My Business & Industry experiences include:

1. Essar Oil & Gas Exploration Pvt. Ltd as Adviser & Head (Corporate Relations Group)
2. Xenitis Group, Kolkata as Head- Corporate Strategy
3. SGS as Manager-Business Development
4. Vintron as Vice President-Foreign Trade

My experiences working for Industry Associations, Chambers of Commerce & Export Promotion Council include:

1. Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BNCCI) as Secretary*.(*Secretary General)
2. The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) as Director General
3. NASSCOM as Regional Director- East & North-East
4. Council for Leather Exports (CLE) as Regional Director- East & North-East

My experiences in Academia:

1. Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (EIILM) as Assistant Professor

My areas of work have been in the areas of:

1. Public Policy
2. Inward Investments
3. Ease of Doing Business
4. Jobs & Livelihoods
5. Education & Skills
6. Apprenticeship & Entrepreneurship
7. Political Strategy, Analysis and Outreach

My academic qualifications include post-graduate qualifications in Economics, Political Science, International Trade & Marketing Management, a graduate qualification in Accounting and Lead Auditor Certificate course in SA 8000.

My clients have the following to say about myself:

1. Analytical ability to analyse complex policies and synthesize actionable recommendations
2. Attention to details
3. Leadership, Management & Organising skills
4. Network on the ground
5. Possess knowledge of PEST factors
6. Professional integrity
7. Project management skills
8. Service-oriented
9. Solves problem
10. Strong interpersonal skills
11. Team player
12. The capability of setting the direction for myself and those around self
13. Trustworthy
14. Well-informed

“My Contributions To My Client Organizations”

Problem

Stakeholders: Environmental concerns; & Landowners: perceived loss of income; compensation inequalities; delays in receipt of compensation dues due to laying of GAIL Gas Pipeline in Bengal stretch for supply of gas to Matix Fertilisers in Durgapur

My intervention to achieve a positive result:

My familiarity with the local political and administrative leadership not only helped me to get access to landowners but positioned me as a credible person to address their concerns. My network with the top echelons of the bureaucracy hastened the process of getting directives sent to the offices of the concerned District Magistrates & offices of Director of Land Records & Block Land and Land Reforms Officer respectively through the Land Commissioner’s Office, West Bengal for fixation of compensation & payment of the same to the landowners.

Backdrop:

The Indian $20 billion Foundry Industry (Year 2014 figures) has a great potential and yet (2014) were never put under Ministry of the Government of India

Problem:
  • Sand reclamation problems; enormous shortage of silica sand due to the mining issue
  • Environment issue
  • Modernisation: Fund constraint
  • Action required:
    • Setting up of a Foundry Development Council in the Union Ministry with the help of NMCC, DIPP & MSME, Government of India to promote the Indian Foundry and formulate new policies & focus on resolving key issues being faced by the foundry sector
My intervention to achieve a positive result:

Coordinated organizing of dialogue with the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), to voice the concerns of the Foundry Industry to the Government and subsequent formation of the Foundry Development Council.

The then Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal, Shri Buddhadev Bhattacharya had been advocating for NASSCOM, the apex body of IT-BPM Industry in India to set up its office in Kolkata to promote inward investments into West Bengal and accordingly, I was appointed by Shri Kiran Karnik, the then President of NASSCOM to set up the East & North-East operations, with headquarters in Kolkata in September 2007.

My contributions:

1. Visibility : Positioned NASSCOM as a “go-to” institution in the print and electronic media as a part of Advocacy & Outreach initiatives on Policy, Infrastructure issues affecting Inward Investments, Branding, Ease of Doing Business, particularly for the MSME firms, Cyber security and Data Privacy, Academia-Industry Linkages and youth issues, particularly Careers & Jobs

2. Advocacy & Outreach : Organized 2 CEO Summits & 2 Emerge Conclaves (MSMEs), which attracted the Who’s Who in the Industry, Government, Political leadership and the stakeholders to participate and discuss issues for the benefit of the Eastern Regional States and the stakeholders

3. Membership & Revenues : To be a force to reckon with, it was imperative to raise the membership strength, particularly from the MSME segment and during my tenure, the membership went up from 26 to 450 and needless to say, the revenues from new membership followed suit.

