'HCL brought me closer to the IT industry and shaped my entrepreneurial wisdom'

Background



After obtaining his B Tech in Electronics and Communications Engineering from
College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram in 1976, Panicker began his career as

an R&D Engineer in Servo Electronics.

After a brief stint with Servo, he moved to HCL in 1978, where he made his

mark in the customer support division. This is where the entrepreneurial bug bit

Panicker and his dream called Accel became a reality in 1991. A company which

began with five people and a capital of a lakh of rupees, now has 1600 people

and a turnover of Rs 170 crore.

Current

job profile



As chairman and CEO of Accel ICIM, Panicker oversees 50 offices and 1600

employees in four countries. In the 10th year of its existance, Panicker has

charted a bigger course for the company and his vision is to turn it into one of

India’s top IT companies.

Turning point in life



For Panicker, the turning point came when he decided to join HCL. "My

job at HCL not only brought me closer to the IT industry but helped me shape my

entrepreneurial wisdom," he says.

Best professional decision



My best professional decision was that of acquiring the SES division of

Fujitsu ICIM in 1999. Though this division of Fujitsu ICIM was not

doing well during the earlier years, I saw tremendous potential value

through customer base and credibility.

Professional faux pas



Fortunately there have not been many, but for occasional embarrassments due

to over-expectations on individual performances.

As told to Shrikanth G