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His achievement is music to ears
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K. Satyamurty talks to a music aficionado who heads a corporate software group.
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HE CAN talk about semiconductors and rare Carnatic ragas with equal felicity. Enjoys music as much as his role as head of a corporate software group. When one talks with Surya Santanagopalan, many myths about "techies" get dispelled.
Heading a global software team for Germany's Infineon Technologies — the only one of that company in India — is more than a job. "It strengthens India's role in software and naturally it's located in Bangalore where all the action is," he says.
The global role of his software group is evident when he explains they have to meet the needs of countries such as Germany, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, China, Japan and Singapore. Infineon is the fifth largest semiconductor company in the world and some of its services are for the automobile industry.
"A lot of automotive applications are today automated and include what have come already to India like power brakes, windows and door locks...The applications are bound to grow as users and manufacturers look for more safety and ease of driving," he says.
Among the client companies are Ford, General Motors and Daimler.
Apart from the obvious applications, information technology is beginning to help the driver wade through traffic, avoid snarls and reach their destination as quickly as possible, says Mr. Santanagopalan. "In Tokyo, I personally saw the use of electronic maps while on a taxi to the airport ... but for the navigational aids, I might have missed my flight." It is going to happen here and avoiding traffic jams and choosing the right detour will no longer be by guesswork.
Mr. Santanagopalan is a product of IIT (Bombay) and though he went on to study in the U.S. — at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology among other places — the IIT experience really opened his eyes, he says.
"It was a humbling experience; at school I thought I was among the best and at IIT, I had to compete with the very best. It is a highly competitive environment and the faculty keep challenging you to do even better ... You just have to accomplish more," he says.
There were other aspects to studying in IIT: "You get prepared to be a problem solver, as in real life later. You have to start by figuring out what the problem is and so on ... Once you've done it in IIT, you feel confident you can succeed elsewhere." His contacts with the IIT remain intact and he goes back there sometimes to interact with the students.
Stint in Malaysia
After his MS and MBA in the U.S., there were five years with Motorola in Malaysia as its managing director there. "The guys there were highly productive, once they were trained. Once you show them the way and keep them focused, they can be the best." The Malaysian stint also showed Mr. Santanagopalan what leadership really meant. "You start by selecting the people you want on your team and then work as part of the team. You have to keep an open mind and be willing to learn from them. You have to keep them happy, the feel good factor has to be there, if you want a highly productive team," he says.
Remember, we started with Mr. Santanagopalan's affinity for Carnatic music? That started while still in school in Mumbai; there were no dearth of good music teachers there. "You need both talent and hard work to be good in music," he says.
Among the ragas he likes to listen to are Mohanam and Bhairavi and he has a large collection of live concert recordings he loves listening to; when he finds the time.
"If work permits, I would like to go Chennai for a few days this month for the music season," he says with a look of eager anticipation.
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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