Powerful Men in Business- Edition 2.pdf

I N D I A
catalyst for growth
G.S. Ramesh
G.S. Ramesh
Chairman and Founder
P werful
Menin
Business-2022
VOL 06
ISSUE 02
2022
Layam Group
Comprehensive
Leadership Skills
to Thrive in the
Modern Business
Arena
#IndustryStalwarts
Changing
Benchmarks of
Contemporary
Corporate
Governance
Success
Fundamentals

Editor's Note
BENCHMARKING THE REALM
OF ULTIMATE WISDOM
eaders are visionaries; they plan for the future
Lthrough concrete and quantifiable goals. They
understand the need for continuous change and
are open to trying new approaches to solve problems
and improvise for better outcomes.
Leadership qualities are the characteristics that these
great leaders develop over time, from executives in the
C-suite to the team leaders—to staunch business
leaders. These personalities excel because ‘Leadership
isn’t something people are born with–it’s a skill that can
be cultivated over time.’ These proficient leaders
develop these awe-inspiring skills, enhancing their
vision with a genuine approach towards being
productive and innovative.
The prominent companies of the modern world are
constantly searching for top talent with the best
leadership qualities to be part of their organization to
deal with the rising challenges.
Moreover, the leading organizations want their leaders
to not only be experts in their fields but also to have the
right mix of leadership styles that fit their
organizational culture and lead their business to
success.
Adding to this scenario, the best business schools are
going beyond traditional classroom education for their
leadership development programs to maximize
executives’ learning experience and ensure effective
leadership. This is because; the prominent business
acumen comprehends the essential leadership traits
and qualities across all levels of work and expertise.
Understanding the fact that true leaders are confident
and know they can think–and act–outside the box to
take their companies to the next level. They know that
leadership qualities like openness, emotional agility and
resourcefulness are often more important than being
able to make a sale or wow a group of investors.
Embracing the journey of the starlet personalities of
the modern industry, CIOLook India features
enthralling stories of the bright business leaders in its
latest edition, ‘Powerful Men in Business-2022.’ Flip
through the pages to indulge in the journey of wisdom
with lifelong values and admirable qualities.
Have a Delightful Read!
Abhishek Joshi
Deputy Editor
abhishek.joshi@insightssuccess.com

EvolveBPM
Prabhat Khabar
Howell Protection
Systems, India Pvt. Ltd.
Sunil Gidwani has a deep expertise in domestic and
international tax and regulatory matters with a focus on
financial services sector.
Under Satish's leadership, Evolve BPM aims to provide
Revenue Impact solutions that enable global sales teams
to scale their revenues.
The astute leadership of Prakash has contributed in scaling
Prabhat Khabar's reach from five million to 30 million news
subscribers.
Layam Group
With the coherent leadership of G.S Ramesh, Layam is
recognized as the Human Capital Value Chain provider and
trusted partner for Automobile, Manufacturing and Engineering
Industry.
Syed is a business strategy development professional, working in
a system integration company. He is currently working on
increasing the sales and revenue vertical of the leading player in
the diverse fields of safety, security, and customized solutions for
applications.
Nangia Andersen LLP
Brief
Company Name
Prakash Kumar,
Digital Head
Syed Ishtiyaq,
General Manager-
India Operations
Sunil Gidwani,
Partner
Satish K. Sadasivan,
Founder and CEO
G.S.Ramesh,
Featuring
P werful
Menin
Business-2022

Articles
20
C o v e r
S t o r y
Comprehensive Leadership
Skills to Thrive in the
Modern Business Arena
Changing Benchmarks of
Contemporary Corporate
Governance
#IndustryStalwarts
Success Fundamentals
32
catalyst for growth
G.S. Ramesh

C
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N
T
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14 Hindi Media’s Digital Transformer
Prakash Kumar
24
28
36
The Revenue Growth Strategyzer and
Sales Ecosystem Decoder
Thought Leadership of the Highest Echelons
An Eminent Resilient Leadership
Satish K. Sadasivan
Sunil Gidwani
Syed Ishtiyaq

CONTENT
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TECHNICAL
Technical Head : Amar Swant
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JUNE, 2022
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G.S. Ramesh always
tells people that HR
for him is not Human
Resources but
Honesty in
Relationships and to
be a business partner.
C o v e r S t o r y
G.S. Ramesh
catalyst for growth

G.S. Ramesh
Layam Group

uccess has as many definitions as per personal
Spreference. For some, it is materialistic like having a
bungalow, a fleet of vehicles, an adequate bank balance
etc.
For others, it is a destination where when one reaches, feels
elated, delighted and powerful. However, the third category
of true leaders feels that success is a journey of learning life's
lessons andthengivingbacktosociety.
This is the story of one of such powerful leaders in business,
who has become the living definition of real success, the
catalyst for Growth. We are talking about G. S. Ramesh, the
Chairman and Founder of Layam Group, a company he
started in 2007. This was the beginning of his second innings.
His first innings, like his second one, have been equally
successful.
LearningLife'sLesson
Ramesh finished his management studies and joined TATAin
the early 70s. He worked for this reputed brand for more than
20 years. This was his first job, and he says he was fortunate to
be interviewed by the late Mr Russi Mody, a giant leader who
was instrumentalinbuildingTATAironandsteelcompany.
Though Mr Mody expressed his doubts about G. S. Ramesh,
who hailed from south India working in tough terrain like
coal, Ramesh eventually proved his mettle with ample
guidance and support from his colleagues and workers in the
coalmines.
Later on, he moved to steel and then cement of TATA. After
his tenure with TATA, Ramesh joined Hyundai, the auto giant
and was involved in setting up the plant and served them for
12yearsandretiredfromhis firstinnings.
Working in coal mines, for instance, gave him an excellent
experience-Difficult terrain but simple people. Ramesh says
that he learnt a lot from them, the most important lesson being
simplicity with common sense. Next came his stint at
Hyundai as an HR person. He always tells people that HR for
him is not Human Resources but Honesty in Relationships
and to be a business partner. Honesty is a very powerful trait,
andmanypeopleareunabletohandleit.
Ramesh expresses that his advice is if you practice handling
honesty, you can become the most successful person. Coming
back to his professional journey, as he completed his first
innings with Hyundai, he decided to achieve his passion.
Ramesh reveals that his inner passion has always been to give
back to society. He always believed that if he can help others
achieve their dreams, it will make him a happy and enriched
person. He started practising this. He created an institution
withtheintentiontohelpschoolandcollegedropouts.
At Layam, Ramesh trains them, upskills them and helps them
achieve career success. Today, he is proud to say that they
have trained and placed over 15,000 people in various jobs
across India, and there are many more who are coming into
thisfold.
Passion,Compassion and Inspiration
Ramesh says that his first inning with TATAand Hyundai was
an elevating experience that helped him scale the career
ladder and achieve success. His second-inning is more about
realisinghis dreamofgivingbacktosociety.
Ramesh adds that his passion for starting a company that will
become a 'catalyst for growth' – Layam Group's tagline – was
sostrongthatnonegativeforcecouldstophim.
Today, Layam stands true to its tagline by helping thousands
of people achieve career success. This makes Ramesh very
happy.
He shares that his role models are the great TATAs and their
style of talking, fortitude and positive outlook. Their ideals
and philosophy helped him achieve success both in his
professionallifeandpersonaljourney.
My inner passion has always
been to give back to society. I
always believed that if I can
help others achieve their
dreams, it will make me a
happy and enriched person. I
started practising this. I
created an institution with the
intention to help school and
college dropouts.
Powerful Men in Business-2022

