divyashikha has stirred various critical profiles for
prestigious global organizations including JP Morgan,
Temasek Holdings, and Hutchison 3 Global Services. Her
expertise rests on Staffing, Learning and Organizational
Development, Change Management, Talent Engagement,
and Talent Development. At Stalwart (Group Companies),
her responsibilities are client management, strategic
planning, evaluation of operational capabilities, risk
assessment along with monitoring and assuring profitability
of the group.
As a management graduate and a passionate entrepreneur,
Divyashikha has been very defiant about her “giving back
to society” values. She is an active participant of various
social initiatives launched by Stalwart – Gurukul Academy
and WOW – Women of Worth. While Gurukul supports the
underprivileged and poverty-stricken masses of the society,
WOW is a signature campaign to encourage and promote
gender inclusion at the workplace.
teams from all disciplines to achieve business outcomes.
Relentless determination to deliver the client’s requirements
and an ability to build business relationships at all levels in
the multi-vendor environment.
Extensive experience in assurance and health check of
program delivery providing insights and scrutiny in project
governance and controls.
Proven track record in driving business process
improvements and change management in project portfolio
management environment.
The Inception Saga
Starting as a traditional recruitment company in 2009, SMC
has evolved as a complete ‘solution-provider’ offering
unique solutions that helped to maintain the UVP of the
entity. Adding value to the proposition, SMC always
focused on UVP that assisted them to cement themselves in
the competitive market. Retaining its core values, SMC has
blended a new-age solution that is an even mix of
technology like AI, ML while maintaining the human touch
in recruitment and talent solutions.
Embracing comprehensive strategies and concrete efforts,
Divyashikha has enabled SMC to evolve as a reliable
partner in all aspects of workforce and talent solutions.
Recruitments, HR consulting, customized L&D solutions,
CXO and leadership coaching, HR strategy formulation &
Implementation, designing & implementing Performance
Mapping & Enhancement programs, Onboarding Buddy
services, are few of the exquisite services rendered by
SMC. Acknowledging the changing business environment,
SMC diligently follows and educates its clients about the
VUCA (Volatality, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity)
philosophy.
Key attributes that define her commitment to business
Experienced at leading, managing and motivating large
26
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THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
“ Clutter-breaking solutions
for your growth
“
Divyashikha Gupta
Founder, Director & Principal Consultant
Prominent Services
SMC offers services such as Permanent Hiring, Contract
Hiring, Payroll and Compliance, Staffing Solutions. The
talent firm has various solutions to be provided in learning
and development such as training, signature modules,
functional, behavioral and excellence modules, and artbased
modules. Where candidates need to be assessed to
determine their suitability for specific types of employment,
it provides Assessment Centers with biometric testing, and
graphology supported assessments, psychometric tests that
are used for recruitment as well as learning and
development. Last but not least, it offers Stalwart
Assessment Sheet - an AI-based professional assessment
sheet that showcases the capabilities and suitability of the
candidates.
Surpassing Challenges
One of the biggest challenges that SMC has faced is to
continuously re-invent themselves and their client services.
“We believe that the reason for our existence is to minimize
the clients’ efforts and help them achieve their objectives –
which could be fast and accurate closure or a more efficient
workforce or having a unified, highly productive in-house
HR Team”, asserts Divyashikha. She further added – “It is
here that our deep commitment to client satisfaction, helps
us understand the exact ask – both spoken and unspoken,
and helps us develop and deliver solutions that make our
clients keep coming back for more.”
Better Times Ahead
Today, the old methods of attracting people to organizations
or for clients may not really work in the future. Companies
need to create their own talent by engaging those leaving
education and investing significantly in their careers.
Companies will also need to adapt to this changing
environment. All of these factors, coupled with the rise of
social media and direct hiring models will significantly
impact the traditional operating model.
Divyashikha while sharing her insights said “It is predicted
that the demand for highly skilled workers presents a real
opportunity for consulting organizations like ours, which
are essentially operating on a fixed retainer plus hiresuccess
model and at the senior end of the spectrum. These
agencies will, therefore, be able to demand a premium in
the future and will continue to be highly sought-after
because of the specialized ability to match the exact client
expectations.”
