John Keells Group’s Executive Vice President and Group CIO Ramesh Shanmuganathan shares insights into John Keells IT’s commitment to shaping the future of digital technology, driven by a mandate and passion for creating a new world order that is hyper-connected, inclusive, data-driven, and personalized. JKIT’s focus is on putting the customer at the centre of everything, by enabling them to build platforms and ecosystems that promote customer-centricity across B2B, B2C, G2G, and G2C domains. To achieve this, Shanmuganathan emphasizes adopting a mobile-first, cloud-first, internet-first, zero-trust-first, and AI-first strategy aligned with the business objectives of their clients. By collaborating, co-innovating, and co-creating with their customers and leveraging shared assets/resources with existing platforms and ecosystems, John Keells IT aims to usher in a new era of digital innovation that benefits all, and Shanmuganathan explains more about this in the following interview with Echelon:
In retrospect: Can you take us through JKIT’s journey and its influence over digitally empower – ing businesses and transforming the economy?
Today, humans are on the cusp of augmenting their lives in extraordinary ways with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Web 3, etc. The world envisions developing a new order that will be driven by the collective intelligence of man and machine where machines will work side-by-side with humans, accelerating our ability to create, learn and make decisions faster, better and on a real-time basis. This will force us to explore, architect and transform the way we live, work and play, to say the least. This will force us to explore new ways of collaborating on ethical practices or applying technology to solve complex business and/or social problems in an inclusive manner. This necessitates the coexistence of solutions, platforms and technologies that can cater to two ends of the continuum – transactional and experiential to manage the operations and drive personalization/engagement.
At John Keells IT, we believe everything around us must be challenged. We must never let the status quo prevail. In doing so, we make every endeavour to make that journey rewarding for both parties by marrying our experience, expertise and knowledge with that of our customers, and collaborating, co-innovating and co-creating their future by thinking of the unthinkable and combining the best-in-class technology advancements to deliver the same. We partner with our customers to help them assess their current business priorities vis-à-vis their current maturity of technology/digital capabilities and solutions and help them road-map a path that would be the most effective both in terms of value and impact using our design thinking-based approach coupled with blue-ocean strategy and strategy canvass to jointly map out business outcomes and value drivers.
In that process, we identify customer pains and gains with a view to addressing the pain relievers and gain creators to eliminate points of friction and create a new value proposition that is non-existent in the market or to amplify a unique value proposition.
Take us through some of your most innovative products, solutions or business decisions and what was particularly challenging about those?
Our mandate is to “create the best digital experience for our customers and their customers by creating the platform that will help them to drive data-driven engagement to create better experiences, eliminating any point of friction in the process”. This needs a fresh perspective detached from the current choices and biases to drive the much-needed transformation. This is why we felt we needed to take a more consultative approach, with a clear understanding of business priorities, challenges and context, and explore possibilities that could bring better value and alignment through the deployment of solutions that will transform customer experiences, operational processes and business models.
Our approach takes into account the above and primarily focuses on the right strategy being in place by marrying our years of expertise and experience through a consultative approach. Second, we help our customers reassess their digital quotient and leverage digital to impact outcomes for all stakeholders; third, to rejuvenate their technology stack to integrate the digital world ready to be able to create a seamless experience, as well as the necessary data lake to create engagement with stakeholders; and last but not least, to help them operationalize all of the above so you can focus on your core business and leave the rest to us as your strategic partner.
This also necessitates driving a digital-first strategy to enable anytime, anywhere presence for our customers’ stakeholders be it their employees, customers, partners, etc. This comes loaded with very high expectations in terms of ease of use, availability, resiliency, personalization, experience, engagement, value sustenance, peace of mind and most privacy and security across every sphere and domain of the value chain/eco-system. This at the core mandates a digital-first strategy with a long-term and strategic focus on key domains such as digital identity, digital core, digital edge, digital platforms and digital eco-systems built with a mobile-first, cloud-first, internet-first, zero-trust-first, and AI-first strategy.
We help our customers get this right the first time since it is very critical for the success of an organization in today’s fast-paced world and needs to be executed in alignment with the business aspirations, strategies and needs. Choosing the right partner with both business and technical acumen for this transformation journey is critical to their success.
What are the key ingredients that make John Keells IT good at what it does?
The key aspect that is unique to John Keells IT is that we are part of the biggest conglomerate in Sri Lanka and have set the pace for the group in driving a digital-first strategy since 1999 ever since we laid the foundation by connecting all our constituents of the group which was one of the very first, private networks of that scale in the country. We have successively been able to drive multiple points of inflexion for the group with mobile-first, internet-first, cloud-first, zero-trust first and AI-first strategies. What we are in essence taking to the market is what we have done for the group having piloted the same light-house initiatives in driving the transformation program in successive 5-year cycles since 2005. We are a customer first and then a partner. This is one key attribute that has helped us to add greater value to our customers having traversed the journey and in helping them leap-frog based on our learning as well as fast-track their transformation journey. In addition, the following has been critical for our success to date.
Leadership – John Keells IT is very professionally managed with most senior executives having more than 20+ years of industry experience with a wealth of industry as well as technical knowledge with a credible track record.
Corporate Stability – John Keells IT being a fully owned subsidiary of one of the largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka boosts our profile as well as gives our customers the confidence and stability that they need in long-term, strategic partners in critical transformation programmes such as these.
People – Our people and talent are another vital aspect. We have the best in class talent across our portfolio who have been able to stand up and be counted in many light-house initiatives across our portfolio of JKIT-Strategy, JKIT-Core, JKITCloyd, JKIT-Platforms, JKIT-Ecosystems. They have been key in creating sustainable value in what we do.
