The entire outlook on business is changing but still women are left behind in the race and are forced to prioritise family over career. It’s important to create a viable support system for women who are career oriented so that when they take a break and come back, they are at par with other colleagues. Also the orthodox/traditional ways of doing business has changed to working remotely, going digital which certainly favours women as they can multitask and find a perfect work life balance.
“Everybody talks about diversity but I have seen this in the true spirit at Klaus,” says Savitha AD, the CEO of Klaus IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The company has an equal number of women leaders in its Executive Committee who are very efficiently managing various portfolios. Klaus IT Solutions is one of the leading ISO9001:27001 certified professional services and solutions companies. Klaus was established in 2011 and is headquartered in the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore.
The company provides innovative, efficient and cost effective software solutions and services to IT and Engineering verticals. It leverages on mature and quality certified processes to provide customized solutions to customers. Klaus also provides workforce solutions due to which it has become a preferred go-to supplier for Fortune 500 companies and product organizations. In 2019, Klaus opened a 200-seater Development Center which has been enabled for 24/7 operations.
With all such feats at its feet, Klaus has grown multifold under the leadership of Savitha. When asked about her achievements, she humbly responded, “I would rather say its Klaus’ achievements. I was instrumental in pushing through some important deals, be it new client acquisitions or bagging high value projects which improved the entire outlook of Klaus.”
A Professional Strife
Savitha has more than 24 years of industry experience along with an excellent track record of motivating team members while driving them towards a growth trajectory. She has a commendable set of interpersonal skills amalgamated with the ability to lead. No doubt, all of her qualities have led to the accelerated growth in business.
It is every individual’s dream to head an organization and when Savitha’s team supported by the company’s MD, Mr. Varma announced that she will have to take up the role of CEO; it was a proud moment for her. “That was a moment, I will cherish forever,” shares Savitha. The toughest deal for her to crack was a government project that her whole team was bidding for. For two consecutive times, they lost the bid by just a whisker (as it was a closed bid tender) but finally when the team won it the third time, it was worth all the effort.
Savitha has always set very high goals for her and worked smart/hard to reach up to this point in her life. She is very passionate about work but maintains a perfect work life balance. “Our MD, colleagues and team work in tandem to ensure that we take Klaus to newer heights,” she describes. So, her goal is aligned with the company’s organizational objectives. “I ensure that we work collectively to make it a successful story,” adds Savitha.
The most important that she has learnt in her professional journey is to stay connected. Building strong relationships, be it with employees, clients, colleagues, family, friends has always helped her sail through the toughest times of her life both personally and professionally.
A Personal Touch
Savitha is from Mangalore and she grew up in a small town called Shahabad which is located in Karnataka. After travelling across different places in her learning years, she finally settled in Bangalore. Initially, she worked at a stock and share broker’s office and then switched to a pharmaceutical company. Later, she moved on to a beverage company.
After a break of about three and half years she came back to join an IT firm. That’s when her real journey began. Savitha juggled between home and office, managing both the fronts well while giving her 100% in everything she did. She has worked for organizations like Ionidea, Valtech India and Societe Generale in her career span of more than twenty years. She has been involved with Klaus IT since 2011.
“My dad was a man who was full of life and always told, ‘Work is worship’ and I grew watching him give his best in everything,” describes Savitha. She imbibed the same qualities through and through. One thing which she is very proud of is her confidence and enthusiasm. “It has taken me to places,” she expresses.
Savitha has always believed in self-motivation. So, she never forgets to pat her on the back after carrying out the entire thing well. She stays grounded all the time because she believes that her husband and daughter are her biggest critiques in her life.
Personally, she is content with where life has brought her. “I am so happy in the space where I am currently,” states Savitha. Professionally, she would like to see Klaus in the top 10 companies to work. In terms of personal goals, she wishes to help the people in old age homes, so that they could have a better life.
