Varun Bhansal: Developing Advanced Energy Efficiency Solutions To Strengthen The Solar Industry
Solar lanterns, solar home systems (SHSs)that could power multiple devices, and local solar based microgrids provide electricity to over 73 million families in rural parts of the world. Offgrid products and systems provide life changing services to people who are disconnected from centralized government networks and assist spread the usage of renewable energy. As a result, several companies are putting-in extra effort to encourage its use. Aspiring to utilize creative energy efficiency improvement solutions and services to make solar technology competitive with other types of energy, Varun Bhansal established Prabuddha Techno Ventures. Varun’s extensive industry knowledge and vision have aided him in conceptualizing and building Prabuddha's foundations. Below are the excerpts of Carun's exclusive interaction with CEO Insights.Give a gist about your professional background and experiences.
After graduation I worked in a traditional IT firm before accepting an offer from TCS. At TCS I had a great opportunity to advance up the ladder and learn a lot about my professional career as well as develop new skill sets. I began with a technical background in mainframes and later transitioned to business consulting, specifically quality consulting, where I was introduced to Lean Six Sigma. I was probably one of the youngest six sigma and quality leaders in TCS at the time and I achieved the Master Black Belt Lean Six Sigma within a short period, in around 3-4 years.In addition I was given the opportunity to manage multinational teams in India, Poland, and Europe. My journey with TCS came to an end in 2010. After that, I moved-on to Renoir Consulting, a British management consulting company, where I worked for around three years. It was the experience of reforming company organizations across several geographies, industries and functions.
What motivated you to pursue a profession in renewable and sustainable energy? What keeps you going?
I used to engage in national level seminars and arrange several national level symposiums during my graduation years. Also, I had the opportunity to represent myself and my college at BITS Pilani, and that's
when I realized that yes, I can do some adventurous profession and startup on my own, and why not generate jobs and return to Bhopal. Ravi Kuchimanchi presented me with the Ideas for Rural India Award, which is a national level award. Returning to the Renoir Consulting scenario, we were working with Tata Steel, India's largest FX firm, on a business transformation project for their secondary products segment. We had a limited workforce and
there were a lot of difficult situations, but still, we were able to raise their productivity by about 22percent. We also eliminated a significant amount of in plant mileage at the Tata Steel factory in Jamshedpur, which is the world's largest end-to-end integrated single steel production. Now, when we finished this project, we received a lot of compliments from the CX suit at Tata Steel, and they asked, "Why don't you quantify what carbon emissions are like and how much have you influenced Tata's bottom line of carbon emissions?". That is where I began to realize what energy can do for industries, the economy, and society as a whole. After that, one wonderful morning, while on vacation with my family, I got to tell my cousin Anil Bhansal about my idea of building my firm, and hearing about his battle to stand as a leader pushed me to put my action into the plan. After that, I resigned from my job and took a flight back home with no strategy in mind, and that's when my entrepreneurial career began, and I tried a variety of things. Then, I chose to pursue solar energy, which was already popular as technology in India in 2012 and eventually established Prabuddha Solar.
You have built an impeccable portfolio. Tell us about the kind of impact you've been making in your current position.
I largely spent my career in two companies: Tata Consultancy Services, a business transformation systems based company where I began my professional career in a corporate context. Tata Consultancy Services emphasized the importance of integrity, sincerity, and learning. It beholds the same type of vision that I bring to my current organization. The second company was Renoir, where I
there were a lot of difficult situations, but still, we were able to raise their productivity by about 22percent. We also eliminated a significant amount of in plant mileage at the Tata Steel factory in Jamshedpur, which is the world's largest end-to-end integrated single steel production. Now, when we finished this project, we received a lot of compliments from the CX suit at Tata Steel, and they asked, "Why don't you quantify what carbon emissions are like and how much have you influenced Tata's bottom line of carbon emissions?". That is where I began to realize what energy can do for industries, the economy, and society as a whole. After that, one wonderful morning, while on vacation with my family, I got to tell my cousin Anil Bhansal about my idea of building my firm, and hearing about his battle to stand as a leader pushed me to put my action into the plan. After that, I resigned from my job and took a flight back home with no strategy in mind, and that's when my entrepreneurial career began, and I tried a variety of things. Then, I chose to pursue solar energy, which was already popular as technology in India in 2012 and eventually established Prabuddha Solar.
