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Keshav R. Murugesh, President & CEO, Syntel Inc.
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Keshav Murugesh joined Syntel Inc. as CFO in May 2002 from the conglomerate ITC Limited (an affiliate of BAT Plc.). He became Chief Operating Officer in October’ 2004, President and COO in December’ 2006 and President and CEO in February’ 2009.
As President and Chief Executive Officer, Keshav is responsible for Syntel's global IT Services and KPO businesses.
Keshav holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Commerce and is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has spoken at various Forums and is the Chairman of SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) India.
Q: You have recently assumed the role of CEO at Syntel Inc. How have your responsibilities and priorities changed?
A: I have been working closely with Bharat Desai, Syntel’s founder, Chairman and CEO for the past 6 years. I have had the opportunity to perform several key roles during this time, including CFO, COO and President. We have built a very strong management team at Syntel, and as a result I fully expect the transition to the CEO role will be seamless. The major change in terms of my focus will be increased emphasis on the vision, strategy and direction of the Company. It will be my goal to harness the passion, talent and innovation of Syntel to help drive increased value to all of Syntel’s key stakeholders.
Q: As you assume your new role, what do you see as the major challenges you will face?
A: Clearly the global economy is in crisis. As companies struggle to adjust their business models to the changing environment, they are increasingly looking to their strategic partners for assistance. Clients must improve their competitive positioning and operational efficiency in order to be competitive, and for a company like Syntel this creates not only our biggest challenge but also our greatest opportunity. If we can help clients solve their business problems and deliver thought leadership and value in a time of crisis, we will be extremely well-positioned to be a long-term business partner.
Q: How does Syntel position itself and bring “value” to new and existing clients?
A: All of the major offshore service providers have the ability to deliver cost savings, speed-to-market and high quality. With over 28 years of experience, Syntel prides itself on leveraging our rich history to differentiate our approach with clients. Syntel is perhaps the only US-owned company to have successfully transitioned its business model from being 100% onsite in the US to where we now execute over 80% of our work out of India. We are uniquely positioned because this journey is the exact same process our clients are going through as they outsource globally. Additionally, our business model is predicated on the fact that as a smaller, more nimble organisation we are able to customize solutions for our clients. This flexibility and responsiveness are extremely important to clients, especially in this difficult environment where business needs are changing almost daily. Having over 12,000 employees globally, we believe that Syntel is “small enough to listen, big enough to deliver.
Q: What new initiatives do you have planned for 2009 and beyond?
A: Syntel continues to aggressively invest in our business with the objective of creating long-term value for our clients, employees and shareholders. Key investment areas include targeted service offerings, human resources and World-class infrastructure.
On the services front, Syntel will continue to roll-out horizontal, vertical and strategic solutions. The breadth of offerings will allow us to not only cross-sell services within our existing customer base, but also find unique touch points with potential new clients. Again, we believe our organizational flexibility and customer focus uniquely position Syntel to address client needs. Syntel is also investing heavily in our people, the number one asset of any services business. Upgraded training programs, enhanced focus on employee productivity and strategic hiring are all key elements of our ongoing plans. The most visible symbols of Syntel’s investment programs are our new campuses in Pune and Chennai. Set on over 100 acres of land and with maximum capacity for 30,000 employees, these state-of-the art facilities represent Syntel’s commitment to our clients, our employees and to India.
Q: Your thoughts on the marketplace today and in the future?
A: Today, the demand headwinds for offshore service providers are significant as clients look to reduce operating costs and struggle with decision-making in an uncertain environment. We do believe that the global economy will rebound, but the timing of a recovery is uncertain and probably not in the immediate future. In spite of these challenges, our business model is highly flexible and Syntel has a rich history of both operational and financial excellence. We will focus on the factors we can control in this environment, and make sure that we remain well-positioned to take advantage of the long-term trend towards globalisation of services.
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Updated on:
20 May, 2009
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