Leaders Archives - Exhibit Tech

Exclusive: In Conversation with Mr Manabu Yamazaki, President and CEO of Canon India

We are joined by an industry exemplary for an exclusive interview. Canon India’s President and CEO, Mr. Manabu Yamazaki, led an amazing ceremony for Canon’s new platform NorthStar, a holistic advisory platform for enthusiasts looking to create studio setups, photography setups, and so on. Mr. Yamazaki has carefully ingrained his philosophy towards his career and his devotion to his consumers is admirable. We had the pleasure of speaking to Mr Yamazaki directly about the innovation platform NorthStar and his professional journey with Canon.

Exhibit: Introduce us to Canon and your new platform, NorthStar.

Yamazaki: It’s a platform where our target customers are studio owners, production owners or someone in this imaging industry, creating content and providing deliverables. To really review and see the opportunities, with the latest technology and how to do a makeover. They need a proper advisory, so we provide advisory services, and consultations, and involve specialists. In a nutshell, where there is expertise needed, Canon comes in. This is also B2B, for entities and not for individuals.

Exhibit: How did you come up with the idea of NorthStar?

Yamazaki: In a nutshell, we see a fragmented market. People are somewhat lost in the industry. For example, augmented reality, AI, AR, and all kinds of new technologies are coming. So how do they take in these technologies and properly optimise their existing setup into this new age? So they can cater to their needs. They need advisory. That’s how we picked up from the market and came up with NorthStar.

Exhibit: What makes the NorthStar platform unique?

Yamazaki: Because no one does it today. So that’s already unique in itself. It’s very practical, in a way, that we involved many people. We’ve done a lot of studies in this market in the last couple of years and seen many changes and shifts in technology. As to create the latest content in imaging, it requires different types of products to make them–software, hardware, tools, expertise, setup, wiring, everything. We need to involve integration of a kind but that needs specialists in each case. We have all these contacts so this network of people has actually joined this school of thought to do this. Along with product vendors, like Dell, Sennheiser, and Adobe. We don’t do everything in terms of product technology so we engage people who do that and we work with them. Then, we bring in the system integrator to put this together so at least if there’s a new investment from them, they can talk to the system integrator. However, we come as an advisory board. So it’s a team of professionals running the new-age studio. That’s basically why it’s unique because no one else is doing it.

Exhibit: You have mentioned Canon uses the Japanese term, ‘Gemba,’ previously. How did this integrate into NorthStar?

Yamazaki: ‘Gemba’ is a keyword that means ‘On-Site.’ You go visit the customer. We have transactions every day, every minute, with all kinds of customers on a professional scale. With a country as diverse as India, it probably holds the largest number of OTT, studio setups, cinema, movie productions, and YouTube users available. I think for the videography and still photography industry, all in all, India is the big hub of all things happening. This is the Gemba as a market for us. That’s what happens to every one of us in the organisation. Not just me. Everyone’s going out there, and engaging people.

Exhibit: How does Canon India tailor its strategies to address the needs of different regions within the country?

Yamazaki: We have divided India into 4 locations in terms of directions – South, North, East and West. In each location, we have a regional headquarters function where they pick up and extract the regional intelligence. They do their own research. Instead of looking at India as one country and approaching this blanket-wise, every state has a different agenda and different sets of practising. So, we’ve basically based ourselves regionally too and given some accountability in managing how to strategise our approaches regionally. So that’s how we do it.

Exhibit: What are the future benefits you are predicting with NorthStar?

Yamazaki: We are creating this universe that makes people stay relevant enough to date with the technology. As you know, technology today is accelerating its speed. Technology a year ago is probably already archaic or outdated. So this space, how do we play and stay relevant? We are setting a scene for all of us in this community, to stay relevant and staying up-to-date by using each other’s relevance. All these people, the industry players, have their own areas of speciality. So, that is the importance of this union. This is a league of specialists.

Exhibit: Can you share some significant obstacles you’ve faced in your career?

