‘I couldn’t manufacture in India 3 yrs ago... Now I can very effectively’
John Chambers, 67, the executive chairman of Cisco has been a long-time supporter of India and is an admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, he says, gets it when it comes to creating a digital country. Chambers was in India to announce the creation of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) which he says will take the relationship between the two countries, their companies, and their people, to the next level. Excerpts from an interview.
Tell us about this new body you are creating. How is it going to be different from existing ones?
It is independent. It has 100% focus on the next major technology business societal shift. So, it is really thinking about where we want to be 10-20 years from today. That is why I like your prime minster so much because he does so much of it so well. He sets a goal. He outlines a vision that gives people hope. That’s why we were so excited about what we can do with this kind of an organisation structure. It is company to government; company to customers; customers could be consumers or business. You have been a regular visitor to India, and have been working closely with the government for the past few years. What changes do you see? I think India has some most advanced digital vision and strategy in the world. I see the prime minister as one of the top leaders that I have ever met in my life. He has got a vision and a strategy and he knows how to execute them.
Any negatives?
India tends to be critical of itself and I think that faster people buy the vision and understand what’s possible (the better). That’s how you move to a speed that is equal with others.
Do you think it is easier to do business in India now than it was before?
Absolutely! I could not manufacture in India three years ago; (it was) not an option. I can now manufacture in India very effectively. We have opened our plants. Now, we have to see how do we get the efficiencies where we can use India as an export engine.
What are Cisco’s plans in India?
India is our second headquarters. Every time we bet on India... 1997, we bet in a big way on India. We made it our second headquarters and later we made it our digitisation headquarters. 40% of our engineering head count is of Indian ancestry. So, we are very optimistic about India. India was our top country last year from the sales side. It is our great source in terms of talent and not labour arbitrage.