Downtime

Sumit Chowdhury, CIO (RCOM) & Reliance Tech Services, Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group

TITLE: CIO (RCOM) & Reliance Tech Services

COMPANY: Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group

INDUSTRY VERTICLE: Conglomerate (Telecom, IT, Infrastructure, BFSI, Media, PE)

AGE: 39

FIRST JOB: Philips (India), Pune

TOTAL EXPERIENCE: 17 years

BIGGEST CAREER INFLUENCE: My family, which has inspired me and taught me the value of confidence, patience, hard work, and leadership focus.

THE PERSON WHO INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST: Leonardo Da Vinci

BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR INDUSTRY: Achieving profitable growth with lowest rate-per-user in the world.

HOW TO TACKLE THIS CHALLENGE: Be incredibly efficient in everything you do. Take cost out of wasteful expenditure and focus on growth expenditure.

TECHNOLOGY THAT BEST SUITS YOUR INDUSTRY: Process Automation

YOUR SUCCESS MANTRA: Be intellectually honest and devote yourself completely to the task at hand every available moment of the day.

TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Espresso Coffee Machine, iPhone and my MacBook.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING THE MOST: Traveling to exotic places and creating memorable experiences with my co-travelers, both family and friends.

YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: When my children were born.

FAVOURIE MOVIE: Life is Beautiful

FAVOURITE BOOK: “Faking It” – a novel written by my wife Amrita Chowdhury (releasing in May 2009).

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR: Saved the life of a colleague.

ONE THING YOU WANT TO CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF: I hate uninspiring leadership. I am impatient to deliver change.

ONE THING YOU WOULD NEVER WANT TO CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF: Openness, humble self-belief and focus on transformation from within.

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED AND FROM WHOM: My music teacher once told me that the meaning of my name “Sumit” or “Su”-“mit” was “Well Balanced”. I have made “balanced-life” my raison d’être.

ANY WISH TO BE FULFILLED: To retire by the time I am 45.

IF NOT A CIO YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN: An Architect and an artist.