February 2019| 27

RANJEETA VINIL
Democratizing the World of Healthcare for Better
Ranjeeta Vinil is the Founder and Director of
Saarathi Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. – a company
which has changed the paradigm of health
management services in India. She has been instrumental in
rolling out healthcare services with a single focus on
creating a positive difference to the lives of patients. Under
her aegis, Saarathi has defined the true essence of
Innovation, quality and compliance to its core. To get more
insights on how her knacks have transformed Saarathi into a
preferred partner in the pharma industry, we bring you an
exclusive interview with Ranjeeta.
Brief us about you and your journey since the beginning
of your career
I was associated with patient relationship management very
early in my pharma career. Working closely with patients
and seeing their plight was a huge revelation. In spite of
several breakthrough innovations in the field of medicine,
the benefits reach only a miniscule segment of the
population. I felt the patients deserve to get better outcomes
for the treatment they are paying for. I felt that the existing
healthcare system was not patient centric and felt a strong
urge to change it.
Fate could have it, at the peak of my corporate career; I was
detected with breast cancer. My personal experience
through the journey to recovery brought me even closer to
the plight of the patients and that was the turning point that
gave rise to Saarathi Healthcare, in 2008.
Starting as a patient-centric Disease management company,
we conceptualized and launched one of the first disease
management programs in India way back in 2008. Over the
years the concept has gained prevalence and today we
partner with majority of the top Pharma companies who
believe in our patient centric approach. This I feel is a
paradigm shift in the healthcare deliverables in India.
What was your source of motivation? Or, who is your
role model or the person that inspires you?
More than motivation it was my urge to change the system
that kept me going.
Kindly tell us about the challenges you faced to
withstand the complexities of the industry.
We went through a lot of challenges initially. Our patient
centric healthcare model was in complete variance to the
existing practices in the Pharma industry. In the absence of
any proven results, the pharmaceutical companies were not
comfortable in forgoing their set practices which were in
vogue for decades. The top management who saw sense in
the concept were apprehensive in adopting the model
amidst strong opposition from the sales department.
The challenge was not just about introducing a new model
but it was about replacing an existing proven model. But in
spite of the challenges we persevered and finally a few
forward thinking companies agreed to try out our model on
a trial basis. Finally it was the positive feedbacks from
patients that proved the success of the programs.
All our disease management programs have been our own
innovative creations. Hence our challenges were unique and
needed specific tailor made solutions as there were no
previous proven procedures to go by.
Brief us about the healthcare scenario from your
perspective.
28
February 2019|

Interview with Insights Success
Ranjeeta Vinil
Founder & Director
Saarathi Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
The mere population in India makes the healthcare scenario very demanding. This huge population with resource
constraints coupled with the lack of an effective healthcare management system makes the scenario even more complicated.
Lack of Infrastructure in terms of hospitals, clinics diagnostic centers and trained healthcare professionals are further
exacerbated by underutilization of resources due to a chaotic healthcare system. These constraints have led to a major share
of the resources being allocated for curative services leading to lack of long term permanent solutions. The primary focus in
February 2019| 29

the healthcare should be to better this ratio between
Healthcare services and patients. Reduce the number of
patients and increase the healthcare services.
Kindly describe in brief about your company and its
services/products.
Saarathi since its inception has been involved in finding
innovative solutions to optimally utilize the existing
resources for better healthcare and treatment outcomes.
Patient Empowerment Solutions
With our Innovative Disease management programs linked
with Patient empowerment solutions, we help fill gaps in
the existing healthcare delivery system. Saarathi’s services
are primarily focused on Patient centric coordinated care
supported by CRM platforms to deliver high value
treatment outcomes and empower patients to take control of
their disease through awareness, patient centric support and
counseling. Through our various disease management
programs and other patient engagement initiatives we have
touched the lives of more than 5000000 patients till date.
Support to healthcare Practitioners
The doctor patient ratio in India is well below the required
standards, it gets even worse when it comes to specialist
doctors. Saarathi undertakes multichannel engagements
with physicians to support them garner skills and
knowledge to cope up with the changing trends in
healthcare. These activities help in augmenting the existing
doctor resources which are scarce in the country. In a span
of nine years we have engaged with more than 200000
Doctors across the country
Tele Medicine
Majority of the Healthcare spend can be attributed to
hospital visits primarily for episodic care. In addition to
preventive care which is one way of reducing hospital visits
we need to look at other available alternative options for
hospital care. Saarathi with its combination of tele
counseling facilities and other point of care interventions
has been working towards alternative options like home
care for patients through tele medicine. This not only
reduces hospital visits but can also help avert medical
emergencies.
