‘I learned some great HR lessons from Jayaram. He taught me to respect our seniors. I had a little intellectual arrogance and ego because of my educational track record but he nipped it. He also taught me how to connect with people and explained how an HR’s work relates to the business. He insisted that intelligence may fail but hard work never fails and that I must learn to imitate and copy people’s best practices without any inhibition. Also, he taught me to give credit to people when it was due’
Wealth tends to create more wealth. But a wealthy background is not necessarily the only way to reach the top. Sometimes people coming from very humble beginnings also climb to the top of their profession through sheer grit, determination and a bit of luck.
Meet Sreekanth Arimanithaya, popularly known as Sreekanth , born in a family of priests in a temple town, who was destined to become a priest. But rising above his family’s financially constrained situation right from his childhood days by selling fruits, crackers and whatever else he could to the visiting devotees, he gradually made his way to becoming one of India’s youngest HR leaders. He also did various odd jobs like, giving tuitions to the kids of a business family and maintaining their account books, to name a few. But, thanks to his far-sighted and very supportive teachers, he emerged a university topper, year after year, despite the odds at every step.
Currently Managing Director-India and Global Head—Workforce Management of the $ 8 billion Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Sreekanth is based at Bengaluru and plays a strategic role in the success of its global business.
A business leader with over two decades of multi-faceted experience in Business Transformation, HR Management, Supply Chain, IT and Quality (TQM, PCMM, Six Sigma and COPC), Sreekanth has worked on key leadership roles for top multinationals like Britannia, Toyota, Phillips, General Electric and CA Technologies, to name a few.
He has had experience in manufacturing, FMCG, software, ITES and BPO sectors in a global business environment, and is known for his expertise in transforming organisations through HR and building innovative HR practices to drive excellence and growth.
Wherever he worked, Sreekanth made a lasting impact on the working culture of the organization because of his intellectual honesty and ever-energetic and problem-solving approach. In a free-wheeling interview to Corporate Citizen, he went down memory lane, recalling his various mentors, and shared slices of his experiences. Excerpts:
The true strength of any organisation is its manpower, and good manpower is the handiwork of a good HR boss. Sreekanth Arimanithaya is one such who works as MD and Global Head— Workforce Management at Computer Sciences Corporation. His story may not be very glamorous, but it is significant for the way he has come up in life and become one of the brightest, youngest and most well-known figures in India’s current HR scenario
I’m basically from Udupi (Karnataka). My grandparents migrated to Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, to do priesthood at the Anant Padmanabhaswamy temple there. I was born and brought up in Agrahara, very near the temple. I’m the first generation professional in my family. Otherwise my father, grandfather, great-grandfather—everybody was a priest. We are called Pottis (a section of Brahmins) in Thiruvananthapuram, but we’re Udupi Brahmins from the Madhavacharya sect. I’m the only son of my parents, I have three sisters. I won’t say that I had a very difficult childhood but since my father was a priest with a meagre salary, financial constraints were certainly a source of constant worry. Unlike today, in those days, priests didn’t make money. During my childhood, I used to go to the temple with my father to help him in his duties. The devotees would give me small, small tips—10 paise, 25 paise—but my father would always say, “Thanks for coming and helping me but I don’t want you to settle down on this. I’ve suffered a lot and have also seen the suffering of my parents. So, please go beyond all this. Focus on your studies. I just want you to do well in life.” But at that time, as a student, I was more interested in cricket than my studies and had absolutely no dream or ambition. In fact, up to my XII grade, I was an average student with no thought for studies.
When I was in the X grade, my father had a heart attack. Sometimes he couldn’t go to the temple but since the keys used to be with him, he had to send me as it was a commitment. However, he didn’t like it and so he’d say, “Look, I want to get out of this place but I’m helpless. However, you can rise above it all if only you study hard.” His repeated utterances had finally begun to sink in, and that was a triggering point in my career. He wanted me to become an MBBS doctor but I somehow couldn’t clear the entrance test in my first attempt. Then I decided to pursue something near to that. I decided to do BA Psychology from MG College, Thiruvananthapuram, because though it was not an MBBS, it related to people. I thought I’d follow it up with an MA in Clinical Psychology and then move to the National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru to do a Fellowship and go to the US to become a psychologist or psychiatrist.