4. Set up Cyber-Lab in Lalbazaar, Kolkata Police : Cybercrime is a growing trend as victims become prone to monetary loss & identity theft & becoming a tier-1 national security threat and the Kolkata Police felt it necessary to create a cybercrime unit and train policemen on Cyber skills. I was instrumental in setting up the 1st & only Cyber Lab in Kolkata at the Kolkata Police Headquarters, Lalbazaar on 10th August, 2011. This would not have possible without the unstinted support of Shri Pratap Reddy, an IPS officer on deputation to Data Security Council of India, the data security wing of NASSCOM and constant persistence of then Kolkata police top brass, under the dynamic leadership of the then Commissioner of Police, Shri Gautam Mohan Chakraborty, I.P.S. to create a Cyber-Lab in Kolkata Police Headquarters.

5. Cyber-Crime training for Police personnel : I also coordinated the organizing of Cyber-Crime workshops for the police personnel in the West Bengal and Kolkata & North-Eastern states, with the respective state governments, in collaboration with Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.

6. Youth initiatives :

  • Skills: Initiated District level Skill Gap Studies, Creation of skill-data banks for match-making, Data Digitization in Employment Exchanges & facilitated Industry by partnering with specific bodies for up-skilling of workforce and enhancement of productivity and quality.
  • Employability Tests: Instrumental in coordinating with relevant stakeholders in conducting the Employability Test, NAC (NASSCOM Assessment of Competence) in West Bengal, Odisha and the 8 NE States (3000 North-Eastern students took the Test), following it up with the skill service providers for subsequent training and getting them placed in IT-BPO companies.
  • Internship for Engineering students: Worked with the Engineering Colleges in West Bengal to ensure that their students work as interns during their study, to acquire relevant skill-sets for the job.
  • National Occupation Standards: Advocated for acceptance of National Occupation Standards (NOS) by the Indian Industry.
  • Incubation Centres: Helped 3 Engineering Colleges in West Bengal to set up in-house Incubation Centres.
  • Start-ups: Evangelized start-ups and IT Product companies in the region to work in the area of social inclusion
  • Job-Fairs: Organized 3 Job Fairs & worked closely with DONER, Government of India and North East Council (NEC) for attracting IT-BPO companies to the North-Eastern Region for creating job opportunities of local boys and girls.
  • Capacity building for North-Eastern States: Worked closely with the IT Departments of North-Eastern states for capacity building
  • E-Governance: Organized 2 e-Governance workshops in the North-Eastern states with the respective state governments, in collaboration with Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.

My achievements :

1. Set up of CII operations in North Bengal in 2005 :

  • Problem: Rising clamour for correcting development inequity amongst South & North Bengal and it was felt that it was imperative setting up of an office in Siliguri, Darjeeling district of North Bengal to get local business leaders, bureaucracy & political leadership on board.
  • My intervention to achieve a positive result : Helped setting up of the CII office in North Bengal in 2005, with the active support of the then Chairman of CII, Eastern Region, Shri Ravi Poddar.

2. Inclusivity initiatives: Organized 2 Investors’ Meet at Haldia & Barasat, West Bengal & 3 Trade Fairs in Kolkata, Durgapur & Siliguri, West Bengal.

Meeting with West Bengal Parliamentarians to discuss Policy issues to attract investments in West Bengal: Organized 1 Interactive Session with 25 Hon’ble Members of Parliament from West Bengal, chaired by the then Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Somnath Chatterjee to discuss modalities to attract investments in West Bengal, under the leadership of then Chairman of CII, Eastern Region, Shri Ravi Poddar.

