Pratap C Rajan
MD
Pratap C Rajan (Managing Director for Enterprise Business at Wall Street English) is one of the torchbearers of the 50-year-old establishment. He is an accomplished business leader with over twenty years of experience in the technology industry. His never give up mantra’ for life has been the wind beneath his wings. "The unforgettable challenges are ones that often stare at you in the face without any warnings”, says Pratap. More than often, individuals deter from the challenges and that discourages the dream they wish to pursue. Hence adopting the – “Go for it!” approach has led him to elevate the possibilities in everything he does.
Wall Street English’s award-winning learning platform, flexible online classes, and highly qualified teachers mean students are guaranteed to get results. Its intelligent learning system, supportive teachers, and a personal learning coach are all focused on making sure the students improve their confidence in communicative English quickly. In an exclusive interview with CEO INSIGHTS, Pratap takes us through his professional journey and experience with Wall Street English.
Inspire us by telling us about your illustrious professional journey.
I pursued BE in EEE from NIT Trichy, post that I went to the USA and completed my MS in Manufacturing Technology at Indiana State University.
Prior to joining Wall Street English, I held several senior positions in multiple organizations across the globe. Whilst based in India, I led technology teams, operations & sales across APAC / US as the Country Head for Pantheon Inc, an established US-based IT services and solutions company. I have also been successful in establishing and running their offshore delivery centre in APAC for many years.
I also co-founded a start-up company that offered a web-based AI platform for testing the programming skills of software developers applying for jobs. In the USA, I was the Director of Technology for AOL Time Warner and worked across various products and professional services. At AOL I have been instrumental in coming up with an idea to convert the famous AIM Chat into FinAIM chat for the Financial Institutions in Wall Street (New York).
What inspired you to take up the leadership role at Wall Street English?
Innovation in learning has always been my passion. This very passion for innovation led me to develop and introduce AI-based products in the market when AI was just a Buzzword in the Industry. Having both technology expertise and business experiences with P&L responsibilities, I took the opportunity to be part of the Senior Management of the world’s most recognized English language education brand and to keep innovating continuously and deploy solutions that provide a highly immersive and enjoyable learning experience for students in their journey with Wall Street English.
Could you talk about the learnings and experiences that you acquired from the National Institute of Technology?
NIT Trichy was a premium institution in India with the brightest students coming together from different corners of the world. The institute was way ahead of its time, in terms of technologies, facilities, and infrastructure. NIT gave me opportunities to explore and learn about computers which later proved to be an added advantage for me when I moved to the USA. It also helped me to build the network & connections that have been helpful during my professional ventures. NIT taught me to build longterm relationships, think practically, and be tenacious toward my goals.
How would you define Wall Street English as an organization and its position in the market?
The pandemic had shown how education companies that had made a move towards digital transformation earlier were the ones that survived and continued to engage their students with technology, digital innovation, and products.
I also co-founded a start-up company that offered a web-based AI platform for testing the programming skills of software developers applying for jobs. In the USA, I was the Director of Technology for AOL Time Warner and worked across various products and professional services. At AOL I have been instrumental in coming up with an idea to convert the famous AIM Chat into FinAIM chat for the Financial Institutions in Wall Street (New York).
What inspired you to take up the leadership role at Wall Street English?
Innovation in learning has always been my passion. This very passion for innovation led me to develop and introduce AI-based products in the market when AI was just a Buzzword in the Industry. Having both technology expertise and business experiences with P&L responsibilities, I took the opportunity to be part of the Senior Management of the world’s most recognized English language education brand and to keep innovating continuously and deploy solutions that provide a highly immersive and enjoyable learning experience for students in their journey with Wall Street English.
Could you talk about the learnings and experiences that you acquired from the National Institute of Technology?
NIT Trichy was a premium institution in India with the brightest students coming together from different corners of the world. The institute was way ahead of its time, in terms of technologies, facilities, and infrastructure. NIT gave me opportunities to explore and learn about computers which later proved to be an added advantage for me when I moved to the USA. It also helped me to build the network & connections that have been helpful during my professional ventures. NIT taught me to build longterm relationships, think practically, and be tenacious toward my goals.
How would you define Wall Street English as an organization and its position in the market?
The pandemic had shown how education companies that had made a move towards digital transformation earlier were the ones that survived and continued to engage their students with technology, digital innovation, and products.
The Wall Street English hybrid learning program delivers a comprehensive approach to learning and caters to learners worldwide. Built to be the best, by the best, its innovative learning platform, highly qualified teachers, personal coaches, immersive classes, and proven method mean guaranteed results – whether it is learning online, in person, or both.
Wall Street English has been helping people go further with English since 1972 and is celebrating its 50th year. It has over 3 million alumni with a current enrolment of over 150,000 active students The Wall Street English program is designed for all levels of learners. The course has 20 different English levels ranging from complete beginner to advanced. The program includes an English-only environment in the schools, native English speaking teachers, social activities that allow students to practice English in a social environment, and a global online classroom where students from around the world can learn together.
Using a franchise model, it currently operates online and in language learning centres in more than 30 countries. Its international offices are in Hong Kong and Barcelona, Spain.
What has been your success mantra? Also, what advice would you give to budding leaders in the same industry?
My success mantra has always been – “never be afraid to take chances”. Get in the game and grab the bull by its horns and see how you can make wonderful things happen in your life. It will be an awesome thing to just do it. In every situation in life, you have two options: keep going or give up. If we choose to keep going, we can overcome whatever obstacle lies before us and achieve our objectives. However, if we choose to make excuses for every minor setback and give up, we ultimately may end up throwing in the towel.
Pratap C Rajan, MD Wall Street English
Wall Street English’s award-winning learning platform, flexible online classes, and highly qualified teachers mean students are guaranteed to get results
Hobbies: Cycling, Fitness & Trekking
Favourite Cuisine: Thai
Favourite Book: Black Hawk Down
Favourite Travel Destination: Mauritius
Awards & Recognition: Top 5 emerging leader in AOL
Wall Street English has been helping people go further with English since 1972 and is celebrating its 50th year. It has over 3 million alumni with a current enrolment of over 150,000 active students The Wall Street English program is designed for all levels of learners. The course has 20 different English levels ranging from complete beginner to advanced. The program includes an English-only environment in the schools, native English speaking teachers, social activities that allow students to practice English in a social environment, and a global online classroom where students from around the world can learn together.
Using a franchise model, it currently operates online and in language learning centres in more than 30 countries. Its international offices are in Hong Kong and Barcelona, Spain.
Life at NITT taught me many things that were crucial for me to emerge a strong professional leader later in life
What has been your success mantra? Also, what advice would you give to budding leaders in the same industry?
My success mantra has always been – “never be afraid to take chances”. Get in the game and grab the bull by its horns and see how you can make wonderful things happen in your life. It will be an awesome thing to just do it. In every situation in life, you have two options: keep going or give up. If we choose to keep going, we can overcome whatever obstacle lies before us and achieve our objectives. However, if we choose to make excuses for every minor setback and give up, we ultimately may end up throwing in the towel.
Pratap C Rajan, MD Wall Street English
Wall Street English’s award-winning learning platform, flexible online classes, and highly qualified teachers mean students are guaranteed to get results
Hobbies: Cycling, Fitness & Trekking
Favourite Cuisine: Thai
Favourite Book: Black Hawk Down
Favourite Travel Destination: Mauritius
Awards & Recognition: Top 5 emerging leader in AOL