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Milind Kulkarni, now senior vp of company technique, authorities relationship, digital and IT at ST Telemedia International Information Heart (STT GDC), began out as {an electrical} engineer. Nonetheless, he quickly found an curiosity on this planet of IT and determined to make a profession of it.
For Kulkarni, this transition wasn’t a tough one: “It was straightforward as a result of I all the time had that bent of thoughts in the direction of expertise and taking challenges is necessary for me. It was straightforward as a result of I had the intentions and keenness and was on the lookout for a change.”
Listed here are edited excerpts of CIO India’s dialog with him.
CIO India: Clarify your profession path. What has been your best profession achievement?
Kulkarni: I feel the one I wish to spotlight is from once we have been demerging from Tata Communications and forming STT GDC India. Tata Communications is a telecom firm and STT GDC is an information middle firm. We had two choices — both comply with the steps of Tata Communications or construct a brand new structure and thought processes as STT GDC India. I used to be a part of the demerger from an early stage and had analyzed each choices totally.
I selected the choice of constructing our personal structure and stack individually. We used cloud-first applied sciences with API integrations and all that from an analytics perspective on how we are able to make it stronger on the cybersecurity stage. We applied these tasks on varied cloud platforms very quick and even we acquired trade awards and recognition for it.
The demerger was not straightforward. However we spent a great period of time planning it. Usually, what occurs is that folks begin executing quicker as an alternative of spending the correct quantity of time in planning. I feel if we plan nicely from the method and structure perspective, then the implementation is less complicated. That’s the reason we bought the issues proper.
CIO India: What’s the hardest determination you’ve had to absorb your IT profession, and the way did you make it?
Kulkarni: Scrapping a challenge that was 70% accomplished.
The challenge was growing an internet portal for purchasers at Tata Communications. I needed to persuade the MD of the corporate to not go forward with the challenge. In fact, the primary response was that that was not acceptable, however once I offered with information factors that we’d not get the specified advantages, it then turned to a more healthy determination.
I additionally needed to persuade the staff and for that, I introduced them collectively and defined why this challenge wouldn’t work, confirmed them what the competitor was developing with and what the trade was doing. They went again and did their analysis and have been satisfied to scrap the challenge. It was a collective determination, though I used to be presenting it as a result of any person has to chew the bullet. It isn’t smart to place in additional money and time to finish any challenge that’s had majority completion if we’re positive it won’t work.
A CIO function is just not solely pushed from an inner expertise perspective; we have to additionally perceive what the trade is doing and what the competitors is doing. If one thing they’re doing is best and quicker, which is sort of doable, we have to return to the drafting board.
CIO India: What’s the very best profession recommendation you ever acquired?
Kulkarni: Take into consideration the larger image and worth creation for your entire ecosystem. We sometimes discuss concerning the customers-first or employees-first method, however I feel having worth creation and the larger image for your entire ecosystem helps. For those who go along with that thought, I feel that makes you a pacesetter.
CIO India: What are the prospects for profession mobility for a CIO? What roles would you aspire to?
Kulkarni: Not solely CIO roles: Any function is simply a starting. It’s all the time the query of what extra worth are you able to convey to the desk. I did that in my profession, and even in my present function, I do the identical. I joined as a digital chief however I additionally take care of company technique and affairs. I’ve began trying into extra areas than solely trying from a expertise perspective. CIOs can create worth by taking strategic obligations, overseeing mergers and acquisitions, being consultants within the expertise area, and in addition mentoring expertise startups.
For those who do solely issues out of your key accountability areas, you would possibly obtain near-term targets. Once you begin serving to to attain issues that aren’t a part of your common day-to-day actions, however are one thing helpful in your group, your function expands past boundaries.
CIO India: What makes a great CIO, in your opinion?
Kulkarni: Individuals on this function should widen their information perspective and perceive the ecosystem — present enterprise fashions, the place the trade is headed, and in addition what competitors is doing. An individual with these qualities, who is able to take dangers, who will suppose in another way and make issues occur, will make a great CIO.
CIO India: What myths about expertise, IT/IS administration, digital transformation, and the CIO function would you prefer to debunk?
Kulkarni: The primary fantasy is that expertise can resolve all the issues. That’s not the case: It’s all the time individuals, processes, expertise, and information that collectively resolve the issue. They’re the 4 tyres of 1 automotive.
The second is that expertise leaders don’t perceive enterprise.
The third fantasy is that expertise tasks take longer, and therefore we must always not do it. With agile fashions we now have a stepwise method to create worth. Gone are these days the place a waterfall mannequin was used. Agile offers us in-between advantages and we must always use that.
Years earlier than, we have been doing consulting for a financial institution within the US the place we needed to redesign their total infrastructure for nearly 100 branches. Throughout a management assembly, the shopper stated, “If it’s IT then neglect it. IT tasks are all the time delayed. We by no means get what we’re on the lookout for.” It took one other assembly to persuade them in any other case.
And the final one on this space is about digital transformation being solely about expertise. Digital transformation is just not solely expertise transformation: tradition and other people transformation are equally necessary.
CIO India: Previously few years, has it change into simpler or more durable for the CIO to get a ‘seat on the desk’? How do you equip your self for it?
Kulkarni: Its simpler at this time in comparison with years again. If you wish to be a part of a management staff, you’ll want to perceive the general trade competitors. Typically you must handle perceptions, convincing individuals earlier than the assembly, and generally you must ship and present how worth is created.
CIO India: How do you construct motivation and the correct tradition within the IT division?
Kulkarni: Technical individuals like doing technical issues. If you wish to encourage them, encourage them to discover new concepts and applied sciences.
Celebrating failures can be essential on this journey. Success is talked so much about and other people get rewards too. We used to have a separate session or get together to have fun failures! Then we get inputs from completely different individuals on what may have been completed higher. So, managing and studying from the failures is the second necessary factor.
The final one is encouraging workers to transcend their function.
CIO India: What are the challenges CIOs face at this time?
Kulkarni: Firstly, expertise is altering extraordinarily quick at this time. Earlier we used to put out a three-year technique. Now, even when we put together a one-year technique, we now have to return and revisit it on the finish of the 12 months and alter our numbers.
The second concern is cybersecurity: We’ve got to construct it into each facet of our journey.
Thirdly, there are regulation and compliance. We’ve got to all the time maintain a detailed watch on what is occurring in regulation, compliance, and insurance policies as a result of that generally impacts us immensely.
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