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As the newly elected president of Hyderabad Software
Exporters’ Association, Kedarnath Udiyavar has to face the
challenge of dealing with a new government in the state. Srinivasa
Rao Dasari finds the IT veteran not the least bit daunted by the
task
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| Kedarnath Udiyavar, President, Hyderabad
Software Exporters' Association (Hysea) |
Kedarnath Udiyavar, the new president of Hyderabad
Software Exporters’ Association (Hysea), has additional responsibilities,
in the wake of the change in Andhra Pradesh’s government. The
power-shift from the IT-savvy Chandrababu Naidu (TDP) to YS Rajashekhara
Reddy (Congress), a strong supporter of agriculture and other traditional
sectors in the state economy, will pose a new challenge for Udiyavar
to set a convincing platform in front of the new government.
The challenge ahead
Udiyavar, who is heading the Hyderabad operations
of Polaris Software Lab, which he claims is the world’s first
CMMi-Level 5 company—is facing a challenging task immediately
after becoming the president of Hysea. His role as the representative
of the IT industry is very critical to ensure the smooth functioning
of the sector. To date, no president had faced such a challenging
task, since the entire growth of the IT industry in AP had been
during the regime of Chandrababu Naidu. Udiyavar looked very confident
and responded positively when asked about the new political equation.
Sharing his views, Udiyavar said: “We are
worried a little over the trouncing of the Naidu government, because
of his attachment with the IT industry. But I don’t see any
reason for the Congress to disturb the present system. Giving importance
to agriculture will definitely contribute to the state economy.
With the kind of development that took place in the state, you can’t
go back now. We will focus on two things—addressing the changing
needs of the members and make the voice of the IT industry reach
the new state government.”
The immediate task for Udiyavar is to convince
the new government about the ongoing development and existing schemes
and incentives for the state’s IT industry.
Career profile
Udiyavar has done his mechanical engineering
and MMS (Master of Management Studies) from Bombay University and
started his career with IDM (International Data Management) company.
After working with the company for two years,
Udiyavar joined Citicorp Overseas Software, an IT arm of the Citi
Group, in 1985. Citicorp was merged with Citibank India to form
Orbitech Solutions and this entity merged with Polaris Software
in 2003. This is how he came to work for Polaris.
He has worked as a designer, analyst, team leader
and project leader in different countries, like the US, the UK,
and Japan. Polaris Software is headquartered at Chennai and has
centres in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Gurgaon. The company has a headcount
of 650-700 at its Hyderabad centre and a combined total strength
of 5,000 people. “Since 1997, I have been looking after the
Hyderabad operations, with a focus on banking and financial services.
My areas of specialisation are securities, treasury and wealth management.
Our employees involved in these segments at Mumbai and Chennai centres
also report to me,” adds Udiyavar.
He has served the industry through Hysea in different
responsibilities. Udi-yavar was associated with Hysea as an executive
committee member for four years and was part of the awards jury
for about three years. He has played a key role in organising seminars
and other events.
Vision
Udiyavar is planning to introduce many programmes
to expand the role of Hysea. It has been decided to encourage membership
from different segments of the IT industry.
“We have decided to enroll various companies
involved in product development, software services and the BPO/ITeS
segments. Hysea has been expanding across the state to spread the
IT revolution in every corner of Andhra Pradesh. As the world market
changes, the needs of our members also change and we work accordingly,”
he elaborates.
Need of the hour
With a large pool of skilled manpower and infrastructure,
Andhra Pradesh has become a favourable destination for global IT
majors. The question is how long this trend will continue in a period
of cut-throat competition among states.
“Many companies are coming to AP because
of attractive incentives and other infrastructure facilities available
here. What happens if another state offers similar benefits? Naturally
Hyderabad will loose its advantageous position. That is why globally
competitive manpower is required here now. For this, continuous
industry-academic interaction is needed,” he states emphatically.
Unfinished tasks
One of Udiyavar’s main aims is make his
organisation one of the top five in the banking and financial services
market.
He also believes in making individuals and corporates
more socially responsible. “At present, every company is rendering
its social responsibility in its own way and I want to bring them
on to one platform. Taking the IT revolution to the common man is
very important. Rural people should benefit from this revolution.
I work for the LABS (Livelyhood Advancement Business School) project
run by Dr Reddy’s Labs for school drop-outs.”
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