At that time, since I wanted to make money and help my family, I used to do lots of part time jobs like selling crackers during Diwali, selling cut mangoes during temple festivals and such other things, besides continuing with my priesthood. I had a bicycle to move around. I also used to go to a Gujarati business family to maintain their books of accounts, teach their kids and even drop them to school because they gave me another `100 for that. So I never attended college full time and rarely attended classes. But I had a teacher, Prof Shaktidharan, who understood it all. He could see the spark in me and he said, “Why can’t you come to my home whenever you have a chance. He made me to go to his house every Saturday and Sunday for tuition but without taking any money. No wonder, I topped in BA Psychology with a gold medal.
Oh yes, very inspiring. For example, while teaching abnormal psychology, he used to actually enact how schizophrenic patients behave. There are 18 defence mechanisms in psychology and he used to enact them all. He believed that a teacher’s role was to create curiosity in the topic because nobody can teach anybody. People can only learn. He created so much curiosity in me that I started going to the Kerala University Library to research the topics further, because I couldn’t buy books. In fact, thanks to his deep-rooted guidance, even now, I can teach general psychology without referring to any books.
I went to Prof Shaktidharan to discuss what I should do next. He knew my dad was a heart patient, and how important it was for me to get into a profession and start supporting my family. He suggested that rather than doing MA psychology, I join the city’s Loyola College of Social Sciences to do my Masters in Social Work (MSW). “They have a specialization in Human Resource Management which is equivalent to MBA, with a two year’s masters in personnel management. This will help you get a job immediately. Though there are only 25 seats, I think, you’ll get it because you’re a college topper.” So, I applied for it, got it and again topped the university with a gold medal and the Mathew Memorial Award for securing highest percentage of marks in Personnel Management.
‘My grandparents migrated to Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, to do priesthood at the Anant Padmanabhaswamy temple there. I’m the first generation professional in my family. Otherwise my father, grandfather, great-grandfather—everybody was a priest’
See, Loyola is a Jesuits Christian institution having fantastic teachers and one of them, TS Thomas, influenced me rather deeply. They taught us using case work—how do you deal with one-on-one situations, then group work —dealing and transforming group/ teams using group dynamics intervention and finally how you change a community where you also have to adopt a village. I adopted a slum and lived there and went on to defend them as a community. Then I adopted eight case studies practising all the theories learnt. It was a fantastic curriculum. I not only mastered the theory but also worked on to develop my leadership competence. I was very thin those days and had an inferiority complex because my English was not good as I had studied in Malayalam medium earlier. I couldn’t face people. I couldn’t talk. Everything was wrong with my personality. I said I must do something to change it. So, I joined the National Social Service and became a leader. I volunteered for all kinds of extra-curricular activities so that I could get rid of my complexes.
No. In those days, there was no campus placement. You had to find your own job.
I got it in 1993 while doing my last block placement or one month’s summer field internship for MSW. I did it at HAL Bengaluru. One day the personnel manager of HAL’s helicopter division came and said, “Hey, Sreekanth, there is a training programme happening on team building. I want you to go and monitor that because you are a summer intern. Ensure that the coffee-tea breaks happen on time.” The program was being conducted by Ashwatha Ramaiah, one of the facilitators from the Widia. Meanwhile, he got an emergency call. He didn’t know what to do. So, he said, Sreekanth, you are the coordinator. Can you please take care of it? I’ll just come.” Since he wasn’t there, I got an idea. At Loyola, I had studied lots of team building exercises as part of group dynamics. So, I said, let us play a team building game. In the meantime, Ashwatha also came back and said, “Don’t stop. Just carry on.” He kept watching silently and then said, “Sreekanth, this is fantastic. I never knew this game. What is it?” I said, Sir, I know ten more games like this. Then he said, “Why don’t you come over and meet me at home?” When I went to his place with OHP sheets and showed him all the games, he said, “Oh, this is absolutely phenomenal. Why don’t you come and help me?” I said, I could, but right then, I badly needed a job. He said that was not a problem as he could introduce me to the right people at Bharat Silks where he was shortly going for a facilitation. He said, Shobha from XLRI, Jamshedpur, Head of HR and Babu Rao, the GM were looking for an HR person. “If your luck is good, you will get it.”