Yamazaki: I think providing something like this would require very meticulous project management. So project management is something that we have to pay careful attention to. We made a commitment to the customer so this management is not an obstacle. It is a challenge that we have to commit to.

Exhibit: How has your journey led you to your current role as President of Canon India?

Yamazaki: I worked in various locations before, doing different things. Coming from this company, we have 4 different types of products. I have been in touch with 3 of them actually. Being in touch with different types of products in the actual market as well as being in different regions and speaking different languages–helped me in bringing me over here. This is probably the biggest market with the most potential, in terms of scale and depth. That probably required my expertise. That’s how I see it, I’ve never asked anybody for this.

Exhibit: What’s your personal philosophy with your business?

Yamazaki: Integrity, trust, insight, and empathy.

Dare to Inspire: World Records Broken by Women

“Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt, “It’s Up to the Women”

This International Women’s Day, we get to witness the resilience and beauty of womanhood in all forms. Despite the restrictions of traditional norms, these women were unafraid to break records and make their presence known to the world.

Lisa Farthofer

Lisa Farthofer, a 32 year old Austrian professional sailor, is the first woman to row the freezing waters of the Southern Ocean. She rowed in Antarctica for 407 nautical miles (753.7 Km) from January 11th to 17th 2023. She was part of an expedition with fellow teammates including Fiann Paul, Mike Matson, Jamie Douglas-Hamilton, Stefan Ivanov, and Brian Krauskopf. Unfortunately, they were unable to complete their goal due to crew injuries and illnesses but their impressive journey managed to break many records.

Rut Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson

Rut Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson discovered her passion for skydiving and parachuting at the age of 90. After that, she set her goal to be the oldest tandem parachute jumper in the world and broke that record in 2022 at the age of 103. Her entire family were present at the scene, waiting for her landing, all incredibly proud of the elderly member of the family.

Asha Mandela

At the age of 60, Asha Mandela, an African-American woman, holds the record for the longest dreadlocks in the world. Beginning her journey 40 years ago, her hair today is more than 110 feet long and weighs around 19 Kgs. Mandela’s style is an inspiration to people who aspire to wear unique hairstyles that proudly present her culture. With support from her husband and stylist, she maintains her hair with care and detail. Mandela’s form of self-expression encompasses what it means to be a woman–to choose to love yourself.

Taylor Demonbreun

The 29-year-old American woman from Alabama embarked on her journey to visit all 196 sovereign countries in just 1 year and 189 days. Taylor Demonbreun set the fastest record, overall and female, on December 7th 2018. Initially worried about being unable to complete it in time, Demonbreun thoroughly planned her trek across the world and also worked during the journey to obtain visas for 60 countries. She sets a great example for every aspiring female solo traveller.

Nathalie McGloin

After being involved in a car accident, Nathalie McGloin is paralyzed from the chest down when she was young. Her attitude and outlook on life completely changed after her spinal surgery. Before her accident, she admits she was not interested in car racing of any form. However, she proves that women, when determined, can achieve anything. She is the first female tetraplegic to be granted a racing licence. She also breaks barriers of gender, unbothered by the perception of female drivers in competition and focuses on encouraging other disabled individuals to pursue their interest in the sport.

Wildine Aumoithe

Wildine Aumoithe was only 18 years old when she broke the record for the world’s shortest (non-mobile) female living. Her shorter stature is due to a rare form of Dwarfism. Thankfully, Aumoithe was never bullied for her Dwarfism during her school years, where people would expect it to happen the most, but she is neither shaken by any of the looks she gets in public. She now dreams of being a pharmacist, wanting to be the first little person to become one.

Tamara Walcott

Tamara Walcott is a female powerlifter and mother recognised by the World Raw Powerlifting Federation American Pro for the heaviest cumulative lift for bench/squat and press in competition in 2022. As a part of her weight loss and fitness journey, she took up dumbbell classes and eventually picked up powerlifting. Despite only four years of experience at the time, she lifted a total of 737.5 Kgs across 3 lifts – squat, bench and deadlift. By marking her place in the world of fitness, she debunks the myth that plus-sized people are unfit.

