ALSphere Foundation
Our special feature this month is the discussion with one of the most humble, intellectual and philanthropist corporate leader, Mr. V. R. Ferose.
It was an honour to have insights from Mr. Ferose on his various areas of expertise. We hope the readers will find his nuggets of wisdom as valuable as we did.
About Mr. V. R. Ferose
Mr. V. R. Ferose is Senior Vice President and Head of SAP Engineering Academy, based out of Palo Alto. He is responsible for building the next generation of engineering talent at SAP. He is passionate about making a difference in the world in a meaningful way. He started the industry’s leading Autism initiative, “Autism at Work”. He is the co-author of the bestseller “GIFTED”; “Innovating the World – The Globalization Advantage” and “GRIT: The Major Story”. He is a regular contributor to Forbes, Mint, Digitalist, New Indian Express and Swarajya.
At 33, Ferose became one of the youngest Chief Executives of a Global Multi National Corporation (MNC) in India. He is also the Chairperson of Specialisterne, an innovative social business concept originally founded in Denmark in 2004.
He has been awarded “Top 40 Business Leaders under 40” in 2014; “The Happiness Hall of Fame Award” by Stanford University in 2016; AUCD award by Senator Tom Harkin in 2017; Iclif Leadership Energy Awards (ILEA) Kuala Lumpur in 2017; Lifetime Achievement Award for Global Philanthropy, Diversity and Inclusion by TransPerfect in 2018 and Living India Award for Thought Leadership, Global Adjustments in 2018.
Here’s our interaction with the leader:
Vandana Bhasin: Mr. Ferose, you have been a leader in many spheres that generally lack initiatives and enthusiasm from corporate. You took upon yourself the challenging task of training and employing people with special needs and succeeded in your endeavors by starting the industry’s leading Autism initiative, “Autism at Work“. What were the thoughts or motive that kept driving you towards it?
V. R. Ferose: The idea that everyone should and could be meaningfully employed and that everyone has a right to live with dignity, was the core idea behind “Autism at Work”. However, having worked in the corporate sector for two decades it was pretty clear to me that unless we find a business benefit, employment of people with disabilities cannot be scaled. We were able to find unique skills with people on the autism spectrum which was an advantage especially in the IT sector. And we were able to prove that these unique skills were good for business (provided we made reasonable accommodation).
Vandana Bhasin: Mr. Ferose you have co-authored three books and you contribute regularly to newspapers and magazines, what does a writer need to hone one’s writing skills? Should a writer restrict to one’s niche/ genre or would you recommend writing on varied topics to sharpen one’s pen?
V. R. Ferose: Like any other skill, writing requires practice. I read to write and I write to bring clarity to my own thoughts. I never started writing to become a writer – I just wrote because I felt it was the most powerful form of communication. I had large teams working with me across countries and cultures and found writing a powerful way to get everyone on the same page. I spent a lot of time in writing emails and every email I wrote, I wanted to communicate clearly.
I started writing columns for newspapers on topics of management and leadership, but I found my niche by writing about books – which has been my lifelong passion. Though I write on various topics and in different publications, I found the rigor of writing, my column for New Indian Express as the best way to write and hone my skill. Since I don’t have any formal education in literature, I learnt from outstanding writers like Suresh Menon, Ramachandra Guha, Sandipan Deb, C.K. Meena and Rajni Bakshi – all of whom have been good friends over the years!
Vandana Bhasin: “The Inclusion Movement” started by you has played an immense role in spreading awareness about disabilities and bringing the topic to the mainstream. Your initiatives like the Inclusion fellowship, walkathon, film festival, art fellowship etc. have created a ripple effect in this vast ocean of spectrum related issues. How do you think common people’s mindset can be changed to being more acceptable of people with disabilities? Can corporate leaders play a role towards that goal?
V. R. Ferose: For making India inclusive, we have to take a holistic approach. It cannot be achieved in silos – we need the scale of government, the professionalism of corporates and the compassion of NGOs. Changing mindsets is a multi-dimensional problem and requires us to think in systems. We have deep rooted beliefs and biases that will take generations to change. Spreading awareness and openly communicating and celebrating people’s differences is the only way forward. We need to have many more role models of people with disabilities across every sector and across urban and rural India.
Vandana Bhasin: Your journey has been empowering, enriching, challenging and inspiring. Which qualities/ideas do you feel have been your mantra for success that every youth aspiring to be a leader must follow?
V. R. Ferose: There is no silver bullet, but I have always believed in long-term thinking over short-term thinking. All returns in life – relationships, health, wealth and happiness are compound interest! High Competency with High Integrity (in any field) is a deadly combination.
Vandana Bhasin: What insights would you like to give to aspiring and seasoned authors who wish to get published?
V. R. Ferose: I think every writer should just focus on storytelling. A lot of writers get lost in complex notions like genre and style, which are important but can be learnt. In today’s world, anyone can get published. But what is more important is to get noticed and to be read. We have a problem of plenty – too many books, blogs, podcasts etc. and we have a poverty of attention!
Have your own voice. Write for the joy of writing. Getting published should be incidental.