Ashwatha introduced me. Both Babu Rao and Shobha interviewed me and selected me, offering me a job with a salary of Rs.4500 per month. That was how I got my first job and became the first person to get a job during his block placement, even before the MSW results were out. Incidentally, Bharat Silks, owned by the Goenka’ s were famous silk exporters with many silk and garment design factories in Bengaluru.
I worked for him on all Saturdays and Sundays —day and night—developing the material for his presentations. The Internet was not very popular then, so I read books at IIM campus, feeding my appetite for learning. He never paid me anything. He was a very sharp businessman but I didn’t care. I did not do it for money. I wanted to learn. It went on and on, but I used this opportunity to train people and simultaneously develop my own training faculties.
At that time, the father of a colleague at Bharat Silks was the Executive Director- HR at the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL). I used to visit my colleague at the company quarters at Koramangala, Bengaluru. His father, B Jayaram, was a fantastic leader. He knew I was also in HR, so he once said, “I’m going to hire management trainees for the company, but it will be through a national competition. You also apply. Maybe you will get it.” Around 6,000 people across India applied for it. Jayaram had outsourced it to Prof KB Akhilesh of the Indian Institute of Science. It was a written test, aptitude test, HR test, group discussion and then personal interview. Everything was outsourced to the IISc. I topped the list, along with another person, Sandeep Chatterjee from Utkal University.
It was fantastic. I worked directly under Jayaram for four years. I learned some great HR lessons from him. He taught me to respect our seniors. I had a little intellectual arrogance and ego because of my educational track record but he nipped it. He also taught me how to connect with people and explained how an HR’s work related to the business. He insisted that intelligence may fail but hard work never failed and that I must learn to imitate and copy people’s best practices without any inhibition. Also, he taught me to give credit to people when it was due. “Don’t delay it, as it’s all about team work. Involve the team and always bring HR issues to the attention of the CEO and make it the CEO’s agenda and not yours because if you do so, you can never be successful,” he said. In each of my jobs I met some really great people, I can write a book on each of them.
Oh yes. I worked there for about nine months. It was a very famous leather export company. Here again I met a wonderful leader, Narsimha Bhat, Executive Director-HR, and we’re still friends. He had put me in the shoe export division as head of HR and used to tell the workers that whatever good work he was doing was all because of me. He used to tell me, “I know you’ll not stay here because this is not a place for you, and you will go for much bigger jobs.” But I learnt many things from him which go beyond HR: the importance of family values, and the real meaning of the words—audacity and authenticity.
It happened through a placement company. They looked in the marketplace and picked me. I joined Toyota as Assistant Manager- HR in 1996 and stayed till 1999. It was a great learning experience. They sent me to Japan, Indonesia and Thailand for the Toyota Production System (TPS) training. I met a fantastic leader there, Ueno San. He was a very tough and great teacher. I learnt a lot of management practices from him. He used to tell me, ‘Sreekanth, I like you and that’s why I’m tough with you.’ I learnt Japanese management principles and their way of thinking, TPS and leadership behaviour. He took me everywhere into the Toyota factory and travelled with me across India to hire people from villages and trained them for their new plant at Bidadi, near Bengaluru.
