CEO Cigniti : Never give up. Ask for help

Passion to excel, a simple approach to things and the ability to contribute beyond the defined role are qualities that impress Sudhakar Pennam, founder and CEO, Cigniti, the most in people.

Hyderabad, India (prHWY.com) December 20, 2012 - A man who has derived his leadership lessons from the Bhagvad Gita, Sudhakar Pennam says CEOs should believe in empowered delegation, trust their teams and never compromise on business ethics. The CEO and president of Cigniti has over 20 years of experience in IT in various areas, including IT operations, consulting, operations and sales. He's also very passionate about sports and has sponsored a T20 cricket team in Dallas. "I also play golf. I dream of buying a franchise basketball team one day," he says.


The first thought that came to your head when they said you'd be CEO? Taking the Cigniti brand to a stature where it is acknowledged as the world's largest and most respected independent testing services company


What did you do in your first 90 days as CEO? I focused on building a strong leadership team so that we can realise 'Vision 2015'- a vision that we have envisaged for ourselves


What books have most inspired your leadership style? Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch and Built to Last by Jim Collins. I also derive my leadership lessons from the Bhagvad Gita


What traits do you think the nextgeneration CEO should have? They should believe in empowered delegation and trust their teams. Moreover, they should never compromise on business ethics


Business leader you're a fan of? Why? N R Narayana Murthy for his vision, values, valour and institution building capabilities. I am also a fan of Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao, chairman, GMR Industries for his vision and ability to build India's largest infrastructure company from scratch. Moreover, he personifies humility and service to the society


Most valuable advice you like to hand out to those at work. Never give up. Ask for help when needed. Build trust and have fun


The fact that your organization loves its people is proved by... Having employees who have worked with us for long and who have the freedom to express their ideas


Any management best practices you've borrowed from other cultures/ countries? Professionalism from the American business culture and highest standards of quality from the Japanese


Do you think organizations should focus seriously on green initiatives? Yes. They should focus on sustainability and make a conscious attempt to make the planet a better place to live in


If interviewing people, you are impressed by? Passion to excel, a simple approach to things and the ability to contribute beyond the defined role


You get your news/business information from? Our marketing teams provide me with a focused, filtered information capsule. Along with this I have some select reading and reference sources both online and offline


Are you a web trawler? If yes, how much time do you spend on it? What social networking sites are you on? I stay connected, online for two-thirds of the day. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are my choic
es when it comes to social networking sites

Formal and casual dressing to you means... you can mention brands Business and fun@work. Hugo Boss and Giorgio Armani


What's parked in your garage? What would you replace it with if you could, and why? I have a Mercedes and would love to own a Ferrari because in my view it is the best car ever built. I like nothing but the best


Weekends are for? Family, friends, charity and work - in that order. I spend a lot of time helping my daughter to excel in golf, ballet and ice skating


Most expensive thing you bought last year... My Merc (M-Series)


You bust stress by... Spending time with my daughter and wife. I love to indulge in weekend parties and follow basketball and other sports. Travel and golf are other pursuits


Your passion? I'm interested in sports and sponsored a T20 cricket team in Dallas. I also play golf. I dream to buy a franchise basketball team one day


Gizmo you can't live without? My iPhone, Mac Air, BlackBerry and Plantronics Bluetooth headset


You balance work and life by? Plan ahead and ensure the plans are well executed


What do you hope people remember you for? An ethical business leader, someone who can always be relied upon for care and counsel


About Sudhakar Pennam:

Sudhakar Pennam is the CEO and president of Cigniti who oversees all functions like strategy, sales, client relationships, delivery operations, marketing and finance. He has over 20 years of experience in IT in various areas, including IT operations, consulting, operations and sales. He operates out of the US office at Irving and travels between India and US to ensure teams are delivering value to clients, employees, investors and partners. He set up the US operations of Cigniti Inc. in Irving, Texas in 2004 and grew it from a one room office to more than 300 consultants across US, Europe and Asia.

Prior to Cigniti, Pennam was with Corpus Inc for nine years , where he was instrumental in growing the consulting business significantly and was focused on building the testing and quality assurance consulting capabilities. He has a degree in engineering.

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Tag Words: quality assurance, testing, software testing, independent

Categories: Software

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