MEDIA ARTICLE

Milind Kulkarni’s journey from ’Me, As an Individual’ to ’Us, As an Ecosystem’

Jan 27, 2022
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Milind Kulkarni, SVP Corporate Strategy, Government Relationships, Digital & IT, STT GDC India, describes his journey of self-discovery through the years.

 

Since childhood, Milind Kulkarni instilled the desire to help people with his skills and knowledge, which led him to become an IT professional. He says that the idea of technology as a problem solver came naturally to him, prompting him to pursue it as a career.

 

"I was interested in IT very naturally. Though I also thought of becoming a doctor, technology attracted me more. Both professions would have helped me to elevate people's life. But IT was special and was also booming. So, I decided to go along with my instinct," he says.

 

With his father being a professor, he imbibed the traits of punctuality, discipline, and hard work as a vital component to succeeding in life. Growing up with limited access to resources elevated his desire to share and care for each other, even if only in a miniature amount.

 

He adds, "My time at home taught some strong ethics and values. These habits found their roots in the early part of my life and are now the principles that I actively apply in my corporate life."

 

Along with learning values from home, he says one of the key aspects of his growth was the time spent in the hostel life, which enabled him to be social, independent, confident, and gave him friends as his lifeline.

 

Kulkarni says, "That's where I learned about networking and making connections; how one works in a collaborative environment. These years added so many more learnings to my life, which I might have missed out on by staying at home. I think it remains unknown at the time, but these experiences get engraved in the mind and become a part of our personality in the later years of life."

 

Wore Multiple Hats

 

Heading with the aim of self-establishment, he started his career as an electrical engineer and worked with the companies like Siemens, GE, Genpact, Tata, and now STT GDC India, etc. Through the course of his career, he has worked across various roles ranging from sales and marketing to IT consulting and is currently positioned as the Digital & IT head at STT GDC India.

 

"My learning from each of these roles has been immense. I believe in the corporate world; you are a student for life. It has been an enriching journey and has offered unparalleled insights into the corporate world and how companies nurture individuals," he says.

 

During his professional journey, he excellently performed on various projects from a heavy engineering project at Siemens, BFSI advisory project at Genpact (India and US), mergers and de-merger initiatives at Tata and STT GDC India. Despite having a decade of experience in his fields with leading companies, he keeps striving to learn something new each day.

 

"It's very important to keep exploring newer areas of interest, opportunities, and work towards creating a better and larger ecosystem. Empathy, compassion, mentoring, celebrating success, and also failures are crucial. As you maneuver through your professional journey and as you grow into taking up the larger roles, you will always be presented with challenges. How you handle them within your own and your organization's core values & ethics defines you as an individual," Kulkarni says.

 

Sharing Memories With Me In My Box

 

In addition, to executing varied projects, he loves to enjoy spending time with nature by himself, as it gives him immense insight into his individuality. "It helps me to think that, who I am, things I have excelled at, and things that I could have done better or not at all," he says. Furthermore, his love of travel empowered him to perceive different cultures, perspectives, challenging lifestyles, along with adhering to the importance of being a global citizen and respecting all people.

 

What I love

 

Worked with some of the best teams and under some great leaders, Kulkarni emphasizes that the learnings he obtains from the GenZ are incomparable. He adds, "They think differently, look at life differently, adapt to changes faster, are tech-savvy, and have a far-reaching clarity about their wants and passions in life."

 

In this regard, spending time with his daughter is a rewarding and educational experience for him. As she is currently pursuing a career as a psychologist, he finds that engaging in regular conversation with his daughter is the most enjoyable and intellectual experience. The time they spend together helps Kulkarni in understanding the importance of corporate mental health and psychology implementation in the workplace.

 

"I think there is a huge opportunity where one can apply psychology at work and create a better working environment for themselves, their team, and various other stakeholders. I believe this can be a big focus area for businesses in the near future," he said.

 

Keeping his passion alive for learning, he gives credits to his wife for the support and sacrifices, which opened the doors for him to go out and dive into new experiences. Striving for the endless thrust of grasping knowledge, Kulkarni says, "I always believe in – best is yet to come. This will always keep you grounded, keep you on toes, and encourage you to continue learning."

 

Read More : https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/corporate-news/milind-kulkarnis-journey-from-me-as-an-individual-to-us-as-an-ecosystem/89146666