Harnaam Kaur

At the age of 24, Harnaam Kaur was titled as the youngest woman in the world to have a full beard. Kaur has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common condition amongst women that elevates testosterone in female bodies. This caused her to grow a full beard of 6 inches, and while she initially planned to remove it, she learned to embrace her facial hair. The anti-bullying activist focuses on promoting body positivity and self-love.

Ginny MacColl

Actress and Broadway dancer, Ginny MacColl, is an inspiration to elderly women as well as those suffering from different conditions. Diagnosed with osteopenia, her doctor recommended she begin upper body strength training. Initially struggling with even 5 pull-ups, MacColl reversed her condition within 2 years and broke the record for the oldest competitive female ninja athlete. A niche hobby even for younger people, MacColl achieved this at the age of 72 in 2023.

The Humanity of Women

As women, there is a strong community built around encouraging one another to express themselves the way they wish to be seen. There is a history of discrimination and limitations imposed on women that need to be dismantled. Understanding what it means to be a woman through your abilities is the key to eliminating any social obstacles. With the will to never give up, these women were able to break records through sheer determination. We hope that more women, by seeing these records, are inspired to feel proud of who they are and set their records.

Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI CEOs called to meet VP Kamala Harris to discuss AI

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT & Microsoft Bing have made their way to the mainstream. While these tools are surely a pathbreaking step in the world of tech, the looming threat around the misuse of this technology also remains prevalent. To discuss these concerns, chief executives of major tech firms like Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic are expected to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris and other government officials soon. Tech leaders like Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei will be meeting with the US Vice President. The formal invitation was obtained by Reuters recently which revealed that US President Joe Biden wants to meet the CEOs in order to make sure their products are safe before making them available to the public.

Tech Leaders to Meet US Vice President

The US Vice President’s meeting with tech leaders around AI does not come as a surprise as the technology has been under troubled waters recently. Recently, several notable tech entrepreneurs like Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak and Tesla/Twitter owner Elon Musk signed a letter demanding a pause in AI research until at least the end of the year. The report highlights furthermore that the said meeting is expected to take place on May 4th. It will reportedly be attended by the US President’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Surprisingly, it is expected that the tech CEOs of the world may talk about AI regulations with the US government. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman has been vocal about regulating AI, reiterating the same in several interviews. On the other hand, similar concerns were shared between Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, with the former stating publically that the technology can be very harmful if it’s not deployed correctly. The world of AI has definitely been taking a negative turn as Geoffrey Hinton, who is referred to as the ‘God of AI’ announced his departure from Google to warn humanity about the perils of AI. It will be interesting to see how the meeting between the US Vice President and Tech CEOs turns out to be.

“Digital Payments Is The Future” Says Paytm CPO Shreyas Srinivasan Addressing UPI Lite

UPI payments have become a conventionally important part of our banking experience. UPI has enabled the country’s people to carry out transactions easily. However, the UPI payment system does come without its cons. One of which is a cluttered bank passbook containing even the littlest transactions like buying a bottle of water or even a piece of chewing gum. Another restriction is the cap on the number of transactions one user can make in a day. To solve the issues related to small UPI transactions, the Reserve Bank of India launched UPI Lite to facilitate faster and easier transactions in September 2022.

Homegrown Paytm Payments Bank was the first digital payments platform to offer UPI Lite with the service crossing 2 million users with over half a million daily transactions recorded in a short amount of time. There are no second thoughts about UPI Lite being a runaway hit, so, what exactly is it? I was lucky enough to get a briefing about UPI Lite from Paytm’s Chief Product officer followed by an interaction where we discussed the challenges and future of digital payments in India. Firstly, here’s everything you need to know about UPI Lite –

What is UPI Lite?

UPI Lite is a digital account designed to make low-value transactions easier and quicker. It comes with a maximum balance limit of 2000. The maximum balance limit can be added to the account twice daily enabling transactions up to 4000 in a day. The maximum value allowed per transaction is Rs 200. It can be regarded as a compressed version of UPI that is designed for low-value transactions from Re 1 to Rs 200.

