CEO Insights Magazine

We cannot imagine leading a normal life without using technology for a single day at present, but there were times when technology was at a nascent stage and people were contented in their mundane lives. The story of Vishal Pal Chaudhary (CTO, Reliance Retail) can be traced back to such a time when his father bought the first computers to Haryana in 1988. Vishal discovered a strong inclination towards computers and at the small age of 17, he became an entrepreneur by setting up computer stations for people in his city Bahadurgarh. In 2004 he laid the foundation of Top Chalks a digital education platform to assist students and professionals in their career paths. As it turned out to be a huge success by raising around $3 million in a short span, the entrepreneurial mindset of Vishal encouraged him to establish Akosha India's first consumer complaints portal in 2012. Akosha was later transformed into Tapzo which is India’s biggest All-in-One app that helps people to book cabs, order food, recharge mobile & DTH, pay post paid bills, and so on. After raising more than $30 million from 2012 to 2018, Tapzo got acquired by Amazon in 2018 and Vishal started working for Amazon from 2018 to December 2021. Vishal is presently positioned as the CTO of Reliance Retail and is implementing his more than 21 years of expertise as well as his impeccable entrepreneurial mindset to navigate the technological expeditions of the firm.

Vishal engages in an exclusive interaction with CEO Insights.

Define Reliance Retail as an organization and its exceptionality in comparison to the other competitors in the market.
I think Reliance is a story in itself and if we talk about all the biggest companies in the world right now, Reliance will certainly find a place at the top of the list. The firm has succeeded in all of its endeavors till now. My values have always aligned with the objectives of Reliance because they have always tried to solve the grass root level problems

for the common public of the country. Starting from ensuring that everybody in the country has mobile services, internet access, good broadband connection, and so on, Reliance has revolutionized every industry they have been associated with till now and they create value for a lot of people.

If we talk particularly about Reliance Retail, then it is a brand that takes care of all the retail or shopping experience for customers, right. Reliance Retail is trying to create a marketplace for all the sellers of India to come and sell on this platform. So we are trying to create a massive platform where any sellers can come, register and sell their products online to the masses of India. This is extremely beneficial for small sellers who don't have access to technology. It is very exciting that now common people will also be able to access a market place, where they will be able to sell and buy products via Reliance Retail.

Tell us about your vision of creating the best tech company in India.
Since I have joined the organization quite recently, it’s very early to create any meaningful impact but I can assure you that we are going in the right direction. In terms of our vision, we want to create a platform for every seller in India who can come on board and sell. And anyone who wants to buy should be able to buy the products through a hasslefree transaction. I think that's the bold vision that ensures that everything could be a single click away from any customer and that's what we're working towards. Although we are equipped with some of the prolific professionals to assist us, we are looking for people who think they can do really big things and don't limit themselves with their imaginations. Right now, we are in a hiring mode where we are looking for very passionate and energetic people who think that everything is possible and they can help us in making our vision come true.

Tell us about a few unique traits of yours as a CTO and your style of leadership?
I believe myself to be different because I don't micromanage. I

believe that you have to trust people to do their share of mistakes and learn from them to become better versions of them selves. I let them find the answers themselves so that they can become good problem solvers. You have to trust people and train them properly so that they can find the answers by them selves.

In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
When I was 24, I started my first company.After four eyers of bootstrapping, I got my first patented technology and it was the first major milestone of my career. I managed to raise $3 million in my first venture and it was a huge deal for a person who belongs to a middle class background. When Tapzo became India’s first all-in-one platform to hit 5 million downloads in India, that was again a very big milestone for me. When Amazon acquired Tapzo in August 2018, it gave me immense pleasure because we were able to create a lot of value for Tapzocustomers, employees and for Amazon Pay (he believes customers should come first). That’s another mile stone of my professional career.

Could you tell me what has been the success mantra that constantly helps you arrive at positive outcomes, no matter what the challenge is?
Being perseverant is the key mantra for me. I don’t believe in giving up because it’s better to try and fail, as it will enable you to learn from your mistakes and try harder. If you don’t try, you will be considered a failure nonetheless. I think hard work, perseverance and remaining focused are some of the important aspects of my success.

Vishal Pal Chaudhary, Chief Technology Officer, Reliance Retail Marketplace
Software executive and technologist with over 21 years of experience leading, designing, architecting software products for enterprises(both B2B & B2C)in product organizations of various sizes ranging from early stage startups, highgrowth phase as well as large enterprises.

Hobbies:Playing Guitar
Favorite Cuisine:North Indian Food
Favorite Book:The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Favorite Travel Destination: Cairns, Australia