Arun Sharma / Bullish’ on work, life and learning

The journey of this hotel management graduate to have traversed into the unknown territory of the BPO(Business Process Outsourcing) sector, gained momentum in his future forays into diverse fields of Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO), Operations Management and in the Banking and Fintech sectors. Arun Sharma, Director, Head HR Operations, Bank of New York Mellon International Operations (I) Private Ltd (BNY), credits his achievements to his penchant for constant learning, being adaptive, staying humble and treating everyone with respect. From making burgers in his heydays or taking calls as part of Mphasis and in other successful roles with Credit Suisse as Director HR Operations or in his stint with startup Spire Technologies and Solutions Pvt Ltd., he believed in not resting on his laurels. For a non-engineer in a software firm, he not only grasped the vast nuances of Robotics and related AI (artificial intelligence) but also led various departments in his career span; also heralding positions on the Board of Directors. Arun shares his views on his work, corporate diversity and inclusion and work-life balance

“In the long run, installing robots will likely become cheaper and companies would have an inhouse staff to maintain them. Within that kind of time frame, it will impact your jobs. But, i also think it will create more jobs and the need is to get smarter"

“People born in the ‘70s and the ‘80s have embraced technology to a larger extent and so have those (in the previous generations) who worked all their lives on signing files, have moved on to computers and Facebook. So, we have to embrace and upscale. Up scaling is keeping pace with the change and is the keyword,” said Arun Sharma, Director, Head HR Operations, Bank of New York Mellon International Operations (I) Private Ltd. Arun Sharma expressed his views on corporate life, his career and values with Corporate Citizen - an excerpt.

TraNSitioN gaiNS

How was the transition from the hotel in-dustry to the BPO sector?

Arun Sharma: I am a qualified hotel management graduate from the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Pusa, (1998). I started my journey with fast-food chain-Nirulas Corner House Ltd for four years wherein I was part of their initial set up team. I gradually realised that you have to be cognizant of what’s happening in your industry and the opportunity that comes your way. The BPO sector was then growing and they were offering a better work-life balance and remunerations and I too looked for opportunities. Bengaluru-based Mphasis was hiring in Delhi and the software firm wanted somebody with similar skills; a lot of people with hospitality background were moving into the BPO sector those days. They hired me for their processes in Bengaluru in 2002 and I began my journey in the BPO realm.

How did you adjust to the demands of the BPO sector?

I joined Mphasis as a senior agent taking calls for one of their financial processes and spent close to four years with them. It was a fairly successful journey where I grew up the ranks and was working as Manager Operations for a large voice and non-voice team when I left them. I transitioned and dabbled into both sides of the business-voice as well as non-voice. It was a different ball game but had similarity with the hotel industry. While you remain customer focused as part of customer service, the main difference with BPO was that the interactions were virtual and with customers who come from very different cultures and geographies. We also had a tremendous focus on our PNL (Profit and Loss) analysis and opportunities to grow business.

What made you switch to HRO with Hewitt Associates?

I gradually realised that while it is good to be an operations person, it is better to have a specific skill set. I moved on to HRO with Hewitt Associates in Mumbai. I was headhunted from Ben-galuru for this position and thus forayed into the HR sector.

What was your role with Hewitt Associates and Barclays Bank?

Hewitt is a market leader in HRO, and I was with one of the best teams in the sector and within the first 12 to 18 months, I turned around a few processes for them. A few loss-making units were entrusted to me. I turned around one of their biggest such units and saved $USD 800,000 in one year for them. I was given the responsibility of setting up their Noida centre. I stayed with Hewitt for about two and a half years and grew up the ranks and was designated as Delivery Manager (Associate Vice President) in due course. Post Hewitt, I joined Barclay’s Shared Services. They had an opportunity in Delhi, and I spent a few years with them in their retail banking accounts and working on their HR outsourcing.

What was your strategy in your stint with startup Spires Technology and Solutions Pvt Ltd?

We all have that urge to do a little adventurous thing in life and startups are the in-thing. I was in talks with Spires Technology and Solutions. for this wonderful concept of human context intelligence platform. They were venturing into their services model and had just built on their software. Multiple talks with them led me to start freelancing for them as a consultant for a month and I then joined the company. It was a beautiful experience, setting up something right from scratch-setting up their EPBAX systems, their delivery unit of about 50 odd people, talking to clients as an owner of the company, in a certain way. I set up their service delivery while it was a great experience, I made my next move to Credit Suisse.

What were your inputs working with Credit Suisse?