At that time, Toyota didn’t have any office, except DCM Toyota in Delhi. We hired ITI operators from villages around Dharwad, Hubli and other places, who had never even seen Bengaluru. We got them passports to go to Japan, some 200-300 people. We simulated an aeroplane and taught them how to behave in an aeroplane. There were families who came from villages to the final interviews in Bengaluru. They didn’t have money to go back. We borrowed and sent them back to their villages. So, we had a very emotional journey of building that company. I joined as Human Resources Planning head, then became the Industrial Relations head, then the ES (Employee Services) head and later took over a major part of the HR function. I built that company brick by brick, that experience was amazing.
At that time IT was coming in a big way in India, that’s why I left Toyota. But in between I joined Philips Software in Bengaluru for about a year where I met a great leader C Mahalingam, head of HR. He brought me from manufacturing to IT. He said he wanted a person who was very good at processes, discipline, orientation and so wanted me to join him. He offered me three times the salary I was getting at Toyota and gave me independent HR responsibility for three major business units. At that time, IT was booming in Bengaluru. He was a great orator and fantastic leader. He’s a great mentor for me. We introduced a lot of good practices there. Then Mahalingam left and joined HP. I said, “Mali, one of the reasons why I joined Philips was you and if you are leaving, then I too will leave.” I got an offer from GE.
Yes, and I was the first person among the lot who was certified in Six Sigma, green belt, black belt and I got an award in Change Acceleration Process (CAP) Certification. I brought in many innovations at GE in those two years, but then that was the time when Computer Associates (CA) was setting up a plant in India, again an IT product company.
Yes. They offered me the post of Head of HR. Their Chief Operating Officer was Praveen Chand Tatavarthi, a phenomenally humble leader, now CEO of a company called Alleges. He inspired me a lot with his simplicity, approachability and humility. We’re now good family friends. I reported to him but he delegated everything to me. He challenged me to come on the night shift, work on Saturdays and Sundays. We did phenomenal HR jobs together. In 2005 I resigned to join CISCO, as Head of HR for India. But Praveen said, “No, I can’t afford you to leave.” So, he spoke to Andy Goodman who was the global head of HR and said, “Why can’t you take Sreekanth to the US?” Andy said, “Ok, you come over to the US,” and made me a counter offer. It was a very compelling offer and so I took my entire family to the US. I was there for almost seven years and was part of the leadership team which transformed CA.
It was simply great because I worked under Andy Goodman who’s an amazing leader and who gave me a lot of empowerment. I was in Long Island, New York. I joined as Manager CA and when I left, I was the Senior Vice President. During my tenure, we did a phenomenal transformation of the company. As a result, in 2009, we appeared on the cover page of America’s leading and popular HR Magazine as the “dynamic duo who transformed CA.” The four-page cover story had three photographs of us. Then we also won the Steve Award for best HR organisation. So, two big recognitions during that period, all because of Andy who could have taken all the credit when people came to him for an interview. But he said, “I’m only a facilitator, everything has been done by this boy.” He actually told me to pose for the cover page. Then I forced him that we both stand in front of the corporate headquarters of the company. The same thing happened when he asked me to go on stage to receive the Steve Award. Again, I compelled him to come with me. That’s the greatness of the man!
They were overwhelmed by so much of recognition. As a result of all this, all of us in my family got green cards sponsored by CA. We were very happily settled there. My mother used to travel every six months and stay with me. But then she developed health problems. She always wanted me to come back. Of my three sisters, two were in Bengaluru. Being a family-oriented person, in 2011, my wife and I decided to come to India for good, though I got a very big job offer in Huston as the head of HR with a very fat salary. But my mother said, “No, you have to take a decision to come back or be there forever.” I was about to take US citizenship. So, that was the time when I took the decision to come back. Andy really helped me a lot.
“I joined Britannia and reported to the legendary CEO Vinita Bali.” She is one of the best women CEOs. She worked in Coke in USA and in Cadbury’s in the UK. A phenomenal lady, I learned a lot under her leadership. Again, I managed a tremendous transformation with Vinita.
