A family man and a thorough professional, Sandeep Ramani, country head of Genius, talks about his journey so far and about what makes him tick.

Childhood is one of the best times in life but this realisation comes long after it’s gone. I was born in a small town—Bokaro Steel City (then in Bihar, now a part of Jharkhand). My father worked for the steel plant and my mother was a housewife. Being the only child, I was pampered and got all I wanted. But that doesn’t mean I was a brat. I must thank my parents that in spite of being very loving, they were also strict and instilled those values that have made me a complete individual today. There was one thing, though, that I always had a complex about—I was the only child. It bothered me that my friends had siblings to talk to and play with.

When I was a child, I wanted to become everything at the same time—a doctor, a pilot, a defence service man—everything. I did my schooling from Chinmaya Vidhyalaya and DAV.

I was an introvert but things started changing during college. I saw the hard work my father put in and it was from him I inherited the zeal to put in my best in

everything I do. After school I went to Bangalore to do my BE in electronics from MSRIT. Then I returned to Bokharo and did a one-and-a-half-year PG diploma in computer science.

Life as a professional

It was by chance that I got into sales and marketing, which later changed my life. While I was doing my PG, I got an opportunity to work with a small marketing firm, and this is when I developed an interest in sales and marketing. After working in the firm for a few years, I gained confidence in my capability and moved to Delhi in 1996. I joined Cyberstar as the regional manager and moved to Genius, a manufacturer of IT and lifestyle products like mice, keyboards, tablets, Web cams, etc, as their country head in November last year.

I have come a long way from
where I started. It was with my hard work, commitment, luck, and of course, God’s grace that I crossed and battled all hardships to reach where I am. My first salary was Rs 1,000, which even at that time was a very minimal amount, but it never bothered me. I had absolutely no fear of venturing into a new field. I was staying with my parents and whatever I earned was a bonus. My only
condition was that I wanted to work.

I am a thorough professional when it comes to work, but I do not believe in creating pressure and tension. People should be allowed to work in their kind of environment and be given full liberty, but at the same time the quality of their work should not suffer.