The Hindu Business Line : `One needs to be grounded in solid principles'

Mr Vivek Kundra is one of the youngest Indian Americans appointed to a senior level position in the Government of Virginia, US. He is currently the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to this, he spent several years in the private sector. He was the CEO of Creostar and ERush.com and held senior IT positions at County of Arlington, Virginia, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He is actively involved in the political process at the local, state and national levels in the US. He has a Masters in Information Technology and Bachelors in Psychology and Biology from the University of Maryland. Here's his take on four questions from Business Line:

Two things that my education/training taught me.

A framework for critical thinking.

The ability to turn ideas into action.

Two things I learnt from my work/real life.

The competitive forces unleashed as a result of globalisation will redefine every aspect of our life.

One needs to be grounded in solid principles in a rapidly changing world.

One quality I look for the most in a new recruit.

The ability to innovate rapidly.

A book that I read recently.

The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits, by C. K. Prahalad.

(As told to Kannan Srinivasan, a US-based CA.)

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