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| Pawan
Kumar,
Chairman, vMoksha |
Pawan
Kumar,
Chairman, vMoksha, and former head of IBM Global Services India,
tells Pankaj Mishra that he always considers himself to be
a learner first, learning even from his mistakes
What
tempted me was the ASP business. ASP as a business model was still
evolving and I was very passionate about that
What
does it take to start as a manager in IIT Kanpur, join Tata Consultancy
Services when software was still a new field and then move on to
head Big Blue in India? Nothing but sheer learning. “I started
as a manager and will continue to be a trainee all my life,”
says Pawan Kumar ex-head of IBM Global Services India and now chairman
of vMoksha, a technology start-up. He is one of the first generation
of entrepreneurs in the Indian IT industry who has seen the country
evolve as a hub for software development.
When
Kumar joined TCS in 1974 as manager operations, he knew that it
was the first step down the road that would lead to his entrepreneurial
dreams. “The crux of the matter was a union crisis that I was
able to resolve effectively. Being interested in project management,
I started seeking a change in my job role.” During his 19-year
stint with TCS, Kumar was responsible for carving out the maintenance
group, which is now a cash cow for the company.
“I
always wanted to pursue new challenges. The need for moving out
of TCS was becoming more pronounced.” In 1993, he joined Fujitsu-ICIM
(now Zensar), as the CEO of their software division. By then, Kumar
had started picking up lessons from his day-to-day assignments to
become a better CEO. “I grew Fujitsu from a team of 70 to an
organisation with 800 professionals. By the time we finished we
were the seventh largest Indian software company, just a step behind
Infosys.”
One
fine day in 1996, the world’s largest IT company invited Kumar
to create its Global Services Division in the country. “I was
hired by IBM to create IBM Global Services India. Outsourcing to
India actually started happening only after IGSI did a project for
Siemens.” One of the largest deals in the history of IBM Global
Services was the $8 billion project from AT&T which was done
out of India. Kumar received a plaque showing AT&T’s appreciation
for a job well done.
Perhaps
his only misstep was his tenure at Chennai-based DSQ Software in
2000. He was asked to formulate their ASP business called DSQworld.
“What tempted me was the ASP business. ASP as a business model
was still evolving and I was very passionate about that.” But
that was a short-lived affair as the promoters of the DSQ Group
backed out when greater investments were called for. Does he have
any regrets? “Not at all. Every professional experience has
something worth learning and I came out a better entrepreneur from
this.”
In
May 2001, Kumar approached one of his old friends who agreed to
become an angel investor. This lead to the creation of vMoksha,
a firm focused upon e-business transformation. “vMoksha is
the reflection of my entrepreneurial dreams and it is a calculated
risk.” He wants vMoksha to be looked upon as TCS or Infosys
in five years when it comes to ethics and integrity. “My aim
is to scale up the company to a 1,000 professional strong venture.
I will do it, because I have done it four times in the past,”
Kumar says.
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