The Corporate Connect - Mr. Chandrashekhar Tatapudy

The members of the Corporate Relations Committee (CRC) of SIMSREE had the opportunity to interview Mr. Chandrashekhar Tatapudy, CEO and  Co-founder of Yasham Life Sciences Private Ltd. on the 27th of September, 2013. He is also currently a business Advisor to Carlson Caspers, a US based law firm, Eduriser Learning Solutions Pvt. Ltd., an education content delivery company, VSBT, Baramati a biotech institute, Cool Flo Engineers Pvt. Ltd., a manufacture of large industrial fans for cooling towers and TDK & Co, a chartered accountancy firm.

Mr. Tatapudy has 33 years (27 years in the US and 6 years between India and the US) of successful experience as a strategy consultant (6 years), entrepreneur, co-founder and CFO of two California Silicon Valley based software companies (12 years) and engineering consultant (15 years). Mr.Tatapudy specializes in India-Entry strategies for US companies and in US entry for India-based companies.  He has authored ‘Gujarat Sails to Success’ for the Gujarat State Government, a book released at Vibrant Gujarat, 2007.

Mr. Tatapudy’s experience spans across bioscience, pharmaceuticals, energy, software, infrastructure, education and engineering industries and in companies from large to small.  He has worked in the Bay Area (California), New York City, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Mr. Tatapudy holds an MBA and a BE in Mechanical Engineering and is a naturalized US citizen (emigrated from India in 1980).  He is Past President of the Indo-American Society (IAS) in 2008-09 and is active in various committees of IAS.

Excerpts from the interview:

Team CRC: What according to you are the entry barriers for budding entrepreneurs who wish to enter into the field of bio-technology or pharmacy?

Mr. Tatapudy: In India, it is difficult to start any kind of business because of limited scope but the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) which is a Government body has been very supportive. It provides subsidies and good schemes to attractive projects. A combination of science and management will definitely help the young entrepreneurs having innovative ideas to excel in their business.




CRC: What qualities do young entrepreneurs who want to open up a start-up need to have?

Mr. Tatapudy: Youngsters should first test themselves for finding out whether they have the attitude of being an entrepreneur or not. Self-belief is one thing that makes you do wonders. They need to have passion and the attitude to work towards their beliefs. They should be clear with their thought process and think and plan how to make the optimum use of the limited resources.


            

CRC: The parliament aims to come up with a regulatory body named Central Drug Authority which will be in lines with Food and Drug Administration, USA. What are your views on this?

Mr. Tatapudy: This kind of regulatory body will definitely be helpful. People in this sector will be more organised and committed.  However, what I feel is that seriousness on legal end is required. For this India has to improve itself on law enforcement. Unless this system is in place, the enforcement and implementation of the regulatory body would be a problematic.




CRC: According to recent report by Ernst and Young, biotech sector in India is expected to achieve revenue of $ 11.6 billion by 2017 whereas the current economic scenario shows a slowdown where India is growing at a GDP of less than 5%. What according to you will be the future of the biotech sector in India?

Mr. Tatapudy: I am not sure about that statistics but yes the sector is bound to grow at rapid rate in the years to come. We can't relate this growth to India's GDP growth because most of the revenue will be generated through exports. Though, domestic sales in this industry will be low in next few years, it will thrive on international business. In fact I would suggest young MBA graduates to join pharmaceutical sector. So the future of this sector is really bright.

  

CRC: As you have stayed in USA as well as India for long durations, so how will you relate India's growth post independence to that of USA

Mr. Tatapudy: India has developed lot post-independence. India had lady prime minister and adopted secular stance in very early years. The democracy is India's backbone. The demographic capital of India will help it further as compared to USA. Also the democratic system gives it edge over China. In the long run India will be more stable than China. India has a lot of influence in African continent. As Africa will grow the India will prosper.




CRC: As we know there is a huge scope of exports from this sector. But is there any corresponding import too?

Mr. Tatapudy: Yes we do import some items from different countries across the world. But imports form a very minor part. Actually the biotech sector has very smart people. They use research and management very well to generate revenues. They have to deal with different litigations and law systems in different countries. Thus R&D, management and law play measure role in success of this industry.  So a small per cent of imports does not make a big difference.




CRC: Is there any benefit that the pharmaceutical sector gains because of Medical Tourism?

Mr. Tatapudy: Yes we can say that the sector is at an advantage due to Medical Tourism. This is mainly because of the good services that are provided in time and with lower costs. In some of the western countries, the waiting list for the patients is too long. This pulls people from abroad for treatment of various diseases.  However there exist problems in litigations. If any foreigner sues any hospital or a doctor then their money will be at stake. Indians are not used to this. The penalty that has to be paid can be huge. So here insurance sector comes into play. Please note that, in India, this is another sector which will grow tremendously.




CRC: Is India’s population an asset according to you?

Mr. Tatapudy: Population of India is often referred to as Demographic Dividend. However in my opinion currently India’s population is the Demographic Capital. There are some major problems in the economy like corruption, lenient judiciary system, etc. but every economy passes through similar stages. India’s growth in post-independence period has been outstanding and there is larger scope of India beating China in long run.




CRC: What are your suggestions for the first year MBA students? What according to you can make them industry ready?

Mr. Tatapudy: Frankly, the real battle starts at work. Working in corporate world gives you more learning than any kind of textbook. Another important thing is observing actions of people around and learning from them. Believe in your gut feeling and take decisions by following your intuitions. 

 CRC: It has been a pleasure talking to you, sir. Thank you for sharing your valuable time with us.