Leadership Lessons: ‘Find inspiration around neighbourhood’

Giving an example of how the success of the Indian IT industry has made waves globally, Kris says, “When you look at Brand India, the primary recognition comes from IT. Professionals from India are recognised worldwide, so much so that if I were to take a taxicab in San Jose in the US, and if I happen to say that I am from India, the driver would inadvertently ask me if I was a programmer or a software developer. Everybody out there believes that if you come from India, you must be working in IT. It’s become a brand, a strength for the country and an industry that we all can be proud of.”  

Kris, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, is himself a testament to the heights one can achieve if he or she puts their mind to it. Coming from humble origins, he had completed his secondary education in a government high school. But he was no stranger to the the idea of determination and hard work as he went on to complete his M Tech in Computer Science from IIT Madras, and later became one of the co-founders of one of the world’s most admired software firms — Infosys.  

Prompting the younger generation to be bold, to think differently and to take calculated entrepreneurial risks, he says, “India has had a rich history of creating world class organisations. These companies, that were born out of small offices in nondescript neighbourhoods, today are the strength and pride of the nation. We have five out of the top ten employers in the world. We have experienced leadership and a very large employee base – 4 million IT employees, which is second only to the US. Pretty soon we will have the largest industry base and employee base for IT in the world. All the multinationals that are present today use the services of these Indian companies.” 

An advocate of life-long learning, Kris through his various discourses in the professional and academic circles has always emphasised on future proofing one’s career, with the help of constant education and training. He tells us, “The next 30 years will have significant opportunities for IT to make an impact in every aspect of business. Any industry you take – it will get transformed over the next 30 years because of IT, the changes and innovations that are happening around IT. There is a great opportunity for growth for IT companies in the coming years and the youngsters who choose to join them can look forward to some very exciting times.” 

Apart from his valued contributions to the nation’s IT industry, Kris is known for his philanthropic initiatives as well, which in some ways have become an inspiration for young entrepreneurs to go above and beyond the call of just business. He has contributed close to Rs 225 Crore ($40 Million) to Pure Sciences to develop a Centre for Brain Research at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. He also happens to be one of the single-largest individual donors to the 105-year-old institute. He has now taken on the role of a Chief Mentor for a start-up village in Kochi. 

He tells us, “India happens to be the only country where the growth of the IT industry is faster than the global growth rate. The global growth rate is only 3 to 4 per cent. But the Indian IT business is still growing at the rate of 8 to 9 per cent. Information Technology is one of the few sectors in the country today that is creating a large number of jobs in the organised sector. This year, it’s expected to add anywhere between 1-2 lakh jobs. And that’s where my confidence stems from. I consider this a great opportunity for us to continue supporting these young companies and this industry. Even new players can join in and create this $300 billion industry. Imagine that – an industry that can double in size over the next 5 or 10 years. I think we need to support that.”