Naresh Purushotham
Founder & CEO
What inspired you to establish the firm? Throw some light on the inception story of the company.
Naresh - When we founded Crestpoint in 1995, India had just opened up its economy, and we witnessed a need for enterprises to professionalize, particularly managers. We believed that if we could introduce international leadership development to India, businesses would benefit by learning global management practices and leadership styles ; and we were right – we barely looked back, now having partnered with 300+ corporations and 20,000+ leaders. My co-founder, Lakshmi, is a natural sales leader, and I am fascinated about training design and implementation – our roles were very clear from the start, which contributed to our success. And a partnership that has lasted over 25 years and counting.
What are the challenges that you encountered during your journey and how did you overcome them?
Lakshmi - All of our challenges turned out to be fictitious Our course is a premium program with a large financial commitment for the organization and all other competing training services were just a third of our investment. However, when clients saw the value and ROI, the cost concern vanished. The other apparent barrier was that Naresh and I did not have MBA qualifications and we had no experience in Training, it was only our faith and belief and the will to succeed that propelled us to the forefront of the Training industry.
Enlighten us on the leadership development program offered by Crestpoint Consultants.
Naresh - We deliver the world-renowned Bullet Proof Manager curriculum, which focuses on management and leadership development. Change, Motivation, Delegation, Business Acumen,
Negotiation, and Attitude are among the essential management and leadership skills covered. The curriculum is spread out over a year in the standard classroom version, with managers attending a one-day session once a month for 12 months. Managers are required to return between sessions and apply what they've learned to their roles and organizations, as well as share their implementation plans that impact business performance.
Given the COVID times that we live in, we have now switched into the virtual mode in the last 18 months; this model is now run over a 6-month cycle, with one virtual session every two weeks. What distinguishes the Bulletproof Manager program from the others is its focus on learning transfer and implementation. In our company, we have developed a new position called Learning Embedding Officers (LEOs). Our LEOs are our most valuable asset; they are the people who ensure that participants apply what they learn in the workshops, and we are frequently able to demonstrate an impressive ROI to our CXO, HR and L&D stakeholders.
Elucidate the unique selling points that segregate you from your competitors and help you to attract customers?
Lakshmi - Our main differentiator is a rigorous curriculum that encompasses all of the essential Management and Leadership skills – similar to a mini MBA. Organizations are not required to nominate them to various different programs. The comprehensive program includes international faculty, which includes experts such as Dr. Jim Hennig, Jim Cathcart, Mark Sanborn, Marcia Steele, and others who are pioneers in their respective fields.
The Bullet Proof Manager program is a systematic and proprietary transition of the learning process with demonstrable business outcomes, as well as continuous content updating and the ability to contextualize and tailor the material to the Client context. Most notably, participants receive an International Leadership Certification on completion of the program.
Do you deploy any innovative training methodologies/ technologies to ensure the best learning outcomes for the participants?
Naresh - We were the pioneers of video-based training in the conventional classroom model long before YouTube, TED, and others and we continue to evolve using adult learning concepts. Our principles are current, and our frameworks are simple to implement. We use the ‘flipped classroom' model in the virtual model, where all cognitive materials are completed asynchronously by the participant and the synchronous sessions are entirely devoted to experiential learning through case studies and simulation-based learning.
What strategies do you follow to overcome various challenges of customers and meet their requirements?
Lakshmi - In leadership training, the days of 'one size fits all' are gone.
Given the COVID times that we live in, we have now switched into the virtual mode in the last 18 months; this model is now run over a 6-month cycle, with one virtual session every two weeks. What distinguishes the Bulletproof Manager program from the others is its focus on learning transfer and implementation. In our company, we have developed a new position called Learning Embedding Officers (LEOs). Our LEOs are our most valuable asset; they are the people who ensure that participants apply what they learn in the workshops, and we are frequently able to demonstrate an impressive ROI to our CXO, HR and L&D stakeholders.
Elucidate the unique selling points that segregate you from your competitors and help you to attract customers?
Lakshmi - Our main differentiator is a rigorous curriculum that encompasses all of the essential Management and Leadership skills – similar to a mini MBA. Organizations are not required to nominate them to various different programs. The comprehensive program includes international faculty, which includes experts such as Dr. Jim Hennig, Jim Cathcart, Mark Sanborn, Marcia Steele, and others who are pioneers in their respective fields.
