On the 31st of August this year, I took early retirement from my employment as the CEO of a $1 billion revenue Organization. My intention to retire at the age of just 56 was very much spurred by an event that happened much earlier on in life. When I was still young - in my 20s - I started suffering loss in vision due to keratoconus. By the time I was 36, I was completely blind in my left eye. I was fortunate enough to receive an eye donation that restored my sight. However, (probably due to my mother's SLE), I suffered multiple rejections for over a decade and inflammation still surfaces from time to time.
This event gave me the recognition of the rarity of eye donations and an appreciation of my good fortune in being the recipient of one at a critical time in my life. I also gathered a significant level of education and interest in the subject.
For years I mulled over the thought of how I could give back to society, specially in the field of eye-care. I have been virtually a 'one-company' man but in multiple roles globally. This has therefore provided me with a varied exposure that has enriched my professional experience. I was on the board of two companies - one in an executive role & the other in a non-executive position in the other. My last organization has about 6000 employees including about 800 supervisory (and above) staff across eight nationalities. This has required managing cultural differences, leading change, motivation, training and development all through an inclusive work culture. My key skill in the last few years has been to motivate & lead people to perform and to help them achieve both personal and professional goals as well as fulfilling organizational objectives. I feel that my experience has moved beyond a specific domain and can be effectively utilized across sectors. I wished very much to use these skills in the area of my passion - to build much needed awareness around the importance of addressing treatable blindness in general and corneal blindness in particular.
My immediate plan is to spend some time in India and working on in these areas both on an individual basis and also on a larger scale with the support of a louder voice. My drive to participate in Social initiatives is driven by my life changing experience. Besides I wish to also put my long and wide management & leadership experience to gainful & productive use in the Social sector by collaborating & working with organizations that provide the most credible platform in this sector. As you can see, I have indeed taken a major step. It is only logical therefore for me to seek an Organization that exists to make a difference to the lives of the needy and that can leverage my drive, passion and commitment supported by my professional experience towards this end and in the process help me embark on a fulfilling journey.
My association with The Vision Mission, that has been doing remarkable work in the field of addressing treatable blindness, is a very meaningful step in my journey.