Digital Health and Sustainability

Going Green is focusing on sharing content that combines cleantech, biotech, health, and sustainability, to educate people about how they can use technology to live more healthy, environmentally friendly lives. We had the chance to talk with Ananth Subramanian, the CEO of HDgtl & Group, a company focused on solving market voids in digital health.

Ananth, tell us about your background: 

After completing master’s in management from India, started with a career in Management Consulting for 5 years followed by intense investment banking stint notably with ISEC- JV of JP Morgan in India. Thereafter moved into Business aligned IT where it was an ascent to a path of glorious performance in HCL Technologies as its Vice President & Microsoft Business Head. 
Excelling in Solution Innovation, Strategic Partnering with Global Tech majors, growing business / revenue it was an achievement to get to the Elite 100 best brains of HCL. This stint was characterized by tremendous growth in Microsoft business at HCL and solution led impact in Fintech and Gaming verticals. There was tremendous learning & value addition across Business Strategy, Strategic Partnership with Microsoft, EMC & Cisco, Profitability Management, Innovation & Digital Transformation, Leadership among others. 

Ten years hence, I left HCL to take on the responsibility of starting up the India/ Asia Pacific/ Middle East operations of Hitachi Solutions and went on to become its Chairman and CEO. The stint was market by record revenue growth, profitability, and expansion in delivery centers to India, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and solution led impact in the Fintech, HLS and Education verticals. Stint marked by tremendous learning value in Delivery processes, M&A evaluation & integration, solution innovation and strategic partnership with Microsoft.

Through the past 14 years I was able to usher in sustainability in skill development at the university level.

Great learnings in the corporate career in terms of Technology, Innovation, Customer Management, Partnership Management, Internal Stakeholder Management and People Management culminated in the start of my entrepreneurship journey from 2017.

What caused you to get into digital health and sustainability? 

As I kept observing the environment around me in the corporate world, I saw a picture lack of sustainability in the corporate environment of unhealthy individuals, stressed out and burning the midnight oil to keep themselves & their families afloat with no desire to take care of their individual wellness. Alongside I also observed that that there were minimal Data Driven Decisions and a Piece-meal Approach – in the Myriad of “Wellness” Programs. Hence came the decision to move ahead with building out an intelligent / interesting solution to track physiological, emotional wellness and deliver tangible data driven and measurable wellness. Thus was born the Health Tech organization I head up in venture with a leading Healthcare chain from India/UAE

What trends are you seeing in your industry? 

Trending towards digital health, data driven decisions, proactive digital wellness (Emotional, Physiological, Nutrigenomics) for improved productivity & sustainable hire to retire employee life cycle and focus on consent based data privacy.

What is one Action Item for our listeners and viewers to take away from this conversation? 

It is your health and you have to take care of it! No one else will!

What is a fun fact about you? 

I have always loved being the underdog! Its not as bad one make it out from the word. This gives you the privilege & ability to steer well in an environment where the expectations are always set just because you have set a benchmark. I have lived through wonderful achievements & moments in my life by being an underdog!

Where do you see your industry ten years from now? 

The Healthcare Tech industry is moving to a scenario of Digital Transformation which will empower the customers (we) to make decisions on health very proactively and not be swayed by what insurers and commercial health chains say. Data driven decisions with AI is here to stay and enhance several fold, Gene editing will become real and Healthy living led wellness will become core to sustainability.

Thank you Ananth for taking the time and sharing your experience with Digital Health and Sustainability.

Going Green interviews leading experts in cleantech, sustainability, media, finance, and real estate on the Going Green podcast. Tune in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify to listen to interviews with leading cleantech and sustainable experts.