TheCatalystforGrowth
Regarding Layam Group, Ramesh states that it is a 15-year-
old organisation with workforce strength of 12,500+ people
working across India. Its turnover has been Rs.200 crores and
its services range from Staffing, Talent Acquisition, Contract
manufacturing, Job Contract, Learning and Development and
Business Consulting. Ramesh states that Layam is proud to be
recognised as Human Capital Value Chain provider and
trusted partner for Automobile, Manufacturing, Engineering
Industryandmanymore.
They are also proud that their company fulfils the dreams of
all those who want to join an MNC or large industry. Layam's
goal since inception has been to give job opportunities to ITIs
andDiplomaholdersbytrainingorupskillingthem.
At Layam, the team identify such candidates and show them
the relevant career path with a Business Model of Hire, Train
and Deploy. Over 30000 youth have become employable
becauseoftheskillsetsgainedthroughLayam.
Three-dimensionalTeamLayam
When asked how he helped enhance the outreach and
development of Layam Group, Ramesh said very humbly that
a single person could not be credited with the success of an
organisation. As a leader, he has always supported his people
and motivated them to win. He gave them a free hand as far as
fulfillingtheirworkcommitmentswas concerned.
Timeliness, discipline and commitment were most important
to him and in a way, these traits have got imbibed into team
Layam as well. This helped them achieve their targets year on
year. They have invariably surpassed the expectations of their
clients and candidates alike, probably because they see the
qualityoftheirwork,whichisunmatchedintheindustry.
BouncingBackfromtheChallenges
To run a successful business is a challenge in itself, as Layam
Group constantly has to rise above the expectations of its
stakeholders. When the pandemic struck initially, it was
terrifying, but finally, it got converted into an opportunity, and
thegroupbouncedback.
Working from home was an alien concept for a service-
oriented industry like Layam Group; however, following the
norms, it did stick to the protocol, slowly blending into the
newnormal.
In fact, it maintained a status quo and its employees rendered
their full support like always.Their clients also stood by them,
displaying their trust and loyalty to team Layam. Ramesh says
this gesture was reassuring and motivated them to strive
hardertoachievetheirgoals.
Layam Group's mission is
to increase stakeholders
value by delivering
integrated sustainable
management solutions that
help them achieve their goals
and distinguish Layam as
the performance and
learning solution provider of
choice.

EvolvinginthePost-pandemicEra
Post-COVID, things are limping back to normal, and like
Ramesh already said, during COVID, too, they were fortunate
enough to stay afloat. He says that his people prefer to come to
the office instead of working from home; a few have opted for
hybrid mode, but that's fine with him as long as they are
committedtotheirwork.
In terms of gaining new clients, Layam Group is overbooked.
2021 has been a profitable year for Layam and its associates,
and Ramesh hopes that moving ahead, he sees excellent
prospects as far as new client wins and expansion of their
business areconcerned.
RedefiningSuccess andAccomplishment
Ramesh states that helping people achieve their dreams has
been his biggest accomplishment. A successful career,
according to him, is doing something which you are
passionate about, and you need to believe in yourself and be
honest always. Ramesh thinks that by doing so, he is sure
happinessandsuccess willfollowyoulikeashadow!
Layam's Jewels'
Ramesh says that they strongly believe in quality and a high
degree of professionalism in their approach and
representationofservices.
This commitment and dedication can be seen through many
certificates, awards and accolades Layam Group has
achieved.
Ÿ The Group has been certified by D&B and many
international entities from Europe and Asia for its
works andservices.
Ÿ Layam Group is an ISO 9001:2015 certified
organisation.
Ÿ It is also a NEEM agent, NAPS TPA and accredited
ASDC partnerbytheGovernment.
Ÿ It has won several awards like Company of the Year
(manpower services) and has been adjudged as one of
India's 10mosttrusted HR Solution Providers.
Adapting toNewTech-Trends
Talking about COVID-19, Ramesh says that it has redefined
many business operations and working fundamentals. As the
pandemic set in, Layam Group, like all other companies,
realised the enormity of the situation and quickly shifted its
workingstylefromofflinetoonlineas perCOVID protocols.
Layam's teams across India worked from the comfort of their
homes,andtheefficiencylevelsremainedunchanged.
Be it team meetings or celebrating a colleague's birthday,
everythinghappensonline.
The group has always been way ahead in terms of technology,
whether it comes to its processes, payroll or attendance. The
same system continued in the virtual world as well. Instead of
interacting face to face, Ramesh saw his team through zoom
or 'teams' call. Business proceedings remained unaffected,
muchtothedelightofLayam'sclientsandcandidatesalike.
FutureofIntegratedSustainableManagementSolutions
Talking about Layam's prospects, Ramesh says that their
company's mission is to increase stakeholders' value by
delivering integrated sustainable management solutions that
help them achieve their goals and distinguish Layam as the
performanceandlearningsolutionproviderofchoice.
Ramesh envisions his company to remain at the top position
as a Human Capital Value Chain provider and trusted partner
for the Automobile, Manufacturing, Engineering industries
and many other sectors. The firm has already made inroads in
the power sector, and it plans to make a foray into banking, the
foodindustryetc.
TheSuccess Mantra
Ramesh's success Mantra for people aspiring to become
influential business professionals is simple, ‘Be passionate
about what you do and believe in yourself.’ Perseverance is
the key to your accomplishment. More importantly, ethical
work culture is crucial to an organisation's success as it ushers
in strong teamwork, high productivity and unswerving
integrity with stakeholders. Hence, one should nurture it for a
consistentgrowthtrajectory.

