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Ganesh Iyer, CEO, Coolwinks: Cool Stuff for the cooler generation
Selected as India’s Most Trusted CEO 2020, Ganesh Iyer of Coolwinks Technologies is redefining and refreshing the industry at every step.
Years of working in the industry, your contribution reflects versatility and volubility. What has influenced your decision making process at various stages?
Since it’s a variable, it depends on the elements & situations at hand. However, if I have to sum it up, I would say that the impact of the action of my team, my family & the shareholders influenced the decision making at various stages.
An accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career?
I would say setting up Coolwinks from ground up and scaling it to a 100 cr business has been one of the most significant accomplishments. We currently are empowered by 200+ team members and I feel it is surely a delight when you see your core team still with you, the one you had set up on Day 1, even after so many years. And, we always take pride in our growing family of 2 mn+ happy customers who could see better through the medium of Coolwinks.
How do you integrate corporate philanthropy or corporate social responsibility as a part of your business strategies?
In India, poor vision is one of the most unaddressed problems. While the majority of these cases can be easily treated however, due to the inaccessibility of eyeglasses & unawareness of the right ones, the problem is now a huge challenge. It directly becomes our responsibility to incorporate it into our philanthropy. Enabling people to see better & live a better life is our vision. We believe in it by ensuring that people have easy access to affordable, stylish & high quality eyewear at Coolwinks.
What has been your driving force or philosophy in life?
To live life in the present.
What are the other philanthropic works you are involved in?
Education: I support education & medical aid for underprivileged girls who are orphans.
How do you define success and how do you measure up to your own definition?
To me success is when every aspect of my sphere of influence wins – Employees, Shareholders, Customers, Suppliers & my family. I measure this as follows:
Employees – Energy in office on Monday morning
Shareholders – Share price growth
Customers – NPS
Suppliers – Timely payments
My Family – Being part of every important aspect of the family and being fully present without being connected to office
We are constantly making things better, faster, smarter or less expensive. In other words, we strive to do more with less. Tell me about a recent project or solution to a problem that you have made better, faster, smarter or less expensive?
Did you know that, every 9th person in the world is color blind! Surprisingly, most of them are not even aware of the fact that they are color blind & keep struggling with day to day activities. This fact was so startling that it led me and my team to research about how soon can we benefit the affected ones. That drive led us towards the launch of Color Blind Glasses in record timings. Right from R&D to reaching the customer’s hands took less than 6 months. Price being 1/3rd of any existing products in the global market.
In your opinion what is the most significant aspect of leadership?
Change: To anticipate the change, accept and move forward by leading from the front. As leaders we should be the first to accept change.
Your perception of an empowered society. How far your industry has / can contribute for the same?
Empowered society is the one which can see clearly. For instance, according to a recent research, almost 30% of the truck & cab drivers in India failed visual acuity test. If they would have access to the right eyewear, no. of accidents could go down significantly. Similarly, there are many professions where-in we could benefit the sight and the lives of people.
PERSONAL GRID
One thing you wish to change and one thing you wish to retain about your industry?
Change: Mindset, Retain: Innovation
One thing you have to let go of as an entrepreneur/leader?
People: Good Talent will leave and knowing when to let go is essential
Whom do you owe your success to?
Family & my team.
Best thing about your job?
Enabling people to see themselves & the world clearly.
A message from you to all the future entrepreneurs/leaders
Maintaining balance between ambition & reality is essential if one needs to win in today’s competitive business environment.
About Mr. Ganesh Iyer
From being the Retail Head for International Fashion Brand Mango & Promod, to assuming complete business & fiscal responsibility for Goibibo’s Air Vertical and currently as the CEO of Coolwinks – Mr. Ganesh Iyer has time and again proved his entrepreneurial ability to build valuable businesses from scratch & scaled it to new heights. Currently, with 15+ years of experience in managing International Retail Brands, Travel Companies & E-commerce Companies in India, he is redefining the way people think about eyewear at Coolwinks.
Coolwinks is a leading online eyewear brand specializing in youthful, fashion-forward innovative range of spectacles, sunglasses, prescription sunglasses, computer glasses, frames & specialized lenses. Driven towards helping millions improve their vision & lead better lives, Coolwinks brings up-to-the-minute eye care solutions backed by high quality & trendy products, exceptional customer service and fast deliveries with hassle-free returns.
