We all want to know the secrets of the successful leaders, don’t we? At BR, this is exactly what we do. We demystify stories, insights, success mantras, lessons and advice for all our readers. This week we invited Madhukar Kumar – Chief Analytics Officer at Shine for an interview to share his story with us.
Madhukar is an award winning leader, AI evangelist, triathlete, blogger and a keynote speaker. Let’s read more about his journey, his success mantras and his advice for our community.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Madhukar Kumar;
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey so far, please;
I am Madhukar Kumar and currently working with Shine.com (Subsidiary of Hindustan Times) as Chief Analytics officer and have overall 13+ years of AI/Data Science experience working with global clients across verticals.
Today, Artificial intelligence, Machine Learning & Data Science are the buzzwords. Fortunately, When I started my career ~13 years back, My first project was to build an Xsell/Upsell Model for credit card customers and I applied Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm to solve it. So, I had been working in this data science field right from 1st day of my corporate life.
I love to take new challenges and test myself. That’s how I entered into Academic field ~ 3 years back. Since then, I have done 300+ hours of data science teaching to 1000+ professionals. I accepted a new challenge of running in 2019 and since then I have successfully completed 3 half marathons (21km running), 1 Olympic Triathlon (1.5 km swimming, 40 km cycling, 10 km running) & 2 cycling expedition – 70 km & 125 km. I intend to complete Ironman 70.3 (1.8 km swimming, 90 km cycling, 21km running) in 2020.
I have been conferred with “Lifetime distinguished membership” of MLE℠ (Leader excellence at Harvard Square, based out of Massachusetts, US.
I was also named as one of India’s top data scientists by Australian advisory firm for my contribution to science and technology in Australian firms.
My work on image analytics was well received in the industry. “The Drone image Analytics (imagn.ai)” solution was judged as one of the Top 50 applications of AI and was awarded Nasscom AI game-changer 2018 award. Also, It won “Stevie Gold award-2018” under “Best product/service of the year” category in London.
Also, GISR Foundation has named me as “AI Leader of the Year” in IBAE – 2019. The Facilitation ceremony to be held in the American college, Dubai on 31st Oct 2019.
How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in?
It’s the most sought after industry at the moment. “Data is the new Oil” and AI is the science of extracting insights from the data. The technological landscape is changing every moment and you need to keep yourself updated with new technologies.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
Good question. Honestly speaking, It’s pretty difficult and not an easy job to get out of bed early morning J But thanks to my nature of accepting new challenges. My morning alarm is fixed at 5 am. It depends on what I have planned for the day. Either, I go for some fitness activities (Running, cycling, swimming, strength training etc) or read something new and interesting in data science. I also need to start working on my book which is pending since long. So, I have enough motivation to rise early and get out of bed
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
As mentioned, I love to take challenges and that keeps me motivated. I have faced infinite challenges in my personal as well as professional life, But I have always found a solution to overcome those challenges.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
Someone said,” Money can’t buy happiness, but it’s comforting to sit and cry in BMW than in Maruti 800.”
Jokes apart; Both are important and finding the right balance is the KEY.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
It’s been 15 years and I have trained myself “Not to take Stress” in any pressurizing situation. Be it during the college entrance exam, or campus placement or working on any complex project/assignment or important client presentation, I always keep myself calm and composed. It has always helped me in coming up with flying colours in every pressurizing situation since past 15 years.
“Give your best and forget the rest” is my MANTRA.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
“I never give up” – That’s how I have grown up. If I fall 50 times, I only need to stand up 51 times to overcome failure and that’s what I do. Failure is the biggest teacher and I keep all my failures very close to my heart.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
The key is “Don’t think you are successful”. You can very easily find a person who will be more successful on the same metric on which you think you are successful. Keep working hard and enjoy the journey rather than thinking whether you are successful or not.
What advice would you give to data scientists and AI enthusiasts?
My advice to buddying data scientists is to not get distracted with the fast pace of changing technologies. The most important skill set that you should acquire is “problem-solving skill”.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem. Stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