Rural Healthcare
The real need for health care facility in India lies in the vast
rural population. With our team spread across varied
geographic locations, we work with local care givers to
educate and empower rural patients for better wellness and
treatment outcomes. The activities include, creating
awareness, Counseling Patients, conducting screening
camps. Also, facilitating value added services like Loan
schemes for treatment, distribution of Free Medicines,
guiding patients to avail the right treatment etc.
State us about your company’s achievements under your
leadership.
SH has been an entrepreneur effort in the true sense. We
approached the Industry with a new concept which was in
complete variance to the existing practices in the Industry.
Today more than the growth, we feel proud of the change
which we have brought about in the healthcare deliverables
in India. Majority of the top Pharma companies in India
today are our clients that follow our model.
Saarathi was launched as a Proprietorship in 2018 and
today we are one of the largest PRM companies in India
with over 300 educators with global footprints in
Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. Some of our main
achievements over the years has been the way we continued
to grow the company in spite of challenges and the
changing industry scenarios.
Saarathi as a company today is recognised for its deep
understanding of patient needs. In our ten years of
operations we have worked with more than 5 lakh patients
in more than 24 Therapeutics areas. Saarathi in Sanskrit
means Friend Philosopher and guide and true to our name
we continue to hand hold patient through their journey.
How do you see yourself and your company in the near
future? Tell us about your future goals.
I believe that this is just the beginning of our journey. With
a vision to ‘Democratise Healthcare world over’, we intend
to positively impact as many verticals in the healthcare
industry as possible to ensure our vision, not only in India
but the world over
What would you advise to the budding entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is a hard and challenging journey, but at
the end of the day, the satisfaction in seeing what you have
created impacting the society in a positive manner is worth
all the sacrifices.
30
February 2019|

PANCHAM BANERJI
Creating a Better ‘Digital’ World for Gen Z
The Ace element that drives a CEO towards success
is ‘Creativity.’ This creativity coupled with a
focused vision can help adapting to the market
changes, adopt innovative practices and disrupt industries
like never before. Also, the key to being a creative CEO lies
in accepting changes and going beyond the conventional
procedures.
Pancham Banerji is one such success-driven persona
aiming to transform the traditional online processes. His
professional journey was flooded with challenges and risks,
but the flair of converting every challenge into opportunity
carved him into a seasoned entrepreneur. With his
innovative prowess and expertise in digital marketing,
Pancham established AdEngage – a Digital Marketing
Company.
Setting the cornerstones of the company in 2010 was not an
easy task for Pancham, as the digital marketing world was
facing the impact and overall return on investment from
Social Media Marketing from 2010-2014. Surpassing this
challenge with a prominent approach in digital marketing,
which was focused on organic marketing and generating
ROI, he assisted the company to stall tall amongst its peers.
Today after eight years, several brands across India rely on
AdEngage for up-to 90% of their overall sales, which truly
defines Pancham’s entrepreneurial triumph.
About AdEngage
Generally, all the marketing activities are aimed at
generating more business and reaching out to new
prospects. Unfortunately, many marketing agencies have
failed in generating steady business and profits from digital
marketing efforts for their clientele. This is where
AdEngage steps in. Established with a vision to solve sales
and marketing challenges through digital marketing and
consultancy, AdEngage is an award winning marketing and
advertising agency with the core focus on digital marketing.
Being the founder, Pancham along with his team has carried
out effective measures in order to position the company
amongst the top-notch market leaders in performance
marketing. Under his aegis, the company has created a
niche in the sectors of Advertising & Marketing,
Professional Training, and Certifications.
The company specializes in E-commerce Development,
Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing,
Digital Advertising & Analytics, Product Packaging
Solutions, Conversion Rate Optimization, and Content
Creation. It has combined its digital marketing skills with
Offline marketing, PR, Branding and more in order to open
up unlimited growth opportunities for the clients.
What Pulled the Trigger?
Coming from an Advertising and Media background,
Pancham soon realized the potential of Digitalization and
started working towards helping SMEs to build their
business online, especially through social media marketing.
That’s how the journey started for Pancham and AdEngage
came into existence. “I believe my approach towards
organic marketing and generating a good steady flow of
revenue for our clients really helped us sail through tough
times as clients continued showing their faith on us and
allowed us to build a solid business model for AdEngage,”
says Pancham. “My role model is anyone who is willing to
succeed in life. Anyone who wants to be different, wants to
create something unique is my role model,” he added
further.
