A DAY IN THE LIFE
GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick . . .
Guruprasan Padmanabhan,
VP, Business Development,
MEA, Redline Communications
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
My most memorable achievement would have to be being
part of the beginning of the cloud revolution at Amazon. My
next would be driving innovative propositions with SMEs as
part of the marketing team in Etisalat, reaching over 300,000
businesses in UAE and driving the digital economy in a short
period of time.
What made you think of a career
in technology?
Ever since I wrote my first randomiser in Fortran when I was 15
years old, I fell in love with technology. There was no looking
back since then with tech careers in IBM, Techdata, Amazon,
du, Etisalat and now Redline.
What style of management
philosophy do you employ with
your current position?
I am old school when it comes to leadership. I lead by
example and always believe in hiring people who are smarter
than me. Empathy and providing a performance-driven
environment and culture at work is what I strive for. I believe
in passing on my experience and guiding my team while
letting them use their own ideas and drive for success while
providing course correction inputs from time to time.
www.intelligentcio.com
What do you think is the current
hot technology talking point?
While AI, Data sciences and neural networks would continue
to hold our fascination the fact that broadband connectivity
is still not ubiquitous and the fact that the digital divide still
exists in many parts of the world will drive companies like
Redline to create opportunities and propositions to bridge it.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
I am an avid but a poor golfer and a few hours on the course
helps me unwind. Recently I took to road biking and helps me
stay physically and mentally fit.
If you could go back and change a
career decision, what would it be?
While I never look back, one decision I would have gladly
changed in hindsight was to stay with Amazon. The incredible
strides they have made makes me think of lost opportunities
at times. n
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