Vikas Gupta
PGPMAX Founding Class





Tell us a little about your family background/ history. How has it influenced you?
My story involves a unique journey along the path of innovation and learning. It started with joining my family publishing business after completing my formal education – a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering, and a post graduate diploma in Printing and Publishing Studies from London College of Printing.

Coming from an engineering background, it was always my aim to advance our traditional family business into the field of IT publishing and take it to the next level of growth. I founded 3 multi-crore startup ventures. Handling these diversified businesses helped broaden my vision and outlook. It also helped radicalize my ideas on traditional publishing business models. At a time when publishing and information technology made poor bed fellows, I made it my mission to marry the two, for the advancement of education and skill development in India.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects).
A passionate entrepreneur, I have led multiple business ventures across diverse industries over the years, including publishing, medical electronics and IT. Once our family business achieved a four-fold increase in turnover, I ventured out on my own and established a software company, Dreamtech Software India, which produced a number of innovative solutions. The Exam Cram e- learning platform was launched in association with the Coriolis Group, and became one of the most highly-rated IT training products in the retail market in the US at the time.

I also started a new venture distributing and marketing high-end medical electronic equipment, SBP Medicare Systems Pvt. Ltd. Within 3 years, it became an independent profit center and multi-crore business.

I went onto launch a new computer books division, Comdex Computer Publishing, which has published one of the best-selling computer book series in India till date.

In collaboration with IDG Books Inc, I established an independent, computer publishing joint venture- with no earlier imprint- covering everything from logistics printing/publishing operations, distribution, marketing/PR and back office operations. This venture was eventually acquired by John Wiley, US and operationally became Wiley India, with myself at the helm as Managing Director. My contribution to the company over the years has helped build it into a leading international publisher in India, with an annual turnover of over US$40mn. Ours is one of the few businesses today which is growing and innovating simultaneously at an extraordinary pace without any acquisitions and mergers. For an industry, which for the last 4-5 years, has been in deep trouble, this has been a unique and inspirational success story.
In the year 1998, one of my ventures was featured as one of the 'Sizzling IT Companies in India' by a leading computer trade journal, Dataquest. During the same year I was nominated for the prestigious 'Sista's World Com Young Business Achiever's Award' for new the breed of entrepreneurs who had achieved remarkable success in their respective fields.

I am regularly invited to address several prestigious forums and events organized by leading industry bodies, including FICCI, CII, NBT (National Book Trust, India) as well as leading Corporates and Universities, globally.

I have authored 15 books ‘til date, with combined global sales of over 2 million copies. My best-selling publications on IT, such as ‘Rapidex Comdex’ taught millions in India how to use computers. It was the first ever book of its kind, which included a virtual simulator on a floppy disk to help reinforce learn by practicing in a virtual environment. I also developed and co-authored six, high-end programming books in the ‘Cracking the Code’ series for Wiley which were published in the US for the global market.

Tell us about your profile prior to attending ISB and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
After completing the program at ISB, my thinking and decision-making process as a leader became more strategic and data oriented. Publishing was an industry in which decisions were being made relying heavily on ‘gut feeling’ as opposed to being data driven. My time here also helped broaden my vision in terms of making products for global markets and expanding the reach of existing ones across farther boundaries.
I worked with the global team at John Wiley to develop the PurdueNext program for engineering sciences- years before the various skill development initiatives in India commenced. It was for the first time in the world that a solution was created wherein you could learn, practice and get assessed in a real environment, with bite-sized learning modules and live simulators. It allowed both students and faculty to be trained in multiple formats. Today, Purdue is being used by many institutions in India, including College of Engineering and VIT, Pune, NITTE, Bangalore, Anna Saheb Dange College of Engineering, Sangli etc.

With the Wiley IT certifications, I wanted to offer the masses access to digital courses in newer technologies such as Big Data, Cloud Computing, IT Security and Mobile Apps. Weaving the same thread of learn by doing, the platform included hands on virtual labs/simulators, study guides and assessments. These are now being used extensively in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and United States.
For the health and pharma sector, we are working extensively toward the development of continuous medical education programs along with various apps. Launched last year, this initiative is being further developed to enable medical professionals to improve their skills and provide the best treatment and care to patients.
In the last five years, Wiley India has become the testing ground for innovation in products, services and solutions development. With the blessings and full support of the executive leadership in the United States, I have been successful at driving this transformation. I have always seen myself not just as a leader who maintains status-quo, but as an entrepreneur who leads growth through newer channels, and ISB has played a major role in molding my thinking and decision-making processes.

