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Training sights on growth
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Streats, Singapore,
By Chong Choon Yee, 3 Nov 2003
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For an IT company, Genovate
Solutions is an exception.
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This is because the company
has seen its revenues and profits double again to between
$12 million and $13 million this year, barring events such
as another Sars outbreak of Sept 11 - type terrorist attack.
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The company offers business
solutions, product development, training and education. And
it operates on a margin of profit that is between 10 and
15 per cent.
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But Genovate wouldn't
be what it is now if not for it's chief executive and co-founder,
Mr J. Anton Ravindran.
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When he joined the company
as co-founder in 2000, it was in the midst of a restructuring.
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Till then, the company
- which was started in 1997 - had a "narrow" focus
on IT projects and providing outsourcing solutions.
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Recalling the early days,
he said: "We had to diversify and yet intensify our
efforts - we needed to have both breadth and depth in terms
of the businesses we were in. Previously, the company was
profitable but growing slowly."
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| The company ventured into the IT training business
in 2000 and became authorised training partners with the likes
of SAP, IBM and Computer Associates. |
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| Today, the company is the sole partner with
SAP for training in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the
western states of India. |
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It ventured into the training
business because it felt that being in the IT business, it
would be in a better position to gauge which what would benefit
people in the working world, unlike most of the other training
providers which are not in the IT consulting and solutions
business.
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Today, a significant portion
of its revenue comes from SAP-related activities, which include
training, consultancy and maintenance.
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Out of nearly 150 staff
spread over Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Australia, India,
Sri Lanka and Indonesia, 100 are based here.
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Its education business,
under the KnowledgeWindow Asia Pacific name, is doing well
too.
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The company currently
has about 350 students in its diploma, advanced diploma and
degree programmes since it was started six months ago.
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Its degree programmes
are offered in conjunction with the University of Sunderland,
University of South Australia and Pace University of New
York.
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Mr Ravindran also said
that the company is in the process of inking a new deal that
will add new "dimension" to its "portfolio
of offerings".
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| Before joining Genovate, Mr Ravindran worked
in IT behemoths such as Sun Microsystems, IBM Labs and Computer
Associates, as well as local education provider Informatics,
and Singalab, a joint venture between IBM and National Computer
Board. |
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| He attained his bachelor of Science degree
in IT from the University of Texas (UTA), and then an MBA from
the University of North Texas. |
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| He lived for over a decade in the U.S. before
moving to Singapore in the early 90s to be with his lawyer
wife, who is a Singaporean. |
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| Now, both an American citizen and permanent
resident here, the professed believer in "making a difference" sits
on the management committee of the e-Club for the Marine Parade
GRC. |
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