Pancham’s Take on Current Scenario
Advertising expenditure on Digital platforms like Google
and social media sites in India have finally gained pace and
are consistently growing. This is a positive sign for many
32
February 2019|

THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
“
Nothing is impossible
when you pair commitment
& smart work with a passionate
group of individuals who are
driven by the same vision
“
Pancham Banerji
Founder
young and established Digital Marketing agencies.
Pancham believes that SMEs in India may still take a
couple of years to show complete confidence in Digital
Marketing rather than experimenting with the platform.
As far as MNCs and bigger brands are concerned, he senses
a need for agencies that can be a one-stop solution provider
to all the Digital Marketing, Advertising and Performance
Marketing needs. Talking about Performance Marketing,
Pancham says, this will be in high demand in the coming
years as more businesses turn up to Digital Marketing for
reach and revenue generation.
Guiding the Neophytes
Pancham’s philosophy of life is to work with a determined
vision as if there’s no Plan B. “If you want something to
happen for you, go for it passionately until you achieve it.
Wake up early and dedicate at least 13-15 hours to your
work every day. There are no shortcuts so you need to work
very hard; literally,” asserts Pancham. He advices the
beginners to always hire passion over certificates or degrees
and get themselves a co-founder who shares the same
values, and is equally passionate about their vision.
two years.” Foreseeing a bright future for AdEngage,
Pancham and his team have started working towards
implementing their vision to generate profitable outcomes.
They are presently working towards expansion in different
geographies especially Central India, Gujarat and South
East Asia in the coming years. This core team is also
planning to integrate AI and VR in its present marketing
and advertising services in the upcoming years. In the
coming years, setting up own production team for AD’s and
short films, implementing PR campaigns nation-wide, and
executing events from concept creation to offline
implementation would be successfully accomplished.
“In the future, if I get a chance, I would love to create an
institution aimed at creating entrepreneurs and innovators
for the future and give them the chance to change the
world,” says Pancham.
With many new ventures and projects in the pipeline for
2019 and 2020, Pancham looks forward to many new
milestones for its parent organization Goodlight Ventures.
For the next ten years, the company aims to focus on
expanding their portfolio of services and entering new
business verticals.
Future Footsteps
Envisioning a better version of him Pancham says, “I work
hard every day to achieve a certain ‘me’which I desire to
become, therefore I would like to achieve it in the coming
February 2019| 33

Ranjith AR
Professionalizing the Businesses with Excellence
The story starts with a glimpse into the life of an
established trainer and entrepreneur, also the
creator of the training programme TPR (Thought
Process Reengineering), Sajeev Nair, who was receiving
tremendous enquiries from SMEs for setting up and
streamlining their business growth. He was truly dedicated
towards training sessions rather than being a consultant to a
company. However, acknowledging people’s approach
towards consulting, Sajeev decided to spread his wings and
establish a company named Bramma Learning Solutions
in 2008.
At that point of time, he found Ranjith AR – an avid
implementer with hands-on experience in consulting
domain aligned with multinational companies like IBM and
Helix. But, functioning as a consulting firm was not an easy
task as consulting was not so common in Kerala and many
people were doubtful about the need of a consultant.
Businessmen were not aware about the opportunities and
convenience that a consultant can bring for them. As such,
the initial resistance was big. But, with unified efforts of
Ranjith, Bramma successfully gained three clients from
Sajeev’s training sessions and started stepping towards
achieving more milestones.
Under his aegis, Bramma started from the top by mentoring
business – made businessmen consulting-ready and then
entered into their organizations. Ranjith’s determination
started defining the true essence of success and the scenario
changed. More references came in, things worked well and
people started believing in the company. Thus, the company
strived hard with an aim to create 1000 successes in small
and medium business segment by professionalizing their
internal systems and procedures. Slowly and steadily the
number of clients started increasing and thus the team size!
Bramma was now on its way to create a niche and
transform its sector for the better.
Meet the Proficient Persona
Ranjith AR is the CEO of Bramma Learning Solutions.
With an experienced hand in developing practical business
solutions for more than a decade, he is a Coach, Mentor,
Trainer and a one-of-its-kind solution provider. Ranjith has
consulted and provided strategic directions for more than
400 SMEs in Kerala and the Middle East and trained over
100,000 people across the world. Being an International
trainer of business reengineering, sustainability and team
building, he has efficaciously provided talks to corporates
like Mitsubishi, Asian Paints, Vedanta, Alfa Laval and
more.
