Viral Gandhi, is a well-known technocrat. An alumnus of Harvard Business School & MIT, he holds over 28 years of leadership and information technology experience in BFSI, pharma, manufacturing, realty, and travel industries. He has been conferred with several prestigious awards for his contributions to technology and innovation.
The Piramal group, spanning fi nancial services, pharmaceuticals, and real estate, relies on Gandhi to harness technology as a catalyst for growth, operational effi ciency, and stakeholders’ experiences.
His focus is to build a robust technology culture within the organisation, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages experimentation and continuous learning. They encourage a culture of open dialogue, regular brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional collaborations to provide a platform for innovative thinking. They have established newer ways of working including agile methodology, self-empowered scrum teams, design thinking, collective problem solving, leverage idea generation, etc., and empower teams to contribute to the organisation’s growth and success.
Under his leadership, Piramal group began its digital transformation journey eight years ago and since then has sharpened its focus on the use of digital technologies such as artifi cial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), hyper-automation, and advanced data analytics to empower decision-making, and improve business processes and customer experiences. In the financial services business, they use AI, ML, decision science, and automated business intelligence to improve customer experiences and detect fraud and delinquency. In the pharma business, MES and IoT-based solutions are used to digitally control, monitor, and document the manufacturing process. Chatbots are used for employee self-service, data analytics, and distribution management.
Among the many initiatives taken by Gandhi, a notable one is the establishment of a Center of Excellence for Robotic Process Automation (RPA), which has automated critical fi nancial processes, deploying over 75 bots, and delivering substantial annual efficiency gains equivalent to 50-person years of effort. This initiative has yielded significant cost reductions, enhanced data accuracy, and ensured compliance with regulatory requirements.
Gandhi says, “Technology leaders are no longer tech leaders alone, they are now business and technology leaders.” Technology is paving the way for organisations to stay relevant in the ever-evolving business landscape. Gandhi credits his success to relentless learning, embracing innovation, fostering collaboration, leveraging the ecosystem, and staying adaptable in the face of technological evolution.