The Bullet Proof Manager program is a systematic and proprietary transition of the learning process with demonstrable business outcomes, as well as continuous content updating and the ability to contextualize and tailor the material to the Client context. Most notably, participants receive an International Leadership Certification on completion of the program.
Do you deploy any innovative training methodologies/ technologies to ensure the best learning outcomes for the participants?
Naresh - We were the pioneers of video-based training in the conventional classroom model long before YouTube, TED, and others and we continue to evolve using adult learning concepts. Our principles are current, and our frameworks are simple to implement. We use the ‘flipped classroom' model in the virtual model, where all cognitive materials are completed asynchronously by the participant and the synchronous sessions are entirely devoted to experiential learning through case studies and simulation-based learning.
What strategies do you follow to overcome various challenges of customers and meet their requirements?
Lakshmi - In leadership training, the days of 'one size fits all' are gone.
Our program is adaptable to our clients' competency frameworks. That is, in reality, our starting point. We have a library of over 100 modules to choose from to address their behavioral competencies. In addition, we collaborate closely with HR/L&D and senior management to create case studies that are important to the business. As a result, our participants are more engaged because we speak their language, answer their concerns, and provide ideas and solutions that are custom-made to their specific environment.
Is there any recent innovation coming-up in your company? What is the future roadmap set for your center?
Naresh - For us, innovation is not a destination, but a continuous process, which the pandemic has only intensified. We remain the ‘go-to’ company for addressing the behavioral needs of junior, middle, and senior managers across the entire company continuum – small, medium, and large organizations.
Lakshmi Kruti Vasan, Co-Founder
Naresh Purushotham, Founder & CEO
Naresh Purushotham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Indian Music. He is also an amateur musician – a Veena player - who has traveled extensively in Europe for Live performances. Naresh is a certified trainer and facilitator. He received comprehensive training in the United States and is a licensed Trainer and Facilitator of Crestcom International, a Denver, Colorado, US based International Training company. He has educated over 10,000 senior professionals, including several CEOs and Presidents of Indian corporations. Prior to starting Crestpoint, Naresh had 15 years of professional experience in advertising with the Ogilvy & Mather Group and later on with his own agency. In 1995, he quit Advertising to start Crestpoint Consultants.
Lakshmi Kruti Vasan, Co-Founder
Lakshmi has been spearheading the marketing of Crestcom Training programmes since 1995 and has been rated as one of Crestcom’s star performers. She has received the coveted award for "Most Enrolments in the World" for the year ended June 2001 and was in Crestcom's Head Quarters to receive this prestigious award. She not only underwent training in the US but is also associated with training new franchisees in India. In recognition of her outstanding performance Lakshmi Kruti Vasan has been nominated as the only lady member in the International Advisory Council of Crestcom International and she is also part of the coveted Chairman's Circle.
Location: Chennai
Is there any recent innovation coming-up in your company? What is the future roadmap set for your center?
Naresh - For us, innovation is not a destination, but a continuous process, which the pandemic has only intensified. We remain the ‘go-to’ company for addressing the behavioral needs of junior, middle, and senior managers across the entire company continuum – small, medium, and large organizations.
Lakshmi Kruti Vasan, Co-Founder
Naresh Purushotham, Founder & CEO
Naresh Purushotham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Indian Music. He is also an amateur musician – a Veena player - who has traveled extensively in Europe for Live performances. Naresh is a certified trainer and facilitator. He received comprehensive training in the United States and is a licensed Trainer and Facilitator of Crestcom International, a Denver, Colorado, US based International Training company. He has educated over 10,000 senior professionals, including several CEOs and Presidents of Indian corporations. Prior to starting Crestpoint, Naresh had 15 years of professional experience in advertising with the Ogilvy & Mather Group and later on with his own agency. In 1995, he quit Advertising to start Crestpoint Consultants.
Lakshmi Kruti Vasan, Co-Founder
Lakshmi has been spearheading the marketing of Crestcom Training programmes since 1995 and has been rated as one of Crestcom’s star performers. She has received the coveted award for "Most Enrolments in the World" for the year ended June 2001 and was in Crestcom's Head Quarters to receive this prestigious award. She not only underwent training in the US but is also associated with training new franchisees in India. In recognition of her outstanding performance Lakshmi Kruti Vasan has been nominated as the only lady member in the International Advisory Council of Crestcom International and she is also part of the coveted Chairman's Circle.
Location: Chennai