The hard hitting song ‘Humanity’,by the German band Scorpions had a subliminal message to the society in the lyrics – “You are a drop in the rain, Just a number not a name”. Mr. Rajmohan Pillai is somebody who does not need a reminder of such words as he holds the highest regards people by treating and realising them as humans first and everything else is secondary. An established name in IT/ITeS , Mr. Pillai exhibits traits of creativity and technical knowledge in leading his team towards delivering highly efficient results on time. In his long career span he has been a part of the IT industry since its nascent times till present with experiences at Rediff , Indiatimes, Nimbus, Nokia and many others. His sincerity & goodness refl ects very clearly in the smallest of conversations, he also affirms that he always looks to learn fr om others without carrying the air of seniority around. Mr. Pillai has tremendous acumen in sales, business development, business strategy, product marketing, and marketing of VAS in the Internet & Mobile space. Being simple & well rounded, he is adored by one and all for his superb way of handling big projects and being an excellent team player. There is an interesting shade to his personality: An out and out adventurous and sports person with great liking for diving or deep sea fishing to trekking or paragliding. Mr. Pillai is a firm believer in evolving personally and professionally everyday and urges people to hone different skills other than mere work related ones, in order to keep the brain sharp and occupied.
For IIPM, Mr. Pillai sums up his thought “You were in this milieu of a mini India, each good in his/her own way and I learned to observe, compare in a positive way and evolve as a person”. He really brings a fl ash of bright light to another Rock anthem by Metallica – ‘Nothing Else Matters’, which says, “Trust I seek and I fi nd in you, Everyday for us something new; Open mind for a diff erent view, And nothing else matters”. Cult brings forward the great journey of this true Rockstar in his own right through this Q&A and looks to draw immense inspiration from the same.
Q. Please take us through your days – Before , At and After IIPM . How has the journey been ?
A. The story goes that when John Lennon was asked in school on what he wants to be when he grows up, he said, “I want to be happy”. I wish I could have been as artistic and simple in communicating what I wanted to achieve in life. My ambitions have changed with time, depending on my age, my circumstances and the place and people I have been with. For instance, my first dream when I was about the age of 10 was to be a trucker, captivated by the images of those huge 18 wheelers in a magazine that an uncle brought back from the US. (It took many years and seeing the old 70s Spielberg classic thriller “Duel”, to rid me of that ambition). Yet, all through my life, a few things have remained constant; (1) The desire to have a clear conscience (2) Try do the best possible in everything that you do regardless of what the outcome is (3) Respect every living being around you, the existence of each is contributing to your life one way or the other (4) Experiment and experience; success gives rise to certain winning habits; failure teaches you like no other.
When I had got my admission letter from IIPM, I had already enrolled under a CA in Chennai. The objective then was to be a Finance whiz in an MNC Bank. I left that and jumped on the train to Delhi only for two reasons, one was that I was going to Delhi, a sure way to know where you stand in the crowd and two a lot more of opportunities. The biggest thing that IIPM taught me was to understand myself, my strengths and weaknesses. You were in this milieu of a mini India, each good in his/her own way and I learned to observe, compare in a positive way and evolve as a person. Academically too the way we were taught was a big departure from the way I was schooled back home in the University, where all that mattered were the syllabus and the previous years’ sample exam questions. Some professors like Prof. JK Mitra left an influence which carried me throughout these years.
Looking back, I am glad that I didn’t stay back in Chennai and complete CA. By no stretch of imagination could I be good at balancing the constant turmoil of the global markets. I majored in Marketing from IIPM. My first job was a dream job for a B School Graduate; market analysis, channel development, marketing research – whatever is said in the books.
I left it within seven months and joined a Direct Sales outfit selling IT products and services to corporates. Somewhere, what Mr.R.K.Gupta, who did a few guest lectures for us on sales and marketing, said, made sense. He used to narrate examples in colloquial Hindi, how all Marketing theories would go “phut” when you are face to face with your customer and you have a target to achieve.
