Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - Feb 09 - Index

GRANT’S COMMUNITY ACHIEVERS
GRANT’S IS PROUD TO PRESENT THIS
SERIES ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING
A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY
NARI MAVALWALLA/DESI NEWS
Vasdev Chanchlani liked
to over a 1000 employees and
what he saw when He has set up million-dollar endowments, but asks, a turnover of over $100 mil-
he visited Canada on
lion.
Sigma System Group of
work in the 70s.
“HAVE I DONE ENOUGH?” Companies is a Canadian suc-
“Canada had all the elements
cess story with tens of millions
of what I call a just society. Ev-
of dollars of strategic investeryone
had the same, equal acments
from leading venture
cess to education and health
capitalists and investment
care unlike India or even the US
banks. A number of companies
and UK which I also visited fre-
in the group have been successquently
in the course of my
fully sold, acquired and mer-
work with Tata Consultancy
ged.
Services (TCS). There, only the
The group has diversified
rich enjoy these benefits.”
into the mobile sector, hospitality,
food, pharmaceuticals,
Vasdev Chanchlani
finance, infrastructure projects
and the resources sector in
ENTREPRENEUR,
Canada as well as India.
PHILANTHROPIST
Chanchlani now divides his
time between financial manage-
Chanchlani applied for im- year and a half later and after business, Applied Technology ment, corporate policy formumigration
while on deputation passing the qualifying exams, Solutions, thinking he’d be happy lation and overall guidance in
in England and was delighted was soon working as an intern. if he made more or less what he the operations.
to be accepted within two Chanchlani’s own career pro- made as an employee. However, Most people who go into
months.
gressed well and he rose to be- Chanchlani was soon making six business for themselves choose
“We weren’t expecting it so come director of Information to seven times the amount.
between a safe or a high-risk
soon!” he laughs.
Systems.
“Luck favoured me again,” operation, based on their risk
His wife Jayshree was do- Their career paths, he says, he says modestly. “A little bit was tolerance.
ing her MD at Osmania Univer- were very smooth, and they due to my skills, but I would say “Conventional wisdom has
sity in Hyderabad and the settled in much faster than they it had more to do with the mar- an either-or scenario,” says
Chanchlanis decided that she had imagined they would.
ket conditions then.”
Chanchlani, the recipient of
would join him in Canada on With his wife’s practice Chanchlani realized he the Ernst & Young Entre-
completion of her studies.
booming and their kids doing couldn’t do justice to the busipreneur of the Year Finalist
Chanchlani landed in Cana- well at school, Chanchlani was ness alone and sought the com- Award for 2001. “I blend the
da in November 1979 and, with emboldened to strike out on his pany of top-notch entrepre- two. Most desis tend to think
his Masters in Industrial and own.
neurs. He nurtured like-minded they can do the best job them-
Management Engineering from “As a newcomer immigrant, individuals who were willing to selves. I believe that with a
IIT Kanpur and years of expe- I had been in survival mode, pool ideas and work together. good team, together, we can do
rience, landed a job with Nortel When the home front was se- Starting with three employ- even better. Many people have
as a program analyst in less cure, I ventured into business.” ees and an initial turnover of that great idea but not the re-
than a week. Jaya joined him a He established his software $4-5 million, the business grew sources to develop it. I work