Partnerships – Our partnerships of various natures with the likes of SAP, Microsoft, UiPath, Cisco, Siemens, Palo Alto, IBM, AWS, GCP, Salesforce, and Opera across the regions have been key in helping us spread our wings beyond the shores of Sri Lanka.
Customers – Our customers have been our biggest asset in building John Keells IT. Their willingness to trust us and partner with us in a journey of transformation is singularly the most important one for our success. In addition, their willingness to provide reference to others and the encouragement they give us to create newer frontiers are what keep us on the innovation trajectory.
Portfolio – Our portfolio which spans across the value stacks and solutions stacks to be able to help our customers realize what they want is a significant part of our strength and being able to create unique solutions on a co-innovation programme sharing the risks and rewards is very unique to our offering for our clients.
What is your approach to leadership and inspiring others to build a great company?
The approach is simple – be optimistic, be a visionary, be customer-centric, be a thought leader, be inspirational, be passionate, be self-aware, be humble, be compassionate, be approachable, and be a team player.
It’s always important to have a Massively Transformative Purpose that encompasses the aspirations of all the stakeholders including your people which then becomes the overarching mandate for all of us which unifies what we do. This must be the north star that everyone must chase as a team and once that is clear you need to empower, coach, and guide them by giving them what they need; challenging them to get out of their comfort zones, and assuring them that you are there as the guard rail cum safety net.
What are the factors shaping the future of John Keells IT, and what are your plans for growth and continuous influence in fostering a digital economy in Sri Lanka?
The future of John Keells IT is driven by our mandate and passion to create a new world order powered by digital which is hyper-connected, inclusive, data-driven, and personalized where the customer will be at the centre stage of everything. The factors that would shape the same would be greatly driven by our ability to enable our customers to build platforms and ecosystems that in turn will enable them to drive customer-centricity to the customers at large be it B2B, B2C, G2G, G2C, etc.
This would in essence mean that we must be able to help our customers adopt a mobile-first, cloud-first, internet-first, zero-trust-first, and AI-first strategy aligned with their business objectives and by helping them collaborate, co-innovate and co-create their future by building what they need by leveraging shared assets/ resources with existing platforms and ecosystems.
How have you reimagined the workplace to empower employees to grow and be the best they can be? How have you created a workplace that thrives? How are you fostering a culture that embodies enabling this?
It’s important for us to first feel empowered as leaders to empower our employees – this means a greater sense of autonomy or control at work to ensure that they felt that their job had meaning and it’s aligned with their values, that they were competent in their abilities, and that they could make a difference for the organization.
Also, people do trust and look up to leaders whom they perceive as empowering. They had greater faith in their leaders and were more likely to put in effort without feeling that they would be exploited or have second thoughts about going beyond the call of duty in taking on added responsibilities and challenges. The employees must also feel confident that delegation is not an attempt by their leaders to dump stuff on them to avoid doing the work for them or themselves. Most of what is expected is around mentoring, coaching, and supporting employee development by creating a greater degree of trust in relationships. This also helps to nurture and drive creativity and innovation by managing uncertainty and instilling a greater sense of safety, which enables employees to take on more risks without feeling vulnerable.
You must walk the talk as a leader in setting clear expectations; fostering camaraderie; breaking down barriers; building a team that complements each other; encouraging them to think big; being open and frank; being committed to continuous learning; being fearless and not taking NO for an answer; being open to criticism without prejudice; and having an inquiring and inquisitive mind to nurture a workplace that thrives and a culture that induces same.
Drawing from your own experience, how do you think Sri Lanka should approach re-energizing the economy and fast-track digital transformation?
Sri Lanka must take a more aggressive approach to connect herself to the global digital highway as much as connecting to traditional highways of air and sea to grow her economy, this would need a multi-pronged approach and a couple of the salient ones have been highlighted below. Digital strategy and roadmap: Sri Lanka must have a 5-10 years digital strategy and roadmap to digitally transform her economy to be more global, inclusive, and sustainable. This strategy should be developed in consultation with industry experts, academics, and government officials to ensure that it is well-informed, effective, and executable.
Digital identity: This is a key part of the missing link which is foundational and core to driving digitally inclusive and transformed Sri Lanka.
Digital infostructures: Sri Lanka must build a multitude of digital infrastructures to be enabled by a mobile-first, internet-first, cloud-first, and zero-trust-first digital infrastructure to ensure that businesses and individuals have access to reliable, secure, and fast connectivity. This will enable them to participate in the digital economy and take advantage of new opportunities.
Digital literacy & talent: Sri Lanka can promote digital literacy by investing in education and training programs that teach digital skills to the population. This will create a workforce that is skilled in using digital tools and technologies, making them more employable in the digital economy. Also, we must attract the requisite talent globally to enable a more vibrant and competitive talent pool.
Digital eco-systems: Sri Lanka must foster and build digital ecosystems by partnering with other countries, venture capitalists, and startups by providing them with access to funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities. This can help them to develop and launch new digital products and services, which can contribute to economic growth.
Digital government: Sri Lanka must drive digital governance to bring about greater transparency and trust to make public services more efficient and accessible to citizens as well as others alike. This can include all services that a citizen or anyone else might need on a roadmap.
Digital innovation: Sri Lanka can foster innovation by creating an environment that supports entrepreneurship and open innovation by attracting MNCs and like-minded organizations to set up their innovation and R&D hubs in Sri Lanka. Overall, the key to fast-tracking economic growth in Sri Lanka through digital transformation is to create an environment that supports innovation and entrepreneurship, invest in digital infrastructure and skills, and promote the adoption of digital technologies throughout society. By doing so, Sri Lanka can position itself as a leader in the digital economy and drive economic growth for years to come.