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Vol XXX No 19 I October 15, 2012

IT Person of The yearFrancisco D’Souza, Cognizant

Patrick P Gelsinger CEO, VMware

‘ In a cloud you need to re-structure your IT

organization ’

lIfeTIme achIevemenTS Ramadorai, TCS

22

14 | October 15, 2012 visit www.dqindia.com DATAQUEST | A CyberMedia Publication

The Wandering Techie

He travels like mad (geog-raphies blur, and so do time zones). Meticulous and forth-right. Young Turk. A burning passion coupled with youth-ful vigor—that’s Francisco D’ Souza—one of the hottest CEOs of the tech industry

—Francisco D’Souza president and CEO of Cognizant

IT Person of The Year

Shrikanth [email protected]


IT Person of The Year

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things”

—Leonardo da Vinci

was a diplomat so I spent the early parts of my life traveling across the world—to places like Kenya, Ethio-pia, and Zaire—followed by time in New York, Trinidad, Hong Kong, and Panama.”

The Making of the CEOClearly Francisco had many lucra-tive offers as he took nimble steps outside the corridors of Carnegie Mellon, but he made that single big-gest decision going by his instincts. He never went by ‘herd mentality’. He took the significant decision of coming to India, that too with a com-pany like D&B which had no tech lineage in India during that time.

“After finishing my graduate work at Carnegie Mellon University, I had the great opportunity to take up a job as a management associate

“Are you crazy?”—that’s what his friends asked him when he said he

was going to India to be part of a cap-tive IT set-up Dun & Bradstreet was putting up in Chennai in India. It was two decades ago. Indeed for someone out of Carnegie Mellon, armed with a management degree, that seemed like a weird choice then.

But for a man who had lost count of how many countries he had lived and studied in—this ‘crazy’ remark fizzled out for he could drive through the freeways in the US and as effort-lessly navigate through the chaotic streets of Chennai with equal ease; and try not get ‘lost in translation’ in Japan. Despite the taxing intercon-tinental flights and lay overs—he never says no to travel—no matter how culturally different or far away.

Meet Francisco D’ Souza, CEO at Cognizant Technology Solutions. At 44, he is one of the youngest persons to receive the Dataquest IT Person of the Year for 2012. Surely a man who deserves a standing ovation for his outstanding achievements in the IT outsourcing space.

His resume is short and crisp, almost 19 years at Cognizant and that’s it. He has seen the com-pany from infancy to the bubbly 20 something it is today. Cognizant is now a $7 bn entity and much of the revenue ramp up has happened post 2007, since Francisco took the helm as CEO.

Francisco, despite being a ‘world citizen’, can be called a global Indian. When people ask if there is any Indian-ness in him, quick comes his reply, “I am proud of my Indian heritage and recall fondly the time I spent there. But my upbringing was more global in nature. My father

with Dun & Bradstreet. Early on, I was presented with an opportunity to work with a team to build D&B’s first IT captive in India. I jumped at the opportunity. In 1994, that captive was spun off into Cognizant. The rest, as they say, is history. I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that I never imagined running a $7 bn business! On the contrary, I just focused on doing things along the way that I enjoyed and that provided me with opportunities to grow and learn. The rest just happened.”

From a management associate to CEO—it’s a story of an achiever and what made Francisco so successful was his clear understanding of the offshoring industry dynamics and the ability to tightly mesh solution offerings delivered via a well paved global delivery model. This despite his non-IT background. His aca-demic credentials totally relate to management but his passion for tech saw him through.

He is a self-taught coder and he started learning and writing codes right when he was in school and college, and despite his academic orientation towards management, his passion remained for information systems and he always aspired for a role in a tech company.

So be it, as destiny willed. Fran-cisco, along with a highly capable team, built Cognizant brick by brick. And during its evolutionary phase, he honed his skills. Now we ask him about his mentors. Sure he has not one but many. He is forever thank-ful to his predecessors who laid the foundation for Cognizant.

“I am very grateful to have worked closely with and learned from a number of people during my career, including Kumar Mahadeva and Lakshmi Narayanan—two excel-

Career Timelinen 1990-92: MBA—Carnegie

Mellon Universityn 1992-94: Management

Associate—Dun & Bradstreet

n 1995-2003: Dons several senior leadership roles and drives North American operations

n 2003: Appointed as COOn 2007: Elevated to CEO

awards:n Ernst & Young Entrepreneur

Finalist 2002n Economic Times Entrepreneur

Award 2005n Named one among America’s

Best CEOs by Institutional Investor magazine 2009

FavoriTe sporT:n Golf and Diving

DATAQUEST | A CyberMedia Publication visit www.dqindia.com October 15, 2012 | 17

ing industry-leading growth, extend-ing the geographic reach of our business, strengthening our offerings in numerous fields of expertise, and broadening our base in a range of industry sectors,” he adds.

