Zinnov Podcast

For a technology giant like Microsoft that works with partners all around the world, partner success is ingrained in the organizational DNA. Partnerships and alliances become critical to accelerate the digital transformation agenda. In this episode, Eduardo Kassner, Chief Technology Officer, Partner Success Organization at Microsoft, talks to Praveen Bhadada, Managing Partner, Zinnov about partnerships, alliances, and the best practices to profit from them. 

With the pandemic changing the way we consume, the Direct-to-Consumer business model has become a trend-setting bandwagon that most businesses want to hop onto. However, the D2C model isn’t an easy one to crack, and involves being cognizant of numerous factors. Personalization, customer proximity, and product presentation are some of the integral aspects that companies should consider. What are the other aspects that can help companies successfully ride the D2C model? What are some of the challenges that companies will face in their transition into a D2C model?  In this conversation with Rajat Kohli, Partner at Zinnov, Sid Jatia, General Manager, Global Retail & Consumer Goods, Microsoft, shares his perspectives on how D2C models differ from B2B models, and what makes them vulnerable to change, and failure.  

In this episode, these two technology industry veterans, discuss to build organizational culture with data at its core. Tune in now to listen to it.

“When you are building something revolutionary, you may look delusional to those around you.” – Lauris Liberts The oldest company in the world, Kongo Gumi, has been in existence since about 578 AD – around 1500+ years or so – based in Osaka, Japan. Now, that’s a company built to last. And one of the other companies that has been on the right track and withstood the test of time is Reliance Jio. It has revolutionized the Indian technology and business landscape, brought the Internet to pretty much every household in the country, and has been on an exponential growth journey to leaving its indelible mark on India for generations to come. In this special episode of the Zinnov Podcast – Business Resilience series, two luminaries from one of the most diverse, multinational Indian origin conglomerates, Reliance Industries – Anish Shah, President, Jio Platforms and Kiran Thomas, President, Jio Platforms, converse with Praveen Bhadada, Managing Partner, Zinnov, and discuss the nuances of building such a massive platform, the struggles they have encountered, the leadership lessons that anyone can take note of, and what the future holds for Reliance Jio and beyond. Tune in to find out all about it from the two leaders who work closely with Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance, day in and day out.

In the last 20 months or so, these are the questions many leaders have had to grapple with as they paved through the realities of fostering a culture in a remote or hybrid scenario – understanding what their employees want, what are the things that their employees have had to come to terms with, both personally and professionally. What makes a company's culture sticky? What makes it exceptional? How do organizations decide which parts of their culture to preserve and which parts to transform as things evolve? In this episode, Nitika Goel, CMO at Zinnov, and Ruchi Bhalla, VP Human Resources (Asia Pacific), Country Head-Delivery Centers, India at Pitney Bowes, talk about how an organization's culture is its immune system and how to redefine the cultural code in this post-COVID era.

The global pandemic has accelerated the work, worker, and workplace (W3) transformation exponentially, and has altered the way businesses function. The work, worker, and the workplace are now governed by the latest advancements in technology and Automation, forcing companies to adopt the latest tools to optimize processes and make remote working successful, while not losing focus on employee well-being and experience. A Zinnov survey of 100+ global CXOs has revealed that the hybrid working model is going to be the organizational strategy even in the post-pandemic era. In this episode of the Business Resilience series, Sarv Saravanan, Vice President, Modern Work Solutions & Telco Service Line, Industry Solutions at Microsoft, talks to Praveen Bhadada, Managing Partner & Global Head, Zinnov, about how Microsoft has been helping their customers enable the future models of hybrid work. He shares valuable insights and statistics around the processes and challenges in the area, and what they could mean as organizations gear themselves and their workforces to thrive in the new and evolving normal.

It takes more than just a vision to build a company that can stand the test of time, let alone a market gamechanger like Rocket Software. Andy Youniss, President and CEO of Rocket joins Pari Natarajan, CEO of Zinnov to discuss his journey leading the mainframe infrastructure software giant over the last three decades. Andy speaks about how Rocket managed to not just survive but thrive despite being faced with obstacles such as the dot-com bubble, the global financial crisis, and more recently, the pandemic. Rocket’s journey in the space shines light on the importance of listening to customers and delivering the best quality products while also being prepared to adapt to the changes that may occur in the external ecosystem. In this episode, Andy also touches upon Rocket’s talent acquisition practices, the importance of diversity at workplace, and the core values that Rocketeers swear and live by.

Crowdsourcing as a model for building resilient, anti-fragile organizations is not a new trend. However, the pandemic seems to have affected the way this model is being employed. Sumit Kaushik, SVP, and Head of Technology, Media and Telecom Business, West Coat for Virtusa discusses the past, present, and future of the crowdsourcing model with Amit Kulkarni, Principal at Zinnov. Sumit also elaborates on how enterprises are now focused on building a culture around innovation and agility with the help of crowdsourcing platforms. Especially in a post-pandemic world, organizations are leveraging crowdsourcing as a model to engage, collaborate, and have multiple teams work on solving a common problem. He also touches upon the external and internal lens on crowdsourcing and how certain industry verticals are early adopters of the model to bring innovation and agility to the organization.

The pandemic has no doubt accelerated the digital transformation journeys of companies across verticals. Additionally, there is a marked increase in the Digital Engineering spend by enterprises to accelerate their go-to-market and to keep pace with the disruptions happening in the ecosystem – both because of COVID as well as otherwise. Vijay Anand Guntur, Corporate Vice President, Engineering and R&D Services at HCL chats with Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov, where they touch upon the mega trends that have emerged in the technology ecosystem, post-COVID. Vijay also explains how Technology Service Providers like HCL have been instrumental in driving the digital agendas of both digital natives and digital migrants, as well as the different ways that HCL has been partnering with their customers across verticals and translating their know-how into tangible business value. Vijay also delves into the nuances of catering to customers in different verticals, especially in the post-pandemic era, where digital transformation and digital technologies have taken center stage.

“Networking is not about just connecting people. It’s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities.” - Michele Jennae Is there a chance that Bill Gates is part of your extended network, but you had no idea about it? Quite possible, isn’t it? But in these times of social distancing and everything virtual, how does one go about networking? Though the pandemic has changed the rules of the game, the foundation of networking and network building remains the same. How does one go about building networks, forging relationships, and fostering trust in a digital construct? Is it radically different from an in-person approach? While the world en masse has adapted to a remote work scenario, what adjustments and tweaks are necessary to build a network online? In this episode of the Zinnov Podcast, Nitika Goel, CMO of Zinnov, chats with MR Rangaswami, Founder of Sand Hill Group and Indiaspora, and a serial networker and network builder, about the core tenets of a network, the difference between a network and networking, and what it takes to build a network in the digital construct. From laying down the traits necessary to network successfully to explaining how networks and networking should be perceived and approached at various stages of one’s career, MR shares examples and practical advice to become a successful networker – both in-person and in the digital world.