In today’s episode, we are in conversation with someone who believes quick decision making doesn’t impact business negatively. Prashanth Mani, MD of Motorola Mobility India discusses how Motorola focuses on innovating what matters to consumers and which futuristic technologies can be incorporated into smartphones.
Category: Interviews
Leadership Series | Jitendra Chouksey – Founder, FITTR
In today’s episode, we are in conversation with someone who considers himself an Accidental Entrepreneur. From giving fitness tips to his colleagues in a small WhatsApp group, he has blossomed to be at the helm of a global fitness community. We are talking about Jitendra Chouksey, founder of the world’s largest online fitness & nutrition community, FITTR.
Ritesh Agarwal | Top Leaders In Tech & Auto
Ex: 3 habits you think are most important in order to be an effective leader?
Ritesh: For me, it is important to always invest in staying ahead of the curve, learning about things, preparing for meetings, so that I am able to add value to every conversation. Again, super important to be adding purpose to the job of every employee in the organization by driving their passion in the right direction. To be an effective leader, therefore, it is important to be open to new ideas, trust one’s instincts and surround yourself with people who bring more to the table in terms of insights and ideas.
Ex: The next product on your tech-wishlist?
Ritesh: My phone and laptop are my go-to gadgets and I like to keep them updated with time.
Ex: The best tech innovation according to you?
Ritesh: I would say the coming together of technology and hospitality is among the biggest examples when it comes to tech-driven innovation. The hospitality industry, till a few years ago, was human-intensive with every big and small player striving to provide quality services and amenities through its vast resource pool. However, things are taking a major turn and the hospitality landscape is transforming With technology further touching the hospitality experience, both locals and travelers can book a standardized and predictable accommodation in minutes at the touch of their phone in 2-3 simple steps. For companies, this is a great time to innovate and unleash their potential to not just meet the changing requirements of customers, but also to revolutionize old industries to make them relevant to the 21st century.
Ex: Your ideas and views on sustainable technology?
Ritesh: In terms of sustainable technology, we have enabled technology to power every aspect of hospitality from housekeeping to a simplified check-in and check-out process, further resulting in optimum utilization of resources. Our sophisticated renovation process helps in transforming a building within 14 days that saves resources while ensuring sustainable growth in the hospitality sector. We are ardent followers of ‘recycling and reusing’ and many of our assets have design aspects that are powered by this approach. Also, instead of a huge mass of construction work to create properties and thereby add to pollution levels, we acquire existing properties, renovate, and upgrade them.
Tarun Garg | Top Leaders In Tech & Auto
Ex: What is one truth you believe in that most people disagree with you on?
Tarun: You can play straight and still win. Every time.
Ex: What is the one subject you think aspiring leaders should learn
Tarun: How to be an effective communicator.
Ex: One thing you believe is necessary for sustained growth?
Tarun: Pro-activeness and Resilience.
Ex: One book you keep coming back to.
Tarun: ‘Difficult conversations’ by Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone and Sheela Hein.
Ex: When will you say you have fulfilled all your goals?
Tarun: Goal setting and Goal fulfilment is a never-ending process. Only the types of goals keep changing.
Ex: When have you failed and how did you overcome it?
Tarun: Failure is an integral part of your personal and professional life. Resilience helps you get over it.
Ex: How difficult is it to maintain a work-life balance?
Tarun: It is not so difficult if you have clarity of thought.
Ex: What has been your biggest learning in the pandemic?
Tarun: Be resilient, never give up. There is always a way out.
Ex: One futuristic feature that you can’t wait to introduce in your vehicle.
Tarun: Ability to fly in the air.
Ex: Which old-school car/bike design inspired you the most?
Tarun: While growing up I was fascinated by the ‘Contessa’. It looked like a ‘Dream Car’ to own back then.
Ex: After the Hyundai Kona, which EV is coming to India next?
Tarun: There is so much fun is waiting!
Ex: What are the chances of Hyundai N being introduced to India soon?
Tarun: At Hyundai India, we closely study all kinds of market trends and opportunities. We are fortunate to have a very strong parent in Hyundai Motor Company that gives us so many choices to introduce new models, concepts, features, and technologies in India. We will inform the market as and when we decide to introduce new concepts and technologies. We saw a huge upsurge in engagements and marriages during this lockdown period. When people logged on to shaadi.com, they realized it is not just a matrimonial site, but a platform for planned marriages and lifetime commitments. So that worked significantly in our favor.
Charles Frump | Top Leaders In Tech & Auto
Ex: What is one truth you believe in that most people disagree with you on?
