Inspiration to many, G.S. Ahluwalia, Head, VP and HR, Corbus, has a vast professional experience, primarily in the services sector. Pretty early in his career, Ahluwalia discovered that ITES industry suited his dynamic personality. He could see the sector holds potential to revolutionise the way companies do their business.

A simple boy from a working middle-class family, Ahluwalia had learnt to be independent and take decisions in his nascent age. His rich family culture and values helped him achieve success in his life. Reminiscing about his childhood, Ahluwalia said, "I was a 'School Captain' in my high school and represented the school in several forums nationally. The school has a special place in my life as it gave me my life partner with whom I have been married for around 10 years."

Immediately after completing education, Ahluwalia started his career with Khaitan Cargo & Logistics, a company specialising in supply chain management, and climbed the sucess ladder to be a management trainee, HR in the company. He also worked with HCL in the HR dept. An expert in managing work force development, recruiting, performance management, change management and back office HR management, he later joined Corbus Global Delivery Center in India in the year 1997. Working as VP and HR head for Corbus, he is responsible for corporate human resource strategies and programmes.

A master in business management, Ahluwalia specialises in HR with courses in Human Resource Management such as Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial relations and Senior HR Management Certification Program.

Currently based in Corbus' global headquarters in Dayton, OH, Ahluwalia has experience in progressive human resources, with expertise in HR change management, leadership and team development, and business process improvements. He has led all of Corbus' Human Resources worldwide including organisational capability, learning and development, diversity, communication, and organisational culture and effectiveness ensuring that the HR strategy is aligned with the strategic direction of the company.

Talking about the key challenges he faced in his professional life, Ahluwalia says, "Change is the biggest asset of our industry. Hence our challenges have shaped and re-shaped from time to time. To manage a seamless change, the challenge is for both sides: employee and the company." Being the HR head, the biggest challenge, according to him, has been the fundamental changes that are taking place in the workforce and the workplace that promise to radically alter the way companies relate to their employees. Hence retention is a big challenge.

He added, "Hiring and retaining good employees have become the main concerns of nearly every company in every industry." To overcome this monstrous challenge, he advises, "Companies that understand what their employees want and need in the workplace and make a strategic decision to proactively fulfill those needs will become the dominant players in their respective markets and can overcome this challenge quiet easily."

Ahluwalia strongly believes that there exists no perfect, one-size-fits-all work-life balance to suit everyone's needs. He believes that everyone is unique in his or her approach to life and the kind of priorities they have set for themselves. He nevertheless believes, "At the core of an effective work-life balance definition are two key everyday concepts of daily achievement and enjoyment that are relevant to everyone."

Throwing light upon the professional life of the young BPO employees, he says, "We need our BPO workforce to see the industry as a place, which can give them long-term and fulfilling career opportunities and not just a place where they come to get their accents neutralised and move on."

He further shares his views on how the outsourcing industry in India can change the perspective and be viewed as strategic, viable and low-risk alternative to 'doing it themselves' rather than as a tactical answer to next quarter's earnings problem. He expresses concern on the kind of work being done and says, "There is little analysis done about the type of work being done other than long expositions about 'high end' and 'low end' work." Being an expert in services industry, he advises, "Strategy is as much about deciding what NOT to do than what to do."

Although busy in his work most of the times, Ahluwalia still manages to take time off for his leisure activities and most important for his family. He says, "I tend to divide the work/life balance in four categories: work, family, friends and self. That makes things easier to manage for me. Family always comes first to me."

Playing golf, reading books and exercising Yoga are some of his relaxation methods for the weekends. "I rarely like to play cricket with my friends and hit some winning shots," he adds smilingly. He catches up with his friends through e-mails and phone calls during the free time or whenever possible so as to remain in touch.

Giving all the credit for his success to his family, Ahluwalia says, "The biggest motivation and inspiration for me comes from my family. They have been a constant support to me all along in my key decisions." He gets emotional while adding, "My biggest inspiration is my father. He has been the one who made me what I am today."

The strong values that he inherited from his father continue to inspire him to be a good human being, a family person, hardworking professional and a responsible citizen, as he says, "My motto in life is: Always put country first before family, family first before profession and profession first before self-pleasure." If you follow this motto, there can be no issue in balancing your life professionally and personally, he adds.

Ahluwalia dreams to create a legacy for next generation and wants to lead his own services organisation by 2020. "The Indian ITES industry has shaped the world economy of the 21st century and helped create a new world order. And guys, this is just the tip of the iceberg!"