Ashok Rajan is the Senior Vice President and Head of the Cargo and Logistics at IBS Software. He is a domain and technology specialist, having played various roles during his 20+ year tenure at IBS, from heading product design and engineering functions to programme management to marketing and business development.
How did you get into airfreight/logistics?
It was the desire to learn about a new technology being used on an airfreight software project, so I got involved and stepped in, but that journey led to me to falling in love with the logistics industry itself.
What quote has most resonated with you?
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years” – Abraham Lincoln.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t take yourself too seriously!
How do you motivate your team?
I constantly show them the peaks that we as a team have conquered and that the same strength can help us climb the peaks before us.
If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa – just to make sure that such people actually walked in flesh on the face of this earth once.
What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?
At the age of 12, after a summer camp, I trekked some 25 kilometres along a mountainous railway line in torrential rain to get home, unintentionally, I forgot to inform my parents, giving them the scare of their lives as they scrambled to look for me.
What’s something we wouldn’t know about you from your CV?
That I had decided just before I joined not to stay beyond 18 months at IBS Software, but I have spent 25 wonderful years with the company.
What hobby have you always wanted to try but never got around to?
Radio DXing (listening to far and distant radio stations) – I never got to following it beyond my first professional world radio receiver, which I bought some 25 years ago.
If you have not pursued a career in airfreight, what other field would you have liked to go into?
I love following most sporting events, but given I don’t possess skills at playing any of them, I would love to have been a sports journalist!
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
If I could turn invisible, I would like to sit at one of the tables where negotiations on international diplomacy happen – I have always been intrigued by the nature of conversations that happen at such forums behind closed doors.
If there was a movie made about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role?
Tom Hanks – Not that my ordinary life has anything worthy to merit a Tom Hanks script, just that I love him as an actor.
Looking back over your career, what would your message be to someone considering a career in logistics?
It may not be the most glamorous of industries – but this is where the biggest transformation is around the corner – come be a part of writing history.
What is the one item you can’t travel without?
My Airpods – Music keeps me company on long flights.
Who is your role model?
Ratan Tata of the Indian Tata Conglomerate – For building a business empire and never, ever compromising on integrity.
What would your autobiography be called?
Beyond Me: A Story of Collective Resilience.
Cats or dogs?
A cat person – kitten videos have a therapeutic impact on me 😊
Early riser or night owl?
A night owl – desperately trying to be an early riser.
What’s the best and worst purchase you’ve ever made?
A recent car we bought has been one of my best purchases and the worst has been a two-year membership to the gym across the street, I underestimated my strong capability to procrastinate.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Dosa – A south Indian pancake – which I can eat three times a day.
What’s your most used emoji?
😎
