Saturday

22-03-2025 Vol 19

From the Ground Up: Phaneesh Murthy’s Role in Building Primentor’s Success

Phaneesh Murthy is a pioneer in the business and global services industry. After earning his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, he has worked with some of the most prominent businesses worldwide, and now works with smaller more focused players like Opus Consulting, and Cigniti. He is also an active conservationist in his home country of India. 

He has taken a particular interest in protecting the tiger population of the country, which makes up 70 percent of the world. His recent donation to the Nagerhole Tiger Reserve includes a QI4 thermal drone that can move across the reserve in just 40 minutes. This tool will help them monitor wildlife and track poachers. 

That, plus 900 tracking cameras, is likely to significantly impact conservation efforts designed to protect the tigers and other animals in the reserve. Phaneesh Murthy’s success as a businessperson allowed him to be the philanthropist he is today. 

Professional Journey

Phaneesh Murthy began turning heads in the industry as the Worldwide Head of Sales and Marketing, and Communications at Infosys LTD. There he is credited for increasing the company revenue from 2 million dollars to 700 million in less than ten years. Later, he served as the director for Infosys BPO Ltd. and eventually became a board member. 

Phaneesh Murthy is a pioneer of the Global Delivery Model (GDM), responsible for gaining Infosys more than 13.5 billion in revenue during the next ten years. In 2003, he founded his own company, which IGATE Solutions Limited later bought out. 

As part of the purchasing agreement, Phaneesh Murthy played a key role in restructuring IGATE. While CEO of iGATE, he ran and participated in a charity golf tournament he and a partner won. That allowed him to donate the reward money to the Tiger conservation fund, a charity that remains close to his heart. 

Opus Consulting

One of the concepts that Phaneesh Murthy believes strongly in is that IT and operations must merge to keep businesses modern and efficient. Opus Consulting’s tagline reads: “Payments for the Digital Age,” which supports that premise. 

Opus consulting is a mainstay of the payment industry. They offer innovative payment systems and have been for the last two decades. They started in the age of the ATM and continue today with touchless technology and invisible transactional ecosystems. They offer a comprehensive services suite that provides digital processing without disrupting services. They also help their customers meet the requirements of an evolving regulatory process. 

Phaneesh Murthy serves on the board of Opus Consulting and can put his decades of restructuring large outsourcing deals to work on their behalf. With his help. Opus has taken its business to the next level for revenue, profitability, and clientele. 

Primentor

Phaneesh Murthy is the founder and chief operating officer of Primentor, a consulting company devoted to mentoring senior executives. They aim to break the growth stagnation of struggling companies and move them toward modernization. 

Primentor focuses on the convergence of technology and business operations. The goal is to teach these executives how IT fits into the modern business model. With that knowledge, they will better grasp the benefits of marrying tech with operations to optimize the business. 

Primentor’s vision and mission are to mentor senior executives and create shareholder value with enhanced business agility, even in an uncertain economic environment. Murthy and the team at Primentor do this by creating value networks, leveraging technology and operations to maximize value, and accessing ways to leverage IT to promote growth

Primentor has helped a number of companies find success with their unique formula. Over 11 years, Phaneesh Murthy managed to help one global business see revenues of more than 1.2 billion dollars. A second company saw its value jump 2,000 times with an industry-leading operating margin of 36%. Finally, a European bank was able to save 30% by outsourcing 60% of its technology services. 

Cigniti

Cigniti Technology is an industry leader in Ai-driven and IP-led digital assurance services, along with software testing, engineering, automation, and consulting. Its goal is to help leading global enterprises across 23 countries expand their digital horizons. 

It’s not hard to see where Phaneesh Murthy fits into this brand. They offer IT components necessary to meld IT with business operations. Murthy is an independent director for Cignitit and serves on the board. 

Philanthropic Work With Tiger Conservation

Phaneesh Murthy spearheads conservation efforts in India to stabilize the tiger population. He founded the Kabini Foundation to help protect the forest regions and the many wildlife habitats they host. The foundation helped villagers develop vocational resources to support their families without relying solely on the disappearing resources in the forest. 

More recently, Phaneesh Murthy donated a thermal drone to the Nagerahole Tiger Reserve along with 900 tracking cameras. The combination of the two allows the Forest Department in India to monitor the 4 kilometers that make up the reserve and watch for animals in distress and poachers. In addition, the cameras provide visual evidence of crimes committed. 

The Impact of Technology and Operations Convergence

Phaneesh Murthy pioneered the concept of tech/ops convergence. Through his mentoring firm, he assesses the business’s current state and then helps executives develop cost-efficient business models to address gaps. This often involves marrying automated or outsourced tech with business operations such as payroll. 

Achievements and Awards

Phaneesh Murthy received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, and later got his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. He is credited for developing the Global Delivery Model. 

He has been recognized for his philanthropic efforts on behalf of tiger conservation. He has also participated in a number of charity golf events. 

Phaneesh Murthy has been leading his field in global business services for decades. When he is not in an office mentoring senior executives or sitting on the board of a major corporation, he is developing strategies to help save the tiger population in India from extinction. In both roles, he has seen significant success. 

Pam Burrus