Charles: These are the best of times! In these days of social media and headline news, it is easy to get caught up in the challenges we are facing. This is particularly true in 2020 when we are under a constant barrage of bad news. However, if we step back and look at the long-term statistics, we see a very different picture. We are richer, living longer, and better educated than previous generations. There is less crime, war deaths, and hunger than ever before. Certainly, there is massive room for improvement, but we should be very grateful to live in these times.
Ex: What is the one subject you think aspiring leaders should learn
Charles: Communication. In these days of constantly shifting information, it is critical to be simple, clear, and consistent in our message to all stakeholders. I often see people with the right ideas and plans but everything falls apart because of poor communication. That is why I would encourage all aspiring leaders to spend much more time and energy on honing their communication skills.
Ex: One thing you believe is absolutely necessary for sustained growth.
Charles: A strong company culture of positivity, learning, and innovation. Business challenges come and go, but a company culture that encourages innovation remains optimistic and forgives mistakes is vital to success in this ever-changing world.
Ex: One book you keep coming back to. Charles: The Lean Startup by Eric Reis- This book gives you the tools to foster continuous innovation in this world of extreme uncertainty.
Ex: When have you failed and how did you overcome it?
Charles: I fail all the time. If you are not failing, you are not trying enough new ideas. The trick is to fail small, learn, and adjust. I don’t lose a moment of sleep
thinking about failure. Failure excites me and shows me an opportunity.
Ex: One futuristic feature that you can’t wait to introduce in your vehicle.
Charles: Next-generation Autonomous Drive. 600 people die in traffic-related accidents in India every day. It is a myth that Autonomous Drive will not have an impact here. We have been a leader when it comes to car safety for decades. And that will never change. We have invented some of the most important features in the history of car safety. Our 3-point Safety Belt which we introduced in 1959, has been the biggest safety innovation done so far. It is more than 60 years now and every automobile player is using it as a safety feature.
Ex: Which old-school car/bike design inspired you the most?
Charles: I love Royal Enfield! I have enormous respect for the work Siddhartha Lal has done in building this historic brand.
Ex: How long till Volvo enters the self-driving car segment?
Charles: This will happen in steps, but we have already started. In India, we are the only luxury car brand providing radar-based safety features. Features like ‘City Safety’ and ‘Lane Keeping Aid’ not only keep the customers safe but also saves people around the car. This is the first step in self-driving and Volvo will lead in this area.
Steffen Knapp | Top Leaders In Tech & Auto
Ex: What has been your biggest learning in the pandemic?
Steffen: We’ve taken simple pleasures of life for granted, which now thankfully some of us realize and value. Being able to take a walk outside, go for dinner with your friends, these are real pleasures of life
Ex: One futuristic feature that you can’t wait to introduce in your vehicle.
Steffen: I am eager to launch remote parking. To move your car via remote control in the garage would be really comfortable.
Ex: Which old-school car/bike design inspired you the most?
Steffen: I loved my 1972 Buick Lesabre I had when I was studying in the US. For me, it was a synonym for freedom and the American Dream.
Ex: How long till Volkswagen enters the self-driving car segment?
Steffen: Volkswagen is a global company and is doing technological advancements on an everyday
Ex: What is one truth you believe in that most basic. Our organization has transformed itself people disagree with you on?
Steffen: from just being an automobile manufacturer Getting up early to find time for yourself is the first step to a software developer. Having said that, a lot of success in life. of developments are at a testing or pilot stage globally and it will be early to comment on
Ex: One thing you believe is absolutely necessary for future technologies and advancements. for sustained growth.
Steffen: You need a plan including a compelling vision Like the Volkswagen Polo Cup, will, and mission. This is a necessary framework for the company hold an electric car racing organization to stay focused.
Ex: You then have to define a championship in the future in India? Steffen: a clear set of KPIs to monitor the progress and identify We’ve been conducting motorsport potential corrections you have to take.
a championship for over a decade with the Polo and we still consider it to be in a nascent stage,
Ex: When will you say you have fulfilled all your in India. Due to the availability of limited racing goals?
Steffen: tracks, it’s a relatively expensive sport in India You have fulfilled your goals if your team is convinced and is gradually growing. However, electric car about your plan. The moment you reached that level racing is a different scenario altogether. First, the momentum kicks in. You will see people standing
need to develop the infrastructure to be able up, becoming their own leaders, and leaders for the to bring road-worthy electric vehicles before the organization. venturing into motorsport.
Zac Hollis | Top Leaders In Tech & Auto
Ex: What is one truth you believe in that most people disagree with you on?