I continued in direct sales for about 4 years in the IT industry. I then joined Rediff.com where I continued my selling spree, and then aft er two years moved to a Marketing role looking aft er New Initiatives and Strategic services. When I left Rediff about 5 years later, I had become a more rounded professional and a much more confident individual. I stayed on in the New Media industry and was at the forefront of companies setting a trend in the Internet and then the Mobile Value Added Services industry. Notable among these are Times Internet (Mumbai/Delhi), Mobile 2 Win (Mumbai), Nokia(Mumbai, Dubai and London) and now EMS (Dubai). Each of these organizations taught me to think out of the box, gave me international experience, and on several occasions gave reasons for me and my family to feel proud on what we could accomplish. Above all, these organizations were the cause for me to meet many people across the globe, several of whom went onto become friends.
Today I work with EMS (Emitac Mobile Solutions), a smartphone Solutions Company based out of Dubai with business interests in MEA and CIS. As Head of Mobility Solutions, I am responsible for setting up and sustaining a revenue generating business in Mobility solutions for the Group. These include Consumer Value Added Services, Mobile Operator solutions and Mobile enabled solutions for Enterprise customers. EMS is part of one of the biggest business houses based out of the GCC, the Bukhatir Group. In just about 4 years since starting off , EMS crossed more than a Billion USD in revenues last year.
Q. How have you evolved as a professional and as a person from the time you started stepping up the career ladder?
A. I always try to observe people and learn from what is happening around me. Hence each day has been a learning experience either professionally or personally. In fact there is hardly a line differentiating the two. Over the years I have become more structured at work, more willing to listen and learned to never judge anyone before I get to verify the other side. I have learned that hard work pays and hard work is itself a talent and fortune favors those brave people who are always prepared and ready with a plan. I still have to learn to be patient and sometimes wait and not just cut through to the chase. I realize today that there is always some detail inside, you wished you never had overlooked.
Q. What are the skill sets that are primarily required to make a mark in the IT industry? Please elaborate on your current role.
A. I like to think that my specialization in the telecom industry was a natural evolution. I started my Career with the IT industry which gave me a good grasp of technology and its applications in the user space. I then moved to the Digital Media where I got experience of launching and sustaining products and services for the online retail consumer and play a part in evolving revenue models. When the mobile revolution came up, it was these online customers who became the early adaptors. And thus the skills that I had in Content, Commerce and Consumer lifecycle management from the Internet era came quite handy.
Telecom is an industry where the adage, “change is the only things that is constant” holds true every single day. Technologies become obsolete in months. People are always chasing up the next big thing. In such a market one has to be constantly aware of what is happening around you. Maintain your contacts with the industry and be very good at networking. Focus is the key in this industry, on what you want to achieve, what is the revenue potential and how much time to market you can aff ord before the competition takes the thunder away from you.
“THE BEHAVIOURAL TRAITS YOU ACQUIRE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME HELPS YOU TURN INTO A LEADER”
Q. How are the business operations abroad different from India?
A. India is a nation which is bursting with ideas and the will to make that happen. Hence there is tremendous level of energy floating around. At the same time, to harness this into great results, our processes can be improved. The topics that you have mentioned in the question are all very much process oriented. The mature US and European markets
One thing common across all these markets is the ubiquity of mobile devices.
The next wave of Internet users has the mobile device as their primary access device. Last year Smartphone sales globally outdid PC sales. And there is tremendous amount of interest and business opportunities to satisfy the ecosystem that is building up. Sales of apps and content from Mobile Appstores as per industry estimates crossed $10 billion in 2011.
But what interests the industry is the fact that globally people bought apps, made retail purchase of goods and services, transferred funds to each other or their mobile banking accounts and generally transacted on goods and services to the tune of $240 Billion, all from their mobile devices.
Q. Are leaders ‘born’ or they can be ‘made’? What is your personal style in leading people?
A. Effective leaders are not the smartest people in the room. They are usually the smart ones who can get the job done. In that sense some intrinsic traits exist in everyone to be a leader. It is what behavioural traits you acquire over a period of time that helps you turn into a leader that everyone respects. Leaders constantly re-invent themselves. Hence a leader can definitely be made. They observe, learn and seek constant feedback from around them to improve themselves. Corporates today put a lot of emphasis on developing leaders through training and mentoring programs. People who internalize the learning and apply them to practical use are shown to improve their leadership skills considerably.
I have had the opportunity to lead people at very early stages of my Career. I have always tried to keep things simple. I have taken a mixed approach, where I have tried to set goals and expectations clear, allowing honest mistakes, handholding only where necessary and celebrating success and giving them the recognition that they deserve. The people whom I have looked up to as my Role Models have all been very humane yet tough, never insecure, always encouraged and promoted excellence and above all selfless.
