IT — A profit centre!

You have almost set an archetype by being a pioneer of the captive model in India. How did the idea germinate? How easy was it to turn the typical IT centre to an atypical and exemplary profit centre?

Yes, it has been quite a journey over the last three years. We are definitely a profit centre now. I have 3000 people in IT and it’s not just an IT team. And it’s nice to see being studied as a case study in ace academic institutions like IIM-A or published by the likes of Gartner. It was my idea and when I pushed it I was naturally excited. There was a lot to be done through this journey. It feels great to morph from a CIO to a CEO of the new model. I am on my way to change hats and hire a CIO.

What’s the secret sauce behind it?

The CIO has to have a CEO mindset, in short. And that means risk-taking, sales-making and decision-making. It’s all about convincing the business to be better buyers. First believe that you are honestly capable with deep competence to do it. Ask yourself honestly – Can I do work for some other company? The trick also is to be fully aware of one’s limitations. One essential part is that of sales, and being able to convince the buyers. Most CIOs are good delivery guys, but not all CIOs can sell. Then there is understanding of business processes, financial areas with bidding etc, sales team management, lead management and a lot more.

Has it not changed your equation with the industry players, with you, the erstwhile customer now entering the competition league?

Competition turns into coaptation. There are many levels in the equation. Someone is a sub-contractor, some one is a partner, someone another link in the chain etc. One has to build relationships with other partners to co-deliver.

How daunting or overwhelming is the job of running IT for a scale as huge as Reliance’s?

If you have the right skills and right approach, it’s not. It helps to have a very objective SWOT analysis and planning accordingly; distributing advantages and responsibilities as per various groups, being acutely aware of everything going within, being savvy about knowledge and taking bold steps.