November - 2008 issue > Movers and Shakers

By Vimali Swamy

Saar Gillai has joined 3Com as its new Senior Vice President (SVP) of Worldwide Products and Solutions. Gillai brings with him more than 20 years of networking experience, including management positions with companies such as Enfora, Cisco Systems, Newbridge Networks, and Tropos Networks. As SVP, he will be responsible for realizing the definition of the company’s long-term vision for product lines and solutions, including framing its products and solutions roadmap, pricing and positioning, and product requirements. "From the CIO and upto the last person down below, those responsible for enterprise networks are being pressured to do more with less, particularly in today's challenging economic climate. Customers should not have to pay a premium for their network infrastructure. They have the right to high-performance, integrated solutions with industry leading functionality at lower costs. Hence at 3Com, I see a unique opportunity to address this need," says Gillai.

Currently, the company is in the process of expanding its products and solutions team around the world. Gillai will have under his leadership more than 2,400 development engineers who will focus on building 'do more with less'solutions based on the customers' needs.

Gillai is a strong believer in making decisions as quickly as possible using the 80/20 rule, so that one can move forward. "It is ok to make some mistakes, as long as you are committed to truly learn from them and avoid repeating the same mistakes," he says. He also believes that it is critical to create an environment where people feel comfortable to express their opinion, especially when their opinion differs from that of others, even if it is the team leader.

Gillai calls himself an information and learning junkie and spends a lot of time reading newspapers (online and offline) and books about varied subjects. Though he earlier played a lot of basketball, these days he has taken up biking whenever he finds time. Most importantly he loves spending time with his family. He believes that one can learn as much from one’s family as from the teammates.

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