In the latest edition of our ‘Meet the Team’ series, we sat down with Bharat Gidde, Chief Technology Officer at Xperate. Bharat has been with Xperate since its inception in 2021 and has flourished as the leading figure at our office in Pune, India. We enjoyed finding out more about Bharat, including his motivations in and out the workplace, and he provided us with some interesting insights.
What has been your standout achievement at Xperate?
I derive satisfaction in being a key figure within the Xperate team, spearheading our Indian team based in our Pune office. My experience has allowed me to develop fantastic management and organisational skills, as in a previous role, I managed over 200 staff spread across the world.
Not only this, but I also find fulfilment that Xperate are not limited to working with a single product or CMS provider. I thoroughly enjoy working with many different technologies and will always ensure that clients get the best service from my team. I’m continuously learning, and this allows me to be able to develop the latest technologies across the world.
If you could give your younger self one piece of career advice, what would it be?
I truly live by the phrase ‘hard work pays off’. I am a big believer that a strong mindset mixed with dedication will help you achieve your hopes, goals and dreams. I believe that whilst everybody is born with their own unique gifts, it is hard work that will ensure you better yourself. I’m passionate about spreading this advice to all, and often use this to motivate my two daughters.
On top of this, I also wish that I spoke with Mark Garnish regarding the creation of Xperate sooner than I did. When Mark and Simon presented the innovative idea of Xperate to me, I was initially reluctant to take the leap. However, now seeing the benefits that Xperate brings to all of its clients, I would have told my younger self that the decision to join Xperate would definitely pay off. Joining Xperate is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I’ve been on a wonderful journey ever since.
Do you have an unlikely source of inspiration or motivation?
I draw inspiration from 2 figures, both being my sporting idols - Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Federer. Tendulkar is a former captain of the Indian International Cricket Team, and Federer is one of the all-time tennis greats. Both of these sporting icons were born with incredible ability, but it is their hard work and commitment to their careers that ensured they both stayed at the top of their game.
Tendulkar and Federer show that nothing is impossible, and it is this mindset that inspires me to continuously improve.
What is a common problem in your industry that you think needs to be talked about?
I believe that an ongoing challenge in the industry is that offshore teams are not always honest when issues arise and ‘just say yes’ to prevent communication errors. This is part of the Indian culture in a work setting even when a target can’t be met.
Xperate provides great support to combat this. They strongly promote honesty throughout all of our teams, so that even if things are not going to plan the team is encouraged to communicate with their colleagues. This enables problems to be sorted out much quicker and with minimal disruption to all involved.
However, when it comes to life outside the office, this culture is less prevalent.
How do you unwind outside of work?
As mentioned before, I’m a sports addict. I have a burning passion for all sports, and spend much of my spare time watching or reading up on new sports. My favourite is cricket, having been an emphatic follower my whole life. However, due to the influence of Mark Garnish and Simon Hill, I have recently started to enjoy following rugby and was thrilled by the spectacular show that New Zealand and South Africa displayed in the recent World Cup Final.
This love for sport spans across my family, as my eldest daughter and I are beginning to understand pickleball, where popularity of the sport seems to be on a surging rise. She is also a keen badminton player after the two of us watched a biopic on one of the great Indian players.
You can connect with Bharat via LinkedIn here.