We can see
Prabhat Khabar's
growth graph
and plan to reach
under the top
ive players in
India by the end
of 2023.
Prakash Kumar
Digital Head
14 | June 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

Prakash Kumar
Hindi Media's Digital Transformer
edia, the fourth pillar of democracy, evolved in
MIndia due to the staunch leadership acumen of
leaders from the different paths of society, taking
on their shoulders the responsibility of providing accurate
and truthful news to those in need of it, the Indian republic.
An emerging digital marketing leader is Prakash Kumar,
the Digital Head of prabhatkhabar.com, the leading
Hindi Daily from the Hindi belt.
It was not inspiration but much more than passion that
Kumar came into the digital media industry. He started his
career with a market research firm called Exevo, based out
of Delhi, India, and worked there for a few years. But as a
fresher, he decided to switch to the digital industry, which
he found fortunate.
This was in 2012. Working in the digital industry, Kumar
began loving his job and his work and started ideating
things. He has worked in various roles, from social media to
AdTech, MarTech, product management, revenue
optimization, marketing communications, and the
technology market.
He has been polishing his leadership skills for ten to twelve
years. He has covered almost every digital angle and
worked with companies like Dish TV, Dainik Bhaskar,
ASKME.com, and Cybermedia, a leading agency.
Kumar states, “In every individual company, I have learned
everything there could be learned. I have devoted myself to
polishing my skills and enhancing my personality.”
Igniting the New Dawn of Prabhat Khabar
Today, Prakash Kumar is leading Prabhat Khabar's digital
wing. Initially, it was more into a print media and was a
leading news daily of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Bengal. But
sensing the modern times' demand for everything and
everybody switching towards digital, Kumar convinced
Prabhat Khabar's management to transform the news daily
into digital.
That is how Kumar ignited the new dawn at Prabhat
Khabar and initiated its digital wing.
Through it, Kumar began pushing on for everything digital.
Initially, working in Delhi, Kumar came into the domain of
prabhatkhabar.com and explored and learned everything on
the job.
And today, under his visionary leadership Prabhat Khabar is
growing into the leading national digital player.
Kumar says excitedly, “We are strengthening our digital
and print arm. And we are expanding like anything. Unlike
print, digital can spread Prabhat Khabar's wing across the
entire country. That is how from a regional player, we
became a national player.”
Kumar Transforms Prabhat Khabar
Kumar has revamped Prabhat Khabar's digital wing during
the last three years.
Kumar adds, “When I came three years ago, I made my
team. I worked on upward skilled resources who had
expertise in particular domains. I strongly believe that
multitasking can be harmful to personal growth. Like jack
of all trades, but master of nothing.”
That is why Kumar hired skilled resources; a particular
resource, those having expertise in a specific domain rather
than one person doing multiple things, which is not suitable
for an individual's growth.
Kumar explains, “That is only for that if you want to run a
company somehow. But if you want to grow, then you have
to deal with expert resources so that they can give their
100% by knowing the business inside-out.”
That way, Kumar made his professional team of forty
people. Those were working in various parts of the country,
from where he onboarded them. He called them all to
Prabhat Khabar's Ranchi and Delhi office.
They started working under his astute leadership, and in
two years, Prabhat Khabar has reached from five million to
a news subscribers base of 30 million, “Which is a 6X
growth since I joined prabhatkhabar.com. Earlier it was not
coming in the top hundred websites. Today, it is one of

India's top ten news websites in terms of traffic, user
acquisitions, and everything.”
According to Kumar, only 40 to 50 per cent of the target
has been achieved, with the remaining target yet to be
accomplished.
Kumar states further, “We can see our growth graph and
plan to reach under the top five players in India by the end
of 2023.”
Winning Over the Challenges
The biggest challenge Kumar faced while transforming
Prabhat Khabar was people's perception. Since Prabhat
Khabar is based in Ranchi, all the great resources either
work in metros or want to work only in metros.
But determined to hire expert resources, Kumar leveraged
them. He gave them a free hand to work, practice, and
experiment with their skills. Initially, he made many
mistakes, but he fast learned from his mistakes. And he kept
experimenting with ten-odd things and began recording
where he was going wrong. At the end of the month, he
knew precisely which of his experiment worked and which
backfired. He focused on those which worked, dismissing
all other failed ones.
The second challenge is that of competition. Competitors
are national and multinational players. In terms of
technology, resources, and finances, they are huge. But
Kumar was clear that if he utilises all of Prabhat Khabar's
existing resources to the maximum extent, Prabhat Khabar
would grow.
Although they are a small company of only forty people,
each member works to their fullest potential. And today,
Kumar feels that they are like some case study where forty
people took an under hundred company and transformed it
into a top ten company in just two years.
And where most media houses cannot even break even in a
year, Prabhat Khabar has claimed profit in the first year
after going fully digital.
The third challenge he beat was that of technology. He
completely changed Prabhat Khabar's old technology,
moving to advance technology. He restructured and
streamlined everything to make the company's entire
process future ready.
Once everything was set up, he ensured that the company
was giving its employees the best possible environment so
that they will not miss any comfort of living in the metro
city.
Kumar adds, “We have given our employees everything. We
have streamlined the process. We have structured things. We
have given them a free hand. And that is how beating every
challenge we went from five million to thirty million users.”
Content is the King
Kumar asserts that Prabhat Khabar's USP is its content. It is
very rich and solid, unlike other media houses. People refer
to its content.
Externally it gives quality content to the people and thriving
culture to its employees. It is not just a professional
environment, but Kumar makes sure that his team works
like a family.
Kumar puts, “Rather than making them responsible, we
give them accountability. We say to them that this is your
area. This is the domain on which you must work. You are
accountable for everything, your losses, your benefit, and
all. So mentally, we prepare our employees.”
Kumar asserts that for Prabhat Khabar, its team is its best
asset. Once the team is mentally prepared, they have to
reach a certain level within a particular time frame; then,
one has to leverage them. One has to tell them that they are
everything to the company. They are the company's
strongest asset.
Kumar puts it like this, "We give them leverage in terms of
work, perks, benefits, and everything. That way, they take
accountability and start performing.”
Creating a New Day, Daily
Kumar says, “Value is the dedication or honesty towards
your work. This is our core value. And when we say that our
team is our asset, we value honesty. And I strongly believe
that there is no substitute for the hard-working.”

