'Establishing the cause-effect relationship between an IT investment and the desired benefit is challenging'

Background



A graduate in production engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, Pendse holds an MBA

in finance from NMIMS. He did a postgraduate course in software technology from

National Center for Software Technology. In his IS career spanning over 16

years, Pendse has worked with companies like Godrej & Boyce, Johnson &

Johnson and Jet Airways."

Current job profile



As head of the IS department at Marico, Pendse’s job involves leveraging

IT for Marico’s business. He says, "Over the last few years in Marico, it

has been quite a journey from a low-tech organization to a hi-tech one. I am

proud to have played a role in this transformation. Marico is the first company

in India to have implemented SAP’s supply chain solution–Advanced Planner

and Optimizer."

Challenges at work



One of the challenges was to justify IT investments. For some of the

initiatives, direct quantification of benefits is not possible. In some cases

though quantification is possible, but establishing the cause-effect

relationship between IT investment and the desired benefit is a challenge. The

other challenge is to develop an excellent IT team and retain the same.

Turning point



"Johnson & Johnson job was a turning point in my career since it

provided me exposure to IT infrastructure in a big way. Jet Airways proved to be

a turning point since it enriched me with the ability to think big. Marico

brought me much closer to business and imbibed in me the concept of adding value

to business through IT."

Professional experience



"Marico is a conservative company and getting people here to invest in

IT is quiet an experience. It is not only a technical and financial exercise,

but also involves a degree of relationship building within the company."

Philosophy of Life



Try to take life as it comes, enjoy every moment as one never knows what the

next moment has in store.

As told to Amit Sarkar