Bharath Krishnaswamy
GM in a leading IT services firm
UST Global
Bharath Krishnaswamy is a member of:
Could you tell us briefly about your family background?
My Dad was in the Indian Navy and my childhood was spent in various naval bases. Being a Naval Officers son teaches you to be adaptable, social and also instils a sense of purpose and values in your formative years. My wife Manju and i have been married 13 years and we have two lovely boys 12and 2.
Changes In The Professional Environment:
In the IT consulting services space, there has been a seisemic shift in the business environment. Both from the customers buying beaviour and from a service providers stand point.IT service providers are far more business savvy, integrated with the clients environment and socially more effective
Advice For New Professionals:
In the old days you core technical or domain skills were key. Its now all about the right attitude and aptitude. One has to learn to collaborate well, Be a team player, create solutions ideas and most importantly have the skill to network , build relationhips and see the big picture.
Job Profile:
I head up a large Business Unit in my organization focused on Global customers.iam Responsible for PL management, Customer satisfaction, Increased Mindshare and expansion.I have a robust sales and relationship team as well and a dotted line opeartions and delivery team in my organization.
Prized Accomplishment(s):
My current assignment of building a significantly large business unit from scratch gave me a lot of satisfaction. Particularly when our organizations brand and footprint was very small. Creating the right strategies and SWOT plans for growth was a interetsting and fulfilling excersize. also team dev
The Decisions That Matter
I jumped into the IT Industry from an unrelated area, I was with American Express in the sales and marketing team. This was a bold and bizarre decison at that time as i had no prior experience of the Industry , Working in the US or even an understanding of the dynamics. Seem to have paid off now
The Journey So Far:
After my MBA in 1992 , I joined American Express in India as part of the Travel sales and marketing team. Great brand and exposure. . I joined Mahindra Satyam in the US in 2001 managing Retail and MSFT.After 4 gud years, I headed back to India to join UST managing the India biz.I then moved to US
Done Differently:
Maybe spent more time cross training and understanding different aspects of the business. When you are young you have tendency to operate in a SILO fashion. Defnitely taken on more challenges and risks.
Plans For The Future:
More challenging responsibilities and growth. I would like to continue to make increased positive impacts to the organization. Spend more time with employees and team building. Charter new growth areas.
Required Reading:
I think just being curious about business models and market dynamics is a good start. I would recommend investing in a Kindle or Nook as its so convenient downloading what you feel like reading. HBR,CNN Money, Bloomber, Fortune and Silicon India are some good sites to peridically visit
Working Life Management:
Very diffcult to achieve easily. Its important to strike the right communication with your spouse and involve her/him on what you are doing. Get creative it terms of short vacations and family breaks.Spend mandatory time with children and parents. Socializing/hobbies are very important to destress