"IT was a deliberate choice for me"
By Sharmee Roy
Mumbai, May 5, 2008

Daya Prakash, CIO of LG Electronics India (LGEIL), had no difficulty in selecting IT as a proffesion. He had always wanted to be a part of the global workforce and IT provided him with the perfect platform.

"The huge potential in IT, due to the gap in demand and supply helped me. Also, as a youngster, back in college, I was looking for a career which would be a perfect launching pad and at the same time provide value addition," recalls Prakash. Having done his MCM (Masters in Computers Management), Daya Prakash is currently pursuing MBA in finance from Amity. He started his career in 1994 with a small company called Unilink Software.

So what has been his biggest achievement so far? He informs that hailing from a software background, the transition to being a CIO has been the biggest achievement professionally. He quickly adds with a sense of pride, "On the personal side it felt great being nominated amongst top 100 CIOs for the year 2007 by a media groups."

A strong believer of Maslow's Need Hierarchy theory, he follows the aspect of transcendence needs, that is, helping others to achieve self-actualization, which is beyond realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. However, double standards and lack of discipline in people can put him off.

His role models are his parents. As he puts it, "They are the ones who have taught me to always believe in simplicity and never to give up.".

Prakash's mantra to maintain a balance between work and personal life is to hit office early and avoid staying over late. "One needs to know the tricks of time management to be able to keep a balance. And considering today's mobile work culture, working from home is also an option and is a big help in this balancing act," he said.

However, being a family man, his weekends are reserved exclusively for his family. And his idea of a perfect weekend begins with spending quality time with his family, followed by a movie and eating out. "When it comes to movies, I prefer watching family drama. For me movies depicting violence are a complete no-no," he adds.

A self-confessed foodie, Prakash is a strict vegetarian. "When it comes to food, I dig continental cuisine. I also love North Indian food since I myself am a north Indian," he smiles.

His favorite travel destination happens to be California. He quips, "Me and my wife like quiet and peaceful places, however, my son prefers more happening places and California has something for all of us."

Spending 11 to 12 hours at work on an average, he strictly follows his study routine for MBA. But when he is not working or studying, he likes to read. "I like to read books on management, leadership, or anything related innovation," he informs.

Besides reading, he likes to indulge in listening to music. Ghazals and Sufi music are his choice of music. "My personal favourites include Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan," he said.

Like most Indians, he also enjoys cricket and Sachin Tendulkar happens to be his favourite cricketer. He admires him more for his consistency and dedication.

If not IT, Prakash would have preferred teaching. Ask him why this choice and he promptly replies, "Teaching gives a platform where you get to learn so many new ideas while interacting with students and at the same time you get to share knowledge with your peer group."

Prakash thanks God for all the success he has achieved so far. Going ahead, he looks forward to the day he makes the transition from a business enabler to a key business driver