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A business leader who wears many different hats and plays each role with great passion — Dr. Ganesh Natarajan #JeenaIssiKaNaamHain

During my work life, I have been privileged to connect with some of the finest business leaders who inspired me to think and act differently. This column, JIKN, was introduced a few years ago, trying to capture some of these conversations that helped me shape my life and become a better person.

Here’s a leader who wears many hats and wows in every role.

I saw Dr. Ganesh Natrajan for the first time in 2004 at NASSCOM’s annual event. At that time, the tech SMEs were coming of age, and “startup” was becoming a catchword. While billion-dollar valuations were still fanciful ideas, the larger vision was taking shape. Given the industry-wide interest, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan presented his vision for SMEs at the conference and how NASSCOM could play a role in supporting them. While leading Zensar, a large company, he also had a deep understanding of small companies, their challenges and what industry bodies could do for them.

It was a very impactful presentation, and it got us all hooked on how we could make a difference. I think a year later, I was introduced to him, and he was going to support us in driving the SME initiative, including innovation. By then, we knew that the next wave of innovation would be driven by smaller and nimbler players.

We got on a call with Sangeeta Gupta, where she offered Dr. Natarajan to lead the SME initiative and Innovation for NASSCOM. We wrapped it up quickly, and within 3 minutes, his email acceptance reached us, and the journey had begun. That’s been his hallmark — he responds super-quickly!

In a subsequent call immediately afterwards, he drew up the big picture. I felt a surge of great excitement in getting this new opportunity and connecting with his vision for smaller IT companies.

The next few months were action-packed. We travelled to different cities in India, where we showcased innovative products and solutions from startups. He demonstrated immense energy and communicated with great impact. Leading a large company, he brought structured thinking that helped us broaden our perspective. He would meet the founders, ask probing questions and dig deep to understand all that there was to know about tech-led innovation. He was well-liked by the founders.

He also played a pivotal role in getting NASSCOM’s Innovation Awards off the ground, which in the later years, became a very well-recognized platform. It had a balanced mix of large and small companies and ensured that the latter were not dwarfed during the showcase.

For evangelization, he travelled extensively within India & abroad, articulating the startup narrative at different forums, and as a well-respected business leader, he lent huge credibility. People soon started to see him as someone who believed in the innovation potential of smaller companies and was easily approachable. All the while, he was also leading Zensar, a large company, so striking a fine balance was quite remarkable.

He has always been a very encouraging man wherever he sees talent, and even for me, he played an instrumental role during the early years of my corporate career. Given his stature, I have always been a bit shy, but he has brought me to the forefront, given me recognition and helped me to make the right connections.

While he travelled a lot, I had been with him on two delegations to Australia and once to Kashmir. I think it was in 2010 when we had gone to Kashmir for a skill-building initiative. His wife, Uma, joined us in Srinagar, and later, we were invited by a professor for lunch who regaled us with stories about Kashmir that helped us understand the landscape and its people. We also met Omar Abdullah, and Dr Ganesh Natarajan was very generous with the introductions, and I was touched.

He is forever in a light mood. Stress never shows on his face, despite doing so many different things. As a highly impactful communicator, he has a beautiful way of weaving a powerful narrative by stitching together different pieces and always giving credit to the individual.

Dr. Ganesh Natrajan is a remarkable writer as well, who has contributed immeasurably to thought leadership over several decades. His articles were featured by the nation’s leading dailies and magazines and have left a mark on readers, including me. How he finds the time to do so many different things is a mystery to me, and something I would love to learn.

He has been a prominent face in NASSCOM’s Executive Council, and over the years, he has lent his support in so many ways. Leaders like him truly inspire us to try out different things in life with great passion.

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t mention the special gifts I received from Dr Ganesh Natarajan. He introduced me to M.R. Rangaswami and Sharad Sharma, two of the finest leaders who shaped my thinking in more ways than I can write. I can’t call it the “power of networks” because that may sound disrespectful, but these introductions put me on an altogether different orbit.

Yet another reason why I will be forever grateful.

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is based out of Pune, and given his passion for the innovation ecosystem, he continues to do what he does best — supporting and inspiring bright minds to take the next leap. Thank you Sir, for guiding me in the earlier years of my work life, and I am truly honoured to have learnt under your leadership.

Dr. Natarajan, here’s also wishing you great health.