He is an innovative thinker and ideator for advertising
concepts and ideas, who was associated with Rediffussion,
Mudra and Grey Worldwide for specific assignments.
Ranjith has expertise in Graphic and Instructional
Designing and has been an independent consultant for
e-learning companies like Cell, Edurite, Aptara, Learnnext
etc. Apart from all this, he is also a professional quiz master
with more than 200 career quiz titles and more than 500
quiz shows as master to the credit.
About Bramma
Bramma is a state-of-the-art platform providing end-to-end
solutions to the clientele. It sets the frame of vision,
mission, and goals for a company through vision setting
exercises, mind mappings, and thorough company analysis.
The strategy team develops prominent business model and
strategies for the companies. Started with just three
34
February 2019|

THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
“
Helping in streamlining
your processes and
making your organisation
professional
“
Ranjith AR
CEO
employees, now it has thirty full time employees and
around twelve part time domain experts associated with the
team.
At Bramma, consultants act as the CEOs for its clients and
consistently focus on restructuring the organizations. The
company exclusively designs and develops KRAs, KPIs for
each staff, help in recruiting the best talent, conduct high
power training sessions, and do through follow up to
implement the MIS. “Unlike many other consulting
companies, we make sure that the system we design is
implemented in the organization by proper follow up,” says
Ranjith. If any issues happen, the rectifying measures are
also taken! The company also takes care of the entire
management aspect of an organization to make them move
to the next level including HR, Operations, Finance and the
Sales & Marketing, which makes it one-of-the-rare
consultants in the country. In short, Bramma is a name
synonymous for a one-stop shop showcasing practical yet
out-of-the-box marketing strategies.
marketing strategies and the financial operations. Today, the
company is rolling out services in five different countries
including India, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
In 2018, Bramma also has started a funding platform.
Future Roadmap
Leading with excellence, Ranjith has been instrumental in
enabling Bramma to be an all-inclusive brand in the SME
sector in Kerala. In the coming years, he is planning to
expand his empire and drive Bramma to be the final word
of entrepreneurship in South India and in the Gulf region.
As such, the company will be creating social business
circles all over the nation to spread the awareness of
entrepreneurship and to help rural India in gaining strength,
thereby contributing to the economy. “Bramma is also
planning to execute activities starting from business courses
and joint ventures to funding platforms etc.,” asserts
Ranjith.
Transformation ‘Step-by-step’
During its initial days, Bramma focused on business
process reengineering. Later in 2011, under the leadership
of Ranjith, the company started its operations in the Gulf
region. With his sheer dedication, in 2015, Bramma
Makeover was introduced, which magnificently empowered
the entire activities including process systemization,
February 2019| 35

THE NEW-AGE CEO
A JOURNEY TO
Self-discovery
hat is the key essence of the journey of self-
Wdiscovery for the “New-Age CEO”?
rd
My roots lie in my DNA, being a 3 gen in the family of
entrepreneurs I always knew that I had leadership and
confidence in me that was a fabric of all my learning from
my Father and my Grandfather. Empathy and EQ taught by
my mother together became a successful mix towards
becoming the CEO of Social DNA. People only see the tip
of the iceberg which is either success or the failure but what
goes into it is a lot of patience, risk, strategy, trials,
learning, and sweat. To choose this journey one must wear a
metal jacket and the only enemy is the mind, which
continuously challenges the wit and only the strong and
persistent survive.
The chair of the CEO in this era is more of responsibility
rather than a comfortable seat. The journey towards success
while being in this position is like the flight of a kite, rising
above all the hurdles and challenges and continuing to fly
by maneuvering the strong winds. The most important
aspect of this flight is to stay grounded to the base, which
comprises of strong ethics, philosophy and the carefully
chosen team of people that needs to continuously be
empowered for strength.
About Management skills that would drive an
entrepreneur to become a leader?
I have been blessed to come across some really amazing set
of people who help me in the journey. They have been the
pillars of strength that hold Social DNA together. Business
has always been and will be about empowering people. It is
critical that A CEO understands his team and manage their
skills in the right way, so as to create great leaders. The
36
February 2019|

Spotlight
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aditya Raj Mankani is the
Founder and CEO of Social
DNA, one of the leading digital
marketing agencies in
Hyderabad. With over 15 years
of experience in the areas of
finance and manufacturing,
Aditya combines his business
acumen and passion for
technology to provide resultoriented
digital strategies to
help clients achieve their
marketing objectives. An
alumnus of the prestigious
Hyderabad Public School,
Aditya pursued his higher
education from the University
of South Florida in Tampa Bay,
USA where he completed his
double graduation in Finance
and Information Systems.