3. Study on Industrial Landscape of North Bengal : Got a study done on Industrial Landscape of North Bengal and presented the recommendations to the West Bengal Government.

My contributions:

Revenues : Increased Leather Testing business by 118%

Business Development: Won 8 out of 10 Audit Contracts for SA 8000 Certification (SGS Group) from major international clients like Carrefour, Metro, Marks & Spencer’s, Debenhams etc. against stiff competition

Advocacy & Outreach: Organized 1 Seminar on Environment, Health & Safety, which witnessed participation from GTZ Germany & EU, apart from other stakeholders.

Infrastructure: Helped setting up of the CE Testing Lab for Leather Products in Kolkata to aid export of industrial leather gloves from West Bengal to EU.

Visibility: Ensured visibility in the mainstream & trade media

My contributions:

1. Membership : Increased Membership by 40%.

2. Advocacy & Outreach: Conducted 5 relevant Seminars & Workshops in the Eastern Region, with a special mention of a Seminar on WTO-Implications for Indian Leather Industry.

3. Visibility : Ensured visibility of relevant issues concerning the Industry in the print & electronic media.

4. Non-Tariff Barrier: Backdrop: PETA India’s 1st Campaign: Taking on the Indian Leather Industry on the issues of Cattle Smuggling, Cruelty to animals during transportation & slaughter

Problem :

  • An international boycott of Indian leather products by leather retailers & fashion designers
  • Protests at Indian embassies around the world
  • etters from Sir Paul McCartney, Shri Arun Gandhi, Mr. Jackie Chan, and other famous folks attracted public attention
  • Promotion of non-leather products resulting in loss of revenue & jobs in the Indian leather industry

India Government response:

Then Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee directed state governments to enforce India’s animal protection laws, and the minister of commerce and industry, publicly urged state governments to set up committees to ensure enforcement of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960, promising that “surprise inspections of places where cattle are sold and loaded onto trucks” would be conducted

My intervention to achieve a positive result : Acted as a Nodal Officer of CLE to engage with (PeTA) to advocate human slaughter practices in the abattoirs and worked with the Municipal Corporation & the Government for the up-gradation of abattoirs & cattle markets.

How did I manage to achieve this? I sought help from my media contacts to create maximum awareness amongst stakeholders, law enforcing agencies & the Government agency. My networks in the local bureaucracy & police also helped to treat the matter as one of their own, considering the possible loss to exchequer & livelihoods, if the laws of the land are not adhered to.

5. Relocation of Tanneries to Bantala Leather Complex : Worked closely with all stakeholders for the relocation of tanneries to Calcutta Leather Complex, Bantala in compliance with the Supreme Court Order of checking pollution in the city of Kolkata. Served as the Member Secretary (Industry) of the Steering Committee of the Calcutta Leather Complex.

6. Pollution Control & OSHA : Assisted in implementing installation of the Effluent Treatment Plant in the Bantala Leather Complex in Kolkata to maintain Occupational Safety and Health standards in Tanneries in West Bengal with support from UNIDO.

Finance : Initiated Italian Line of Credit for the Leather Industry in the Eastern region of India.

Nominated for International Representation : Was nominated five (5) times to represent the Indian Leather Industry in International Leather Goods Fair at Offenbach, FRG & Milan, Italy.

Revenues : Raised revenue through inclusion of Members, Sponsorship for events & mobilizing participation for International & Domestic Leather Goods Trade Fairs, Buyer-Seller Meets.

CLE Capacity building: Introduced a Statistical Compendium for the Leather Industry.

Cost Reduction : Was recognized as the best Regional Director for cost optimization & resultant profitability enhancement.

Inclusivity: Recommended promotion of EIILM in North-Eastern States to create awareness amongst Plus Two students in those geographies to upgrade their careers by joining the Bachelors & Masters Programme in Management. 30 students had signed up for both the Programmes.