Kumar further adds that he keeps telling his employees two
things. First, he does not want a multitasker. If someone
works for 8 to 10 hours and multitasks, they distribute their
time and efforts in several departments rather than their
core departments. And that means they're contributing
nothing towards any single department. So that way,
multitasking is entirely unprofitable.
The second is: that there is no substitute for the hard-
working. It is a combination of hard and smart working, or
any other fancy terms one can call it. They are not doing
any automation kind of thing. Because if they want to do
any automation, there are limited men to be used. Which is
not their approach, nor it is their objective.
Their objective is to meet the demands of the digital media
industry in which they deal. This profession demands
everyday ideation, everyday innovations that come from the
past and the work and the process that one is approaching.
Kumar details it, “In short, it demands hard work. Once you
do market research, you analyze the thing, maybe after data
gathering. So, this whole process requires a lot of effort and
work. That is why I say that there is no substitute for the
hard-working.
First, you have to analyze the product and process and deep
dive. Once you deep dive, that means that you are hard-
working. You are working very hard for a particular thing.
Then you can get some value out of it, which is value
addition.”
Leaders Counsel
The digital industry is changing like anything. Maybe
things might become obsolete in the next couple of years.
Thus, Kumar's suggestions for any entrepreneur are that
they must be clear with their basics. They must understand
the digital ecosystem because he had seen this industry
from branding to performance marketing in the last 10 to 12
years. Things are changing fast. Especially in digital, it has
dramatically changed in a previous couple of years. Today's
technology may be obsolete tomorrow.
All the time, one must be on their toes; one must keep
updating themselves to see what is happening. And a case
study helps, that what exactly went wrong or what has been
fabulous for that particular industry.
That way, one must be updated all the time. Like today,
digital is working. It is in demand. But there are so many
domains and verticals in digital that one has to understand
what they want in digital.
Because the e-commerce industry in digital works
differently. The media industry works differently. Any
product-based company or service-based company works
differently. Their approaches and ideations are entirely
different; it varies from industry to industry. So firstly, one
has to think about what exactly they want from the digital.
Kumar reasons, “Your objective and the aim should be very
clear. Along with digital, can we add a branding
perspective, can we add an ROI perspective, or can we add
a lead-based perspective?
Many things have been categorised as digital, so you have
to understand what you want. And you have to be patient,
right? If you think that you are starting digital and getting
ROI just from the next fiscal year, you still have to wait and
watch. Ultimately, if your approach, strategy, and ideations
would be in the right direction, you will eventually get
something out of it, but you must be patient.”
Enlightening the Future Dawn
After completely revamping prabhatkhabar.com and its
team in the last three years, Kumar understood that they
have to work on their policies for continuing the forward
momentum to achieve their goal. They have to also work on
their strategies, which might vary from time to time rather
than a standard lifelong policy they must follow. This is not
their approach.
Kumar defines it, “We will be very flexible to strengthen our
employees, to give them the best facility, we will keep
changing our policy every two years. So, for the next couple
of years, our vision, objective, and goal are to become one
of the top five players in India, and that is how we are
planning to establish our brand or company across India,
especially in the Hindi belt.”
Kumar states, “We are Hindi language news daily, catering
to Hindi audiences, Hindi advertisers, and thus want to
capture all the Hindi speaking audiences of Northern India.
This is our goal. We have launched our offices in UP,
Haryana, Uttarakhand, and MP. Next, we will be launching
our office in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Gujarat,
and Maharashtra.”
Kumar concludes, “We want to reach all the Hindi
language audiences of the country. Completely. This is our
audience. This is how we cater our content to our audience.
This will be an absolute priority rather than a particular
area. I want to serve every user who reads, writes, talks,
and understands Hindi.”

Changing
Benchmarks
Contemporary
Corporate
Governance
of
s businesses grow and expand into large conglom-
Aerates, the organizational structure undergoes a
crucial internal transformation. The role of the
management diversiﬁes and evolves from the inside out.
The companies that were earlier managed by the depart-
ment heads of the standard hierarchy system now have
multiple entities controlling the key positions that further
execute the respective decisions.

