IT industry needs experienced hands, yet freshers hiring will not be zero: HYSEA president
The Hindu
More employees are expected to return to office by mid-2023, but 100% people in office like pre-COVID times is not going to happen, says Manisha Saboo
Manisha Saboo is the first woman president of the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association and also the first to be elected to the post in three decades of the influential body of IT firms. The campus head of Infosys Hyderabad SEZ, she has been associated with HYSEA for a few years now and led its COVID-19 relief work. Ms.Saboo speaks in a measured tone, yet outright on raging issues in the IT industry and is clear about the roadmap ahead for HYSEA. Edited excerpts from an exclusive interaction:
Q) You were elected as HYSEA president for 2022-24 in May this year. How has it been spearheading the association of IT firms of Hyderabad?
As a team elected for the first time in 30 years of HYSEA, we have the advantage of having new people, fresh blood and new ideas. There then is the advantage of having past presidents in our management committee to provide direction and keep us grounded. It has been a very fulfilling journey thus far to work towards changing the future, fate line of people and even landscape of IT industry in Hyderabad over the next decade or two. We are moving in the right direction, one step at a time, to make Hyderabad the innovation capital of India. That’s the vision.
Q) What are the key elements of your plan?
We identified the most important building blocks towards achieving this vision. The three strategic aspects are talent transformation since talent is the base for IT industry, second is knowledge exchange or to facilitate knowledge sharing, especially serving as a platform connecting startups and industry veterans, and the third is ESG.
Q) Will HYSEA be doing this all by itself?
The emphasis is on collaboration with TASK, T-Hub, TIE, almost all the ecosystem partners. Like the government, we are very eager to see more startups come to Hyderabad. Already, the cost structure in terms of setup, infrastructure is low for startups in Hyderabad. If we create the magnetic force to attract startups, it will really change the way Hyderabad will look 10-15 years from now.
The All-India level NEET examination was started a few years ago to counter complaints of corruption during the joint entrance examinations held at the State level. AIDSO had warned the authorities that the solution to the menace of corruption was not changing the examination system, but to investigate the corruption and punish the guilty.