Mr Gopi Natarajan, CEO, Omega Health Care Ltd.
On the penultimate day of the foundation fortnight, the students had with them Mr. Gopi Natarajan, CEO, Omega Health Care Ltd. Happy to be with the youngsters, Natarajan also admired the galaxy of speakers who had earlier interacted with the students during the foundation. He asked the young audience what had made them choose MBA over other career options. A girl among the students said she wanted to become a become a “better version” of herself. Another student a boy shared the fact that he had started a venture after his graduation and wanted to learn the the ropes of the business and management; And that explained his presence there.
Natarajan, then briefly recounted his successful career trajectory in USA, where he had spent 25 years before venturing into entrepreneurship. Today, his company has offices in USA and Europe. However, he said, the company has recently opened an office in Trichy, a tier II town in Tamil Nadu . The rationale behind the move, that too, to a tier II city, as he shared was the availability of talent in the region which also would catalyse the economic growth and development, there. And would also create employment. Also the region was quieter, greener and hence idyllic. It also gave him respite from the infamous Bangalore traffic.
The Young Audience
The tenor of the talks being ‘Entrepreneurship’, Natarajan extolled the virtue of taking risks in the world of business. He said he was aware of the widely prevalent Indian mindset which abhorred risk and failure. He confessed of the fear of failure in his hey days because of the punishment tagged with it. He also brought up the issue of parents being more stressed about their children’s academics and future, than the children themselves. So insane an attitude.
He told the audience that as they gain experience in life and grew they would learn from failures too.He cited examples of some well considered e-commerce companies, which had initially failed in their business models. All business ideas cannot be successful, he said sharing the example of his new venture in Healthcare in USA. The venture could not work out hence he exited. But the failure did not deter his passion for entrepreneurship. And later Omega Healthcare was born.
Natarajan further expounded the importance of selecting investors judiciously. He said the market is flooded with investors – angle investors, venture capitalist, and family managed business. There was a ‘dumb money and smart money’ philosophy which he personally adhered to while seeking funds for his business. Before allowing investors to invest , one should ask for references in the market/industry . It is imperative to understand whether the investment is short term or long term. If an investor is just seeking 5 x multiplies for his investment then – one should walk away from such a deal. He further said the owner should always have control over the company. Wisdom lies in welcoming investors who along with profits have long term growth and commitment on mind.
Mr Natarajan (l) with Professors Mohan Chandra (c) and Githa Heggde (r)
Advisory board is the core of a new company . It brings to the table experience, expertise and intellectual capital. In the same context he advised the students to read the book ‘Crossing the Castle’. Be committed and passionate. Money is important but route one takes is equally important.
Outlining his experience of entrepreneurship and work culture in USA and India, he shared in his observation that the levels of creativity and application which are almost missing in India are contrastingly high in USA these are high. In USA companies encourage employees to be creative and cited the example of Google – where the company has announced that 80% of products in future would be next generation product and hence it is mandatory for each employee to spend two hours daily for creative upliftment. Speaking on Healthcare Industry, he said the same was in a nascent stage, hence a lot of scope for action there. He particularly mentioned the electronic medical devices. His company had huge data on healthcare and hence offered huge opportunities in Data Analytics, which in turn would help companies design new products.
The Panel
Exploring the self. Challenging a task. Isn’t it ? But then that was the core of the panel discussion of the day with Prof AKN Prasad chairing the same. The panel comprised industry leaders who were delighted to be with the young audience and talking to them on the concept of ‘ Exploring the self. Mr RK Srinivasa Murthy , Ex CEO, Lotus Control, looked on ‘Self ‘ as a complex phenomenon comprising physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual elements. When integrated, these result in a pleasant and positive persona. It is a delightful experience and people love working and interacting with such a person. It is the individual who decides whether to evolve or devolve.
Dr. Mukul Saxena - Sr. Vice President and Head, Corporate Research and Technology, India – Siemens Technology and Services Pvt Ltd spoke briefly about his interest in Mechanical Engineering, which started at an early age, fuelling his dreams and later the higher studies.During his tenure with General Electric Ltd, USA he met the renowned business leader – Mr. Jack Welch – who was known for quizzing people during business presentation. When he questioned Welch – what made him go for a particular business plan, Welch told it was the strong conviction about it. Saxena averred that passion and energy are important for success.
Recalling his early career, Prof. B.K. Kulkarni, VP Health care Siemens Information Technology Pvt Ltd, shared how after failure he decided to pursue higher education in USA. He told students that it was important for a leader to tell stories to connect with people. Right communication can work wonders. He advised students that ‘Honesty & Truth’ have unparalleled value.
Batch 2016- 18
Another expert on the panel Mr. Prasad Prabhakar, Director, Human Resources at Trianz, told students to have a good knowledge of self and how one can make a difference. He underlined the importance of active learning apart from passive learning which happens via reading and in classrooms.He advised the students to watch Jackie Chan’s – ‘Who Am I?
Kulkarni, advised students the importance of working in teams without ‘EGO’ & ‘I’while dealing with people. Saxena said he looked for people with strong conviction and belief in self , while hiring people at Siemens Ltd. Murthy in his closing remarks spoke about the importance of converting ideas into ideals.
