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Leading From The Front At Ajuba Solutions: Shankar Narasimhan
Leading From The Front At Ajuba Solutions: Shankar Narasimhan
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| A leader, like a genius, is born--never made. Shankar Narasimhan, Director, HR & Finance, Ajuba Solutions, is yet another example of a born leader who is sailing his way through various challenges and at the same time multitasking between different functionalities to bring laurels to his company.
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Thursday, August 09, 2007:
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Taking up challenge is what drives him towards his goals. It's a challenging task that brings out the best in him. That is why Shankar Narasimhan, Director, HR & Finance, Ajuba Solutions, did not hesitate to take up a role in the HR even though he was from a hard core finance background. "Shouldering the responsibilities of an HR is a tough task for a person coming from the finance background. Understanding the new concepts and then delivering the best in a new functionality is not easy. But then, I am enjoying the challenge," says Narasimhan.
Delving deep into his memories he recalls the day when he had decided to add the HR role to his portfolio. "When I shifted to this role or rather added this role to my portfolio, the president of Ajuba had encouraged me saying, 'I put my trust in you and I know you won't let me down.' After this there was no looking back," he says.
A chartered accountant by qualification, he joined Ajuba in 2001 when the company was struggling in its initial years with an employee base of around 150. Now, under his able stewardship the count has increased to 1,500 and Ajuba is among the Top 25 Best Employers in India. The company was also among the Top 25 Great Places to Work and the Top 5 Best BPO Employers in a row for two consecutive years. Prior to joining the company, Narasimhan had worked with renowned houses like KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, TNT and Inchcape plc.
In his current role, he is also responsible for addressing legal issues apart from managing the finance department. Organising programmes and setting up instructions to achieve transformational change in the human resource management arena are the other duties falling under his purview.
Being in the BPO industry for quite sometime, he feels that the biggest challenge is to attract and retain the right talent. "We have been able to deal with the attrition issue quite efficiently, thus reducing it phenomenally. By taking the right initiatives at the right time we have now got into a stage where we are able to build a brand value of our own," he informs.
Narasimhan points out that the BPO industry has offered him a broader scope of understanding responsibilities and executing them properly. Coupled with this is the major evolution that his skill set has undergone. "When I entered this industry, I was an introvert. But with time and experience in this sector I have changed considerably. There is a lot of difference between what I was and what I am today," he says.
When asked about the million dollar issue of work-life balance, Narasimhan does not hesitate to admit that it would have been really difficult for him to balance both the office and home fronts if he had not been gifted with an understanding life partner like his wife. "I religiously follow the golden rule of no work at home on weekends. This solves the problem for me. During the week I am a bit stretched out but never stressed," he reveals. Through his Blackberry he is always available to his US-based clients.
But professional engagements have not dried up the finer senses in Narasimhan--he is an ardent listener of Karnatic and classical Hindi music. A travel freak as he is, this able manager loves to relax in the lap of nature while in a long vacation.
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