What is a former naval commander doing in a business process outsourcing company? That too a naval commander who worked on a Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) project that is said to have been close to president Abdul Kalam's heart. The commander in question is Ranjit Pisharoty, senior vice president (technology) at the Chennai-based BPO company Lason India. Pisharoty worked for the navy and for the DRDO for 22 years, spending some of those years on developing an unmanned submarine. He also spent time on the stage "� he played the lead role (Peter Hunter, the detective) in Agatha Christie's 'The Mouse Trap' at a performance in Vizag.
Pisharoty, 47, acquired a a degree in electronics and communications engineering from the regional engineering college at Suratkal in Andhra Pradesh, and an M Tech at the Indian Institute of Technology at Chennai (sponsored by the DRDO), where he was trained to be a electrical officer for the navy.
So what's the connection with IT? "As commander of a vessel, you come with great leadership qualities. I wanted to use this in the IT/corporate world," he says. Pisharoty joined Lason (then called Vertri Software) in 2000 and created value in the BPO process.
His strong process engineering background also helped him champion Lason India's efforts to get a SEI CMM level 4 certification. Pisharoty says Lason India has the distinction of being the first Indian BPO firm to get this certification.
He also heads the Confederation of Indian Industry's IT & BPO committeee in Tamil Nadu. Says he: "As the head of this panel I am planning to release a directory of BPO firms in Tamil Nadu. This will give the complete list of BPO companies in the state along with the kind of work they do."
Born at Trishur in Kerala, Pisharoty has travelled extensively and spent a good number of years in Russia (he trained at a naval design school there and speaks Russian fluently). He says: "I have seen Russia before, during and after the collapse of the communist regime. St Petersburg is still my most favourite city in the world. It has a bit of Venice, Paris and English countryside."
TV cop
How many Indian Police Service (IPS) officers have launched television channels and worked with celebrity film makers like Satyajit Sen, Mrinal Sen and Shyam Benegal? The answer, of course, is one "� Ravi Gupta.
The former Maharashtra cadre IPS officer switched to the entertainment industry when he was selected for the post of general manager at the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in 1985. "I had applied for the post because of my interest in photography," he says. When he quit NFDC in 1998, Gupta was managing director of the autonomous state-owned body.
After a three-year stint in London, as the global CEO of B4U channels, Gupta has just returned to Mumbai to take charge of Subhash Ghai's film company, Mukta Arts. He will also be executive director at Whistling Woods, the film and media academy being promoted by Mukta Arts and Film City.
Why did he leave leave B4U, the channel he created for Lakshmi Mittal, Kishore Lulla and Gokul Binani? "Let's put it this way, there were some shareholders issues," he says diplomatically. He's still quite passionate about B4U. "After all, I built the channel from scratch "� right from the project report to its implementation and brand building," he says.
The IIT-Mumbai and Jamnalal Bajaj Institute alumnus was also responsible for hand-holding Doordarshan's Metro channel when it was launched in 1994. "Metro had invited private producers to apply for slots. However, when it could not get programmes ready in time for the launch, we, at NFDC, stepped in and created programming for the channel by serialising films from our library and getting shows out of people like Nimbus' Harish Thawani and BAG's Anuradha Prasad."
Will he do something similar at Mukta Arts? "Give me some time," he says.
