To have fire in the belly is the most important factor for success, believes Manish Soman, the recently appointed Executive Vice President and Chief of Operations of Patni Computer’s Executive Leadership Team. He also attributes relationship with people and knowledge as the other main factors.

Soman brings with him 18 years of experience in IT services and BPO industries. Prior to joining Patni, he was part of Genpact’s management team where he worked as Senior Vice President and Business Leader. He has worked for companies like Washington Mutual, Software Management Consultants, Tata Unisys, and Deloitte. In Patni, he will be responsible for driving the company’s key operations including sales operations, business continuity, and resource planning.

Looking back at his career, Soman has just one regret, that of not being able to spend more time as an entrepreneur. “Building a business from the scratch teaches you a lot, both in terms of business and financial aspects, as well as on the people relations side. I think it would have helped me become a more rounded businessman,” he says. In 2001, he had started his own company called 3Di Systems, which operated in the area of healthcare and education in the public sector. He feels that this was the turning point of his career.

Soman is a graduate in computer science and has a master’s degree in business administration from Pune University. Apart from work, he likes to listen to Hindustani classical music and owns a farm where he spends time every weekend. He takes his farming very seriously as it helps him to get his mind away from work and focus on something which is creative and productive.