Mr. Uday Oak

Strategist & Auditor

Functional summary

(in Reverse Chronological Order)

  • Principal Consultant, Saadhan (Relevant Research and Data Analysis Laboratory) [2019 – Present]
  • Communication, Legal & HR Consultant, Pune [2014 – 2019]
  • COO, FinIQ Consulting (I) Private Limited, Pune [2012 – 2014]
  • Founder Director, Acuminate Consulting & Technologies Pvt Ltd, Pune [2009 – 2012]
  • Consultant Trainer, for Communication and Presentation Skills, Group Behavior, and Stress Management [2008 – 2009]
  • Operations In-charge, Summit Training & Management Solutions Private Limited, Pune [2007 – 2008]
  • Head, CMC (Competency Management Center), Rapidigm India Ltd, a Fujitsu Consulting Company [2006 – 2007]
  • Consultant Trainer, preparing students in various institutes for placements in IT companies [2003 – 2006]
  • Instructor at Bull’s Eye, Pune [2002 – 2005]
  • Visiting faculty for MITCON e-MBA program [2002 – 2004]
  • GMAT, GRE, SAT, CAT Instructor and Computer Section In-Charge, Dilip Oak’s Academy, Pune, India. [1996 – 2001]
  • Communication Consultant, Shardiya Systems Private Limited & Shardiya Land Developers, Pune, India [1996 – 2001]
  • Human Resource and Administration Coordinator, Selectica Configurators Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India. [1997 – 1998]
  • Coordinator for an anthropological research project, for Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. [1996 – 1997]
  • Scriptwriter/researcher, Production Manager, Editor – Dixan Communications, Pune, India. [1992 – 1996]
  • Editor — ‘Business Insight of India’, Pune, India. [1993 – 1994]
  • Free-lance scriptwriter and director, Pune, India. [1990 – 1992]
  • Scriptwriter, Production Asst., Editor – Aashay Productions, Pune, India [1990 – 1992]

Education

BSc. (Physics) –  1984 – 1987      Ferguson College, University of Pune,

Work Experience

September 2019 till date

Principal Consultant, Saadhan

  • Streamlining Project Management
  • Co-ordinating conceptualization and operationalization of ideas

November 2014 till September 2019

Communication, Legal & HR Consultant

  • Streamlining internal as well as external communication
  • Co-ordinating legal agreement negotiations
  • Consulting for appraisals

November 2012 till November 2014

Chief Operating Officer, FinIQ Consulting (I) Private Limited, Pune

  • Streamlined the recruitment and training process
  • Initiated, deployed and monitored Process Management Group
  • Tracked and owned projects in critical phase
  • Implemented and monitored a performance tracking system (for off-shore and on-site employees)
  • Devised and implemented a competency-oriented appraisal system
  • Monitored and controlled pre-sales, marketing and legal documentation process
  • Initiated and owned various measures to instill productivity improvement

September 2009 till November 2012

Founder Director, Acuminate Consulting & Technologies Private Limited, Pune

  • Founded Acuminate with two like-minded colleagues.
  • Steered the organization through the initial phase, effecting mid-course corrections and exploring new business ideas
  • Conducted trainings in Corporates, Educational Institutes and Defense Establishments in Pune on Soft-skills.

June 2008 till September 2009

Consultant Trainer, conducting programs on Communication and Presentation Skills, Group Behavior, and Stress Management

  • Conducted trainings on Communication Skills and Verbal Skills for Sugen Software Private Limited (Pune), Hexaware Technologies Limited (Mumbai & Pune), and Law Allies, Pune.
  • Conducted training on Competency Building for faculty members of various colleges in Shivaji University (Kolhapur).
  • Conducted training on Enhancing Placement Prospects for Sinhgad Institute of Business Administration & Research (Pune).

June 2007 till July 2008

Operations In-charge, Summit Training & Management Solutions Private Limited, Pune

  • Helped set up the company
  • Co-ordinated the Business Development Activity
  • Conducted trainings on Soft Skills in a host of companies (IT, Packaging, Electronics Manufacturing) in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi.
  • Conducted “outbound trainings” for enhanced Team Building.
  • Designed and Modified training programs as per the customer’s needs

June 2006 till February 2007

Group Manager, Rapidigm (India) Ltd, Pune

  • Established the identity of Competency Management Center (Training department) in the organization
  • Co-ordinated the making and implementation of monthly and quarterly training plans for the entire organization (Pune, NOIDA & Hyderabad)
  • Periodically identified new training needs and arranged training programs to address them
  • Coordinating the facility visits by persons from Fujitsu Limited through the integration process
  • Initiated and followed up a dedicated Management Development Program for Rapidigm with BITS, IIT and other Premier Management Institutes.
  • Conducted training programs on Business Communication, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Presentation Skills, Vocabulary Improvement, Written Communication, Transition to Corporate Life (for freshers) and Stress Management.
  • Co-ordinated an online technical test for entire SAP practice (over 250 associates) across Pune, NOIDA, Hyderabad & Bangalore
  • Initiated the idea and conducted meetings of Book Reading Club

June 2003 to June 2006

Consultant Trainer, Pune

  • Trained students seeking placements in IT industry, in Aptitude and Communication Skills. On an average, trained over 1500 students/year.
  • Prepared Entrance Test for Mumbai Education Trust’s course in Software
  • Validated National Entrance Tests for MKCL (Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited) for their Diploma in Software Technology
  • Conducted Communication Skills and Stress Management in YASHADA Pune.
  • Conducted Time & Stress Management for Faculty of SNDT Women’s University, Pune.