Credit Suisse had a centre with Wipro which they had picked up and insourced into their own centre. They had hired their management team to take care of it. The idea was about laying the right foundation with the centre with a clear focus on customer-centricity and to grow the centre footprint into different geographies. We served more countries and also expanded our bouquet of services. In the seven years, I had enough to do and was part of their top talent programme as well. I grew up the ranks from AVP (Associate Vice President) to VP (Vice President) and then Director (Operations) for the centre. I also got experience in Robotics and AI, as we deployed robots across processes and locations

When did you join BNY International Operations Private Limited?

I have been with BNY for about one and a half years which has a similar set up akin to some of my previous roles. Here, I am responsible for all of Asia Pacific operations including audits, liaising with government authorities etc. I am enjoying my job here. Throughout my career, I have been a keen advocate of delivering efficiencies through Six Sigma projects. I am a certified Greenbelt six sigma professional. I have also completed my master’s in international HR and Finance and so am looking forward to my next stint too.

BraciNg up for ai

“I think the industry has matured in itself and we have some of the biggest players like facebook, google, Microsoft, BNy, and credit Suisse who have invested in their own setups in india which shows they see the value in it. amazon opened its 15,000-strong centre. it’s a commitment these companies are giving, and they are one of the biggest brands in the world”

Will deploying Robotics and AI in the financial services sector or HR have the propensity to hit jobs?

Yes, it eventually will however, given the implementation and maintenance costs today are a little steep and make it viable for bots to be deployed across large processes only.

Can you envisage job creations in an era governed by Robotics and AI?

In the long run, installing robots will likely become cheaper and companies would have an inhouse staff to maintain them. Within that kind of time frame, it will impact your jobs. But, I also think it will create more jobs and the need is to get smarter. I believe that the level of jobs will upgrade and while low-end jobs would get redundant, it would create specialised jobs such as - Robo Programmer or Visual Intelligence expert.

Will the impact of AI/Robotics proportionately balance new job creation?

I don’t think so. If 100 jobs go then a 100 more will get created in the same field. But, if you have 100 low-end redundant jobs, then say 20 high-end jobs can get created in the same field. Also, there is the probability of jobs getting created directly or indirectly; you will then need the likes of system programmers, hardware programmers, manufacturers etc. And yes, that’s the cycle of change you will witness - like we now know that 20 years ago there wasn’t any data on phones and Blackberry, or Apple were only fruits. Just like traditional photography gave wings to digital photography and that industry has certainly moved on; change is for sure a reality and we better embrace it.

SuStaiNiNg the gloBal BpoSurge

Is the Indian BPO sector losing out to the Phillipines or China?

The markets are big for everyone to play. The answer lies in adding value. Southeast Asia, particularly Manila, has come up as an offshoring destination which also includes voice operation services. In this, they have taken a chunk of our pie. China too is catching up in the game. While we are losing jobs, we are also adding value added services. Like accounting work, medical transcription, financials and even outsourcing of legal services. We can’t expect to be complacent and continue to be better at whatever we do-re-member when you offshore the cost advantage achieved becomes standard post the first year of offshoring and we need to keep adding value while keeping our operating costs in check.

How do you view the current state of the sector?

I think the industry has matured in itself and we have some of the biggest players like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, BNY, Credit Suisse who have invested in their own setups in India which shows they see the value in it. Amazon opened its 15,000-strong centre. It’s a commitment these companies are giving, and they are one of the biggest brands in the world.

SyNciNg NeW age fiN SerViceS

What has been the impact of the emergence of NBFC (non-banking financial companies) and Fintech services on legacy-led banks?

There is no question of competing with these tech-based businesses. They are here and they are for real. For instance, the pay wallets have taken a big portion of the market today. We can’t ignore the emerging new technologies -mobile wallets or the Bitcoins of the world. You have to evaluate the risks and be a part of that journey-as long as it is legitimate, and you see a long term standing in that business. If there’s a business that comes in, as an industry think tank of the company, you have to gauge the opportunity whether it is a short-term prospect or whether it does have a future or if it has a borderline chance. Banks are very careful about the legitimacy of their business, without violating any regulations. Yes, there are 20 things that come up and probably 10 that can be funded into but maybe another 10 that you don’t want to venture in. It has to be an informed decision. Keep innovating and be a part of it and if it’s a profitable, legitimate business, then why not be a part of it and make money for the bank

“I have been blessed to have a few great mentors in my life. i had some great bosses, great acquaintances in the industry who have been role models and made me realise the importance of being simple, humble and in the magic of saying ‘Sorry’ and ‘thank you’. listening to people, learning from others’ career stories helped too”

Do you think rising protectionism is a cause for concern, especially for investors globally?