Large organizations have a Board of Directors that is
influenced by the stakeholders who play a decisive role in
the implementation of essential decision-making positions.
This process decides the structure of governance and the
process of the organization. The Board of Directors
determines the management process, influencing the
organization's decision-making.
The management sets specific rules and protocols of
governance that aim toward the successful functioning and
growth of the organization. Accordingly, the board offers
certain rights to the key top management personnel for the
day-to-day decision-making for which they are responsible
and accountable.
However, the major decisions related to the expansion,
collaboration, buy-out, adoption of new standards, imple-
mentation latest technologies, and appointment of the top
management professionals are all decided in the company
board meeting.
The management sets certain benchmarks or methodologies
in the organizational work model that ensures smooth,
controlled, and self-operating methodology. Some of the
governance patterns that are implemented can be seen as
follows.
Since corporate governance provides the framework for
attaining a company’s objectives, it practically encompasses
every management sphere, from action plans and internal
controls to performance measurement and corporate
disclosure.
The Standard Principles of Corporate Governance
With the involvement of many people in the decision-
making process, it becomes imperative that the organization
should be governed with complete legal and ethical
methods. Hence certain principles are adopted in the
company policies that act as guiding yardsticks of honest
functioning.
Fairness of Conduct
The Board of Directors should treat shareholders, employ-
ees, vendors, and communities fairly and with equal
consideration. All the people related to the organization
from internal as well as external levels should be respected
and heard.
Maintaining Transparency
The board should provide timely, accurate, and clear
information about such things as financial performance,
conflicts of interest, and risks to shareholders and other
stakeholders. All the decisions should be clearly and openly
communicated to the related people.
Appropriate Risk Management
The board and management must determine risks of all
kinds and how best to control them. They must act on those
recommendations to manage them. They must inform all
relevant parties about the existence and status of risks.
Risks in any proposition should be identified for their
possibilities, and steps to mitigate to be taken accordingly.
Uniform Distribution of Responsibilities
The board is responsible for the implementation of
corporate matters and management activities. It should be
aware, in control of, and support the successful functioning
of the company. One key responsibility is in the recruitment
and hiring of a CEO and other top management profession-
als. It should act in the best interests of an organization and
its investors.
Absolute Accountability
The board must explain the purpose of a company's
activities and the results of its conduct. It and company
leadership are accountable for the assessment of a com-
pany's capacity, potential, and performance. It must
communicate issues of importance to shareholders.
There exist specific well-known models of corporate
governance which can be considered here.
The Japanese Model
This corporate governance model includes major sharehold-
ers, affiliated entities, the government, trading management,
and banks, key role players known as Keiretsu. Smaller
investors and stakeholders do not have any role in this
structure.

Collectively the key players establish and execute the
organizational governance.
The board usually consists of insiders and top company
executives. Government rules and policies impact this
model. Keiretsu model has limited transparency due to the
concentration of power; however, it holds the power to
terminate the directors if the profits decline.
Anglo-American Model
This model can take various forms, including Shareholder
Model, Stewardship Model, and Political Model. However,
the Shareholder Model is the principal model.
The model design indicates control given to the sharehold-
ers and the board of directors, thus making the company
employees and stakeholders indecisive and passive. The
company management is responsible for the day-to-day
functioning of maximizing the shareholder’s returns.
Shareholders provide the company with funds and may
withdraw support if dissatisfied. This can keep management
working under vigilance and control.
Continental Model
This model comprises two groups – the management board
and the supervisory board. The management board consists
of the company insiders and top executives, while the
supervisory board includes shareholders and union
representatives. The country’s legal system determines the
size of the supervisory board.
National interest significantly impacts organizational
functioning and is expected to be aligned with government
objectives. Stakeholder engagement is highly valued, as it
can support and strengthen a company’s continued opera-
tions.
Progressing toward Holistic Future
Mutual Trust with balanced Control remains an important
factor in the governance of large business organizations.
The government’s role and regulations have their impact;
however, a shared monitoring model could be more
effective towards risk control and growth propagation.
The future looks promising and stable as the increasing
diversification with partial government involvement will
keep the management in check and encourage ethical
functioning.
- Kedar Borgaonkar

Satish K. Sadasivan
e Revenue Growth Strategyzer and Sales Ecosystem Decoder
n the digital age, a business entity must follow a two-
Ipronged disruptive Revenue Growth Strategy (RGS) to
survive in the global tumultuous markets. This two-
pronged RGS includes a market share strategy on the one
hand and a wallet share strategy on the other.
The market share strategy is Tech-Based and innovator-
powered, while the wallet share strategy is intent-driven
and founded on Account Based Marketing (ABM).
Combined, these strategies must answer questions like why
this initiative? What is the desired outcome? Who's the
target buyer? Where's the target buyer (GEO)? And what to
the buying timelines?
The factors emerging out of this exercise are Competitive
Forces, Market Forces, Industry Forces, Socio-economic
Forces, Disruptions, and Innovations. Precisely addressing
these factors will result in wallet share increase, revenue
growth, market share increase, value-based relationships,
deeper clients engagement, and intent-based buyers.
This is how under the new-generational visionary
leadership of Satish K. Sadasivan, the Founder and CEO,
EvolveBPM LLC is decoding the sales ecosystem by
providing Revenue Impact Solutions Enabling Global Sales
Teams to Scale Their Revenues.
Satish reveals, "Powered by state-of-the-art AI, Intent and
Tech Insights- driven demand generation solutions, we
deliver high quality leads with direct ROI impact."
Satish shared in an interview with CIOLOOK INDIA for its
edition of 'Powerful Men in Business-2022,' how his New
York-based firm EvolveBPM has achieved over 25 global
clients, generated one million plus leads with 100%
accuracy of lead emails delivered, 95% accuracy of lead
mobile numbers delivered and brought 50% reduction in
sales cycles, since firm's inception in 2020.
The highlights of that candid discussion are given herein.
Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us
about your exciting journey of becoming a powerful
business leader.
Breakthroughs don't come easy. They're the result of
persistent hard work over the years. And at every stage of
my life/career, I asked myself 1001 questions and
introspected deep enough to get clarity beyond what's
comfortable. Becoming a powerful business leader, for me,
is a matter of breaking the old patterns holding me back.
During my stints in the US, Middle East, and India, I
managed multi-million dollar business units, including
IT/BPO/BPM/KPO lines. In addition, working with several
Fortune 500 companies like HP and Cognizant gave me a
chance to understand how large organizations operate.
My continued obsession with learning helped me upskill
myself through several programmes with MIT and Harvard
and get NLP-certified. A passionate boxer and adventurist,
I also love participating in NGO activities.
What inspired you to step into the business arena? Who
were your role models growing up?
Following a 15-year stint in the USA, I had the opportunity
to lead a couple of large demand generation companies in
India. This experience helped me understand the gap
between demand generation practices and customer
requirements for global enterprises.
The focus was on generating leads rather than on creating
revenue-generating opportunities.
Having been in sales for a significant period of my career, I
had an intimate understanding of the challenges of working
with poor-quality leads and their impact on sales. That's
why we founded EvolveBPM to drive a change in this field.
We design and develop end-to-end campaigns that drive
laser-focused, well-qualified leads into the sales funnel. Our
model focuses on leveraging and partnering with firms that
provide intent data, techno-install data, and Interaction data
to further enhance our ability to build a pipeline for the
customers.
Process, People, and Technology - the three pillars of our
business model have helped us create a niche for
ourselves.
My greatest influence has been Barak Obama,

