PHANEESH MURTHY holds the esteemed position of Chief Executive Officer at Primentor. Boasting nearly four decades of experience within the technology domain, he possesses a wealth of knowledge in Global Technology & Business Services. Presently, Murthy guides entrepreneurs in unlocking value for stagnated technology companies.

Embarking on Murthy’s Technological Journey

Murthy earned a mechanical engineering degree from IIT, India and later pursued an MBA from IIM, India. Soon after, he embarked on his professional journey at Sonata Software, where he contributed to the company’s attainment of a break-even point. Half a decade later, he transitioned to Infosys Ltd. From 1995 to 2002, Murthy held the title of Global Head of Sales, propelling the company’s revenues to an impressive $700 million. Subsequently, he founded Quintant Services, a start-up that was ultimately acquired by iGate, where he assumed the role of CEO.

Murthy played a pivotal role in iGate’s restructuring, facilitating the acquisition of Patni Systems—a company significantly larger than iGate at the time. This strategic move propelled iGate to Tier 1 status and catalyzed its growth from zero to $4.8 billion within a decade.

Primentor: Conception and Objective

Recognizing the monumental value, he had created for two enterprises throughout his career, Murthy resolved to leverage his acumen in coaching emerging entrepreneurs. Thus, Primentor was established in 2013. Murthy asserts that the primary impetus for Primentor’s inception was to “mentor senior executives of large organizations to create shareholder value by enhancing business agility in an uncertain environment.”

Murthy’s focus lies within the smaller company segment, specifically those with revenues ranging from $60 million to $1 billion. Within this spectrum, he is partial to enterprises in the $60 – $250 million bracket, as he believes that judicious mentoring can rapidly yield tremendous value at this scale.

Typically, Primentor collaborates with 3 to 5 companies simultaneously, during which they undergo a comprehensive “re-engineering” process.

The Tech/Ops Symbiosis

Murthy’s signature approach revolves around Tech/Ops Convergence. In his experience, upper management often segregates technology and operations. This compartmentalized perspective on two interrelated aspects results in value dissipation. Consequently, while leadership may possess a lucid understanding of technology and operations, they struggle to attribute a business value to the overall monetary outflow.

Murthy posits that the remedy to this quandary lies in adopting a unified perspective on technology and operations. This is where the extensive expertise of Primentor’s leadership team proves invaluable, as they have structured and overseen more than 500 tech-ops transactions. Clients receive a data-driven business model accompanied by a consultative roadmap. The entire procedure can be distilled into three elementary stages.

Initially, Primentor evaluates the company’s existing state through a comprehensive examination employing proprietary benchmarking and gap analysis. Next, they devise an operational model focused on design and cost efficiencies. This is attained by re-engineering and automating operations and reorganizing teams. Lastly, companies receive support from a dedicated program management office to guarantee a seamless implementation of the operational modifications.