The Association of System Integrators and Retailers in Technology (ASIRT) – a progressive group of IT entrepreneurs in Mumbai, focused on collaborative growth and knowledge sharing, announced its new board members for the year 2017-18 at The Orchid Hotel, Mumbai.
The event also marked the inaugural edition of the innovative ‘Chairman’s club’ – a unique mentorship initiative aimed at adding substantial value to business growth trajectory for its members.
The event was a part of the monthly Tech Day, organized by ASIRT for the purpose of knowledge sharing and networking. The sponsor brands for the evening were ZICOM – the security and surveillance systems providers and iBall – the manufacturers of computer products and peripherals, who offered their unique business propositions and partnership opportunities to the 165 members gathered for the evening. Being one of the largest and most focused group of entrepreneurs and SME’s in the IT and SI domain, the opportunity was well received by members as well as the brands, highlighting the collaborative and growth focused vision of the association.
Speaking on the association, Mr. Nilesh Rane, Sr. Sales Manager, iBall, said, “This is our very first partnership with ASIRT. As a gathering of decision makers from the community of SI’s and IT retailers across Mumbai and its suburbs, this is an ideal platform for us to highlight our product offerings and to expand our distribution base. We look forward to a long term association with ASIRT and its members.”
Echoing the sentiment, Mr. Vishal Srivastava, Vice President, ZICOM SaaS Private Ltd., added “Basis the nature of our product and services, we are always on a lookout to associate with system integrators and channels that would lead us to this target group. Our search ended with ASIRT as the best forum of choice for us, not only because of its serious and committed group of SI’s but also for its progressive leadership and growth oriented approach. We are very proud to be associated with ASIRT and look forward to a long term partnership.”
The Chairman’s club – an initiative by the new board of members, was the highlight of the evening. Speaking about the idea behind his initiative of the Chairman Club, Mr. Jiten Mehta, Chairman, ASIRT, said, “As an organization focused on continued development and business wellbeing of the SI & IT community, we realized that the changing dynamics of the market has made consistent learning imperative for survival for entrepreneurs. Through this mentorship program, we aimed at filling this gap and add value to our members. Our mentors for the program, who are all stalwarts in their own field with over 15 years of experience, have come together with a selfless spirit of giving something back to the community. Together, we aim to create a nurturing and collaborative business ecosystem to help our members thrive and reach new heights of success.”
Post introductions of the new board members, Mr. Chetan Shah, Chief mentor & guide, ASIRT along with Mr. Jiten Mehta, Chairman, ASIRT, opened the panel discussion on ‘Conquering New heights’ with 7 stalwarts from industry. These included Mr. Amaranth Shetty, MD, LDS Infotech Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Ajay Sawant, MD, Orient Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Aneesahmed M Kagzi, MD, General Technologies, Mr. Haresh Gada, Director, Network Techlabs, Mr. Neel Shah, Chairman, Insight Business Machines Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Sanjay Patodiya, CEO & Director, Galaxy Office Automation Pvt. Ltd., &Mr. Saurin Shah, Founder & MD, Ashtech Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
The panel discussion was an insightful exchange of ideas and experiences, shared genuinely and with a deep feeling of commandeer. Points discussed by the panelists involved some very basic but significant challenges like the effective use of Systems and Processes in a business, the delicate balance of vendor and consumer relationship, the innovative techniques of consumer retention and the fine art of business expansion, growth and knowledge driven innovation to stay ahead of the rat race. The title of the discussion – conquering new heights, was aptly reflected in the enthusiastic Q&A round from the audience, who shared their concerns about surviving the dynamic innovations in the market, transitioning from being the driver of the business to running it on auto pilot and the key issue of re-inventing themselves. The discussion ended with teams being assigned their respective mentors, who would be hand holding them through various business challenges and help them achieve a higher growth and business success.
The evening ended on warm note with a networking dinner and brief team meetings with mentors, who were warmly welcomed by the members and the board of ASIRT. True to the collaborative and growth focused effort of the association, it was indeed heartwarming to see the directors, CEO’s, entrepreneurs and owners of SME’s drop their competitive edge and indulge in a friendly spirit of commandeer, driven by a strong urge to learn and grow together.