The first big moment for me was when I completed my first project, and later identified what I was going to accomplish in my entire career
You have built an impeccable portfolio. Tell us about the kind of impact you've been making in your current position.
I largely spent my career in two companies: Tata Consultancy Services, a business transformation systems based company where I began my professional career in a corporate context. Tata Consultancy Services emphasized the importance of integrity, sincerity, and learning. It beholds the same type of vision that I bring to my current organization. The second company was Renoir, where I
learned that you have to be very fluid and adapt quickly to the management in consulting. I learnt the fundamentals of business, which were keyed by six principles and if you can put them into any organization's business, it can be transformed within 6-12 months to a degree that cannot even be imagined. All of these ideas are actually coming in handy in the current organization and that's what I'm trying to introduce in this organization. I've also attempted to instill the same pattern in my team.
Which milestones in your professional journey have given you the most satisfaction both as an individual and as an entrepreneur?
The first big moment for me was when I completed my first project, and later identified what I was going to accomplish in my entire career. The first rooftop power plant in the operation of Prabuddha Solar was quite far away. Therefore, I was unable to develop a project in Bhopal for them. However I was able to execute a project in Mirzapur, which has been
functioning for the past nine years. My proudest moment was when I completed my first PC microgrid project, in which we transferred electricity at 24 and 48 volts for rural electrification projects using solar. We powered the community when there was not even a single bulb for electricity, and the smiles on people's faces were fantastic. This is when I noticed I was on top of the world and comprehended that entrepreneurship is about transforming society, which is what I'm doing, and that was my two cents to sustainability, generating sustainability in the society.
Varun Bansal, CEO, Prabuddha Techno Ventures
Varun previously worked at Renoir Consulting India Pvt.Ltd, a global leader in Operations Management and Implementation Consulting. He managed many projects in a variety of industries across Southeast Asia, Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent, both individually and in groups. Varun has worked with international corporate giants in many roles of Supply Chain Management (Procurement, Logistics, Inventory Management, Warehousing), Production, Maintenance, Marketing, Sales, and Distribution. For his very productive activities, Varun has garnered various prizes and accolades. At Tata Consultancy Services, he was a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Prabuddha Techno Ventures has a worldwide CEO, which is exactly what a company with a global perspective and scale requires.
Which milestones in your professional journey have given you the most satisfaction both as an individual and as an entrepreneur?
The first big moment for me was when I completed my first project, and later identified what I was going to accomplish in my entire career. The first rooftop power plant in the operation of Prabuddha Solar was quite far away. Therefore, I was unable to develop a project in Bhopal for them. However I was able to execute a project in Mirzapur, which has been
functioning for the past nine years. My proudest moment was when I completed my first PC microgrid project, in which we transferred electricity at 24 and 48 volts for rural electrification projects using solar. We powered the community when there was not even a single bulb for electricity, and the smiles on people's faces were fantastic. This is when I noticed I was on top of the world and comprehended that entrepreneurship is about transforming society, which is what I'm doing, and that was my two cents to sustainability, generating sustainability in the society.
Varun Bansal, CEO, Prabuddha Techno Ventures
Varun previously worked at Renoir Consulting India Pvt.Ltd, a global leader in Operations Management and Implementation Consulting. He managed many projects in a variety of industries across Southeast Asia, Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent, both individually and in groups. Varun has worked with international corporate giants in many roles of Supply Chain Management (Procurement, Logistics, Inventory Management, Warehousing), Production, Maintenance, Marketing, Sales, and Distribution. For his very productive activities, Varun has garnered various prizes and accolades. At Tata Consultancy Services, he was a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Prabuddha Techno Ventures has a worldwide CEO, which is exactly what a company with a global perspective and scale requires.