Sasidhar Singampalli : A New-Age Leader Steering Business Operations To Success
Sasidhar Singampalli
COO
Sasidhar’s journey serves as inspiration for aspiring professionals looking to make their mark in the industry through perseverance and a relentless pursuit of excellence. In this interview, Sasidhar shares insights into his career journey and sheds light on the best practices he has picked up in corporate leadership.
Can you walk us through your career journey?
After completing my degree and master’s from reputed institutions, I worked for some time in the US. After a brief period there, I had to come back to India to meet personal commitments and decided to settle here. I then joined a company specializing in commercial interiors, located in South Delhi. Afterward, due to my interest in teaching and research, I joined NIFT, a leading design and technology institute. Before I even realized it, I had shifted from the corporate to the academic world – and spent eight semesters deeply engaged in learning and teaching experiences. After this, I transitioned back to the corporate world, and worked with the KPO industry focused on architectural design services. Here, I honed my skills in operations, and gained valuable insights into servicing international clients.
I was increasingly fascinated by sustainability, which led me to explore this field further. This passion became a quintessential aspect of my career as I transitioned to leading roles in sustainability for some years - including with the CII-Godrej Green Business Center, M+W Group (now Exyte), and more. I then got the opportunity to play senior leadership roles in the commercial real estate sector, with global brands like CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield.
Driven again to align myself more closely with the wider concerns of Climate & Sustainability, I Joined PROCLIME, where I’m now involved in advancing Carbon Project initiatives through Nature based and Technology based solutions.
As the Chief Operating Officer of PROCLIME, what is your business strategy for your company?
My role is quite fascinating as it involves taking our company's amazing vision and turning it into reality. While the CEO focuses on setting the high-level vision and ethos for the business, my mandate is to operationalize that vision by developing and executing practical strategies.
One of my primary considerations is to ensure that our core ethos- of credibility and transparency, permeates everything we do, from business structures to internal culture. In client interactions, I instill confidence by combining our domain expertise with the practical wisdom gained over the years.
Another top priority for me is team development - I believe that a company's success is intimately linked to the ongoing well-being and growth of its employees.
How do you guide and mentor your team members for their professional growth and personal upskilling?
I believe in taking a multifaceted approach to guiding and mentoring our teams. Firstly, it's crucial to understand their core areas of expertise, which forms the basis of our business propositions. By speaking their language and showing that I understand and appreciate their expertise, I build mutual respect and confidence.
Mentoring isn't limited to formal sessions; it's an ongoing process embedded in daily interactions. By instilling confidence in the company's management and vision, I indirectly mentor team members, encouraging them to excel. However, I also address specific issues that may arise, such as performance challenges, team dynamics - by listening patiently, leveraging HR support, and making necessary operational adjustments.
How do you stay updated with the latest technologies and industry trends?
As the Chief Operating Officer of PROCLIME, what is your business strategy for your company?
My role is quite fascinating as it involves taking our company's amazing vision and turning it into reality. While the CEO focuses on setting the high-level vision and ethos for the business, my mandate is to operationalize that vision by developing and executing practical strategies.
In essence therefore, success in Operations Leadership requires a blend of people skills, navigating between strategic vision & tactical execution, & the character to go the long mile
One of my primary considerations is to ensure that our core ethos- of credibility and transparency, permeates everything we do, from business structures to internal culture. In client interactions, I instill confidence by combining our domain expertise with the practical wisdom gained over the years.
Another top priority for me is team development - I believe that a company's success is intimately linked to the ongoing well-being and growth of its employees.
How do you guide and mentor your team members for their professional growth and personal upskilling?
I believe in taking a multifaceted approach to guiding and mentoring our teams. Firstly, it's crucial to understand their core areas of expertise, which forms the basis of our business propositions. By speaking their language and showing that I understand and appreciate their expertise, I build mutual respect and confidence.
Mentoring isn't limited to formal sessions; it's an ongoing process embedded in daily interactions. By instilling confidence in the company's management and vision, I indirectly mentor team members, encouraging them to excel. However, I also address specific issues that may arise, such as performance challenges, team dynamics - by listening patiently, leveraging HR support, and making necessary operational adjustments.
How do you stay updated with the latest technologies and industry trends?
Staying updated with evolving trends is crucial for a climate company. We employ various strategies to ensure this, including regular participation in conferences and seminars. International forums are especially important for scouting the latest global advancements in climate – where design, technology, and culture all play equally critical roles in reducing the carbon footprint of any entity such as a business, a government, or a society. Additionally, we leverage partnerships with research insti-tutions and industry bodies to stay on the cutting-edge.
Personally, I find that on-the-job learning plays a significant role, where in inter-actions with our internal experts keep me abreast. Being fully adept at the business areas of relevance has always been important for me.
What advice would you give to aspiring Operations Leadership professionals?
My advice for upcoming professionals would be based on my own experiences gained over fifteen years in such roles.
Firstly, developing strong interpersonal skills is crucial. Cultivate this early on, as it forms the foundation for success. You have to be able to accommo-date a wide range of mentalities, and get the best out of all of them through exemplary people management. Also setup a culture that consistently promotes synergistic and inclusive working in the company. Without an inclusive approach to people, one can’t really succeed as a leader.
Secondly, practical strategic acumen is essential. This involves maintaining a broad perspective as a leader while being able to dive into details when necessary.
Thirdly, be patient in executing your goals & strategies. Leading operations means that you are sitting at the very heart of your company’s being - inevitably dealing with many sensitive parameters such as company culture, people relation-ships, stakeholder expectations, resource efficiency, consistent delivery, and so on. You must tend to all these crucial matters with self-confidence and with the dedication of a servant leader. And this takes years at the helm to cultivate - there are really no short cuts in the journey. But once you’ve reached optimum as an operations leader, and helped your teams and business to succeed, the sense of satisfaction is second to none.
Sasidhar Singampalli, COO, Proclime
Sasidhar has 25 years of experience in Strategic Management, Operations and P&L, Organizational Development, Cross-Functional Team Building, Consulting and Project Management.
Personally, I find that on-the-job learning plays a significant role, where in inter-actions with our internal experts keep me abreast. Being fully adept at the business areas of relevance has always been important for me.
What advice would you give to aspiring Operations Leadership professionals?
My advice for upcoming professionals would be based on my own experiences gained over fifteen years in such roles.
Firstly, developing strong interpersonal skills is crucial. Cultivate this early on, as it forms the foundation for success. You have to be able to accommo-date a wide range of mentalities, and get the best out of all of them through exemplary people management. Also setup a culture that consistently promotes synergistic and inclusive working in the company. Without an inclusive approach to people, one can’t really succeed as a leader.
Secondly, practical strategic acumen is essential. This involves maintaining a broad perspective as a leader while being able to dive into details when necessary.
Thirdly, be patient in executing your goals & strategies. Leading operations means that you are sitting at the very heart of your company’s being - inevitably dealing with many sensitive parameters such as company culture, people relation-ships, stakeholder expectations, resource efficiency, consistent delivery, and so on. You must tend to all these crucial matters with self-confidence and with the dedication of a servant leader. And this takes years at the helm to cultivate - there are really no short cuts in the journey. But once you’ve reached optimum as an operations leader, and helped your teams and business to succeed, the sense of satisfaction is second to none.
Sasidhar Singampalli, COO, Proclime
Sasidhar has 25 years of experience in Strategic Management, Operations and P&L, Organizational Development, Cross-Functional Team Building, Consulting and Project Management.