UPI lite comes with its own sets of advantages above the standard UPI system. Transactions made using UPI Lite do not clutter users’ bank passbooks. The statement only comprises of top-up transactions done during UPI Lite decluttering the passbook. Another main advantage is having no cap on the number of transactions made. Whereas, users are also not required to enter their 4 or 6-digit pins using UPI Lite. During my briefing session, Paytm CPO Shreyas Srinivasan emphasised on banking industry evolving to become a technological industry and UPI Lite seems to lessen the gap between the two. Here’s Exhibit’s exclusive conversation with Paytm CPO Shreyas Srinivasan –

EX: Firstly, congratulations on the success of UPI Lite. Being a spearhead in digital payment technology in India, what challenges does Paytm face on a daily basis?

Shreyas: I think on a daily basis, our challenges are customer challenges. We work hard to make sure our customers don’t face any challenges but since we have millions and millions of people using our payment systems we have issues like failed transactions, soundbox not playing when a transaction is made and similar are some of the issues we grapple with every day. New users who are new to mobile and digital payments not knowing how to activate UPI is also one of the challenges we work on every day.

EX: What is your goal with the UPI Lite service in a country that is as financially diverse as India?

Shreyas: I think more than UPI Lite, our overall motivation is to make sure 100% success rates on all our transactions. I think everything we do is a movement in that direction, UPI Lite increases success rate along with all the work we’ve put in making Paytm banks the first digitally native bank which supports millions of transactions is towards that goal. Every time you want to pay, it should be a successful transaction.

EX: What do you think is the future of digital payments in India?

Shreyas: I think it is the future! I think digital payment is the future, we’ve seen digital payments bring millions of people into the mainstream economy. Users who did not previously have a banking profile or banking history were previously forgotten on the edge of the mainstream economy. We’ve seen millions of them come to the forefront because of digital payments. Tools we’ve built like the soundboxes have now enabled small merchants to become savvy and accept digital payments. Be it a small merchant selling coconut by the street or any merchant selling things on the highway, all of them are now accepting digital payments. Paytm’s mission and vision are to bring 500 million users into the mainstream economy and we’re enabling them with the form of digital payments.

EX: We think digital payments are also bringing the country together…

Shreyas: YES! Trust improves trade and trade improves GDP. In fact, a lot of progress of a country is built on trust and this is the first time that users can see the person they’re paying along with their banks while making a digital payment. I think it really is building a fabric of trust when it comes to payments in the country which definitely brings the country together and makes our growth possible at a faster rate.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki steps down; Indian-American Neal Mohan to take over

YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki has announced that she will be stepping down from the position after nine years. Susan announced her resignation in an official YouTube blog post. YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan will now be taking the lead in the world’s largest online video platform as the senior vice president and new head of YouTube. As per the blog post, Susan has decided to step back from the role as the head of YouTube in order to start a new chapter in her life focused on her family, health, and her personal passion projects.

Susan Wojcicki steps down as Google CEO

Susan Wojcicki, 54, joined YouTube as the CEO in 2014. She’s announced that she will continue working with YouTube teams, coaching members and meeting with creators. Wojcicki revealed that she has agreed with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet in the longer term. Susan stated that this will allow her to call on her different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google as a whole and Alphabet’s other companies. While talking about her successor Neal Mohan in her blog post, Susan wrote –

“The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube. When I joined YouTube nine years ago, one of my first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team. Neal Mohan was one of those leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube. I’ve spent nearly 15 years of my career working with Neal, first when he came over to Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and as his role grew to become SVP of Display and Video Ads. He became YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015. Since then, he has set up a top-notch product and UX team, played pivotal roles in the launch of some of our biggest products, including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts, and has led our Trust and Safety team, ensuring that YouTube lives up to its responsibility as a global platform. He has a wonderful sense for our product, our business, our creator and user communities, and our employees. Neal will be a terrific leader for YouTube.”

