Anuja Parikh: An Entrepreneur Setting New Benchmarks Of Leadership
Anuja Parikh
CEO
Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions,” a strong belief Anuja Parikh,CEO of Intech Systems(Est. 1978) embodies. In the last three years, Anuja has doubled thegrowth of her family business, which is the first IT Company of Gujarat, by manifesting an exemplary way of leading from the front, inspiring her teammates through excellentpractices,and setting benchmarks.
Anuja’s exceptional leadership qualities, confidence and courage trace back to her childhood and the way her parents brought her up. The progressive family background with both her parents being professionals has been a crucial aspect of having the right foundation to her career, which had its original beginning right from the school days, as a consistent class topper. Be it helping her mother who is a doctor in the medicalclinicat homeor accompanying her dad on his business trips, Anuja’s willingness & enthusiasm to support her parents’businesses cultivated the seeds of business in her.
Post completing her MS(MIS)& MBA in the U.S.,Anuja had the privilege of working for acouple of Silicon Valley companies. This experience in the U.S.,which equipped her with the ability to understand customer requirement in its depth and find solutions to their sophisticated problems has significantly back-lifted her in building a new version of Intech. CEO Insights indulges in an exclusive interaction with Anuja, who has also been a TEDx Speaker.
As you know, in our society, a woman crosses several barriers in her pursuit to become a leader. As a woman leader, how has been your leadership journey so far?
According to me, leadership has little to do with position or title. I like to lead by my actions and setting
good examples. In addition to being ambitious & determined,one has to absolutely, convincingly & relentlessly believe in oneself to make it to the helm, be it a man or a woman.
I believe that the epithets of leadership are gender independent. Though, for women, it is even tougher to be taken seriously. When men fail – it is usually the person who fails, but when a woman fails – it is often the gender. I have worked hard to ensure that I succeed – not only for myself, but for the women I lead, for my daughter, and for all the women in a larger context.
The number of women employees in your organization is quite significant. Is it just about giving opportunities to them?
No. There are certain inherent qualities in women that make them effective leaders. These qualities include strong intuition, clarity in communication, inclination towards collaboration, and the power to nurture. In fact, the main reason that I brought women into my own company is to bring in more diversity in thinking. The way women look at a problem is often different from how men may see it. I believe that to succeed in life, every woman should have 3Ps(Purpose, Partner and Perseverance)- a great purpose, an understanding & supporting partner, and undying perseverance.
Over the last three years, Intech has transformed completely and doubled the growth as well. What was the strategy behind this, and what are your plans to leverage the most out of today’s dynamic technology realm?
I had specialized in Product Management in the U.S. We were taught to be extremely customer focused. In addition, the international exposure acquainted me with marketing technology products globally. Due to this very foundation, I had the clarity to transform my family business when I took it on – from a localized market to the MNCs and from being only a services company to providing consulting, and now creating IP-based products. Building overwhelming customer relationships has been a crucial aspect in this transformation.
Over the last three years, Intech has transformed completely and doubled the growth as well. What was the strategy behind this, and what are your plans to leverage the most out of today’s dynamic technology realm?
I had specialized in Product Management in the U.S. We were taught to be extremely customer
I believe that the epithets of leadership are gender independent. Though, for women, it is even tougher to be taken seriously. When men fail – it is usually the person who fails, but when a woman fails – it is often the gender. I have worked hard to ensure that I succeed – not only for myself, but for the women I lead, for my daughter, and for all the women in a larger context.
The number of women employees in your organization is quite significant. Is it just about giving opportunities to them?
No. There are certain inherent qualities in women that make them effective leaders. These qualities include strong intuition, clarity in communication, inclination towards collaboration, and the power to nurture. In fact, the main reason that I brought women into my own company is to bring in more diversity in thinking. The way women look at a problem is often different from how men may see it. I believe that to succeed in life, every woman should have 3Ps(Purpose, Partner and Perseverance)- a great purpose, an understanding & supporting partner, and undying perseverance.
Over the last three years, Intech has transformed completely and doubled the growth as well. What was the strategy behind this, and what are your plans to leverage the most out of today’s dynamic technology realm?
I had specialized in Product Management in the U.S. We were taught to be extremely customer focused. In addition, the international exposure acquainted me with marketing technology products globally. Due to this very foundation, I had the clarity to transform my family business when I took it on – from a localized market to the MNCs and from being only a services company to providing consulting, and now creating IP-based products. Building overwhelming customer relationships has been a crucial aspect in this transformation.
Over the last three years, Intech has transformed completely and doubled the growth as well. What was the strategy behind this, and what are your plans to leverage the most out of today’s dynamic technology realm?
I had specialized in Product Management in the U.S. We were taught to be extremely customer
focused.In addition, the international exposure acquainted me with marketing technology products globally. Due to this very foundation, I had the clarity to transform my family business when I took it on – from a localized market to the MNCs and from being only a services company to providing consulting,and now creating IP-based products. Building over whelming customer relationships has been a crucial aspect in this transformation.
As the world of technology is going through significant and parallel change, we plan to expand our portfolio from cloud-based business solutions to Data Analytics and IoT – something that we have already started investing in. With this set of solutions, I want us to be recognized as a global leader for Microsoft Business Applications and Services. Currently, we are already amongst the top five percent of Microsoft Partners worldwide.
The team work is going to be really important in this journey towards exponential growth. How well do you encourage your team and influence the people around you?
At Intech, we hire a lot of young blood that brings-in fresh ideas. Currently, the average age of our team is 28! I encourage them to constantly learn and provide them with a significant amount of freedom to work on the projects they desire.
Women need real women to be examples. I looked up to my mother and I want my kids to look up to me. On top of it, I have friends who have come-up to me and said, “I didn’t give-up my dreams because of you,” which significantly satisfies the human in me. I always strive to maintain my network by regularly attending and speaking at conferences internationally & locally, as well as engaging with professional groups. Learning is something that I believe has to be constant.
Finally, what is your mantra to strike the right balance between your busy professional life and personal life?
I believe that people need to define their version of work-life balance & what makes them happy. Besides driving business,I love spending time with my family,running marathons, and travelling. To do everything one just has to be good in planning and disciplined in life.
Offices:/b>Ahmedabad(Headquarter) & New York
As the world of technology is going through significant and parallel change, we plan to expand our portfolio from cloud-based business solutions to Data Analytics and IoT – something that we have already started investing in. With this set of solutions, I want us to be recognized as a global leader for Microsoft Business Applications and Services. Currently, we are already amongst the top five percent of Microsoft Partners worldwide.
The team work is going to be really important in this journey towards exponential growth. How well do you encourage your team and influence the people around you?
At Intech, we hire a lot of young blood that brings-in fresh ideas. Currently, the average age of our team is 28! I encourage them to constantly learn and provide them with a significant amount of freedom to work on the projects they desire.
Women need real women to be examples. I looked up to my mother and I want my kids to look up to me. On top of it, I have friends who have come-up to me and said, “I didn’t give-up my dreams because of you,” which significantly satisfies the human in me. I always strive to maintain my network by regularly attending and speaking at conferences internationally & locally, as well as engaging with professional groups. Learning is something that I believe has to be constant.
Finally, what is your mantra to strike the right balance between your busy professional life and personal life?
I believe that people need to define their version of work-life balance & what makes them happy. Besides driving business,I love spending time with my family,running marathons, and travelling. To do everything one just has to be good in planning and disciplined in life.
Offices:/b>Ahmedabad(Headquarter) & New York