How do you think your time at ISB has contributed to your career and personal growth?
The program at ISB enhanced my business capabilities in the areas of Corporate Finance, Strategic Negotiations, Mergers & Acquisitions and Networking, along with working and developing relationships with a wide spectrum of CEOs and business leaders from various fields. I feel this has helped me understand that no matter the industry, companies essentially face the same kind of problems when it comes to doing business. And we can learn from the examples of each other and grow in our respective fields. As I mentioned earlier, the time at ISB helped me shape my ideas with regards to skill development of the Indian workforce with the PurdueNext program for engineering sciences.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
I find it extremely satisfying and fulfilling that my job allows me to help transform the educational landscape in India and in making IT education accessible to masses. Even today, on account of its complexity, coupled with jargon-heavy presentation, IT remains a learning discipline only 'for the professionals - by the professionals'. In my vision, if it is to be taken to the masses, 'the bottom of the pyramid' - students, teachers, designers, housewives, small shop owners, entrepreneurs - it is necessary to simplify and demystify its learning, and remove the 'computer phobia' from people's minds.
I enjoy working with a team of very bright and passionate individuals, who are all involved in the transformation of the professional learning landscape- IT has a new meaning for us here are Wiley- it means ‘information through technology.’ Today there is great emphasis even in the government’s policies on the skill development space. We at Wiley are trying to develop an ecosystem which will be the future of the skill development landscape in India, and for me that is the most challenging and gratifying part of what I do.

Briefly describe a typical day at work, in a way that illuminates the kind of challenges and opportunities your role involves.
The publishing industry is going through a major transition- from print to online. In the midst of this changing DNA of the ecosystem and hence the organization which is a part of it, the challenge for a business head is to keep the core business intact so that it pays the bills and at the same time expand the offerings into new avenues. This is a tough environment in which efficiency needs to be created in the core business so that it remains profitable, while at the same time investments need to be made in newer sectors so that they bring in the money in the longer term. At Wiley, currently 20% of the business is based on solutions, and my vision is to grow this figure to 50-60%. To achieve this end, I am exploring various global partnerships and acquisitions and exploring various business models.

A large part of my job as a leader is to ensure that we spend a significant amount of effort on research and trend analysis in order to stay ahead of the curve. This also involves regular review and restructuring of roles and responsibilities of the workforce, and hiring talent with diverse qualifications and experience to form the future of Wiley, and indeed the future of publishing. For existing employees, I need to find new ways of motivating them to view and do their job differently, and encouraging them to look beyond traditional publishing into newer challenges. The toughest predicament that a stagnated industry finds itself in is that the workforce tends to get too complacent and comfortable doing the same job the same way for years and years, such that they eventually forget how to innovate – be it in terms of their roles or skill sets. I need to ensure that each individual is optimally equipped and encouraged to contribute in their fullest capacity.

I am proud to say that under my leadership, the company has emerged as a frontrunner in creating cutting- edge learning resources in traditional as well as new-age media.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Are there any trends that you can identify?
In the publishing industry, for the last 20 years, the emphasis had been on the quality of content. But now in the Google age, the best content was not the decisive criteria- good enough content is OK. The focus was now on getting information right here, right now. From being just a product business, publishing had metamorphosed into a knowledge-solution business. It is becoming increasingly clear that in today’s ‘anytime-anywhere’ world of knowledge, the next wave of growth would come not just by selling printed books, but by delivering knowledge through various channels and media – it could be a book shop, web site, on-line portal, e-book, computer or a smart phone.

What was the main highlight or most memorable aspect of your programme at the ISB?
Ours was the founding batch of the program, and to be in a room full of successful high achievers from various spectra of industry was an absolutely exhilarating experience in itself. To be able to debate, learn and contribute in an environment comprising some of the brightest minds in the country, led to a cumulative learning experience that was enriching and most assuredly life-changing.

If you could offer a word of advice to the current class at ISB, what would it be?
My advice would be- learn from all the experiences you have. Beyond classroom study, your experience at ISB affords you the unique opportunity to learn so much more than just in the classroom. Learn from interaction with your peers- there is something to be derived from every person’s experiences. You may feel that a particular problem is restricted to your industry or role, but if you analyse closely, you will realize that essentially the core of it remains the same irrespective of vertical. And there will always be a key takeaway for you from the case study of another person’s solution to it. So interact with others, listen to what they have to say and apply the knowledge gained to become better at what you do.

How do you feel you can contribute to ISB?
I had a wonderful professional and personal learning experience at ISB, and I would love to come back one day and teach students. I believe I would learn as much from them as they would from me, and I keenly await any such opportunity that may present itself.