KGFS CEOs well equipped and raring to go

IFMR Holdings had till June 2008 appointed three CEOs to roll out Kshetriya Gramin Financial Services operations.

They are all men from an armed forces background, complemented by top-class management education.

Commander (Retd) S Srirama Krishnan served in the Indian Navy for more than 20 years before retiring.

Like fellow CEOs, Ashit Mohapatra comes from an armed forces background

A graduate in marine engineering with specialisation in logistics and an additional qualification in recruitment (group testing), Krishnan believes "core values" imbibed during his stint in the navy, such as "a sense of responsibility, liveliness, courage and power of expression" are exactly what his job as a CEO with ITHC demands.

Having studied in government-funded schools, he feels the new responsibility also gives him an opportunity to give something back to the country.

"The people of this country have given me all the resources that I have ever wanted, and now I am glad to be working for a company that will help them access these same resources."

Speaking about how he will go about his job, he mentions three aspects of his favourite game, football.

Firstly, there is no fixed place for the captain on the field. Secondly, the game is extremely fluid and fast, demanding immediate responses from all players in the team, including the captain. Thirdly, if a player is not able to carry the ball forward, he must quickly pass it to someone who is better placed to reach the goal.

The bottom line: "If I falter, you back me up; if you falter, I back you up."

ITHC's second CEO, Lt Colonel (Retd) V Mohan, retired from the Indian Army after serving as an infantry officer for almost 21 years.

A science graduate with a post-graduate diploma in business administration from Symbiosis, Pune, he also has a Masters diploma in computer applications.

Mohan had dreamt of launching his own microfinance company after retirement, but "never really quite got around to turning ideas into reality".

When the IFMR Trust opportunity came along, he did not require "any further motivation" he says with a laugh.

Lt Colonel (Retd) Ashit Mohapatra is an M Tech in automobile engineering who underwent a management course at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Apart from providing a thorough grounding in all aspects of corporate management, the course prepared him for life outside the army.

"The first thing we were told was that we had to call each other by our first names - no surnames, and no ranks and titles!"

Looking back at his army career, he says it prepared him to work in different environments comfortably. "It also taught me how to take calculated risks and gave me essential skills in man-management."

One of the rewarding experiences, relevant to his current assignment, was working with Kashmiri women in terror-hit Baramullah, helping them learn vocational skills.

"The greatest learning," he says, "was that transparency can work wonders."

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