Deb Dutta
Mark Braithwaite interviews
Deb Dutta, Vice President, Asia Pacific / Japan - Brocade
Globally, Brocade owns more than 80% of each of the markets they play in. They serve these markets by connecting and managing all types of data. They have 2500 employees and US$1.4bn in annual revenue. Indian born Deb Dutta, joined Brocade in Singapore 6 years ago. He was the 12th employee in the region. Today, Deb’s team is 180 strong and growing.
MB: “Tell me about the evolution of your business model in APJ?”
DD: “We first went to market selling solely through OEM’s, this model still exists, but over time, we have put in a very strong interface with the customer. This is the sell direct, fulfill indirect model at its best. We drove preference & architecture with the customer but the fulfillment happened through our partners. The third stage of our go to market evolution has been driven by the dynamic nature of the data, its growth and customer challenges around cost, complexity & compliance which called for the need for an even greater involvement with the customer in the form of high end services and on-going consulting assignments. We built our services business a year and a half ago. This is now one of our fastest growing business lines. The channel partner now sells both the product and the services for us. This strategy has deepened the value we provide to customers, strengthened our position as a supplier and enhanced our ability to leverage a partner led model.”
MB: “Which Asian countries do you see as the biggest growth markets for you going forward?”
DD: “Everywhere! The growth of data is happening everywhere, presenting similar challenges and opportunities! The fast emerging markets in India and China are typically exciting but so are the more matured markets in Australia, Japan & Korea.”
MB: “So what are the challenges for you as a leader in making sure the business produces results in these markets?”
DD: “We do not have a demand side problem. The intensity of our success will depend on our ability to execute! My biggest challenge is to hire the best people and continually challenge, motivate and energize our existing team to ensure world class execution. Our current team & partnerships have largely contributed to the success we have achieved so far. I also firmly believe that the biggest competitive advantage for any organisation is the speed that it builds leaders.”
Secondly, in Asia like anywhere else, it is important to have iron clad processes and people with high integrity in the right positions so that the business runs cleanly & efficiently without problems in the back end.”
MB: “What would your advice be to new market entrants?”
DD: “Enter the market with knowledge, confidence and intent. No short-cuts here. The biggest pitfall that the new market entrant faces would be to rush it and enter without careful planning. Right leadership, people and partners are key. Carefully considering who you partner with saves a lot of valuable time down the line and prevents compromising the business! Its unlikely that organizations will possess all the information they need internally – obtaining advise from consulting and accounting practices costs organizations financially but insures them against substantial business risks.”"It’s also important to prioritise in terms of the markets one goes into because Asia is very spread out geographically and extremely diverse culturally & socially. Every market has its own opportunities but the barrier to entry are different.”
“Governments are playing a big role in most Asian economies by facilitating and driving technology adoption. They aim to build a high quality workforce comfortable with technology as a form of competitive advantage. Most Asian governments have programs to assist organizations should they choose to make specific investment in their respective countries. It is important for entrants to be aware of this and take advantage of it. Again this comes back to people. You need your first set of people to possess a track record of setting up successful beach-heads, be adequately networked with their local government as well as be able to communicate local needs, support & investment needed to the corporate headquarters. This is not about English language skills or a MBA from a US/European university. This is more to do with entrepreneurial capabilities of setting up and driving a business.”
MB: “What are you most proud of?”
DD: “I have enjoyed the diversity of challenges in our business over the years. We have come across loads of opportunities, pitfalls and roadblocks. That said, WINNING despite adversities has ultimately been fun! We run a fairly extensive shop…hardware, software, services et al. Our go to market model has been pretty extensive too – OEM, Distribution, VAR, SI across 15 countries! Pretty min boggling canvas to build your business on, but the journey has been exciting .. working with a bunch of very talented people adds on to the essence and has helped us build a strong organization in the geography!”
This interview was conducted by Mark Braithwaite, an Asia based Director of Mosaic Global
Executive Search at the Brocade Sydney offices on 28 February 2007.
