In the latest instalment of our "Meet the Team" series, we had the chance to speak with Nilay Deshpande, Operations Director at Xperate. Nilay has been with Xperate for over 2 years and this discussion allowed us to learn more about his role, his challenges in the workplace, his future visions, and more.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Xperate.
My journey started with Xperate over 2 years ago when I joined as a Technical Project Manager. After receiving a promotion, I now enjoy life as an Operations Director, based in our Pune office in India. I work closely with Xperate’s Chief Technical Officer, Bharat Gidde and I have a wide range of knowledge of all technical matters, specialising in RPA, Agile and .Net.
My career in technical development started over 17 years ago. At this time, I was working for a leading information technology company, and it was here that I met many of the current members of the Xperate team. Over 15 years, I honed my technical and leadership skills, enabling me to successfully lead teams of varying sizes.
I have known many of the Xperate staff for several years and these relationships are what motivated me to join Xperate. In fact, my first-ever boss was Jaykumar Chougule, current Chief Technical Architect at Xperate.
Why did you want to join Xperate and what is it about working at Xperate that you enjoy most?
This question is a tricky one for me to answer because there are so many things about Xperate that I love.
Working with a team of amazing people has always been a dream of mine, and it’s safe to say that my colleagues at Xperate have fulfilled this dream. We have such a close team, all with high levels of professionalism and a great team spirit throughout. Having worked with many of the team at previous companies, I knew that I could rely on them before even starting at Xperate. My colleagues really do make me smile each and every day.
The fantastic policies at Xperate are another reason why I was so keen to become part of the team. They have professional and flexible procedures that are extremely employee-friendly. Xperate may ‘talk the talk’, however, I can say for certain that they definitely ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to taking care of their staff.
Simon Hill and Mark Garnish bring something completely different to the table and this was one of the main reasons why I joined Xperate. They possess levels of professionalism which I have never seen, and this has been transpired throughout the rest of the team. They are extremely grounded, and they care about improving each member of the team. Simon, Mark and the rest of the Xperate leadership team have greatly developed me as a person in and out of the workplace. They also make a great difference to new and less experienced employees. I can see first-hand the effort they put in, whether that be communicating over emails, video calls, or even regular visits to Xperate’s Pune office.
When joining Xperate, I had to go through the full interview process, despite already having strong relationships with some of the team. This was a great experience for me and I loved how I was treated equally to everybody else, highlighting Xperate’s values of integrity and professionalism.
How do you overcome any challenges you face in the workplace?
Whilst I love my role here at Xperate, there are always challenges, and this is the same in any business. The most important thing is how you overcome and move on from these.
Each day at Xperate is different, and you always have to be ready for what surprises you may face. Working in legal tech can often be like blackjack, you never know what hand you will be dealt!
We work in a highly technical industry, and we must stay up to date with the latest technologies to suit the demands of our clients. Not only this, but it is also important that we keep up with the current trends and changes within the legal tech industry.
My role at Xperate sees me leading my own team, and I am always thinking about how I can develop the new, less experienced staff into competent leaders; a part of my job that I really enjoy. We have a mixed group of staff, all with different skill sets. I’m often balancing my client work alongside the task of educating the new staff and trying to improve their capabilities. Luckily for me, I am surrounded by a team of amazing people who are all extremely independent and quick to learn.
I try my best to not make any mistakes, however, if an issue does arise, Xperate has a great supportive structure to ensure that all errors are dealt with quickly. I’m a big believer that mistakes only lead to self-improvement.
Where would you like to see Xperate in 5 years?
Xperate is on an incredible upward trajectory, and I’d love to see this continue. I can see Xperate reaching incredible heights in the next five years. Currently, we have around 80 members of staff, and I would love to see this increase to above 300. Xperate has a large global client base, and it would be great to see this keep expanding. This exponential growth will not be easy; however, I know that we have the drive, talent and leadership to achieve our goals.
In terms of my own goals, I would love to still be in my current role. There are so many things for me to learn, and I don’t want my journey to be rushed. Xperate provides me with so many fantastic opportunities to learn and further develop my own skill sets and expertise.
I am having a blast at Xperate and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.
How do you unwind outside of work?
My main passion outside of work has recently turned nine - my son, Advay. He keeps me incredibly busy away from the office and I would have it no other way; being a parent is my favourite thing in the world. Advay has recently started a new academic year at school, so I have been busy helping him prepare for this. I cherish my time with my son and I strive to be the best possible dad I can be. Being a father reminds me of my own childhood and it is great to experience this journey once again. Advay has a very keen ear, and he often asks me all sorts of questions about Xperate!
In addition to this, I am a big fan of cricket and support the Indian national team wherever possible. Xperate recently held a cricket tournament and this was a very enjoyable day for all. Growing up, I played cricket and basketball regularly, however, these hobbies have vanished as I came into adulthood. Instead, I now prefer to watch films and read books. However, my time for these activities is scarce as family duties take up most of my life!
Connect with Nilay on LinkedIn here.