Zac: This is a difficult one to start with. I have nothing unique in my leadership style and much of my personal learnings about having passion, energy and drive are not new to business or to life. I do however believe strongly that it is important to look after your own body and to be fit in order to achieve the best out of life.
Ex: One thing you believe is absolutely necessary for sustained growth.
Zac: Surround yourself with the best people you can find and reward them well. They will deliver so much more towards the growth of your business. This hiring process cannot be underestimated.
Ex: When will you say you have fulfilled all your goals?
Zac: This is a difficult one as life keeps on giving you, new goals as soon as you achieve the ones you have. I don’t believe you will ever achieve all of your goals. It is important to keep setting challenging goals for the future and to keep looking forward and re-evaluating where you are going.
Ex: How difficult is it to maintain a work-life balance?
Zac: Personally I don’t find this difficult and I have the ability to cut off and do what I feel is important at the time. Family, sports, and hobbies are what keeps the mind active and make you refreshed for business.
Ex: One futuristic feature that you can’t wait to introduce in your vehicle.
Zac: Autonomous vehicles will eventually change the way we travel completely. Imagine calling up a car on and it comes straight to you, taking you to where you want to go and then going on to the next customer, without a driver ever being present in the car. The business case for owning a car will become less and less, but in the short term, the innovations in technology that are moving down from premium cars are safety features.
Ex: Can you imagine how much safer our roads would be if every car was equipped with emergency braking?
Zac: This means that no car could possibly run into the back of the car in front. This I believe is coming and soon could be mandatory on all new cars, like seat belts or airbags.
Ex: Which old-school car/bike design inspired you the most?
Zac: I love the designs of the British Sports cars from the 1960s and ’70s. From the MG’s, E-Type Jag, and Austin Healeys. I feel these designs are timeless.
Ex: When do you plan to launch the VISION IN? What will you introduce after the VISION IN from the same platform?
Zac: We are extremely excited for the launch of the A0 SUV based on the VISION IN Concept, showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo 2020. We plan to launch it
in Q2 2021. It will be another splendid innovation from SKODA. 2021 looks promising because post the launch of the A0 SUV, we will be launching A0 NB Sedan, built on the same platform, which will provide best-in-class features and an amazing value for the luxury proposition.
Ex: Is Skoda India planning to enter the EV segment, given the launch of the Enyaq iV?
Zac: The future of mobility is going to be electric, however, it will still take time for the Indian market to adopt EVs on a mass scale. We are committed to the Indian market and will introduce the right EV models at an opportune time – but certainly not in the immediate future.
Vinay Shetty | Top Leaders In Tech & Auto
Ex: What is one truth you believe in that most people disagree with you on?
Vinay: Everything is possible if you give your 100% and that 100% is not based on someone’s perception.
Ex: What is the one subject you think aspiring leaders should learn?
Vinay: Any leader, aspiring or established, should remember that vision should be complimented with execution, an honest approach with the result in mind and a path of how to achieve it.
Ex: One thing you believe is absolutely necessary for sustained growth
Vinay: A positive attitude and an ability to take on challenges without being bogged down by roadblocks.
Ex: One book you keep coming back to?
Vinay: Mahabharata
Ex: Leadership quotes that you live by
Vinay: Tough times don’t last, tough people, do.
Ex: What has been your biggest learning in the pandemic?
Vinay: Don’t take your life lightly – don’t waste precious time on frivolous things and value and cherish what you currently have.
Ex: What is your technology detox like?
Vinay: In the current WFH scenario, I think having the flexibility to manage to put aside your gadgets for even a few hours would qualify as a detox for me.
Ex: Apart from computing and gaming components, which other areas of information technology would you like to delve into?
Vinay: Artificial Intelligence and Space Technology Development.
Sameer Bhatia | Top Leaders In Tec & Auto
The newly announced solutions today include the 100% open source-based software CORTX™: the collaborative open-source CORTX™ Community; and the open, flexible reference architecture deployed as converged infrastructure Live Drive™ Rack, powered by CORTX.
Ex: What is your target audience in the Indian market for Seagate’s video surveillance products?
Sameer: With safety and security being the prime concern of individuals and organizations, surveillance systems in India are becoming an indispensable part of the country’s endeavor for a secured environment for its people. The rising need for advanced security, India’s smart cities agenda, growing IT infrastructure, increasing IT spending, surging need for video analytics and remote monitoring are the trends that have been driving the video surveillance market in India.
Ex: How significant has your role been in the foundation of a smart city?
