|
Indian
Talent
 Radha
Basu - Support
anytime!
Radha
Basu holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from University of
Madras and a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science from University of Southern California. She has attended
the Stanford Business School Executive Management Program.
As President and CEO of Support.com, a provider of Web-enabled,
automated, personalized support software for e-Business companies
she has another long day at work. "Entrepreneurship
is not new to me; after being in charge of multiple functions
in multiple geographic locations for Hewlett-Packard, that was
something people thought I was good at,” says Basu trying
to explain to me why she left Hewlett-Packard in 1999 to join
Support.com. “I wanted to apply my skills to a smaller,
more nimble group which is easier to steer and quicker to change.
Prior
to joining Support.com, she had spent two decades there in various
executive positions, including a successful tenure as senior general
manager of the Electronic Business Software Organization of the
company’s Computer Business division. Basu was also instrumental
in setting up Hewlett-Packard’s subsidiary in India in the
1980s.
The
company has grown in strength from 35 to about 180 people since
Basu took over. Its customers include such heavy-weights as Compaq,
Excite@Home, Chase H&Q, Bear Stearns and JC Penney. And the
company has filed for an initial public offering.
As
a woman CEO, she says that she has never really seen herself from
the gender point of view in the workplace.The Valley is known
for its diversity. That has been the best catalyst for our business
here. So when I am trying to hire somebody, for instance, I do
not think in terms of that person’s gender or race.
A
firm believer in mentoring, Basu is actively involved with the
Indian Business and Professional Women (IBPW), a support network
that promotes education, leadership and self-development in women
through, seminars, workshops and mentoring services. Ultimately,
I think glass ceilings are meant to be broken. If you want to
do something, you can always find a way of doing it. Don't wait
for others to do it for you.”
How
does she manage to juggle between work and family? "It is
difficult for anyone with a family and career, she replies. Family
is not simply the woman's domain. It is something that a man and
a woman build together. So I wonder why I am asked that question
and my husband is not?", she laughs. It is time we changed
our perspectives.
She is not a party person, she confesses, but she enjoys hiking,
Indian classical music and dance. Her long-term plans include
more involvement with children's education, and not just in the
South Asian context, she specifies. With the collective wealth
that we have here in the Valley, and all the power and influence
that come with it, I think we can truly make a difference.
She
has received numerous awards for her leadership and vision in
the corporate field, including the Woman of Achievement Award
in 1995, the Excelsior Leadership Award in 1997 and the San Francisco
Women on the Web Award early this year.
•
Index
 Ritu
Beri - “Designed
for success”
Ritu
has made Indian women look beautiful and glamorous in the world
of international fashion . She needs no further introduction!
She lives in a world of imagination, creativity and passion that
she strongly believes permeates her whole existence. She's the
one who provides the vivacity on the designer scene. Known as
much for her looks as her marketing ability, Ritu Beri is a product
of the first batch of National Institute of Fashion Technology
(NIFT). She is one amongst the handful of Indian designers who
shot to fame with the coming of haute couture to India and stay
there. Ritu has also trained under famed French embroiderer Lesarge.
Designing was not what she always wanted to do. After completing
her graduation from Delhi University in 1987, she began designing
clothes for herself. Eventually she began designing for her friends
too, and it was then that she contemplated getting into designing
as a career.
Says
Ritu Beri “When I was struggling to achieve some measure
of recognition as a designer, I often wished I had someone with
experience in the field to guide me, to give me a helping hand.
But there was no one; I had to find my own way”. She made
a mark not just in the Indian market but also in international
fashions.
The
climb up the ladder of success was not very easy, but her patience
has paid off. A modest lady, she has plans for the aspiring designers.
A promise she made…made to keep. “……to be
a helping hand for designers with talent if I was ever in a position
where I could assist. Today, the world is still my oyster, and
I appear to have succeeded in prising it open just a little.”
•
Index
 Ramu
Potarazu - Line marle
re baba Line marle
INTELSAT,
an International Telecommunications Satellite Organization generates
a revenue of US$1.1 billion in annually. The company is into Internet,
broadcast, telephony and corporate network solutions worldwide
through its fleet of 20 satellites. So why is this company of
any importance to us? Simple it's now headed by Ramu Potarazu
who has been appointed President and Chief Operating Officer,
effective July 18, 2001.
Potarazu,
now a US citizen has worked for INTELSAT for the last 11 years.
He joined the company as a satellite software engineer. Very soon
he was taking charge of data processing requirements of the Satellite
Control Center and TT&C sites. In 1995, he was promoted to
Manager of Business Systems and a year later to Director of Information
Systems. In 1998, he was made VP Operations and CIO and he led
INTELSAT's global Y2K initiative. It was during this period INTELSAT
gained massive reputation for having one of the best customer
intranet sites in the U.S.A. by CIO magazine.
His
pre-INTELSAT days he was working as a satellite systems engineer
for Contel. Potarazu holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical
Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in Computer
Science and Mathematics from Oklahoma Christian University.
In
1999, he was actively involved in President Clinton's Council
on Y2K Conversion. Apart from his success story at INELSAT, he
is also the director of the Indian CEO High-Tech Council and the
National Capital Chapter of the American Red Cross.
•
Index
|
