CG Today Interview - SHAJAN SAMUEL (DIVISIONAL HEAD IIJT)

Shajan Samuel – Divisional Head

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shajan Samuel is currently the Divisional Head of IIJT Education a Venture of India’s Leading Staffing Company Team Lease.  He has also been the Business  Head of Learning and Training at Ikya Human Capital Solutions; Sales Head of media and entertainment programs at Manipal Education; Zonal  head of  N-Power /Regional Head of Aptech and Arena Head at Aptech, Ltd.; State Head at JK Tyre;  Mid level Manager at MRF, Ltd.; and started his career as  Sales Executive at Kelvinator.  Shajan Completed his Advanced Management Program at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and graduated in commerce from St. Xavier’s College Kolkata, he has completed his MBA in Marketing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CG Today: Mr. Samuel, welcome to CGToday, and thank you for speaking with us.

CG Today: You now find yourself in the vocational education business.  How is this assignment going?

Vocational education is a very challenging industry, candidates who come to us are predominately are the one’s  who realize that that there is a significant gap between college curriculum and industry need and understand the significance  to polish their skills in specific areas to get Job’s .We cater to the bottom of the Pyramid therefore we need to delicate in handling our students . Should we take Job to the candidate or candidate to Jobs? is an important reflection Point ,Helicopter managing students  and providing wholesome and rounded education is central to the success of the students who come to us ,needless to say providing training which is evolving and centric to industry requirements is an important aspect of the value which a vocational training Institute can Provide .We have identified  seven strategic Priorities  for IIJT  (sales, marketing, IT, Customer Service/ Operations, Placements, Institutional Partnerships and Academics) and our effort is to ensure that we execute these chosen index well .

CG Today: What vocational courses will be offered at this new school?  Will there be an animation industry component?

We are largely in to 4 Domains i) Finance & Accounts ii) Hardware & Networking iii) Retail iv) Sales & Marketing v) English & Personality Development.

As of now we don’t have an Animation course, might think at some Point of time .

CG Today: In 2008, you became Business Head of Learning and Training at Ikya Human Capital Solutions Pvt. Ltd.  This company was rated by Business Today as one of India's “Top 10 Start-Up Ventures” in 2008.  You managed the Profit and Loss Statement and gave the company a much-needed jump-start by galvanizing 100 clients within the first eight months of business operations.  Can you give us some details on this process?

Ikya is an integrated Hr services company founded by Ajit Isaac a serial entrepreneur and ex founder of People One which later got sold to Adecco. My mandate was to build the training Business and use it as a comprehensive solution ,along with recruitment ,staffing and other areas in which we were operating ,I had a very good sales and training team and we worked very closely with client focusing on learning outcomes ,by offering customized solutions which helped us in reaching 100 clients swiftly .

Some of the clients we worked were with Tata Motors ,Maruti Udyog and Videocon

CG Today: One of your personal mottoes is, “Ethics and hard work have no alternative”.  Can you give us a personal life experience where this philosophy has made a real difference in your career?.

I give a lot of credit to my success to MRF Tyres were I spend 30 % of my total Professional life ,It made me understand that ethics and hard work are important cog’s of your blood stream ,integrity & values are not negotiable ,Philip Eapen the then Executive Director Marketing was a great influence in my formative years with MRF ,you need a mentor to shape you and work on you ,MRF Is a strong leadership driven company which gives you a long rope and rallies behind you constantly encouraging you to deliver .

CG Today: We are captivated by the notion which you propound that “intuition is your partner”.  Do you think that this is an often overlooked idea in the business world?

I think it’s “ better to be wrong than be confused “ As individuals we get  got up in the rigmarole of a frenzied agitated life, we still try to make decisions based on statistics and business Plans ,and ignore the non logical barometer which an intuition can offer ,some times one can just back on  intuition ,I think this is an important way to defy conventional wisdom .

CG Today: Manipal University is a force with which to be reckoned in India.  You came on board as Sales Head of Media and Entertainment Programs. You were instrumental in the launch of the world's first MBA in Media and Entertainment offered by Manipal University in association with Whistling Woods owned by film-maker Subhas Ghai. An MBA in Media and Entertainment was rated by India Today as one of the “Hottest Career Courses” in the August, 2008 edition.  Once again, you are in the vortex of innovation.  How does that feel?

I was in ecstasy, never imagined it would be a rip-roaring success, in fact when we put the idea on board ,never imagined this to take off the way it did .The entire concept was a green horn ,working on it from a conceptual stage and taking to a full blow delivery mood was an amazing feeling .