Aditya Raj Mankani
Founder & CEO
Social DNA
February 2019| 37

leaders that we create will light up the path towards glory that we aim to achieve as an organization. The grooming
of leaders with a strong sense of character and continuous refinement of their skills takes a great deal of
persuasiveness and empathy, after all, we are dealing with delicate, highly creative minds. While we are at this
herculean task of carrying them on our shoulders, we need to find the perfect balance of work and personal lives
for both ourselves and our people. Happy people form a happy organization.
What are the key attributes that every CEO should master?
Key attributes of a great CEO cannot merely be defined by words, but must be constantly shaped and polished like
a sculpture. The most important one being agile, the confidence to make fast decisions that can affect the course of
the journey of the organization. The second one is about problem-solving which needs to be based on a strong
sense of empathy towards the people involved; after all, everything that we do is for them. Strategizing synergy
forms the third most important attribute. Partnership and alliances that we form are what makes our journey a
memorable one. The final attribute is networking; we are as resourceful as the people that we know. Our work is a
product of people that we collaborate and coordinate with. With the right people, we don’t merely tread, we waltz
our way to success. With all these key attributes, the thirst for reaching greater heights should drive us.
What are the major challenges faced by the business leaders of 21st century and tricks to overcome them?
The journey towards bigger goals involves overcoming great challenges and hurdles. The major challenges of a
st
CEO in the 21 century come in various forms. The most crucial decision comprises making the best out of the
arbitrage moments in the fast-changing world. Opportunities have often knocked the doors of Social DNA
disguised in the form of challenges and we are glad to have made the best out of them. Dealing with the everchanging
norms and laws of the technological world is a tricky task. Effectively managing the human resource is
never a breeze as identifying the most prominent skillset of person takes keen observation and time. In this wired
era of knowledge explosion, a strong will to learn and unlearn every day is challenging and heavily rewarding at
the same time.
Few words on future of emerging CEOs in the age of rapid change?
Future is full of sunshine for the leaders of organizations that aim to bring “Disruption” to the industry through
their work. To do that kind of revolutionary innovations takes a great amount of perseverance and watchfulness for
the right opportunity. Let the idea of change be a thing to look forward to. Success is theirs who look at challenges
and smile before they take it by the horns.
38
February 2019|

Ravi Venugopal Gunti
A Passionate Technocrat
Science and Engineering complete each other. While
science is all about exploring, understanding and
gaining knowledge, it is engineering that transforms
science into action. The word engineering is derived from
the Latin words “ingenium” meaning “cleverness” and
“ingeniare” meaning “to contrive or devise”. Human
beings have always fallen back on engineering to devise
inventions for better living and nothing motivates Engineers
more than the desire to find solutions to problems.
Ravi Venugopal Gunti is one such technocrat, strategist
and a passionate engineer who considers the journey of
finding the answers to tough engineering problems as his
primary source of motivation! He considers his current
team and his senior colleague, Dr Dilip Bonde as his source
of inspiration. He also idolizes Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra
and Elon Musk for whom he has worked during his journey
for the past 25 years in different areas.
The Trajectory of Success
Ravi completed his Master of Engineering from Guindy
Engineering College (Anna University), Chennai. He
worked as a trainee on the IRS 1B project at ISRO satellite
centre, Bangalore. He then joined Tata Motors as a Senior
Design Engineer and was part of the core team which
started the design of the Tata Indica as part of The Advance
Engineering Group in ERC (Engineering research centre).
He later joined DSQ software and as part of the Founding
member of its Engineering Division, he worked for VW,
Audi, Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Damiler etc. The entrepreneur
in him then collaborated with other technocrats to establish
an engineering services organisation “Plexion
Technologies” with the financial backing of JP Morgan.
This was later acquired by Mahindra Group and
transitioned into – Mahindra Engineering and Mahindra
Aerospace in 2006.
