At times, when Sudeep Bhalerao, the Vice President of Human Resources, walks into his office at Celusion Technologies, a flashback quickly swirls before his eyes. He gets transported to way back in 1996. At that time, Sudeep was only 14 and had no direct relation with HR and Corporate. However, HR had always been like a family business. Although, back then little he could associate with what is Human Resources.
“I just knew then that my father is a senior HR professional and working with Tatas. It was fun then to visit his office, play games on his desktop and enjoy cheese sandwiches in his cabin😊. I am fortunate to come from an HR family where HR is like a family business with my grandfather working for Indian Railways in the Personnel Department and my father working over 35 years as an HR professional,” recalls Sudeep vividly. Today, including him, all three family members are HR professionals.
Infusing People-Powered Fintech Solutions
Sudeep is heading Human Resources (HR) function at Celusion Technologies, a software development company that works closely with different Fintech organizations to build and scale their businesses. These include financial corporations, stockbroking companies, and insurance companies. Sudeep shares, “We work with these organizations to transform their customer acquisition processes into fully digital channels, enabling them to become enterprises of the future today.”
This is achieved via the firm’s end-to-end lending platform that enables lenders to accelerate loan approvals and expand their customer segments. Its collaborative efforts with its many clients have helped transform their businesses and increase operational efficiency with the company’s core products. Sudeep informs, “Some of our product offerings include ONBOARD, LEND, DECIDE, NOTIFY, CONNECT, IDENTITY and SUSTAIN, to name a few.”
At Celusion Technologies, Sudeep says they understand that the intersection of finance and technology demands agility, curiosity, and constant evolution. “Our commitment to Learning & Development (L&D) intervention ensures that our office members are always ahead of the curve—ready to navigate challenges, innovate, and shape the future of financial technology.”
Over the last few years, the firm has been taking initiatives and is Nurturing A Culture of Growth and Excellence
Freshers Boot Camp Program:
It organizes a ‘Boot camp’ for the Fresher batch to polish their technical skills, get hands-on experience on the mini-projects, and contribute to the CEO Project, which helps the fresher batch to stay updated with the latest developments and technology.
Hackathons and Code Camp:
Sudeep adds, “Our hackathons and code camps inspire teams to experiment and solve real-world technical challenges, encouraging cross-functional learning and collaboration.”
On-Demand Tech Learning Sessions:
Through the Training need analysis process, Sudeep and his HR team have been able to connect the dots and establish the Training needs. Their senior technical members deliver sessions on various topics ranging from technical skills to the features of the products developed by their product teams.
Focus on Soft Skills and Overall Development:
Sudeep and his HR team organize sessions on soft skills/non-tech topics that aim at overall development, ensuring both personal growth and professional credibility.
Upskilling for a Dynamic Market:
“Our dedicated upskilling and cross-skilling programs ensure that employees can quickly adapt to new roles or market demands—staying relevant in an evolving industry,” he adds.
Leadership Development:
Under Sudeep’s guidance, Celusion fosters a growth culture where experienced leaders from the industry guide the upcoming leaders on creating pathways for career growth and leadership readiness. He emphasizes, “At Celusion Technologies, we believe that investing in our people is the key to long-term success.”
This style is effective for organizations that want to make significant changes. Transformational leaders inspire their teams to achieve more by creating a shared vision and communicating well, says Sudeep.
This leadership style stems from Celusion Technologies’ guiding philosophy: “Innovation is the key to success. This philosophy drives innovation at our organization by insisting that ‘Possible is everything,” he adds.
Similarly, Celusion Technologies’ USPs come in the form of the many qualities that it imbibes in its practice, informs Sudeep. Some of these include:
- Resilient architecture: “Our architectural framework is future-proofed to enable the adoption of new technologies in the future.”
- Domain knowledge: “Our experience and expertise derived from partnering with brands across banks and financial institutions help us deliver the best solutions.”
- User experience: Celusion’s solutions are designed to prioritize customer experience, striving for comfort and convenience in every aspect.
- Security: Its products adhere to secure coding and OWASP guidelines.
- Scalability: Its applications are built with bank-grade capabilities that scale horizontally to manage the load.
Also, according to Sudeep, they play a pivotal role in helping financial institutions strike a balance between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Creating a Contactless Future Realm
Now, in every successful business’s growth journey, challenges are the pivotal moments that decide the future course. In Celusion’s case, Sudeep says these moments came during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, a customer would walk into the branch or meet the sales executive to submit the application form for opening a Demat, trading, bank or insurance account or for availing of a loan he shares. “Owing to the lockdown, financial enterprises were down to zero customer acquisitions.”
Celusion Technologies built features that allowed the complete account opening process to be contactless with support from the directives issued by regulatory bodies. Some key features include video-based in-person verification, digital signatures, stakeholder collaboration and online payments. These features are enhanced by cognitive skills to detect liveliness, face match, and identify documents. The advanced infrastructure has made it possible to onboard customers remotely through digital channels without diluting the due diligence process. The platform can also help enterprises manage high volumes; for example, over 150,000 accounts per month (for a single corporation) have been opened at their peak, sixty per cent of which were in the last four days of the month, reveals Sudeep.
An Illuminating Advice
In his pragmatic advice to the budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the startup space, Sudeep says:
- Build a Resilient Mindset: Be prepared for setbacks and learn to pivot when necessary.
- Surround Yourself with the Right People: Build a team that complements your skills and shares your vision. A strong co-founder or team is invaluable in tackling challenges together.
- Focus on Customers: Build a customer-first culture. Listen actively to your users, iterate on their feedback, and prioritize user satisfaction and retention over vanity metrics.
- Maintain a Work-Life Balance: While startups require dedication, burnout will hurt your productivity and creativity. Prioritize self-care and maintain relationships outside work.
- Be Patient: Success in the startup world doesn’t happen overnight. Focus on consistent progress rather than immediate results.
A Future Full of FinTechnovations
Sudeep is aligned with the vision of the MD & CEO of Celusion, Praveen Paulose. “Our primary focus is to build a culture of innovation and a supportive environment for technology enthusiasts at our organization to solve real-world business problems. There is no greater joy than seeing people use and benefit from the technology built by us,” he shares.
As an HR professional, he says he will continue being empathetic towards employees’ concerns, promoting a culture which strengthens the belief of employees in the company’s values and reassuring their faith in the company’s ability to demonstrate sustainable growth.