CG Today: Also, while at Manipal, you created history by recruiting 100 admissions to the second costliest animation program in the country.   How did you do this?  What forces had come together to achieve this amazing feat?The planning was the key ,we planned well ,executed our broad strategies and micro level tactics to the tee ,Animation career seminars were held  in Chennai, Bangalore ,Delhi ,Mumbai & Bhubneshwar,the preview of sultan the warrior was first shown by Manipal media at a program in Chennai ,Also felicitated Mr ram Mohan the father of Indian Animation at Bangalore . The idea was to built the propaganda that Animation can be a part of main stream career course and it need to be viewed seriously. Also getting the experts to talk on  a neutral platform was the key .

The most important aspect is the audience ,and if the creators of Animation movies can get the audience from age 4 to 60 then Animation in India is here to stay ,was personally expecting a lot from street side Romeo ,but the movie didn’t move the cash registers ,I think sultan the warrior can be a defining movement for the Indian Animation Industry ,let’s wait and watch “

CG Today: In a country where the animation industry is growing by leaps and bounds, creating a BSc in Animation at Manipal University were a very smart move, was it not?

It was a novel idea ,the theory behind was to ensure more and more student becomes skilled Animators and you can cut corners for this ,A full fledged program on Animation from the stable of Manipal University with  a dedicated campus lend credibility .After the stupendous success of Manipal’s BSc in Animation many institutes tried to jump the bandwagon but met with limited success ,the rigor in Academics and the scaffolding at Manipal were important elements not only from a scalable model but also ensuring students get good placements . Industry Partnership and fostering relationship with Parents/Students were also an and is an ongoing process at Manipal.

Technological advances have taken animation to a whole new level, that it can no longer be learnt in a short-term 6 month certificate programme. The unique B.Sc Animation programme from Manipal University was the perfect choice to groom young animation aspirants into an industry-ready animation professional.

CG Today: You began your professional calling as a Sales Executive for Kelvinator, selling electronic cash registers.  How has a foundation in sales changed your overall business sensibilities?

Most People would say “Sales is a matter of chance and not choice “For me it was never like that ,I was clear of my skills and what I wanted to do with my life early on  .My stint with  kelvinator was an important building block to cement my sales career ,also for me since this was my first Job learning became more important than earning “I also realized early that in sales efforts don’t matter ,People largely care for results but there is still a method a prudent way to build it and not by hoodwinking or cutting corners ,the fundamentals are the same as it is with any other career .

CG Today:

MRF is a organization which  has a strong brand recall ,a atmosphere congenial to Performance and is aMentor led organization ,I wanted to succeed and knew Performance is the only measurable index and worked hard toward it .Hence if become a middle manager is MRF in 2 years 10 months “

CG Today: As State Head of JK Tyre, you received the President’s Guts and Glory Award.  The name itself explains what the award recognized, but fill us in on the details of this honor.

It was  a distinction  for selling car radial tyres ,we sold 10,000 radial care tyres in a  single month and emerged as the state with the maximum numbers .

CG Today: You moved into a different field when you became N Power Head/Regional Head Aptech and Arena Animation at Aptech Ltd.  Can you tell us about your activities at Aptech?

Aptech was an evangelizer in the area of franchisee driven education model ,I had a good track record  at Aptech ,my primary Job responsibilities was to handle franchisees for both Arena Animation and Aptech Computer Education which I did with aplomb ,Team work is an inherent DNA with Aptech .

CG Today: How is “selling an education” different from other kinds of marketing projects?

Most people confuse sales with marketing ,for me sales begins  when a customer says know ,Good Marketers enable products which move easily ,focus on consumer pull ,decide on pricing and pull levers for consumer acceptance .Marketing is more broader while sales is direct and it’s about being transparent ,honest ,sincere ,after sales service and knowing exactly what your product can do and can’t do and candidly telling that to consumers ,sales is no longer about glib talks .

CG Today: What is one management tool that you think is most important across every discipline?

What can’t be measured can’t be managed, I think managing one‘s own expectation through scientific measurable tools help you to pace your career .

CG Today: Any advice to the up and coming entrepreneur or professional as to how to balance a strong work ethic with the need for relaxation and contemplative time?

Be clear ,be focused and have a dream ,If you don’t have a dream you can’t have the dream come true  ,central to success is to be   be committed and be positive ,take challenges head on ,combat and prevailing over them are the underlying principle on which i believe upcoming professionals or entrepreneur should work .

CG Today: Mr. Samuel, thank you so much for allowing us to learn from your experience.

 just remember “CG Today – Your News Channel”