Ravi has excellent knowledge on all the Global OEM
Design Standard, processes and technologies and has
worked for almost all Auto-OEM projects directly or
indirectly. He is an expert in setting-up offshore
development centres for Global OEM’s and Tier-1
suppliers. Smart Enovations, which he co-founded in 2011
with Dr Bonde and Dr CVR Reddy is an engineering
solutions and services organisation working in the field of
product design and validation and information technology.
Engineering Innovations
The IT-enabled engineering services of Smart Enovations
include product conceptualization, engineering design and
CAE simulations, tooling and manufacturing process
simulations, robotic simulations and support, product life
cycle management, embedded IOT, ML and AI.
It also provides IT software services including application
development, big data solutions, cloud enablement,
analytics, mobile app, and enterprise support services.
Ravi has been instrumental in developing the knowledge
base as well as processes for delivering services, complete
product designs and proven prototypes to world-wide
OEMs working in the modern fore-front technologies. The
first interior design of the high-end premium car was
carried out in India under his stewardship.
Team Ravi, Dr Bonde and Dr Reddy have been successfully
working together for the past 20 years. Ravi says,“We are
technocrats with our grounding from various fields such as
the Indian space program, leading the design and
engineering of India’s cheapest car and developing
aerospace solutions. We are now working closely with new
generation mobility solutions.”
40
February 2019|

THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
Smart Enovations is Smart and
Creative Engineering
“Innovations into reality
“
Ravi Venugopal Gunti
Co-founder & CEO
The company is a IT & Engineering design and product
development firm. It has successfully executed various
engineering solutions projects like design of spacecraft
structure and Rover. It is also developing solutions in
Electric Vehicle (EV) area and design and development of
new age mobility solutions suites.
Complexities and Changing Scenario of the Industry
The Industry, Ravi points out, is changing at a very fast
pace. Industry 4.0, as it is called, and new age production
systems with AI, ML is maturing faster. Smart Enovations
supports customers in this area to embrace this
transformation. Development in Urban mobility and Smart
City solutions are transforming city landscapes and his team
is happy to be able to utilize the many opportunities above.
About the challenges, he says, “Engineering solutions are
complex – every product development suite comes with its
own complex variables and each of challenges has to be
overcome as we build new creative solutions/ products.” He
believes that quality and innovativeness will always help
companies to sail through the times.
The recent emission issues and a quick shift of the industry
towards EV was again a challenge which he quickly
adapted to and his company was able to deliver solutions to
EV industry needs and also developed solutions around it.
The recent digital emergence brought complexities in the
business again and his team came out with solutions
focused towards niche areas in which other competitors
don’t operate and quickly adapt itself to business especially
in AI and ML. He asks his team to always think
innovatively and construct creative solutions and that
success lies in identifying unique and niche areas.
Start Small to get it Right!
As a serial entrepreneur, Ravi advises the next-gen to focus
on their commitment and not to deviate. He advises,
“Believe in the team. Keep it simple, don’t look for complex
solutions. But it won’t come easy. Don’t think about
“Boiling the Ocean”, start small and get it right. Build it
Big! Last Long!”
Innovative Solutions for the Future
Ravi aims to be one of the top 10 companies in the domain
and focus on upcoming technology areas by choosing niche
areas like AI, ML and IoT and focus to achieve these
objectives, through creative and innovative products and
services in next five years. Smart innovations is always on
the look for emerging digital technologies. These constitute
areas like Automation, Robotics Simulation, AI and
products in EV technology area along with their pursuit to
expand to new geographies. He suggests, “We will work on
solutions in AI, ML and IoT and design and development of
IT solutions under Industry4.0!”
February 2019| 41

Satyavir Chakrapani
Transforming the Dreams of Urban and Rural India
The foundation of Micro Finance Industry was
laid by Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus in the
year 1976. With the passing of each decade, this
segment has gathered momentum and has been a major
boon for the rural inhabitants of the country in achieving
financial independence.
“It’s always darkest before the dawn” - Thomas Fuller,
English theologian, and historian.
Due to the recent turn of events in the Indian financial
sector, the microfinance universe is witnessing a
transitional wave. Sailing through these rough waters
demands a leader who is persistent and carries the
acumen to answer every change of events.