“After working in Britannia for about two years, I got a very comeling offer in 2013 from CSC, which is one of the largest IT services and software products firm in the world and a Fortune 500 company. They were going through huge transformation. The consultant was putting a lot of pressure on me, saying at least I should go and meet the CEO. So, I met two amazing individuals-- legendary CEO Mike Lawrie and CHRO Jo Mason -- who greatly inspired me to join CSC. Jo is my partner in HR and global workforce management.” Today, I have a dual responsibility—as General Manager leading the India Business, and a lead role in global workforce management. I report directly to my CEO Mike Lawrie.”
Here are some practical ideas which Sree learnt and practiced from his mentors. These helped him achieve great success in his career. These are as much for the common man as for any HR professional.
Mike and Jo are such humble people and they have such a clear vision as to what they want to transform in the company that it’s a joy to work under them. They clearly articulate how I can play a role in the transformation of CSC. I joined as Vice-President of India as they were very committed to the India business. They really gave me a lot of opportunities to learn and contribute. Within a few months, I become the interim MD of India.
Then we hired a new person for this position permanently. But he left. Then again I was asked to work as interim MD. Then, in between, I got the role of the global head of workforce management. Mike said, “Sreekanth, twice you’ve done very well as interim MD, why don’t you become a permanent MD?” and so he made me a permanent MD.
Mike is a fantastic leader who inspires you with his strong vision and leadership qualities. He empowers people, makes them accountable and is always available to support. He motivates and supports me a lot. Jo Mason is also a phenomenal leader who challenges you, gives respect to your fellow colleagues, empowers you and is always there to support you.
She understands where the bright spot of an individual is and picks up the right person and coaches him. So, these two people continue to help me do this job successfully.
No major hobbies except that I read a lot, mostly management books. I don’t read much of fiction. But I like sharing what I learn. I don’t feel my day is complete unless I share with my colleagues whatever new I’ve learnt.
That’s certainly a cause of concern but I think the situation is gradually changing for the better. They need to really believe in themselves and come forward. I always encourage them to come on leadership positions.
While husband Sreekanth Arimanithaya pursued a scorching path up the corporate ladder, his life-partner Bharthi chose to focus on the home and family front, strengthening extended family ties
They say behind every successful man is a woman. Well...Bharthi didn’t stand behind Sree, she stood right alongside him from day one. While Sreekanth kept conquering HR challenges in his roller-coaster corporate journey, she began taking care of their home front, holding the flag of that elusive thing called love fluttering atop their love-nest in Bengaluru.
So, how did it all begin because she was only 17 when she got married and Sreekanth was not much older, at 24? Was theirs a love or an arranged marriage and how did Sree propose to her?
Recalls she, “Ours was a strictly arranged marriage. In fact, both Sree and I are distantly related. I met him for the first time at his sister’s marriage in Udupi. At that time, I was doing my X grade and Sreekanth was completing his MSW from Thiruvananthapuram. I again met him at the first birthday of his sister’s daughter. Our parents introduced us and the very next day, Sreekanth and his brother-in-law, Sripathi, came to my house with the marriage proposal. I just felt that he was the right guy and did not think twice. I agreed to the proposal right away,”she reminisces with romantic nostalgia.
But why? Wasn’t shaadi a little too early for her as she was still studying in XII grade? Says Bharthi, “That’s true. But, you know, in our families, the collective dream of all family members is to get their daughters married to a good family at the earliest. Moreover, Sreekanth’s family was known to us for long. We knew his educational achievements and how he got a job at the Kudremukh company in Bengaluru. So, there seemed no reason to reject this proposal,” Bharthi adds with a twinkle in her eyes.
Intervenes Sreekanth, “It all happened because my father had a heart attack and he wanted to see me married early and so I also agreed. But in my heart of hearts I knew she was the woman I’d love to marry. She had everything—beauty with brains and we shared almost similar value systems,” he sums it up with a naughty smile.
