In a rapidly transforming Procurement and Sub-Contracts space, Ankur Agarwal is an incisive professional with more than 21 years of industry experience. Personifying a honest, organized, enthusiastic, and innovative individual who diligently transverses the path to achievement, Ankur enjoys the reputation of chairing a front-runner in the industry with a name that has matured since he rooted it years ago.
Owing to his invaluable life experiences, Ankur Agarwal has travelled and transitioned from a young manager to an established successful business leader leading Home and Soul Infratech in the key position of Vice President.
Further shining lights on his journey, the visionary leader asserted, “This story began way back in 2000 when I graduated from Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur- Karnataka, getting my B. Tech degree in Civil Engineering. During the four years following my graduation, I had an innate desire to become a procurement professional. In fact, a significant word or department that directly or indirectly affects the books of accounts and eventually the Profit and Loss (P&L) head of any Balance Sheet, is material procurement, which has now been renamed as Supply Chain. I began studying the details of every product’s specifications, when I began working in procurement, and this eventually led to the improvement of my technical knowledge by keeping an eye on the use of these products/commodities.”
Ankur’s Take on the Leadership
A true Leader is one who stands in front of his team and acts as a bridge between the Management and the departments. Holding the top position does not constitute leadership; rather, it entails guiding the Organization toward its objectives by preserving the unity of all teams and team members. The lesser the attrition rate, the more appropriate leadership, has been visualized. Over the course of my 21-years of professional career, I have seen a significant improvement in my leadership abilities. It was a world of yes-men in the beginning, but today’s Top Management of any Organization listens to the opinions and ideas of its employees with open heart and ears. “Market Intelligence” and “In-depth understanding of the subject area” are the current revolutions in leadership.
Significance of R&D – To Upgrade Knowledge
Any leader’s success mantra should be to continually advance their knowledge (perhaps with or without the aid of a degree or certificate) and keep abreast of developments in the global economy. Reading articles and spending at least a couple hours every day on social networking sites like LinkedIn and other similar sites is the greatest way to stay informed. We must constantly consider new ideas as we move down the path of learning and understanding, listening to the opinions of others and modifying them to suit our requirements. Every day is new, and we should develop a new thought with every new Sunrise. The research that we do on a daily basis brooms the path for future development. In the absence of the same, it’s just a routine life, and no one will notice us.
Insights on Maintaining Customer Satisfaction
To Ankur, the punch line is “Any or every Customer is a Family Member”. The team continues to add friends and family members as they progress through the life journey. One must understand and believe that any happy customer will significantly increase P&L and market reputation. Ankur has seen people becoming agitated by the questionnaire that consumers submit. Still, the dealing Manager should constantly remember that the customer knows nothing about the goods or services and that their job is to help the customer discover its USPs. Patient listening and responding in appropriate manner are the fundamentals of creating happy customers.
The Work Culture at Home and Soul Infratech
The first and foremost thing shall be to engage the employees like a family and not like bonded labours. The moment the Management gives flexibility to its employees to balance between work life and personal life, positive notes and thoughts are automatically imbibed in any employee. Even a smiling Face, with greetings of the day in words, makes a huge difference. Ankur personally ensures that in whatever situation or pressure the team may be under, the first greetings of the morning shall be comfortable and pleasing. Work pressures will always be there, and if such pressures are not there, it’s just a monotonous routine life. Therefore, even after stress and pressure, one must not leave the basic ethics and behavior.
Ankur’s Secret Formula of Team Motivation
There is no such problem that cannot have a solution said Ankur.
“There isn’t even a single case in which we can’t come up with a solution because every brain operates in a different direction and along a distinct trajectory. My biggest asset is always my team, so I frequently take them out to dinner or lunch to have some casual moments, wherein we can freely discuss the ideas and sync them with our working methodology, he continued. In order to have proper teamwork, we need to sit with our teammates and help them understand the importance of the project or task.”, he further added.
Dealing with the COVID Crisis
The recent pandemic was a nail in the coffin to one and all, whether in industries or maybe on the personal front. The complete psychology of working has been changed; post the Covid-19 surge. All have seen lockdowns and distancing; at the same time, there have also been sudden changes in the working methodology. Ankur and his team have reorganized themselves and have started interactions more on video calls, thus, leading to saving productive time by less travel. Also, as a pilot initiative, they have made all departments paperless, thus saving on print and paper costs along with helping to Green Environment.
Jewels in the Crown
Ankur has been recognised as the “Best Performer of the Year 2008” in recognition of his zeal and enthusiasm to excel in the Procurement Fraternity.
He was invited to attend the Annual Rewards and Recognition evening as a guest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He has been recognised as the “Procurement Leader of the Year in 2020” by Inflection in collaboration with NASSCOM.
What’s Next?
A business leader, a seasoned techno-commercial professional, and an ardent leader behind the leading real estate developer of NCR, Home and Soul, Ankur has reached this position after spending almost 21 years in procurement; now he is planning to diversify the commercial arena in terms of forecasting, procurement, banking, and operations. Although his aspirations are a bit big, he would like to make his niche in the C-Suite world as the upcoming CEO. The next five years would be totally focused on achieving the next level in the career.
Words of Wisdom
“Upscale your Dreams and Make them a reality by your deeds and behavior.” “Leader sailing the Ship” rather than “Leader Sailing in the Ship”. As a Leader, we have to take many people along and run the business. The moment we become a leader sailing in the same ship as others do, the entire entity of being a Leader gets vanished.
