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  ::..:: ARCHIVES ::..::

Your starting point: How did you begin?
I had been working with GlaxoSmithKline for almost two years (then HMM) when I decided to quit and pursue my dream of starting a business. I had always found it interesting how people in our office mostly read magazines back to front. The reason for this was the appointments’ section, which came right at the end. Job advertisements formed a high-interest-information category. It occurred to me there was probably a large, highly-fragmented database of jobs out there with HR managers and headhunters, and this could be aggregated and updated into a very valuable resource. The problem was that I did not know how to use this insight for quite a long time. So even after I started Info Edge with a friend of mine in 1990, for the first seven years, we did only salary surveys, training, feasibility studies, market studies etc. I discovered the Internet much later at an IT trade show in Delhi. It was the perfect medium for deploying job databases. Naukri.com was launched in March 1997. This was a time when the country had just 14,000 internet accounts.

What is the one goal you would like the company to reach under your leadership?
We would like to create a world-class company out of India.

What has been your toughest moment so far in professional life?
I have been through three partnership breakups in the last 19 years. They can be very difficult experiences emotionally.

The magic moment that made you realise that you had made it as a successful business owner.
Our big moment came when we went public and raised Rs 170.30 crore. Our IPO was oversubscribed by 55 times.

What differentiates you from others?
Our people. Info Edge has always believed in getting smart people, sharing the vision, idea and wealth and being generous with the stock.

Your biggest regret? I have none

Is bigger better? Does it help to be a mid-sized company or do you think the bigger players have an unfair advantage?
There are, of course, advantages of being small – you work faster, you are more agile, you can do more creative work yourself, the team is more close-knit.

And there are advantages of being big – you have more clout, you can attract better talent, you are recognised as a bigger brand and institution, you acquire more credibility, you withstand market downturns better.

What is your favourite part/activity in a typical day?
At the start of every day, I send an email to my children with links to two or three websites or web pages that I think they should explore or read that day. Typically, these have useful and interesting information. This is my favourite activity of the day.

Is there any service or activity you want to undertake to make the world a better place?
I am passionate about education. I believe everyone in this country should have access to quality education and intend to contribute towards this cause.

Something you have done that you are really proud of.
We have created an organisation that has changed the way India recruits.