MindTree's Bagchi appointed 'Gardener'

Information technology (IT) firms of late have been introducing catchy designations like 'Chief Fun Officer', 'Chief Happiness Officer', and even 'Chief Energising Officer' as they revamp their organisations and the roles of some of their senior executives.

India's mid-tier IT and R&D services firm MindTree Consulting has taken the trend a step further by appointing MindTree's Chief Operating Office Subroto Bagchi, based in the US, as 'Gardener' (Yes, you read it right!) as it plans to build the organisation from a hundred-million dollar to a billion-dollar revenue firm.

This is the company's first major company-wide restructuring exercise since its inception in 1999.

"Many people have to be tended here. I have an organic feel to MindTree. A gardener's job is never over," Bagchi told the media, adding that his new role was apt given MindTree's history.

To be effective from April 1, 2008, Bagchi will return to India to strengthen the "emotional infrastructure" of MindTree (hence the term 'Gardener').

He will spend one-on-one time with the top 100 leaders at MindTree on their "personal-professional" issues, and expand the firm's leadership capacity.

Bagchi will also spend time on MindTree's relationship with the educational community in India and abroad.