There is no mistaking a salesman from a mile. Pradeep Rathinam, the tall and rangy CEO of Aditi Technologies is every inch a salesman, and he makes no bones about. ?I was never a technologist. Marketing and sales always attracted me, and I love what I do.?
Pradeep is one of those blokes who had the good fortune of riding the IT wave, starting in the 1990s and carrying on strong, even now. ?I have seen the industry rise through the ranks. And I don?t want to leave this field for anything else. In fact, you could say I am on a high these days,? says Pradeep, who was with Microsoft for 13 years (mostly in the US) before he joined Aditi. He has lived the perfect Indian IT dream. But he showing no signs of slowing down.
Pradeep believes that the next 15 years will be crucial for the industry and himself. ?The future is going to be exciting. On a personal note, I feel that I have found some of the secrets to success at Aditi.? Aditi is a $80 million company, but has been growing at a rate of 40% over the last couple of years. It is drawing up on aggressive roadmap for the Indian market in the outsourced product development (OPD) space. India contributes less than 5% of Aditi?s business, with US contributing about 90% of it. But that could change now.
Aditi, which works largely on services and applications on the Microsoft platform, will be hiring hundreds of specialists in that domain in the short term. Over the next one year, aggressive hiring will happen in this particular stream. About 4/5th of Aditi?s revenue comes from the Microsoft platform and the rest flows out from Java and open-source. ?Aditi?s best period is yet to come,? predicts Pradeep. Already, Aditi has this reputation of being a great employer and a fun place to work.
Talking about the important decision to leave Microsoft and join Aditi, Pradeep says he wanted an entrepreneurial job. ?When I joined Microsoft, it was a 6,000 people firm; when I left it was employing close to 100,000 people. I found that the company was not that agile, so I took a three month sabbatical and started to think about what I wanted to do. My heart said I should try out a smaller firm and here I am at Aditi,? he says.
Having been in Microsoft for a considerable period, Pradeep learned the tricks of the trade quickly. ?The years at MS have been very useful. You spend plenty of time with Type A people, who are intelligent, intense, and with a point of view. That kind of experience is very valuable.? Pradeep is trying to use all that experience at Aditi. ?I want Aditi to now expand itself into new segments and markets. The company had to re-invent itself during recession and we are now enjoying the fruits of it. In fact, I can say that the OPD business is a sizzling category today.?
Pradeep also feels that Aditi has put together a great team. ?When all these good teams work together, seamlessly, there is magic. The results are showing.?
Last year, it acquired Nasdaq-listed Infospace for an undisclosed sum. Infospace was a developer of meta search and online consumer products. ?We are open for growth through the inorganic route,? says the Chennai-born Pradeep.
When not on work, Pradeep is a golfer. ?I am into football too in a small way. But my golf can improve,? he says. He also takes part in half-marathons and runs regularly to keep himself fit. ?I run five miles thrice a week. Running helps me think better. After a tiring run, I feel more energised.?