Elon Musk tells Twitter staff to commit long hours or leave the company

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has fueled an avalanche of headlines in the past few weeks. It was only a few days back when Musk had warned his Twitter staff that bankruptcy is not off the cards for the company in a mail meant for internal circulation. Remote work was also revoked from almost all employees along with free meals. Now, it looks like the Twitter team is gearing up to either work long hours or leave the company following an ultimatum from Musk himself.

Work ‘long hours at high intensity or leave’ says Musk

Twitter boss Elon told his employees in an email that they’ll have to decide whether they want to stay in the company and work long hours at high intensity or get axed! The ultimatum comes after Musk fired half of Twitter’s workforce and most of the company’s senior executives leaving the company. The email meant for Twitter’s internal distribution was obtained by The Washington Post. Check out the entire email below –

” A Fork in the Road

Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore. This will mean working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.

Twitter will also be much more engineering-driven. Design and product management will still be very important and report to me, but those writing great code will constitute the majority of our team and have the greatest sway. At its heart, Twitter is a software and servers company, so it makes sense.

If you are sure that you want to be a part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below:

forms.gle

Anyone who has not done so by 5pm ET tomorrow (Thursday) will receive three months of severance.

Whatever decision you make, thank you for your efforts to make Twitter successful.

Elon”

5 Leadership lessons to learn from the new Twitter CEO Elon Musk

Who cares what you think about Elon Musk? You can say lots of things against him only to put him in the spot, but you can’t ignore the fact that he is endlessly innovative and acts as a case study for creative leadership. Randy Ottinger, Executive Vice President at Kotter International, once said, “Elon Musk is an inventor and builder wrapped into one, kind of like a combination of Benjamin Franklin and Steve Jobs, on steroids”. The CEO of Tesla is known for his risk-taking and dark-humoured mindset. As a child, Elon had a passion for science fiction books, and he was way too obsessed with space travel and rocket technology. You won’t believe it, but he wrote a computer program to calculate trajectories for rockets at the age of 12. Now, it’s time to enlighten your mind with leadership lessons.

Don’t follow the trends blindly

Elon Musk believes in staying open to new ideas, but he never follows the trend blindly. No wonder he is known for tackling the world’s biggest problems. When it comes to leadership or even a basic lifestyle, we should learn to question and challenge the trends. Remember, before you get into the details, first understand the fundamental principles of the subject.

Stay confident

If you have ever read a book on someone’s successful entrepreneurial journey, you must have noticed one common thing in there, they always leverage other people’s money to finance their projects. However, in the case of Elon Musk, he has such confidence in himself and his capabilities that he uses his own money to fund his projects.

Never stop reading and learning

Elon Musk is a serial entrepreneur who has created several billion-dollar companies based on his ideas and has sold and run a group of successful companies, but how? He can debate on anything and has a deep knowledge of the subject he is working on or messing up with. At the core, he is an avid reader, which makes him an effective leader.

Deal fiercely with the failure

When Tesla and SpaceX were on the verge of bankruptcy one day, Musk tweeted, “creating a rocket company has to be one of the dumbest and hardest ways to make money” but in reality, if he had not dared to follow his dreams, we would not have witnessed two of the most popular and recognizable companies in the world.

Elon is one hell of a brave person, especially when it comes to decision-making, and he believes in – fear is an emotion that keeps us from doing things that can help us achieve our goals. When SpaceX was a newbie company, he once said to his employees – “a failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”

Learn to Say NO

No is not always a negative word, especially when things no longer serve your personal and organizational goals, you must say no. In 2017, Musk resigned from his post at the White House Advisory Council in the wake of Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord because he strongly supports sustainability and care for the environment.

In conversation with Mr. Arijeet Talapatra – CEO, Transsion India

In this video, we had an amazing conversation with Mr Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of Transsion India as we discussed Tecno’s upcoming strategy and Transsion’s amazing performance so far. Mr Talapatra also revealed his secret to staying productive so don’t miss this exciting interview.

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.