Jayashree Mohanty: Pioneering Icon Soaring to New Heights
She is successful, innovative, adaptable, resourceful, dynamic, and highly experienced. Meet Jayashree Mohanty, Co-Founder and President of Luminous Infoways, who has been successfully managing her responsibilities with a combination of immense knowledge and vast experience. My City Links met with her to gain valuable insights for its readers about effective business leadership. Her company, Luminous Infoways, a CMMi Level 3 Company established in 2001, has been providing dedicated services to customers across the globe. Below are the excerpts from our conversation with Jayashree.
Tell us something about your childhood and career path.
I'm the daughter of an army medical officer who rose to the rank of full Colonel and commanded three hospitals. We accompanied him wherever he was posted, and I attended seven to ten different schools due to his transferable job. I graduated from Kendriya Vidyalaya School at Pathankot Air Force Station. Seeking a more permanent situation, I realized that success in studies requires substantial effort. I informed my father that my sister and I would return to Orissa to pursue our higher education. Upon our return, my sister enrolled in a pharmaceutical program in Baharampur, and I enrolled in Ramadevi College to pursue my B.Sc.
How did you cope with the culture and language in Bhubaneswar as it was a new city for you?
The process of rediscovering our roots and establishing a connection with it began when we relocated here. This involved learning the language and culture, as we were accustomed to a very different way of life, a more global and informal one. That's how we approached it. I believe that my sister and I were both very adaptable, strong-willed, and disciplined individuals. As a result, adapting to life here and excelling in our studies was not difficult for us. I graduated with honors with distinction. Additionally, during my graduation year, I represented my college as an NCC cadet at the Republic Day camp. I was also chosen as an Indo Canada Youth Exchange Program student. That year, only two of us were selected from a pool of 1,000 students across India, out of a total of 54 individuals. It was a significant accomplishment for us.
Before being a leader you had gone through extensive training programmes. It is always good to equip oneself with knowledge and experience and then get into the field. Please highlight some of your experiences.
After being selected for the Indo Canada Youth Exchange Programme, we attended various orientation camps and underwent six months of training in Delhi before being sent to Canada. During our one-year stay in Canada, we also worked at three different locations. I worked in a channel resource department at a computer center. These experiences provided insights into the contrasting work cultures between Canada and Odisha. Upon my return, I harbored the entrepreneurial spirit that had been ignited during my time abroad. I decided to pursue entrepreneurship at some point in my life. Initially, I began freelancing for small local companies to gain an understanding of the work dynamics and professionalism in Odisha. Subsequently, I successfully completed an international business program at the Institute of Foreign Trade. This combination of work experience and education became a parallel journey for me.
How did you start your company?
There's nobody to really guide you about start-up and all that. But thankfully, we got some good chartered accountants who helped us. And that is how me and my business partner, we started a company known as Luminous Infoways in 2001. And this company, which was just a three-What do you say? Me, my then business partner Tanmay Mohanty who is my husband now. So three of us, we just enrolled a couple of other people also- one designer, one developer, one visualizer . Everybody started marketing and handled all other functions of the company. It was quite an interesting part, but I think the foundation laid was very strong. These were very, very intelligent and smart people. And that is how the whole story of my company started. Every year, we started adding people onto them, one after the other, more and more people added. We had business projects from New Zealand, from Norway, so we were outsourcing prior to that.
As a female leader in a company where your husband also holds a position of equal authority, how have you navigated the unique challenges that come with this dynamic? Have you encountered any instances where employees may have disregarded your instructions or gone directly to your husband for direction? If so, how have you addressed these situations?
I never faced such challenges because I was well-versed in handling difficult situations. We have always worked as a team, so it was never an issue. Employees never bypassed me. They respected my position and listened attentively to everything I had to say. I believe I have honed my skills to an exceptional level. I am now an international mentor and possess a thorough understanding of all aspects of business. Whether it's finances, corporate or business strategies, product enhancement, or brand building, I find it effortless. I also have access to extensive networks that enable me to recruit the best talent. I have achieved remarkable growth, and as a result, I don't encounter any significant challenges at present.
Family’s Take
She has gotten busier after becoming the Rotary Governor. Although it is a big challenge for her to manage time, she knows how to create a perfect work-life balance. I really appreciate the way she works. It is always meticulous. She has always been good at whatever she did.
Tanmay Mohanty, Husband, Managing Director cum CEO- Luminous Infoways Pvt. Ltd.
Employees’ Take
I have been associated with Jayashree ma’am for the last fifteen years. She is a great leader who always believes in teamwork and leads from the forefront. Whenever we face any problems she takes suggestions from everyone and gives solutions. She is the backbone of our company.
Devamitra Padhi, Sr Manager- HR
She is more like a friend than a boss and her doors are always open to listen to her team. We can always go and give our suggestions or address any of our concerns. She always gives space for improvisation and has been an inspiration to me and a lot of other people.
Sashikanta Rout, Bid Manager, Tender Department