Q. How do you sustain revenue generating consumer VAS businesses in MEA, CIS and other global markets?
A. As I mentioned earlier, this is a fast growing market where there are lots of opportunities. But at the same time you have to be very quick in spotting trends, evaluating your organization’s readiness to enter into that business and the strategic and revenue objectives you can satisfy. We have managed to stay focused to be able to decide on those key opportunities among the many that crop up every day. We have also focused a lot in developing and maintaining relationships with our markets and customers. Along with this what really makes a difference with our customers and markets is our commitment to deliver quality, on time, every time.
Q. Going back to IIPM days , please share your best memories.
A. I am eternally thankful to Dr. MK Chaudhuri for giving us some of the best faculty that you could be possibly taught by. When we used to meet our peer group of students, we realized from their nods of approvals that this was indeed the real gift . Dr. MK Chaudhuri himself, with his course on NEP, gave us a fresh perspective. I am happy to see the tremendous growth IIPM has achieved over the past 10-15 years. While Dr. MK Chaudhuri ensured that we never lagged behind in Academics, I believe Arindam has given a totally new dimension to the Institute, by daring to go beyond the obvious. Truly boundary less thinking, as Jack Welch would say.
I remember the genuine appreciation that he showed for a small skit that we performed on the legendary boat race of Kerala, during a get together organized for welcoming our batch to the IIPM fold. And the next year he was in his elements choreographing and inspiring the ’94 batch in organising our annual get together, and it was indeed a spectacle. About 10 years after I passed out, I walked into the IIPM campus one day while in Delhi and I could see the change that he was bringing about. Of course, he has a phenomenal memory and recognized me instantly. Another happy day for me was when in 2007, while in Finland, I bumped into a group of students who were on their way back to India from Sweden. It was great to find that they were from IIPM on the GOTA programme that Arindam had introduced.
I keep in touch with quite a few of my batch mates. Mr. Rakesh Malhotra and myself met in London about two years ago along with two other batch mates, Mr. Vinod Warrier and Mr. Manas Deb, who are still based there. It was a funfilled evening with our families where we all re lived our IIPM days. I am happy that several of my friends including Mr. Rakesh Malhotra are involved in driving my Alma Mater’s destiny. I hope in the not so distant future our batch can meet all together along with our families and our esteemed professors.
Q. Apart from work, what is it that makes you happy in life?
A. We are a family who love to travel and love the outdoors. We have taken time out to travel and explore new things, be it diving or deep sea fishing to trekking or paragliding. I have always been fascinated by different places and adventure right from my childhood days and I am lucky that my family shares this passion with me. The other passions I have are reading, and sports
Q. What would be your words of advice for young brigade of professionals?
A. 1. Be true to your profession
2. Always give your best
3. Do not ignore the details. At early stages of your career you may feel that some slip ups may happen. But the danger is, these tend to become habits. When you reach leadership levels, every spelling mistake you make, a presentation delivered without objects on your slide properly aligned or visually unappealing etc contribute to an image of sloppy work and noncommitment.
4. Keep in touch with your customers, colleagues and industry. You never know who can help you and when. Take time out every day to call and speak to at least one or two to discuss general things; maybe about the new trends shaping your industry or maybe about the latest film.
5. Never forget your Family and Health. Being workaholic is not an excuse. If you do not take care of yourself, you may not be around to occupy that dream house you wanted to own 5 years later. Similarly, if your family is not around to support you, your mind will always be distracted hindering you from performing at your best.
6. Never let monotony set in. Take up new responsibilities. Read a book. Learn a new language, musical instrument, anything out of what you normally do. It helps to stay sharp and gives your mind that extra nutrition it requires to sustain.
Q. What does it take to win hearts of people at work?
A. I am not sure if there can be definite ways to achieve this. I have always tried to be true to myself. I have tried to see people as human beings rather than business acquaintances. And I have always trusted in the innate goodness of human beings. You will be surprised by the response you get when you show that respect. You may be taken for a ride once in a while, but look at the good side, you are given a free education on people judgment
“I REALISE THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SOME DETAIL INSIDE, WHICH YOU WISHED YOU NEVER OVERLOOKED”
Cult wishes him the very best that each season has to offer and we hope he continues to bring a cheer to the lives of the people around him.