A Soulful Visionary
One such aspiring entrepreneur who carries a vision to
empower the disadvantaged urban and rural population
of India is creating a renaissance in the MFI is Satyavir
Chakrapani. Spending his childhood in the rural
segments, Satyavir had a very modest upbringing. His
parents didn’t allow their socio-economic status and
education to be a hindrance in working with the rural
communities and that motivated Satyavir to stay attached
with the rural grassroots. The rural culture has always
inspired him to think beyond his strength and perceived
ability. The takeaways and the learning’s from his
childhood days had a huge impact on his life that later
crafted the roadmap of his professional career. He
candidly accepts that meeting his childhood village
friends at regular intervals keeps him humble and
grounded. The company of his friends redirected him to
analyze the outcomes of the various development
programmes from the customer’s point of view. It has
also assisted in shaping his spirituality, which is the
foundation of his thought process!
The Inception Saga
Education played a pivotal role in cementing his
perception towards the rural base and the financial
complexities prevalent in the country. As a management
graduate from EDII, he is also a law graduate along with
having a Master’s degree in History. His professional
career spans over two decades wherein Satyavir has
acquiredrich and diversified expertise in areas such as
Community Based Organisations (CBOs), Panchayati
Raj Institutions (PRIs), e-governance, ICT, and
microfinance.
2005 was a memorable year for Satyavir, going back he
recalls, “I was invited by the founder of Delhi House
Society (a Society that runs various programs for
destitute and disadvantaged communities in Delhi), to
initially help and then to subsequently take it over, since
it was on the verge of closing down owing to various
challenges and posed a threat to its existence. It is there
where I saw the realities of the streets from a whole new
perspective and inspired me to continue to multiple jobs;
one to earn and other to serve and give. Leading Sewa
Ashram led me to target the inter-generational poverty
where families could start their own entrepreneurial
ventures - something that is preventive than curative”.
Eventually, this experience was the platform based on
which Shikhar came into existence with a motive to
enhance access to finance and entrepreneurial
opportunities. The tagline – “Shikhar to Shikhar” is an
attempt to connect with the masses and expresses the
partnership of theorganization. Over the years, Shikhar
has been focusing on building relationships with clients
and design products that would address the life cycle
needs. Although it hasn’t grown to the proportion of the
industry but it has focused on the client with its
principles and continues to march on its path of growth.
42
February 2019|

THE
10
TO WATCH
IN
2019
“
Empowering communities
by providing financial
services and livelihood
opportunities
“
Satyavir Chakrapani
Founder, MD, & CEO
Right from the first day, Shikhar has enabled thousands
of families to come out of the clutches of poverty.
The Company - Business & Geography
As the CEO and Managing Director of Shikhar
Microfinance Pvt. Ltd. (SMPL), Satyavir founded
Shikhar in 2007 with an aim to provide access to finance
and entrepreneurial opportunities.Headquartered in New
Delhi, it is engaged in micro financing lending activities,
providing financial services to poor women in India who
are organized as Joint Liability Groups. Today it has a
dominant prominence in the Northern and Central India
in states like Delhi NCR, Haryana, Uttarakhand,
Western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha
through 28 branches.
It also hasBC partnership with renowned entities like
MAS Financial Services, Suryoday SFB, and Belstar
Investment & Finance Pvt. Ltd that helps them to reach
out to a larger consumer base.The company offers small
value collateral free loans ranging from 15,000 to 50,000
INR and individual loans upto 5,00,000 INR. All
financial transactions are conducted in the group
meetings organized near the habitats of the borrowers.
The Rightful Intent
Underlining poverty and depravity as the roadblocks for
development, Satyavir strongly feels that these issues
need multilevel engagement and multi-level stakeholder
partnerships.Over the last decade, he is working with
regulators in order to create an enabling environment and
a common platform thereby bringing the poor at the
center stage of any function. He asserts that “I have been
doing this by being an industry member on a quasiregulatory
body to enforce self-regulation.”
Putting forth his thoughts, Satyavir thinks that in a
developing country like India, one needs to think
creatively, holistically and develop projects and ideas
that will create more harmony. However, there should be
equilibrium among the different sections of the society
who recognize and honor each other’s existence to live a
life of fullness.
On the parting note, he acknowledges that life has taught
him a lot and he wishes to build a value-based, Godfearing
society that offers equal opportunities and
minimizes uneven control of resources. In this pursuit,
many Shikhar’s will be birthed to partners with the less
advantaged to offer them opportunities and shore them to
their heights.
“I wish investors in Microfinance sector take a long term
outlook for exit that will pave the way for lower cost of
credit to customers and that the Regulator will ensure a
level playing field for all kinds of entities, who serve this
segment of the society,” concludes Satyavir.
February 2019| 43