What is impressive is his attitude as he says, “If I have one regret, it is that we were not aggressive enough in the downturn. It created oppor-tunities and we should have pushed harder and grown much faster.” But being a team person, Francisco was quick to acknowledge that it was team work that had sent Cognizant soaring and it cannot be attributed to any one single person.

“I have to say that I have the best team in the industry at Cognizant and that’s what gives me the drive. My achievements are a reflection of their work; it is by no means an individual effort.”

What makes Cognizant Tick?A great team makes for a great company, but IT outsourcing is not an easy market and to how does he see competition and the differentia-tors for Cognizant, he says, “Sure we have a lot of great competitors out there—big and small. They keep us on our toes. But from the begin-

ning, we always sought a different approach. We sought to have the intimate client facing teams of the global multi-nationals combined with the efficiency and value of a global delivery network. That ap-proach has served us well throughout the years.”

But what makes him impatient more than competition is the ever-changing market dynamics. “The en-vironment today is incredibly excit-ing. It is changing at an unparalleled rate. Volatility in the macro-economy is fueling rapid secular changes in nearly every industry, including our own,” he adds.

Parting ShotsBeing an on-the-go person—does he have any time for family? “I try to manage both at best,” says Francis-co. “Family is very important to me, so spending time with my wife and kids is my balance. It’s not always easy when you are busy, but it forces you to make decisions about what is really important so you can make the most of the time you have. I make an effort to carve out time each day just for them.”

Spending 19 years in one com-pany, that to a tech one,is a rarity these days in the industry. But as we pick up threads from Francisco’s ca-reer, it gives us great insights on how a strategy meshed with a synergetic management and long-term vision brings an enterprise-wide transfor-mation and gives it the capabilities to create new opportunities and an edge to stay ahead of the pack.

As Francisco and his team fire up Cognizant with industry leading performance, the success he had engineered till now is one story that can be told and re-told. His success only reflects a true entrepreneurial spirit and leadership that epitomizes what David Frost once said, “Don’t aim for success if you want it—just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally”. n

lent CEOs—and Robert Weisman, and other members on the board who are themselves very accomplished CXOs of large US corporations. I continue to learn from them today. And the fantastic team of execu-tives around me, most of who have been around since the company was founded.”

When Francisco took the mantle 5 years back as CEO, Cognizant was just about $1.5 bn. Clearly he had steered the company to unimagina-ble heights and transitioned it from an ‘also ran’ to a ‘formidable force in global outsourcing’. What makes his achievement all the more impressive was that he took the reigns at a time when the tech landscape was going through one of the worst recessions that became fully blown in 2008 (with events like the sub-prime crisis that altered the very fabric of US economy).

Amid fears of industry-wide mass lay-offs and an anticipated slump in IT spending, Cognizant found its sweet spot. It shifted gears and ‘burned enough rubber on the race track’ to join the big daddies of glo-bal outsourcing, notwithstanding the tech meltdown.

But the 2008 recession humbled even some of the toughest companies and their ‘never say die’ attitudes. As we take a close-up view of how Cognizant tided the economic tsu-nami, it throws up some interesting insights. Says Francisco, “I try to take everything in my stride. I can tell you that becoming the CEO of Cognizant just as the downturn hit was difficult, but it proved to be one of the best things that could have happened. It pushed me to re-exam-ine everything we were doing. As a result, we took a very deliberate ap-proach to the downturn—we called it ‘shining through the fog’.”

“We invested and innovated throughout the recession so that we could emerge stronger than when the crisis began. Which we did, produc-

Frankly speaking:n I encourage people to take

the best from the people they work with to shape and influence their style

n I have the best team in the industry. My achievements are a reflection of their work; it is by no means an individual effort.

n Volatility in the macro-economy is fueling rapid secular changes in nearly every industry, including our own.

n I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that I never imagined running a $7 bn business!

SHILPA [email protected]

The Quiet TransformerDataquest goes into a flashback mode with Ramadorai, to gather glimpses of the industry as seen through the eyes of the stalwart

—S Ramadorai vice chairman, TCS


Lifetime Achievement AwArd

as a result of my spilling acid on them during chemistry lab classes. Any remaining hopes that I would become a doctor were dashed after I was asked to dis-sect a frog in class,” reminisces Ramadorai. Well, Indian IT industry and TCS stood to gain.

An industry which was at a very nascent stage adorned by the presence of cottage industries and major players like the Tatas. It was the belief in its ability to make a change that enabled the transformation to a scenario where corporations now mark the landscape. IT has become the differentiator with bod-

Dataquest’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award 2012 for Subrama-nian Ramadorai

should not come as a surprise to anybody. This award will now share shelf-space with the many others which are all special to the humble receiver. He never refrains from reminding you though that these awards are not personal achievements but a result of his support systems who made them all possible—wife Mala, son Tarun, team, and other inspirations. Inspirations in the form of FC Kohli, Max Meth, Frank Susino, Nani Palkhivala, Naval Mody, DN Malsute and Ratan Tata.