It’s a changing and dynamic world and there are sanctions being put up. There are countries which had very heavy laws to protect but now, investor identities are opening up. Yes, it will impact one part of your business but it will also open up another avenue for you. While there are ways and rules and basal regulations and other sanctions, we need to be a part of that and be compliant too. While some of these sanctions might restrict a certain part of business, they also protect the larger business per se. So, they have the best of customer interest and bank interest in mind.

How protectionism impacts trading and investment?

Trading and everything else is a very volatile business but they have a certain impact on the business as well as on the way we (banks) do business. At the end of the day, it is more on how we all adapt and make sure that while we are doing business, we are also doing it in the best interest of our customers and in the best interest of our institution to make sure nothing is going wrong. But, yes it will impact a certain aspect and there is no denying it. It may in the short-term impact of your bottom line but in the long-term, you will see the results.

iNcluSioN aND DiVerSity

Are women adequately represented in the Fintech and FinServ sector and what are the initiatives been taken?

Diversity is a key aspect and includes women and everyone else from all aspects of life-retired armed personnel, specially-abled individuals and LGBTs. It is all about inclusion. We have been champions of diversity in which my current, as well as previous organisations, have taken many initiatives via forums, discussions, including conscious hiring decisions at every level. Yes, there is a very conscious effort by companies to recognise these people and have facilities in place for them. It could be ramps to come up in the office or the cafeteria with accessible or doors that open automatically etc.

How do you build an inclusive environment for all?

By making sure that we have a conducive environment for all. We have forums and discussion centres where we openly acknowledged the challenges and the solutions for the same. Many companies have started programmes that encourage women who have taken career breaks to come back even after 5 or 10 years of their break. They have been offered a short course of six months to a year to find out if this is what they want to commit themselves to and for the company to access and then give them a full-time job. This is something which the industry is working consciously towards and I am a part of a few such forums. Discussions about the current growing trends or skill sets that are required these days for women on break and also conduct come-back sessions for women to connect amongst themselves. We are not where we want to be, but we are definitely making great progress towards it.

through the lookiNg glaSS

What is your prime mantra for success?

First and foremost, it is about being adaptive. The advice my parents gave during my growing up years was to keep an open mind. One should not be restricting oneself to doing only certain things or not venturing into new territories especially when it is related to your career or professional growth.

What was your prime challenge and how did you overcome them?

Being a hotel management graduate moving out of hotels was a big change, as it was an entirely new industry. Especially, since I was from a non-technical background, despite the initial hiccups, I did upgrade and have in the course of my career implemented some global tools like Taleo, PeopleSoft and a few SaaS and robotics solutions

What were the attributes that enabled your career growth?

It is about how open you are to be learning new things and not resting on your past laurels. Never say-“I know it all”. So, whether it is making burgers or taking calls or, getting through into HR or, engaging with technology, I think, you just have to keep up the pace and be extremely adaptive. Also, I have been blessed to have a few great mentors in my life. I had some great bosses, great acquaintances in the industry who have been role models and made me realise the importance of being simple, humble and in the magic of saying ‘Sorry’ and ‘Thank You’. Listening to people, learning from others’ career stories helped too.

liViNg it up

“My biggest relaxation is spending time with my family and kids and i can spend hours listening to them”

How do you manage work-life balance?

I have managed centres which worked round the clock. You need to decide on your priorities Work is obviously a priority and I have man-aged family life at different stages of my life. As I moved on, my responsibilities got bigger but I have been blessed to be working with some of the best companies which have also enabled me to have a good work-life balance. I have also worked from home for late-night calls with the US or Australia. For instance, I could take a half an hour call from home without having to be in office till 10 pm and all our clients, partners and colleagues across different regions are also cognizant of the time zones and set themselves accordingly.

How did you balance family life?

I have two children-16 and 18 years. Even when I did night shifts in the earlier part of my career, I made sure that I am home at a certain time to cook breakfast for my kids and send them to school and then gone back to sleep after they left for their school to get my 6 hours of sleep. Family is most important and that has been my mantra throughout. Weekends/Off days are an absolute must with family. You also need to manage life events and plan your holidays.

What is your idea of relaxation?

My biggest relaxation is spending time with my family and I am somebody who spends time with my kids and can spend hours listening to them. They will always have a lot of things that they would want to tell you, talk to them and share your perspective too. Play chess or a board game with them, do something interesting with them or just sit down and be myself with a book!