This is an article by Cathy Chandhok, Chief Marketing Officer, Infogain, that appeared in Analytics Insight on 16th November 2021.

“Build a talent for genuine communication. And absorb ideas without judgment or knee-jerk reactions. Those are key to building anything lasting," Cathy Chandhok, Chief Marketing Officer, Infogain.

Infogain is a human-centered digital platform and software engineering company based in The San Francisco Bay Area’s Silicon Valley. The company envisions business outcomes for Fortune 500 companies and digital natives in technology, healthcare, insurance, travel, telecom, retail, CPG and related fields. We use cloud, microservices, automation, IoT, artificial intelligence and related innovations, focusing on accelerating experience-led transformation in the delivery of digital platforms. Infogain is also a Microsoft Gold Partner and an Azure Expert Managed Services Provider (MSP).

Recent accolades for Infogain

Infogain’s motto, “Engineering Business Outcomes,” showcases our engineering excellence and mission to deliver meaningful and measurable solutions that drive impact for our clients. This year, the company has been recognized as the world's second-fastest-growing engineering services provider. It has also been designated a Star Performer and a Major Contender in Everest Group’s 2021 Software Product Engineering Services PEAK Matrix assessment and has been accoladed as a Major Contender in the PEAK Matrix assessments for next-generation quality assurance services and digital interactive experience (DIX) services for 2020.

Meet Cathy Chandhok

Cathy Chandhok leads the company’s marketing practices. As Chief Marketing Officer at Infogain, Cathy focuses on brand management, digital marketing, and marketing tech. She leads the development and execution of the company's marketing by focusing on customer trust and thought leadership.

As CMO, she focuses on improving customer experiences, anticipating market trends, and delivering on Infogain’s value proposition. Her team is based across India, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the US.

International journey, international view

Cathy’s career path has spanned three continents. She started in Copenhagen in global product management where she built the campaign analytics function at General Motors before arriving in India.

Working in multicultural environments for decades enables Cathy to bring a global point of view.  She has learned from the great minds of many collaborators along the way, including Infogain CEO Ayan Mukerji, who inspired her to make incisive organizational moves to build a world-class operation.

Adapting to risk

Cathy believes transformational leaders should not put off tough decisions, and they must align those decisions with clearly defined vision, values, goals, and objectives.

She believes anyone can take a risk, but transformational leaders take calculated risks driven by their instincts and their team’s strengths. Competition is a constant in business. But leaders should constantly be adapting and creating new strategies to engage competitors.

Take the long view

Cathy asks clients “What if?” and “Why not?” early in projects. This allows her to help them create a vision of what can be. And identify roadblocks that need to be dealt with along the way. “The bird’s-eye view is the perfect spot to sense market needs and design solutions that achieve superior outcomes for the clients”, she says.

Industry 4.0, a revolution

Cathy sees a Fourth Industrial Revolution, “Industry 4.0”, of technological breakthroughs, such as RPA, AI, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. Companies are changing from being manpower-intensive to technology-centric. How they manage digital transformation will determine if they can compete and deliver value to their customers. Artificial intelligence will be key for many industries.

Mastering the technology won’t be enough. Amidst this change, managing people remains key to effective leadership. Some principles, such as those described in “Anatomy of Peace”, remain constant. Certain other aspects have changed, since effective leaders devote more time to understand an employee’s personal wants and aspirations, making unprecedented accommodations to empower team members to contribute in new ways, from new workspaces, and at flexible times. Leaders should listen and be flexible to changing pressures on members of their team.

Infogain’s plans for growth

Infogain is focusing on digital innovation, platform innovation, and platform foundation. Infogain has joined the private equity network of APAX Partners and is already exploring various associated growth opportunities. It is already in talks with new potential clients and partners. Building senior leadership that will help the company grow at 20 to 25 percent in the coming years is another priority. Infogain remains committed to achieving meaningful outcomes for both customers and employees. The company is excited to be with them on their journeys.

Develop yourself, value your time 

Cathy advises emerging leaders to develop a personal learning plan for the year and spend five to ten hours a week working on that plan. "Create a vision board to envision yourself in job roles that require more responsibility. Maintain a good work-life balance and take regular breaks to enjoy time with your family on vacations, etc", she says.

She also counsels them to value time like money. And spend it wisely.

“It is crucial to identify the activities that will make the biggest impact. Then to work smartly to get them done. Every year your goal should be to contribute 10 percent more than last year.