Kishore Balaji Desikachari - Kitchens at Taramani to Driving a Smart Nation

Kitchens at Taramani to Driving a Smart Nation

Kishore Balaji

He started in the Hospitality Industry, and today, Kishore Balaji is a leading voice at the forefront of Technology in India. As Executive Director - Government Affairs at IBM South Asia, he orchestrates all of IBM’s policy and regulatory engagements with Federal and State governments. He strongly advocates digital literacy and fosters innovative thinking and "tinkering" skills in young minds, preparing them for the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

The Digital Literacy program that he built has been adopted by the government as its 'National Digital Literacy Mission' and has trained over 10 million people across the country. Kishore’s efforts have helped execute the 'Atal Tinkering Lab' program in India. These laboratories are set up in schools across the country to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, and physical computing. He is also a mentor and a keen investor in a few budding start-ups. Living in the city of Bangalore, Kishore finds himself on the golf course in his spare time.

How did someone with a mere diploma in hotel management end up with a cornucopia of achievements in such a contrasting industry like Technology? That certainly is an interesting story and a conversation over many beers, he remarks.

Kishore grew up in several Airforce settlements across India. When he graduated from high school, his father was posted at the Airforce station at ‘Avadi’ near Madras, a location that was as far away from civilization as could be. Exposure to diverse career options were limited in this self-contained community. His father's only expectation of him was that he should be self-sufficient by the time he turned 21. 

The Hotel Management JEE was only one of many JEEs that he wrote, and the only one he got into. So begins the story of this 17-year-old lad, who had never stepped into a 5-star hotel, as he entered the premises of IHM Madras with no clue of what he was getting into, except that it sounded glamorous.

While at the institute, Kishore admits that he was definitely not a ‘frontbencher’ and could usually be found hanging around with his mates at Kanagam, the row of shacks near the college that sold tea and snacks or at the boys' hostel. In the philosophy of Jack Ma, Kishore was a middling student and remarks that his only achievement during college was that he cleared the program without any ATKT (Allowed To Keep Term).

Despite having trained with the Taj Connemara, a leading hotel in Madras, he was in for a rude shock when it came to the campus interviews. At a time when career options were limited, he did not get selected by any of the leading hotel chains, including the Taj. He was devastated and felt that he had not only let his family and friends down but, more importantly, he had let himself down- by not measuring up to his own expectations. The weight of his promise to his father of being self-sufficient by 21 brought his 20-year-old self to the lowest point in his life- or so it seemed. Not one to wallow in sorrow and determined to bounce back, he says he shamelessly asked as many people in his limited network for help. It was then that a lecturer in Sales and Marketing, Jaisree Anand, mentioned that Sterling Resorts was looking to hire Sales Executives. 

Not knowing much about the role of a Sales Executive, Kishore attended the interview and ended up securing the job. However, soon after, to his dismay, Sterling came in for a late campus recruitment drive for ‘Management Trainees’- a role higher than what he had signed up for with them earlier. Kishore made it to the last round of the interview, only to be disappointingly notified that, he was not eligible for the position, as he had already been made an offer as a Sales Exec.

With no privilege of choice, Kishore wanted to give the opportunity he had, his best shot.  Kishore joined Sterling and was determined to learn as much as he could and chased success. The job put him on the road, helped him network, and gain new skills. He began seizing every opportunity, and the bank balance grew. It was at this point of his career that he realized that the walk back from Sales to Hotel Operations would be almost impossible. He learnt the importance of a crucial skill- ‘pivoting’; and decided to get a bachelor’s in commerce, with a desire to pursue an MBA at a later stage. 

While he was at Sterling, he keenly observed the liberalization of the early '90s and the early stages of the growth of the Technology industry in India. Eager to be a part of this revolution, Kishore found himself in front of a big hurdle– he was not a technologist. Furthermore, was also not keen on becoming a programmer and being a part of the coding brain drain to the US. In an "aha" moment, a Sales job in an IT company seemed to be the bridge to entering the IT industry. 

Through his network, he soon reached out to APTECH, who were hiring Sales Executives, and enthusiastically joined them. This pivotal moment in his life lead to him playing several business roles first in IT Training and later, in the IT Industry that he longed for. The teenager who knew no further than the kitchens in Taramani found himself leading teams in Sales, Business Development, Customer Service, and Marketing. 

Finally, about 10 years ago, Kishore Balaji picked Policy and Government Affairs, as an area to gain mastery and is now one of the leading faces in this area. 

Kishore believes the key to his success was being mindful and anticipating changes as he moved across roles, corporations, and cities. He also credits his success to several mentors who looked out for him. Additionally, he strongly believes that there is no age or limit to growth, and still constantly tries to keep up to speed by improving his skills and academics. To his young self’s satisfaction, he did end up getting the MBA that he had promised himself while at Sterling, and completed an Advanced Management program at IIM Bangalore. Currently, he is pursuing a doctorate in Public Policy, a far cry from the middling student he once was.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, Kishore now acknowledges that his education at IHM polished his personality and communication skills, and gave him the confidence and gravitas to interact with people at various levels. This has held him in good stead throughout his career, diverse though the industry may be. He believes that the education he acquired at IHM, would have been perfect for him had he stayed on in Hotel Operations. However, given the unforeseen turns in his career, he had to picked up essential skills like critical thinking, creativity, new media literacy, design mindset, cross-cultural competency, and social intelligence, among others.

Kishore believes that good work ethics, focus, goal orientation, and a growth mindset are the building blocks for success. Although he had jobs in his career that he was forced to take because of the lack of options, he worked hard and strived for results – that has shaped him into the leading figure he is today. Failure is never a plan in anyone’s agenda, but failure helps sharpen critical skills that ultimately lead to success. Kishore’s rather unique career has had several ups and downs in the early years, and those trying and difficult times have certainly fueled his drive for success, along with teaching him valuable lessons.

If there is one crucial message to take away from Kishore’s story, it is his resounding advice for students: Take it easy, but never stop striving for greatness. His profound words hold valuable wisdom; emphasizing the power of acquiring skills over chasing mere grades. In his passionate belief, Kishore declares, “Remember, when you reach 40, no one cares about your grades. Education matters, but grades are fleeting.” 

With a growth mindset as his guiding light, he urges young minds to broaden their horizons, nurture invaluable connections, and seek mentors who can ignite their potential. Reflecting on his own successful journey, Kishore emphasizes, “Life has its ups and downs, but unwavering self-belief is the catalyst that propels us forward.”

Kishore Balaji, batch of 1994