Sameer: Seagate is continuously working towards innovations in data management space that can help transcend Smart Cities from vision and conceptual phase to reality. We are helping put data to work to help cities in their quest for comprehensive data systems.
Ex: How long do you think till the need for offline data saving is eliminated?
Sameer: Managing the storage of data is among the top 5 challenges highlighted in the Rethink Data report to exploit the potential of the data collected by enterprises. Modern-day technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the growth of edge computing, edge data centers, and artificial intelligence (AI) coupled with consumer demand has led to data proliferation. This has led to the development of the concept of Data Sprawl. Defined by the Rethink Data report as the percentage by which the datasphere increases over time, data sprawl describes the spread of the growing data through various configurations—from endpoints through edge to cloud. Data sprawl also describes how business data is scattered. This distribution won’t change significantly over the next two years, indicating that enterprise storage environments will remain dispersed and complex for the foreseeable future. Enterprises will have an ever-increasing need to manage this scattered data wherever it exists.
Ex: Can you describe in brief Seagate’s marketing strategies for India?
Sameer: We connect with our customers and partners in the markets through the Seagate Insider partner program. This year, we will continue to focus on providing comprehensive training sessions and seminars as well as working on co-marketing initiatives to better identify evolving opportunities in the changing norms currently.
Ex: What are some opportunities emerging for Seagate keeping in mind the new normal?
Sameer: Over the years, there has been a surge globally in data creation and consumption – a trend that is helping us grow. Also, with an increase in the
number of connected devices in the new normal, there has been exceptional growth in the creation and consumption of data. In India too, we have been seeing strong demand growth in enterprise data management and also video surveillance.
Ex: What steps is Seagate taking for customer’s data protection?
Sameer: Improving data security is the most important factor driving the changes to how organizations manage central storage needs. Awareness about data preservation is another challenge that needs to be overcome to protect organizational information. Recurring data backup helps in keeping the data secure throughout and provides easy access to the information as and when it is required.
Ex: Apart from storage and surveillance devices, will Seagate like to venture into a completely new segment?
Sameer: In the recently concluded, Seagate’s first annual Datasphere event, we introduced revolutionary open-source object storage software, a reference architecture powered by it, and a corresponding developer community. All three additions have been developed to manage the massive surge and sprawl of unstructured enterprise data.
Rajan Vagadia | Top Leaders In Tech & Auto
Ex: What is one truth you believe in that most people disagree with you on?
Rajan: I believe that the pace of change that will bring technologies such as AI, ML, Robotics, and Cognitive Computing will certainly lead to better times for humans. History has persistently proven this point; however, we need to believe in it rather than being skeptical.
Ex: One book you keep coming back to?
Rajan: Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts.
Ex: Leadership quotes that you live by
Rajan: “Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” –William Pollard
Ex: How difficult is it to maintain a work-life balance?
Rajan: It is not difficult at all if you know when to stop or stop when you know.
Ex: What has been your biggest learning in the pandemic?
Rajan: Technology saved us yesterday, did it again today, and will do it tomorrow too. It is important to embrace it.
Ex: Some productivity apps and technologies you use in your daily life?
Rajan: Meditation applications to relax Video conferencing to stay in ‘touch’ OTT apps to stay entertained
Ex: What is your technology detox like?
Rajan: Meditating with help of smartphone apps.
Ex: How long do you think till AI is integrated into your processors?
Rajan: Qualcomm’s on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a core player of Snapdragon chipsets since the 6-series (SD 660). We have fueled some brilliant attributes of AI to create intuitive and immersive everyday mobile experience. Today a good camera is a must and AI comes to aid. Snapdragon-enabled cameras capture stunning, professional photos and videos. We have also harnessed AI to create extended reality (XR) mobile applications across sectors. Our 5th generation AI Engine continues to bolster the interactive mobile gaming industry with real-time AI translation powering voice and speech recognition processes. Furthermore, since its dawn, the on-device personal assistant has been enabling
a truly customized performance. AI is everywhere, beginning with our processors.
Ex: If you would like to make a new category-specific processor, which category would you opt for and why
Rajan: At Qualcomm, we are fascinated by technology and how it can transform various industries. Our innovations have boosted the dynamics of the telecom world. But, more recently we have been empowering AI gaming, smart cities, automotive, and connectivity. The aim is to propel digital transformation beyond the capabilities of today’s applications. We are constantly brewing ideas to catalyze growth through our existing tech offerings. For instance, we are rediscovering the infinite role of 5G. So, we look forward to exploring and being inspired by the power of technology. We have and want to continue making technology available to all; we did it with 4G and now we are working towards ‘5G-for-all’, in India.