June 2002 to December 2005

Faculty Member, Bull’s Eye, Pune

  • Bull’s Eye provides training for CAT, GRE, GMAT & TOEFL since 1996. Taught around 200 GRE, GMAT & CAT students.

August 2002 to June 2004

Visiting Faculty Member, MITCON e-MBA program

  • Taught Personality Development, Communication Skills, Analytical Reasoning and Case Studies.

January 2001 to June 2002

Trainer, “C-Quest”, Pune, India

  • Conducted training programs on personality development, logical analysis, communication and group dynamics for Multiversity and Mascon Computer Services.

July 1996 to December 2001

Instructor and Computer-in-charge, Dilip Oak’s Academy, Pune, India

Was a GRE, GMAT, SAT & CAT instructor. Conducted Group Discussions and Personal Interviews for students. Trained over 600 students for GMAT, and over 4000 for GRE. Taught Mathematics for SAT, Mathematics and Logical Analysis for GRE, and English and Mathematics for GMAT.

Was the in-charge of the GMAT course. It involved preparing material, hiring and training new faculty and being a one-point interface for students. Also counseled students for preparing Statement of Purpose and related documents.

June 1999 to June 2001

Communication Consultant, Shardiya Systems Private Limited, Pune, India

  • Was Consultant for Human Resource and Content Development to Shardiya, which was in web-page designing and web-related software development. Co-ordinated the content development and presentation for the educationinpune.com, which gave comprehensive information about educational facilities in Pune. This website was the first of its kind to provide the information to students who flock to Pune. (This website is now defunct, since the company went bust in the dot-com burst!)

October 1996 to October 1998

Consultant, Shardiya Land Developers, Pune, India

  • The work included conducting feasibility studies, doing market research, and preparing Company Profile and Project Reports for various financial institutions.

Sept 1997 – May 1998

Co-Ordinator, Selectica Configurators India Pvt. Ltd. , Pune, India

SCIPL, a subsidiary of the Selectica Inc., San Hose, CA, specialized in developing unique web-based Configurators. They were developed for clients such as IBM and BMW. The job included human resource management, hiring new staff, office administration, and accounts. Overall responsibilities included furnishing the office, getting hardware, evaluating prospective employees, hiring consultants for training, and training the employees selected to go to the USA office for projects.

March 1996 – February 1997

Project Co-ordinator, Johns Hopkins University Medical Anthropology Research Project, Pune, India

  • Was the project co-ordinator for an anthropological research project ‘Morbidity in Women from Low Income Group’. The project leader was Ms Karina Kielmann from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, who did the project as part of her doctoral thesis. The project was conducted in Bopkhel, a village near Pune. The job included office administration, co-ordinating the schedules of field workers, helping in designing the questionnaire, transcribing and translating the interviews taken by the field workers and entering all the data in a package developed in Microsoft Access.

Oct 1992 – May 1996

Production Manager, Scriptwriter, Director and Assistant Editor, Dixan Communications Inc. , Pune, India

  • Was Production Manager, Scriptwriter, Director and Assistant Editor for Dixan Communications Inc., a Pune based Film-production Company. The job included doing research for and writing the script, Production management, editing and dealing with customers (private & governmental organizations, television officials). Worked for six training films, four corporate films, ten news clippets, one telefilm and four episodes of the serial Contemporary Masters of Indian Architecture.

Dec 1993 – Aug 1994

Magazine Editor, Business Insight of India, Pune, India

  • Was the Editor of ‘Business Insight of India’, a Pune-based business monthly, from December 1993 to June 1994. The job included taking interviews, doing company profiles, writing the editorial and special columns in the magazine and designing the layout.

Aug 1990 – Jan 1992

Production Manager and Script Researcher, Aashay Film Production, Pune, India

  • Oversaw shooting schedules, researched material in various places in India to prepare synopses and treatments for 6 documentary films.

July 1990 – Aug 1992

Script-writer and Director (Free-lance)

  • Wrote the script, and directed a short film on minor irrigation schemes for USAID in July 1992. The assignment entailed traveling extensively in western and southern Maharashtra. The film analyzed the Maharashtra Minor Irrigation Scheme (MMIS) under which the USAID gave money to Maharashtra government for building Minor Irrigation Schemes.

July 1987 – July 1990

Computer Consultant (Free-Lance)

  • Coordinated software development and delivery; business development and office administration for Sunyog Systems Pvt. Ltd. Pune, India.

Volunteer experience

Oct 1996 – Aug 1998 –  Secretary, Saadhan

Hobbies

  • Co-founded “Saadhan”, a voluntary organization for the upliftment of rural people in Rihe valley, 30 km from Pune. Conducted health camps, disseminated information about crop cultivation, fertilizers and insecticides, and helped to provide employment to the youth.
  • Reading English and Marathi fiction. Special interests in English – humor (Wodehouse, Gordon, Herriot etc.), action (McLean, Higgins, Keating, Gardner, Chandler etc.), and serious (Steinbeck, Green, Maughm, Shaw, Solzenytsin, Koestler, etc.). Special interests in Marathi fiction are humor, political & social history and history of the Maratha Empire (1674 AD onwards).

Listening to Indian Classical Music (Bhimsen Joshi, Jasraj, Vasantrao Deshpande, Jitendra Abhisheki etc.), Western Classical Music (Bach, Beethoven and Tchaikovasky), and Western popular music (Santana and Aqua).