"You have to be fully focused on what’s
happening in
front of you while keeping track of the road you just
traveled - two eyes in front, two in the back.”
At a leading software company in Nairobi, the message from
the MD reads;
“Running a large corporation is like
driving a coach filled
with invaluable lives, at full speed on an unknown highway
in some foreign land. Unexpected turns, unknown terrains
and challenging adventures affl ict the entire road before
reaching your destination. You have to be fully focused on
what’s happening in front of you while keeping track
of the
road you just traveled - two eyes in front, two in the back.
Lift your focus for few seconds…and bang. How easy
it is to
go off track!
It is by being alert all the time, unfailing determination
and obsessive belief in our goals that we have come so far.
But, above all, it is the result of a strong team - a team
of
tireless, dynamic and innovative group of men and women
that have believed in my leadership and backed me to reach
my goals over the last ten years. I have cherished these
ten
years of continuous growth and learning, which has only
been possible with the support and encouragement from our
esteemed customers, users and associates such as Oracle
Corporation. “
At 53, the daughter of a former Indian freedom fi ghter;
Jyoti
Mukherjee has achieved what most of us only dream of in a
lifetime. As the Managing Director of Software Technologies
Ltd (STL), Jyoti has been touted as a leader with a vision
in
the ICT industry, and rightly so.
Today, eHorizon, an HR based ERP solution is the company’s
flagship product and has developed to become a well known
brand in the world. The system has been subsequently
awarded the best HR system in Kenya in the last two years.
But what is the story behind the successful entrepreneur?
At only 16, Jyoti experienced the world of work when she
briefly worked as a secretary. Inspired by her father’s
philosophy of “simple living and high thinking”,
she is where
she is today because of her hard work and dedication.
She attended Premier High school and later Bombay
University where she graduated with a Bachelor of
Commerce Degree. She also has a Computer programming
and Management Information Systems Degree as well as
an MBA, and a number of professional IT qualifications to
her name.
Jyoti and her husband started a printing supplies shop on
Kijabe Street and, for eight years, they worked alongside
each other. Then in 1991 she started Software Technologies
Ltd. Today, STL is one of the biggest Software distribution
companies with annual sales in excess of US$3 million
(Ksh. 234 million). Jyoti has also started setting her sights
on the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) where she plans to
list Software Technologies in a year if the market conditions
improve.
Jyoti has run STL since 1991 when it started with a small
team of five, into an international IT powerhouse, expanding
to Uganda, Tanzania and India as well as operating other
projects in Nigeria, Zambia and the Middle East.
Presently, STL has branches in three continents; Africa,
Asia and America and has made ground breaking successes
in exporting their services such as e-learning to America.
Over the last ten years, STL has built a strong reputation
in the local business community – in fact, the company’s
client list reads much like the Who’s Who of East Africa.
STL currently supports over 150 large corporations in East
Africa alone making it the most recognized provider of
Oracle based solutions and Oracle support.
STL provides services such as customized systems
development, consultancy and implementation, support and
training, both on the Oracle E-Business Suite and their own
generic range of products, eHorizon.
Before founding and leading STL, Jyoti had acquired vast
experience for 17 years in management and systems design
while working for various international groups.
Jyoti and her husband have started many philanthropic
projects to provide the much needed IT education services
to the underprivileged in society. They do this by providing
education in IT for needy students in their own company,
as well as by starting and running community telecentres,
e.g. at Huruma, Kivuli and Shalom in Nairobi. Jyoti has
also been called upon to serve in other platforms to share
her experience and motivate new business entrepreneurs,
women enterprises and students.
In addition to her work at STL, she is a founding member
of
the Kenya Information Society and also serves as a Director
for the Centre for Corporate Governance, Kenya.
Her efforts in the ICT industry have been recognized in
various awards, including The “Best Entrepreneur of
the
Year 2000” by the Computer Society of Kenya.
Jyoti who likes poetry and reading has dedicated her life
to building local solutions with the highest standards, and
helping upgrade local skills with the vision of building
strong
communities in Africa. She wants to do all this utilizing
the
latest in international technologies.
