Ashish is a role model to emulate

During schooldays, Ashish Gupta, country head and COO, Evalueserve, a leading outsourcing company, was slightly reserved and extremely modest when recounting his achievements.

Over the years, nothing has changed. The New Delhi-based 37-year-old has made the ship mighty, and takes Yogesh Saigal through his career graph:

The ‘IIT advantage’
Having an IIT on your resume helps, but it is not fair to say that good talent exists only in the IITs. It is a combination of inspiration and perspiration. If you don’t have the inspiration of the IIT, then you may have to ‘perspire’ a bit more.

The system actually forces you to stretch —- it pushes you, tests your limits and brings out the best in you. It is a charged up environment and also gives you so many role models to emulate.

What’s on the resume
After the mechanical engineering degree from IIT, an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in the US. Came back to India in 1995 and worked with McKinsey & Co for 5 years. Also had a stint on Wall Street. In 2000, helped set up Evalueserve.

Why he came back
I came back for two reasons. The first was that I had a very strong passion for India and the second was that from a personal and professional standpoint I always felt that I would do better here.

There was a gut feel that India was poised to arrive on the world stage, and fortunately that is the way it panned out.

Dot-gone
In early 2000, I quit McKinsey and started Ties2Family.Com, in a bid to woo non-resident Indians etc. The dotcom became a ‘dot-gone’ in nine months. It brought me down from the pedestal of ‘Blue Sky’ thinking and into the real world.

For once, I had to practice what I had preached and after all those years as a consultant, I realised how difficult that was.

The Evalueserve journey
In 2000, I joined with Alok (Aggarwal, chairman and co-founder) and Mark (Vollenweider, CEO and co-founder), in helping set up Evalueserve. They provided an excellent starting point and ensured that we were in the right place at the right time.

Together, we set about creating an environment of excellence, which focused on honesty and integrity. We placed a very high premium on delivering value to our clients and that has paid off in the long run.

Biggest strength
Being collaborative in decision making, the ability to handle pressure and stay cool headed under extreme duress. A key strength has been the willingness to learn and to be open to feedback, using it to improve further.

Qualities sought in new hires
Integrity, great analytical and communication skills, leadership potential and the ability to work in a team.

Management mantra and work ethic
When the fish starts rotting, it starts from the head down, goes a German saying. I believe that I have to set the tone for the lifestyle and professional culture of the rest of the company.

I strive to maintain excellence in all aspects of functionality and keep the door open for feedback at all times.

Work-life balance
Nowadays, professionals tend to neglect their health and so we have provided yoga, salsa classes in office. We encourage employees to work out in the office gym to destress.

Our belief is in cultivating a happy and healthy workplace. I am an avid yoga enthusiast and like to spend weekends with wife, Puja and my two sons.

Career advice
Set very high aspirations but do not be greedy and do not become a job-hopper. You have to get a job in a good company and stick with it because a good company will take care of good resources.

Build good communication skills because what you know only counts if you can convey it properly.

Vision
To be the No. 1 knowledge services company in the world. The biggest challenge is to create the future leaders of the company. This culture of excellence in delivering value to clients has to be carried forward at all levels.

My take
Ashish is a role model to emulate, having carved out his own niche in the global arena. His vision is to be a mentor to others and to see Evalueserve grow far and wide. With him at the helm, there seems to be no reason for it not to. Who says good guys finish last?

(Yogesh Saigal leads the business development function for ABC Consultants, India’s premier recruitment and executive search firm)