Ajay Harinath Singh Greatest Brand Leader 2018-2019

Maneesh Tripathi
In a League of
His Own
The Executive Chairman and Group CEO of S$ 500 million listed company in Singapore, SEVAK Ltd.
(formerly Si2i Ltd.), Maneesh Tripathi is a remarkable leader who has been consistently setting new
benchmarks of excellence in innovation and driving the firm to greater heights. Besides being an
accomplished business leader, he is also a passionate sports enthusiast and music lover
A
global citizen who has been
residing in Singapore for more
than two decades, Maneesh has
worked in 6 different countries and has
acquired a rich experience of learning
about various cultures. With a deep
understanding of product innovation,
customer needs, business management,
governance and people management, he
has been continually creating value for
clients and stakeholders and takes pride
in fulfilling additional responsibilities and
carrying out commitments fearlessly.
With a strong belief that leadership is
not about a title or a designation, rather it
is about inspiration, influence and impact,
Maneesh dedicatedly and passionately
motivates his teammates to get the best
results.
An Exceptional Start
An engineering graduate with a degree
in Electronics and Telecom from
Jabalpur Engineering College, Maneesh
also acquired a PGCGM degree from
the prestigious Indian Institute of
Management, Calcutta. He has gained
a vast experience of working in various
multinational corporations including IBM,
Philips, Olivetti, Sun and TCPL. He was
first appointed as Chief Executive Officer
of Si2i Ltd. (formerly known as Media
Ring Ltd.) in March 2010. Later, after the
acquisition of the Affinity and the Selular
Group (Indonesia) by the organization, he
was appointed as Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Group
and Selular Group in May 2011.
He is also a Board Member of many
subsidiaries of SEVAK Ltd., and is also an
honorary Board Member of Global Indian
International School, Singapore. A multiskilled
person, Maneesh has more than
25 years of work experience in various
sectors and multiple domains of business
and industry.
Brimming with Illimitable
Energy
Having worked all around the globe in
various countries including Japan, China,
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Saudi
Arabia, Maneesh’s diverse career bears
testimony to the fact that he possesses
illimitable energy and is always on the
go from morning to night. He has been
efficiently playing a significant role in the
integration, transition and expansion of
SEVAK Ltd.’s growth plans, contributing
expansively through its offerings including
solutions for spice cloud, networking, data,
voice, hosting and managed services.
Always excited about his personal and
his team’s contribution, Maneesh has been
expertly managing the various processes
of the group and its business operations
and strategic planning. He focuses on
the strengths of the organization and on
the things that the company needs to do
to satisfy its customers in a competitive
“He has worked in 6 different countries
and has acquired a rich experience of
learning about various cultures”
marketplace. As a dedicated business
professional and an intrapreneur who
is ever ready go the extra mile, he is
an inspiration for his teammates and
business associates.
Leading by Example
It is a widely acknowledged fact that a
true leader is the one who walks the talk.
Maneesh is one such leader who believes
in ‘Do as I do’ rather than ‘Do as I say’
philosophy. Being an enlightened leader,
he is well aware of his responsibility to
lead the team with his own actions. The
old saying, ‘Managers do things right.
Leaders do the right things,’ holds true
in his case. As an individual who leads
by example, he has never shied away
from walking his talk and has eventually
emerged as a popular leader who inspires
others to put their best foot forward.
When he voluntarily took home a
monthly salary of $1 a few years ago
during a rough phase faced by the firm,
many board members joined him, and
some others from the management team
also opted for pay adjustments. “It was
just one dollar and one person doing it,
but it’s a strange feeling when colleagues
started to chip in. It was like the positive
energy started aligning itself,” he recalls.
His act attracted appreciation from
many eminent personalities from the
industry including Mr. David Gerald,
President of the Securities Investors
Association of Singapore, who considered
it to be a “fine example” that should be
emulated. According to him, “It is amazing
that for a salary of one-dollar per month,
he [Maneesh] was still prepared to work
hard to turn the company around.”
No wonder an able leader, Maneesh is
efficiently inspiring the people around
him to push themselves – and, in turn, the
company – to greatness. His ex-colleague,
Mr. Shashi Mal, Board Advisor New
Global Future Ventures, IBM India Private
Limited, rightly delineates his personality,
“I worked with Maneesh for many years
and one quality of his is a positive mindset
to make things happen. He is also very
creative and it reflects on the diversity of
his experience and many jobs and roles he
has done successfully. He is also a good
team player.”
A Reservoir of Talent
Having garnered a rich work experience
in (various sectors of) Information
Technology (IT), Telecom, Retail,
Manufacturing, and Mobile industry,
Maneesh is efficiently driving SEVAK
Limited to uncharted territories of
success. However, his boundless potential
is not confined to the realm of business.
Much to everyone’s surprise, he is a
sports enthusiast and music lover as well.
In fact, he has been a state-level cricket
player and has captained ROVV/Jabalpur
University, while playing for the state of
Madhya Pradesh in U22 CK Naidu trophy.
Being a lover of classical music, he has
obtained a 4-year diploma in the percussion
instrument ‘Tabla’ from Shankar Sangeet
Mahavidyalaya, Allahabad, as he believes
that music is the greatest communication
in the world because it connects people. In
addition, he also has a certificate in Film
Production and Planning from Singapore
Media Academy.
Maneesh is of the view that ‘All work
and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ and
very well knows how to strike a perfect
work-life balance.
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