He is keeping a close tab on the run-up to the US Presidential polls, and at the same time taking a trip down memory lane, leafing through the pages of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel- “The Lowland’, which is based on 1970’s Calcutta, Presidency College and Jadavpur University, two of his alma maters. Make no mistake, he is not just doing that. Asoke K Laha, founder-CEO and managing director of San Jose-headquartered Interra Information Technologies, a global software services organization that delivers innovative business and technology solutions to Fortune 1000 companies, is traveling almost 15 days a month, exploring ways of spreading InterraIT’s wings. The mid-sized IT services company, now has operations across six countries- the US, Canada, the UK, India, Japan and Netherlands.
An MSEE from the University of Saskatchewan(Canada), an MS in Computer Science from Northwestern University and BE (Honors) from Jadavpur University, India, Laha has also built three globally benchmarked delivery centres- at San Jose, Noida and Kolkata.
Interra IT, a CMM level 5 technology solution and software consultancy company, has recently teamed up with the Netherlands-based InShoring Pros Nederland B.V for exclusive business partnering, providing access to the diverse European market place and for further knowhow exchange on a global scale. The two companies will jointly focus on key areas of e-Commerce, mobile apps, cloud services, says Laha.
Laha says, “The prime objective of this association is ‘Global reach – One World One Team’. For India, this will create a ‘brain gain’ (as opposed to a ‘brain drain’) for the local Indian regional economies and business sectors. At the same time it would create an additional top talent resource pool that answers to the growing needs of the Netherlands’ regional economies and business sectors for scarce ICT top talent in these growing sectors. This will create sustainable growth for both nations and their economies.”
After the US and Europe, InterraIT will look at the Apec countries to spread its wings and expand, says Laha, adding that wherever the company goes it would prefer to have a local partner in that country.
The company, which at present, has a headcount of nearly 350, is planning to hire another 150 across two locations- Noida and Kolkata over the next 12 months. “The challenge is to find the right talent for the right job, so that we are not impacted adversely by attritions,” Laha says, adding, “Interestingly, a strong brand-be it a product-driven company or service-driven, always helps in attracting new and right talent.
While looking outward and globally, Laha has never lost focus on India. And in the heart of his hearts, he still has plans of moving towards tier-II, tier-III cities to put up its new development centres.
“We have seen from our experiences that you get excellent talent pool in these tier-II, tier-III cities and that too at a much cheaper cost. And some of these smaller towns have excellent infrastructure. Therefore it makes lot of business sense to move towards these cities. A large number of our existing manpower actually comes from these places. And they would be more productive working closer to their homes. We are looking at places like Durgapur, Nainital, Chandigarh,” says the CEO-MD of the nearly Rs 200 crore company.
Ask him: If not in business, what would you have been?….and the answer would be ‘teacher”. With that teacher deep down his heart, Laha has also lined up plans to incubate some of the bright ideas from within his own company. “I always think there is an immediate need for creating entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. And as it is said, ‘charity begins at home’, we have thought of incubating and promoting bright ideas from among our own employees. And that’s just not charity or part of CSR, but it should make business senses,” says Laha.
