Motivating team members at every level is important for the smooth functioning of any organization. Ajay Kumar Meher, Vice President – IT at Sony Entertainment Television believes wholeheartedly in this mantra. By Pupul Dutta
For Ajay Kumar Meher, strategy plays a key role in delivering the best possible solution to any problem. A BE in Computer Science (1989 – 1993), Meher is also an MBA from Symbiosis Institute, Pune. After his schooling in Orissa, he moved down south to graduate from the Bangalore University.
Meher’s first break happened to be in PNS Computers and, from there, he moved on to Crompton Greaves Informatics where he worked as a Network Implementation Engineer and helped the company build its LAN, WAN and server operations from scratch.
After spending a couple of years in CG Informatics, he joined Philips as Regional IT Manager – South India, in June 1997 and stayed there for ten and a half years. Here, he was entrusted with the responsibility of setting up the WAN, Notes mail and various applications, besides managing the Internet setup. Meher also built many applications in order to support and automate business processes.
In 2000, Meher was asked to take up the role of Head Infrastructure at Philips and had to migrate to Mumbai (from Chennai) for the same. At this time, he was taking care of almost six IT domains in the company.
In 2007, he bid adieu to Philips and joined Sony Entertainment Television as Chief Information Officer. He not only led the new media business in Sony but also helped align existing businesses with evolving technology. He was also responsible for creating opportunities for content monetization. His performance coupled with cost saving innovations helped him rise to the position of Vice President – IT.
IT initiatives
In a career spanning over two decades, Meher has been awarded many times for his various innovations. His skills in strategic execution of projects, process creation and management, IT cost management, service/solution creation and business process reengineering fetched him numerous accolades.
Before Meher came in, Sony had an orthodox way of delivering content to the broadcasting office in Singapore. It was delivered over tapes through hand delivery or courier. This proved to be an expensive method given the travel costs and also the cumbersome load of suitcases full of tapes.
Within three months, Meher created a technology for content delivery through a file based platform that went through the network. The effectiveness of this delivery was that the time to air was reduced. The channel managed to save almost one and a half days by sending content through a file-based technology.
Further, he created a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system, which is like the nerve center of any broadcasting network. In Sony before the implementation of DAM, people stored content/music on cassettes and had to write down the serial number of songs manually. This was a cumbersome process as whenever a particular track had to be searched, one had to go through the entire list to get to a particular piece. Similarly, for a broadcaster to search a particular film from his library was quite tiresome.
With DAM all of the content was digitized and it was stored on a file-based platform that made searching easier. DAM helped create metadata and facilitated the creation of promotional content. “DAM allows a user to access content on Intranet and Internet and can also be edited on the move. This implementation was completed last year,” Meher said.
“Currently, we are implementing a Broadcast Management System (BMS) in the company, which will automate the Rights Management System, scheduling of television programs, create deals, campaign, spot booking till realization and invoicing,” he said.
Meher also implemented Enterprise Content Management (ECM) for the effective storage of content, workflow management, Web content and digital asset management along with integration with SAP and the mail system.
Talking about his experience in Philips, he said, “In Philips (1999-2000), my team was entrusted with the responsibility of connecting the company’s four regional offices, one head office and 64 warehouses that were built outside the city according to the prevailing norms. So, a heterogeneous, complex WAN was built. For connectivity we used all kinds of platforms like MPLS, GSM, radio connection etc. Overall it was a challenging effort to get things right.”
During his brief stint with Crompton Greaves Informatics, Meher built up the WAN for Tetra School, a training institute run by the Air Force.
Advise to upcoming CIOs
According to Meher, an IT professional should never discuss IT jargon with the top management. He believes in strategy rather than firefighting in times of crisis.
“IT managers should be strategic in all of their approaches and they should think about the future. In fact, for a successful manager, it is important that he thinks about the business as a whole and how you can enable it and not just about IT processes,” he said.
In a nutshell, according to Meher, an IT professional should ensure that he discusses issues in a way, which even a layman understands and should not give in to the temptation of using technical language that only his or her peers would be able to comprehend. Also, one should think at least two steps in advance in order to prevent any problems.
Team motivation
Meher believes in motivating his team everyday and not just when a crisis crops up. “It is important to give all your team members their career path and also give them their due credit and appreciation. It is vital for a team leader to believe in his team members and have faith in them. Empowerment is very critical even in a third level person,” he said.
When it comes to dealing with crisis, one should not jump to conclusions or decisions. Carefully analyze the problem and then think about the right approach.
IT plans
Meher plans to merge his two favorite projects DAM and BMS to enable smooth scheduling and process management. “I will also implement business intelligent software in Sony this year,” he said.
“The implementation of SAP with modules like sales and distribution, and FiCO treasury and material management (MM) is another key project that’s on the cards. Improved operational efficiency by process reengineering of air time booking and bill to sale will be the benefits of this implementation,” he concluded.
