Chintu Neil Ramchandran turned around a dying company in India in less than two years. He quit Accenture and joined US-based MNC Capco in September 2011.
On his second day in the office, he received a mail asking if the company, which does technology consulting work for the financial services industry, should shut down its loss-making Indian operation. "Capco had 70 people then and an attrition rate in high double digits. The entire senior management had walked out and drained the company of expertise in niche technologies," says Ramchandran. Naturally, he opposed closure.
By the end of 2013, Capco had 320 people with the attrition rate down to eight-to-12 per cent. And for the first time in its 10-year operations in India, Capco had started making profits. Ramchandran achieved the turnaround by rationalising non-salary expenses, creating a flat organisation without hierarchies, and linking remuneration to merit. "I believe in being paid well, paying well and empowering the junior staff."
| Chintu Neil Ramchandran, 39 CEO, Capco India THE MBA DEGREE It helped me to develop the ability to deconstruct complex issues into simpler parts and then find solutions for them FIRST BIG BREAK Moving to the consulting industry by joining a major UK firm FIRST FAILURE Trying to reason with my German Shepherd at the age of four. I still have the bite marks as a reminder of who the more effective negotiator was SKILL ACQUIRED More effective listening |