Process, People,
and
Technology - the
three pillars of our
business model
have helped us
create a niche for
ourselves.
““
Satish K. Sadasivan,
Founder and CEO

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Rajnikanth (Superstar). I love
their journey, their grit, and the way they took on all odds to
create history.
Brief us about EvolveBPM and about its overall
operations. What kind of products and/or services does
it offer?
At EvolveBPM, our mission is to provide Revenue Impact
solutions that enable global sales teams to scale their
revenues. Not just top-line growth but also sustainable and
profitable growth.
Based in New York, USA, EvolveBPM is a multi-national
company with a presence across the UK, Dominican
Republic, Philippines, and India. From data services,
research, and intent-based lead generation to content
creation, EvolveBPM is a one-stop source for revenue
growth.
With over 200 employees across the globe, we deliver
programs across multiple channels, including email,
telemarketing, webinars, and display ads. We collaborate
with industry leaders, including Bombora for intent, HG
Insights for technographics, and numerous database
providers, including Leadiro and TechBase.
And we are a GDPR-, Cyber Essentials-, and
ISO9001:2015 (Quality Management System)-certified
organization.
Our proprietary '6W framework' helps break down the
marketing initiatives into more focused actionable toll-
gated action points. We aspire to be the one-stop solution
for global partners related to revenue growth strategy and
solutions.
Our services include:
Ÿ Intent-Based Leads and ABM Solutions (Delivered via
Email/Tele Marketing/ Webinars, Powered by
Programmatic Display and LinkedIn Ads)
Ÿ Business Research (Data Management Solutions)
Ÿ Content Design and Development (Campaign
Management Microsites & Landing Pages,
Programmatic Advertising, and LinkedIn Ads)
Please brief us about how you helped enhance the
outreach and development of your reputed
organization?
Our 200+ workforce around the globe, 25+ global clients,
and multi-million dollar revenue in just two years of
operations -- isn't one man's work.
I am proud of my team and their unrelenting support in
achieving this dream. While I take responsibility for the
strategic vision, my team takes care of the execution and
ensures that our clients are served beyond their
expectations.
Our obsession with building a culture of accountability and
transparency has helped us stand out. Our motto, 'DREAM-
DARE-DO,' encapsulates our culture and guides our
everyday actions.
And the '6W Framework' we have developed internally is
the guiding light for all our initiatives. The 6Ws -- Who,
What, When, Where, Why, and How -- help us focus on the
task at hand and ensure that we deliver quality results to our
clients.
What kind of challenges have you faced in your
professional journey so far? What kind of challenges do
you still face today?
It was a big risk when I decided to jump from the corporate
world to the startup world. I had to start from scratch and
build the company from the ground up. It was scary, but it
was also exciting. But one thing that kept me going was my
belief in myself and what it can make you when you're 'all
in.’
We were just three people when we started; today, we are
200+ globally. And something about each of them inspires
me every day to give my best. Their energy and
enthusiasm are contagious.
Challenges? Starting up is the definition of challenges. So,
we had (and still have) plenty.
The biggest of them have been 'finding the right people,'
'scaling without compromising on quality, culture and
values,' and the question of 'how to take EvolveBPM to the
next level?'
They keep me up at night, not because I'm worried but
because I'm excited about finding the answers and taking
EvolveBPM to even greater heights.
How would you define a successful career? What would
you say is your biggest accomplishment?
For me, a successful career is one that is built on a strong
foundation of values, vision, and purpose. It is also one in
which you are constantly learning and growing, both
personally and professionally.
My biggest accomplishment has been building EvolveBPM
from scratch and taking it to where it is today.

But more importantly, it's the people who have been a part
of this journey that make me proud. They are the real
heroes.
Please mention your organization's most notable
achievements, accolades, accreditations, and awards.
While awards are flattering and great motivation, they are
not the be-all and end-all. For us, it's always been about the
work we do and the impact we make on our clients'
businesses. And how we take care of our people.
That said, some of the awards and recognition we have
received include:
Ÿ Top placer - Business process outsourcing | Go Global
Awards 2021
Ÿ Emerging startup of the year in
marketing/advertising/PR|4th Global Business
Leadership Awards 2020
Ÿ Top 50 US marcomms agencies|B2B Marketing
Agencies Benchmarking Report 2021
COVID-19 has redefined many of the business
operations and working fundamentals. How did you
have to adapt to these circumstances whilst preparing
and safeguarding your team, employees, and clients for
the same? What new trends and technologies did you
incorporate for ensuring optimal business proceedings?
The pandemic has been a game-changer for all of us. We
had to quickly adapt to the new normal and find ways to
keep our business running smoothly while keeping our
people safe.
Given that our core business runs on sensitive data, and we
have to constantly be on the lookout for potential threats,
data security is always a top priority. So, we have put in
place stricter data security measures to ensure client data is
safe and secure.
At the height of the pandemic, our compliance teams
worked hard and round-the-clock to ensure that our client
data was protected and compliant with all the latest
regulations. Soon, we got certified for GDPR and Cyber
Essentials, which instilled confidence in our processes and
assured our clients that we take data security seriously.
And technology played a significant role in helping us stay
connected and productive during these challenging times.
For example, we used video conferencing, chat, and
collaboration tools to support remote working when needed
to stay connected with our team and clients.
But, well, none of this would matter if we didn't take care of
our people first. So, we ensured our employees had all the
support they needed during these challenging times. We
made working arrangements that allowed them to balance
work and life and all the necessary support to stay healthy
and productive.
Most importantly, we internalized some of the lessons we
picked up while responding to the pandemic and made a
few fundamental changes to our culture. Things like being
more flexible, agile, adaptable, empathetic, and
understanding and going above and beyond to care for our
people.
How do you envision the future of EvolveBPM going
forward? What are your future prospects?
From building a people-centered culture to strategizing for
explosive revenue growth, we have some big plans for the
future. At the front of this plan, we want to be known as the
company that cares - for our employees, our clients, and the
community. We want to continue doing great work that
makes a difference in the industry.
While our strategies for the future are complex and multi-
faceted, our goal is simple - to enable global sales teams to
scale their revenues through by state-of-the-art AI, Intent
and Tech Insights-driven demand generation solutions that
focus on lead generation with direct ROI impact.
In the next five years, we want to be recognized as the
frontrunners in data-driven global sales acceleration. We
also want to expand our geographic footprint and enter new
markets. And, we want to continue to invest in the best
people and technology to support our growth.