Going down memory lane, she says, “Like Sree, I was also born and brought up in an Udupi Brahmin family and like his father, my father is also a priest. I’m the first daughter among three siblings. I have a younger sister and a brother. All my childhood memories revolve around my native village, Katpadi and Padubidri, neighbouring towns around Udupi. I grew up in a very spiritual atmosphere around temples. Since my parents always talked about getting me married, like any other typical Karnataka girl, I also dreamt of being part of a happy family and never thought of getting into a professional career.”
But what did she like in Sree and how did things work out? “It seemed everything was happening as per God’s plan and so everything worked out very well. We were engaged in the same week and got married in just three months!”
“As a young girl, I was naturally attracted to Sree’s charming personality, simplicity and his strong belief in family values. In fact, we both wanted a selfless and collective family-life where we would share our happiness / successes / failures with our extended families.”
But post marriage, did she not think of continuing her education? Bharthi says, “My original plan was to continue my education and, in fact, Sreekanth got me admitted at Bengaluru’s Jyothi Nivas College. But once I landed in Bengaluru, my thoughts changed. I thought, this is the most beautiful phase of my life. It’s important for me to spend time with Sreekanth and his parents. Meanwhile, I also got blessed with a daughter and so got pulled into family life. But I’ve no regrets. Life taught me some important lessons which I probably would not have learnt in any college.”
So, what were those early days of marriage like? Bharthi reminisces, “Those were lovely days--more so as we were moving around the world as Sreekanth was posted in Delhi, then in Hyderabad and finally in America. The expodisure of meeting new people and experiencing different cultures was really phenomenal.”
But how did she manage all this as Sreekanth had a pretty zig-zag career where he was changing jobs every two to three years? She recalls, “Yes, it was difficult to catch up with Sreekanth. He thinks, decides and moves very fast. But he has amazing power to convince us to move with his decision. Thankfully, many of his decisions like changing jobs and buying property have proved correct. Though he wouldn’t involve me in the early part of his decision making—whether it involved changing his job or moving to a new country—he’d do so later but with sound logical argument. His passion and conviction are so strong that it always gives you confidence to move with him. Over the years, I’ve learned that you must always believe and support your partner for a successful married life.”
So, how was their stay in America? “I greatly enjoyed the egalitarian culture of America and their respect for human life. I also liked the diversity and globalised environment where I felt welcomed by everyone, without any prejudice. My kids also learned the universal human values of the American society.”
“Every week we used to go to a temple at Queens, New York, for performing puja. Every day, we’d call our family back in India. My mother-in-law would also visit us every six months. Our experience in the US made us better human beings,” she concludes.
‘Over the years, I’ve learned that you must always believe and support your partner for a successful married life’
How are their kids doing? Bharthi gets excited, “Both daughter Vaishnavi (doing BBA) and son Vishal (in grade XI) are doing very well. While Vishal hopes to crack the engineering entrance next year, Vaishnavi will go for MBA.”
Chips in Sreekanth, “We don’t put much pressure on them because luckily both are doing well in their studies. We just want them to be successful in whatever they choose.” Adds Bharthi, “But we always remind them to be humble and respectful to their elders and look up to their family for energy and support.”
So, who calls the shots at home? “Of course, it is Sree but he also involves me in the execution of his decisions.” Bharthi says, adding, “There’s no ego between us. I’ve always trusted his judgement with full faith and devotion.”
Is this what keeps their marriage going? Says Bharthi, “I think its mutual trust. We’ve travelled together as partners for over two decades now. I believe if you get positive energy from your husband, you can never go wrong in life.”
What are her hobbies? “We both love to travel, especially to temples and back to our home town Udupi. Since I enjoyed my stay in the US so much, I’d love to go there again.”
How important is money? Says she, “Money is important but it’s not the only thing. It surely gives you many options but if the priorities in your life are simple, you don’t need much of it.”
So, what is her life’s philosophy? “Be happy and keep others happy. Celebrate success and share it with others, but keep it simple,” she concludes, smiling.
BY PRADEEP MATHUR