A lesson that also seemed to have left a deep mark in the mind of the young boy who was very fond of flying kites was the one given by his father: “When my cousins came over to our place, we were at our mischievous best. Once we tried to test our skills on the body of a shiny new car. My father was angry when he came to know this and ran his fingernail sharply across my cheek. Defying my shrill cries he said this is how the car must have felt.”

The Path TraversedThis may be a journey not many have traveled—the journey of the Indian IT industry seen from close quarters. This is a pretty unusual leaf in the story of the mischievous lad who was buried under aspirations of his parents to pursue medicine, though for a brief while. “My father always wanted one of his children to become a doctor and for some reason I was singled out to fulfill that dream. I was put in a biology class but I was not very good at laboratory work—my mother used to complain that my shoes and lab coat were full of holes

AT A glAnceJoined TCS in 1972 as a

programmerTook over as the CEO and MD in

1996Was awarded Padma Bhushan in

2006, in recognition of his commitment & dedication to the IT industry

In 2009, Ramadorai stepped down as CEO leaving behind a $6 bn global IT services company

In 2009, was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to Indo-British economic relations

In 2011, appointed as Advisor to the Prime Minister in the National Skill Development Council, in the rank of Cabinet Minister

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ies like Nasscom proving to be the catalysts. It was during this transformational drive that the US went all out to tap the talent powerhouse from India. There was no dearth of talent but the cultural shift was a challenge that people needed grooming on.

As Ramadorai fondly puts: “Indians are well-known for their eating habits. Professionals would still continue to prefer the home-made dabba food at work-place, which left an aroma of the ingredients. This did not go down the throat of many of the employers well. Or even take the peculiar habit of Indians to nod their heads, making it difficult to understand their perspective. Even the habit to race against the speed of the fastest runner while talking also came as a blow. Dur-ing this time, India was a mine of talent but all these gems needed to be groomed into fine diamonds for the world to adore.”

After the US as a job destina-tion, individuals are now looking to tier-2 and -3 cities after the saturation in tier-1 cities. Com-panies are now recognizing the talent-mine and setting up offices in these areas. “This is just com-parable to the scenario witnessed in the Olympics or even cricket. Where do most of the talented sportspersons who have won medals or participated in Olym-pics hail from? The small towns of India. Likewise, opportunity needs to be created in regions like the north east, where there is a lot of talent and people are also ready to move to these towns.”

Grabbing the PulseToday, the nation has become a software destination of where IT has been able to make a differ-ence by touching every domain. It has become an irreplaceable part of the functioning that with-

Today the nation has become a software destination where IT has been able to make a difference by touching every domain

DATAQUEST | A CyberMedia Publication visit www.dqindia.com October 15, 2012 | 19

out technology life is difficult to imagine. This progress in relation to the aspects of social transfor-mation, equality, and affordabil-ity would require government support in the form of guiding policies. In close quarters, in February 2011, Ramadorai stepped on a different boat—into public service—when the Indian government appointed him as the adviser to the prime minister in the National Skill Development Council, giving him the rank of a cabinet minister.

“Any change can be mind-boggling but the scale and size is immense. Even if we are able

Leaving the company at the right time and, more importantly, leaving the reins of the company in capable hands were the most defining moments of my life

pany at the right time and, more importantly, leaving the reins of the company in capable hands were the most defining moments of my life. These were as much defining and satisfying moments as the ones I experience when I see my wife having carved a niche for herself in music and my son having become a personal-ity in his own right. These are as important as my return to India and the beginning of my innings with TCS.”

This is an effort to encap-sulate the achievements of a stalwart, who is the guiding force for the Indian IT industry. An inseparable part of the Indian IT industry, he may have driven TCS to the highest levels but he laughs off his skills. He fondly looks upon TCS today just like the proud potter who has molded a masterpiece—just like his stint with photography where he tested his skills preferring to process his own films.

A humble man who describes himself as shy but patriotic, and his deep affections for TCS. As we bestow him with this award, we wish him success in his efforts to take the Indian IT industry to the peak n

to make a little impact it would help a great deal. The change to a government portfolio from a corporate environment itself was a challenge in the form of work style but the determination to make a difference proved to be the guiding light. There is a lot of paper-work tradition that afflicts the government, much differ-ent from the corporate world of go-getters. This opportunity has been like an offer to make a dif-ference for a nation that adorns a center of pride.” How else would one explain Ramadorai’s patriot-ism which cannot bear unreason-able criticism for the nation?

Final WordApart from his government role, Ramadorai continues as the vice chairman of TCS, a company that he has been closely and fondly associated with. Maybe this asso-ciation can explain the temper. “I

rarely lose my temper but there was one such exceptional occa-sion when someone I knew quite well spoke ill of TCS.” He took over as the CEO in 1996 when the com-pany’s revenues were at $155 mn and has since then led the com-pany through some of its most exciting phases,

including its going public in 2004.

In October 2009, he stepped

down as CEO, leav-ing a $6 bn global IT

services company to his successor, while he took over the mantle of vice chairmanship of the

company. “Leaving the com-


Lifetime Achievement AwArd

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