Ciolook India

hat a unique and thought-provoking statement made by the five-star ranked
Warmy general and the illustrious 34th President of the United States. Most
of the achievements in recent history have been credited to the dynamic
leadership taking control of the situation and leading the entire group towards the
central objectives.
People know what to do, how, and when to do it; however, the leaders guide and
motivate them with the crucial ‘why.’ Leadership is always about driving the people
towards developing a progressive mindset for an individual and team efforts. Some of
the leadership skills that can be observed are identified herewith.
Decision-Making Abilities
One of the most striking skills observed in successful leaders is their decision-making
abilities. People are eager to work and need guidance; however, in critical times of
Comprehensive
Leadership Skills
to Thrive in the
Modern Business
Arena
“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something
you want to be done because he wants to do it.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

complex business scenarios, timely decision-making plays a
vital role.
Decision-making abilities that involve quick, logical, and
broader thinking are crucial in moving forward with the
implementation of the strategies. It gets the work done
faster and builds essential momentum in the process.
Sound Accountability
Modern business leaders are mature and responsible
professionals with the habit of tracking all activities and
discussions. They value their spoken words and strive hard
to honour their commitments.
They are clear about the work schedules with the work they
are currently doing, the work in process, and the tasks
delegated to different teams. This accountability quality
helps them have proper control over the process and
confidently lead.
Organizing and Developing Teams
Influential entrepreneurs identify the objective and quantify
the work. Using the latest business applications, they
calculate the efforts required to complete the objective with
the number of people. Leaders portray a central objective to
the employees and create teams to work on specific tasks.
The team members are adequately briefed and instructed on
the necessary procedures. With this, they organize the
employees to team up together and work towards their
common work targets.
Multigenerational Leadership
Regular research and study over people management
methods are done for handling, monitoring, and guiding
various types of people. Knowledge and wisdom of
different levels of individuals are brought to use for better
team performance and active involvement in the business
process.
It also amalgamates the previous influential ideologies with
the modern trends of fast-paced working. This approach
empowers the organizational ecosystem towards productive
work practices. Every team member feels the energy of
working for a purpose, the satisfaction of learning, and the
feeling of achieving more.
Open and Effective Communication
Communication is given the most critical priority, and all
the senior managers and team leaders are instructed to
remain reachable, accessible, and available to their
employees. Doubts, queries, and suggestions coming from
the employees are crucial aspects of scanning the work
developments and identifying the level of involvement of
the employees. Leaders recognise the learning opportunities
through the communication process for the management,
the employees, and the organization too.
Emotional Intelligence
Successful Entrepreneurs are very chiselled professionals
handling various types of people in different situations.
They must be very soft on certain occasions while acting
tough in other situations. Leaders today must be very
logical, calculative, expressive, and emotional in their
interactions. The same leader could adorn many personali-
ties, which could mean a different perspective to different
people.
Financial Management
The knowledge and complete finance process are integral to
the business leaders. Keeping the finance priorities well at
the forefront, they organize all their work around the
important aspects of revenue generation, asset monitoring,
resource assessment, sales performance, and the balance of
the business system. Understanding that finance forms the
core of every business organization, the leaders plan and
schedule the strategies accordingly.
Defines and Reflects Vision
Backed by years of experience in diverse projects and
leading different departments, the business leaders always
focus on the central vision. They believe that when the
vision is clear, all the objectives and work strategies can be
aligned in the right direction. Vision is the single guiding
factor, like a lighthouse guiding ships in rough seas. People
get busy and absorbed with their KRAs, so keeping them
attuned to the company's vision is necessary.
Leadership- the Soul of Growing Businesses
Business organizations are well-structured entities with
systems and protocols that ensure the business process's
proper functioning. An important factor of leadership
breathes in the life energy of team spirit, work satisfaction,
healthy competition, and the feeling of oneness which
guides many people in achieving massive organizational
goals.
-Kedar Borgaonkar

