Pradeep Sahoo
Director - Operations
An alumnus of IIM Ranchi, Pradeep Sahoo brings immense knowledge and experience to his role as Director of Operations. Pradeep Sahoo engages in an exclusive interaction with the CEOInsights Magazine, let’s look into these insights.
Could you tell us about the unique experiences IIM Ranchi offers and what you learned from the campus beyond academics?
My course of study at IIM Ranchi involved policymaking and leadership development. I learned how to lead a team from the front line, and this comes from all aspects of life, from your family background to where you come from. Another crucial thing I learned is to keep in mind the people at the
bottom line who will be impacted by the policies you make. Therefore, putting yourself in their shoes is essential to understand how a particular policy would affect them. This is the core of what I learned at IIM Ranchi, and it has been extremely helpful in taking me forward in my career.
How has your journey been with Indigo Catering and Services, and what drives you today?
It has been a very nice experience with Indigo so far. I got a lot of opportunities at Indigo and was fortunate to have the chance to be involved in decision making and policy making while also working independently. I got an opportunity to take forward the bidding process and independently participate in tendering process to take forward the company. When I joined this company, Indigo was an MSME enterprise with a turnover of around eight crores. Since I've taken over the company, it has risen close to 50 crores, and we aim to take it even higher to 100 crores by 2025.
How would you define Indigo Catering and Services as an organization and its current position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to clients?
Indigo Catering is a very employee-friendly organization with an open door policy leading upto the MD and Board of Directors, and it provides all facilities for employees. Customer feedback is given importance at the organization, we regularly take their feedback, and as a director and leader of the operations team, it is my responsibility to take the feedback a priority every day. We collect feedback from clients from different regions, states, and sites. I monitor their feedback very closely, take corrective action immediately, and regularly review the operations with a focus on the standard quality monitoring process. We offer value for money and ensure our customers get what they're paying for.
As a policymaker, put yourself in the shoes of the people the policies will impact and then make your decisions
How has your journey been with Indigo Catering and Services, and what drives you today?
It has been a very nice experience with Indigo so far. I got a lot of opportunities at Indigo and was fortunate to have the chance to be involved in decision making and policy making while also working independently. I got an opportunity to take forward the bidding process and independently participate in tendering process to take forward the company. When I joined this company, Indigo was an MSME enterprise with a turnover of around eight crores. Since I've taken over the company, it has risen close to 50 crores, and we aim to take it even higher to 100 crores by 2025.
How would you define Indigo Catering and Services as an organization and its current position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to clients?
Indigo Catering is a very employee-friendly organization with an open door policy leading upto the MD and Board of Directors, and it provides all facilities for employees. Customer feedback is given importance at the organization, we regularly take their feedback, and as a director and leader of the operations team, it is my responsibility to take the feedback a priority every day. We collect feedback from clients from different regions, states, and sites. I monitor their feedback very closely, take corrective action immediately, and regularly review the operations with a focus on the standard quality monitoring process. We offer value for money and ensure our customers get what they're paying for.
How is the team built and what motivates them the most to ensure client satisfaction?
To keep employees motivated, we have a system of recognition and reward in place. We celebrate employee birthdays every month and have a reward and recognition system where 10 percent of the employee are recognized based on certain criteria that the director has approved. The chosen employees are given a reward along with an appreciation letter. We regularly hold discussions with our team and plan to hire some more brands to help us fulfill our vision. At Indigo, we focus on regular training and development of the team, who are our direct interface with you at different locations.Our well designed modules, incorporating audio and video tools, are aimed at polishing the skills of service teams to keep them updated. This enables them to be one of the best services.
What are the latest technologies adopted by the company that ensures efficient control and monitoring of the operations in real time?
We have adopted an ERP system to monitor the procurement process and we have two processes developed inhouse the procurement process and the HRMS process. We have separate webbased applications to monitor sales, and soon we are going to implement a digital feedback mechanism for clients. Our unique quality management system model ensures that you get the best quality of services as documented and as declared by us. The team is constantly monitored and measured on preset parameters of customer satisfaction.
Pradeep Sahoo, Director-Operations, Indigo Catering & Services
Pradeep Sahoo has completed his studies in organizational leadership at IIM Ranchi and has over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. He has worked in the capacity of Hospitality Manager at ISS Facility Services for 2.5 years and at Sodexo India for almost five years. He joined Indigo Catering and Services in 2016 as Senior Manager of Operations and has climbed the ladder to become Director of Operations.
To keep employees motivated, we have a system of recognition and reward in place. We celebrate employee birthdays every month and have a reward and recognition system where 10 percent of the employee are recognized based on certain criteria that the director has approved. The chosen employees are given a reward along with an appreciation letter. We regularly hold discussions with our team and plan to hire some more brands to help us fulfill our vision. At Indigo, we focus on regular training and development of the team, who are our direct interface with you at different locations.Our well designed modules, incorporating audio and video tools, are aimed at polishing the skills of service teams to keep them updated. This enables them to be one of the best services.
What are the latest technologies adopted by the company that ensures efficient control and monitoring of the operations in real time?
We have adopted an ERP system to monitor the procurement process and we have two processes developed inhouse the procurement process and the HRMS process. We have separate webbased applications to monitor sales, and soon we are going to implement a digital feedback mechanism for clients. Our unique quality management system model ensures that you get the best quality of services as documented and as declared by us. The team is constantly monitored and measured on preset parameters of customer satisfaction.
Pradeep Sahoo, Director-Operations, Indigo Catering & Services
Pradeep Sahoo has completed his studies in organizational leadership at IIM Ranchi and has over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. He has worked in the capacity of Hospitality Manager at ISS Facility Services for 2.5 years and at Sodexo India for almost five years. He joined Indigo Catering and Services in 2016 as Senior Manager of Operations and has climbed the ladder to become Director of Operations.