In the new normal, business in the traditional sense
does not exist anymore. Socio-economic challenges,
environmental and sustainability requirements, rapid
technological advancements, and post-pandemic market
demands ask for agile organisations and resilient leadership.
In the ELV system integration and advanced security
industry, Howell Protection Systems [India] Pvt Ltd is an
industry leader as an active solution provider that can
respond effectively to any challenge.
Under the resilient leadership of Syed Ishtiyaq, the
General Manager-India Operations, Howell has emerged
as an eminent brand to reckon with. Syed shares, “We are
constantly adapting to meet tomorrow's challenges,
increasing scale, reach and expertise to service our clients
wherever they are. We provide advanced solutions and
services with a national reach.
The credible alliance with leading industry OEMs and
service providers is a major step in our strategy to extend
Howell’s national reach and complement our portfolio and
market expertise.
Together, we progress as a strong combination that drives
growth and greatly enhances the services, we provide to you
as a client.”
An Ever-Inspiring Leader
After graduating from the University of Kashmir in 2004
with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electronics &
communication, Syed commenced his professional career
and began honing his expertise in various industries, before
finally landing in Howell as a Head of Business
Development which he continued for nine and a half years
before acquiring the leadership mantle of GM, India.
Syed Says “Howell's clients benefit from an experienced
group of business technologists and their profound
knowledge of both business and engineering. These experts
have the experience and know-how to deliver end-to-end
blueprints that can consistently stimulate growth and
profitability.”
Syed continues, “Our expertise ensures that as a client you
receive leadership in services and a passion for technology
that drives efficiency and innovation.”
Sustainable Firm of the Future
Today, under his leadership there are multiple companies
running, one amongst them is the Howell which is a system
integration company that does business in the low voltage
sector.
Syed explains, “We are proud that our portfolio includes
clients from around the world that are impressive both in
numbers and growth.”
We do almost all technical services that are there in the
building other than HVAC, plumbing and electricals. Also,
we do cater almost all industries , like hospitality,
education, commercials, retails & fitouts, governments, and
law enforcement agencies.
Today, including Syed, most of Howell’s team has over
decades of expertise in systems integrations and Hi-Tech
technology.
Syed Ishtiyaq
An Eminent Resilient Leadership

Surmounting the Adversities
When asked what kind of challenges he faced during
establishing all of his business, Syed replied, "Challenges
are fundamental to growth of the organizations and when
you overcome them ; you grow. We have made a strong SOP
for change and challenge management.
However, there are inherent challenges, for example,
technical know of human resources and product
limitations.” Howell is not a hardcore manufacturer.
Syed explains, “Sometimes it becomes very tedious to
become dependent on the OEM because our hands are tied
up, and we cannot go beyond the availability of the market.
That means if something is available, we have to design our
solution as for that availability only.
Howell, the Holistic Solutions Provider
Syed reﬂects, “We are one window solution and service
providers, we do everything, from the initial stage of
designing to implementations ourselves. Our designing,
implementation, delivery, installation, and post-sales
services, everything is in-house nothing is outsourced
except the local wiring and conduiting (that too under our
supervision)
That is why our brand name Howell, which in Cornish
means the ‘Eminent one- A leader’is today associated with
trust, service, integrity, engineering excellence, business
commitment, reliability and dependability.”
With a proven track record of on-time delivery and a wide
spectrum of services in the industry that are seamless, the
brand name Howell commands respect and recognition.
Syed elaborates, “It means when we design a solution, we
know it from the basics to the end what goes into that.” This
way, the customer gets assurance that what Howell is
promising or committing will be delivered, guaranteed.
Syed states, “As a committed business, we have a business
guarantee which is called the 100% money refund
assurance. If our design solutions fail in the
implementation, we refund 100% of the amount to the
customer within three months. In the last 17 years, there is
not even a single site where we had to refund any money.
Come what may, whatever challenge we will face, we
always ensure that the system is handed over to the
customer to his best satisfaction.”
Single Point of Customer Relationship Management
According to Syed, what they follow at Howell, no one else
follows. Even in big MNCs, when customers face issues or
queries, they have been thrown from one department to
another, and one person to other, without resolving their
conﬂict. That means, however big the company is, a
customer gets drained down into the operation process.
Syed shares, “It's typically what we call the SPOC. We have
three single points of contact. In the sales, there will be a
single point of contact for you. Once the sale is closed, it
will be handed over to the project execution of the
operations. Again, the SPC will be aligned with you. Once
that is being completed, you'll be given a single point of
contacting services.”
Syed Ish yaq,
General Manager

In three phases Howell has three single points of contact,
one for Sales, one for Operations, and one for Post-sales
services. So, the customer does not have to hassle across the
organization.
The SPOC in respective departments is authorised to make
decisions and anything which warrants the attention of
other members of department is attended to very swiftly, to
ensure services without any interruption.
Exceptional Wisdom
Being an exceptional leader Syed advises budding aspirants
to focus not only on product and revenue but on a strong
bottom line. He shares “People get excited to see the sales
figures but they miss the bottom line in the totality of the
project delivery. The simple piece of advice is if you are not
making money; don't do the project.”
Further he adds, “If a project is not making money, the
organization will have to borrow money at a cost which
gets added up in the project and further pulls the project
profitability down. Ultimately in absence of any cash
generated, organization is not able to support the customer
and it becomes a vicious circle and eventually project gets
abandoned or not delivered as per agreed benchmarks.”
On top of that, the customer will make staggered payments
on delivery and installation and will retain some percentage
of money as project performance guarantee. If there are thin
or no margins the business becomes unviable as you as an
organization will have to fulfil project payables to your
vendors and employees. This will again attract cost.
Syed says, “This is where I have seen the newcomers doing
mistakes. They are very keen on taking low-margin orders
where the cash flow is stagnant. It is fundamental for every
business that it should be able to generate cash to run itself
over a period of time.”
Visionary of the Tomorrow
According to Syed however the future turns out and
whatever the case might be, the buildings will be there
forever. We can debate that there might be sustainable
buildings for sustainable environments and over a period of
time product portfolio will change, but the building is going
to be there for its life of 30, 40, or 50 years. And as long as
buildings are there, Howell will remain in the business.
Syed opines, “We do not have a very large infrastructure in
the country. We are very far behind with respect to the west

We at Howell India,
are constantly adapting
to meet tomorrow's
challenges, increasing
scale, reach and
expertise to
service our clients
wherever they are.
and with respect to the developed countries. Forget
countries in the west, take Singapore or Hong Kong,
compared to them, we are very far behind.
Till the time we reach that point, I can say it is another 20
years when we will have that kind of buildings in the
country. So, the future is very, very promising and very, very
bright, and we will be growing at an average rate of around
30%.”
Syed believes that there is a huge potential, even for other
companies to enter into this industry. But they have to do it
with the promise of designing new products, and new
solutions for the buildings, rather than cost-saving or price
discounting which will not serve the longer purpose of
sustaining the business.
Syed concludes with, “Only a cash-generating company
will become a sustainable business. The debt, private
equity, or whatever the funds you put in the business should
be used to start a new business that will generate cash
rather than ﬁxing up your old one for the lost costs.”

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