Entrepreneur Par Excellence
“Any organization is only as good as it’s people & people are only as good as the quality of their thinking & perception. We can do magic if the benchmarks are high enough.”
Premchand Kurup is a renowned Malayali businessman, who has made a mark in the IT industry in Dubai with the tremendous success he has achieved through his ventures. He has over three decades of industry experience, including 25 years in the management of technology-dominant businesses. His expertise includes Start-up and Profit Center Management, Strategy Consulting, Corporate Sales, Channel Management and Executive Mentoring. He is a Parallel Entrepreneur who has co-founded several companies in the Arabian Gulf region focused on niche technologies. He is the CEO of Paramount, a company he transformed into a leader in the Cyber security space, and Co-founder of Barcode Gulf and Headstart FZ LLC. He is also a Charter Member of TiE in Dubai(The Indus Entrepreneurs).
Premchand executed on a Strategy Consulting exercise for Paramount in 1998 and enabled the transformation of the company from a PC supplier to a focused Cyber Security Company. In 2007, he executed on the first Management Buyout (MBO) of an IT company in the Dubai Internet City by enabling the exit of the founder of Paramount and inducting Finance House – a large Institutional Investor from Abu Dhabi. In the process, he created seven entrepreneurs in a single go.
“Success or
happiness cannot
be pursued. It
must ensue as
the unintended
consequence of
one’s dedication to
a cause.”
He is the winner of the prestigious Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Business Excellence. A prolific speaker as well, he has spoken at several symposiums and delivered guest lectures in Engineering, Management Institutes and several international and local conventions in UAE, India and the United States.
Paramount Computer Systems
Paramount, the regional leader in cyber security, enables customers to protect their critical Information assets and infrastructure through a prudent combination of people, process & technology. Founded in 1992, transformed into an Information Security Solutions Provider in 1999, reconfigured in 2007 through a Management Buy Out and being reinvented in 2015 to morph into a trusted cyber security solutions provider, Paramount always remains a ‘Class in Transformation’. The company started as early as 2001 at the ISO level and graduated through the EFQM framework by introducing and sustaining a culture of continuous learning, quality and focus on individual value-add inside and outside the organization.
Paramount has
been able to touch
the lives of thousands
in multiple ways,
by contributing to
diverse initiatives
under the areas
of Humanitarian,
Healthcare,
Education &
Community
What distinguishes Paramount in the market place is the talent, track-record, dedication and commitment of its cyber security professionals. Over 145 strong workforce with 100 security Consultants and Engineers makes Paramount one of the largest reservoirs of security talent in the Arabian Gulf Region.
It is the consistent focus on Quality & Excellence that has enabled Paramount to acquire a huge base of customers across the Arabian Gulf Region (UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) in all verticals – Oil & Gas, Banking & Finance, Government, Airlines & Transportation and large Corporates. Over 35% of the business is from countries outside the UAE and over 60% of the business is new business from existing customers, clearly indicating client confidence in the quality of post-sale support.
Everything in life can
be negotiated except
Integrity. Integrity is and
will always remain nonnegotiable.
Paramount was selected as No: 5 among the top 100 SME companies in Dubai in 2015. The other awards and certifications won by Paramount include: Dubai Chamber CSR Label; MRM Excellence Award, ISO 27001(Information Security), ISO 9001, ISO 22301 (BCP), ISO 20000 (ITSM) Certifications, Dubai Quality Appreciation Award; Great Place To Work Award and Happiness in the Workplace Award.
Major clients of Paramount are Emirates Airlines, RTA, DP World, ADCO, ADGAS, ADMA-OPCO ,GASCO, Ooredoo, Etisalat, Dubai Airports, Noor Islamic Bank, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Airways, Mobily, Qatar Gas, National Bank of Bahrain, ADNOC, Dubai Health Authority, Du, Commercial Bank of Dubai and Mashreq.
CSR activities
Paramount has a clearly defined vision when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility. The Initiatives aim at contributing meaningfully to the society in terms of time volunteered; assistance through skillset and experiences; and contribution to other organizations working towards the betterment of the society. Paramount has been able to touch the lives of thousands in multiple ways, by contributing to diverse initiatives under the areas of Humanitarian, Healthcare, Education & Community.
Paramount has been honored by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry as a Responsible Organization and awarded the Dubai Chamber CSR Label for two consecutive years. The CSR fund of the company comprises two components: voluntary contribution of one day’s salary every year by the employees and 2% of the organization’s Net Profit annually.
“We must make a
difference in the lives of
the under-privileged by
a measured contribution
of both time & money
& weave corporate
social responsibility into
the very fabric of the
organization.”
Barcode Gulf
Barcode Gulf is a leading provider of business-enabling solutions in the field of Auto ID using Bar-coding, RFID, Sensors, Wireless, Voice and Mobility-based solutions and technologies in the Middle East region. The company was jointly founded by Premchand Kurup, Madhu V P and Madhu K. Barcode Gulf’s solutions help customers in improving their operational effectiveness by employing various Auto ID technologies. It offers a spectrum of solutions catering to a wide range of industry needs by leveraging on its domain expertise and strategic alliances with leading technology providers.
Barcode’s major clients are MH Al Shaya, DHL, BMW, Union National Bank, Emirates Post Group, National Bank of Fujairah, Landmark Group, Qatar Duty Free, Dubai Municipality, Al Ghurair Retail, Sultan Centre Kuwait and Ramada Hotels.
Barcode was listed as one of the Top 100 SME companies in Dubai in 2013 and 2015. It was also selected as Motorola Best WLAN Partner ME in 2009 and 2013.
With Sunil Kumar Co-founder of Headstart & HE Sheikh Mohammed in the background who has always been our fountain of inspiration. He said “Leadership is all about manufacturing opportunity “ and that is exactly what we set out to do for our people.
Headstart FZ LLC
Headstart FZ LLC, established in 2002, is a boutique solution provider in the MEA/APAC region serving the retail and hospitality industries. The company offers a portfolio of products and services that enables clients to derive maximum benefits by utilizing state-of-art technology. Headstart was founded jointly by Premchand Kurup and Sunil Kumar. The proven products and implementation methodology of the company continue to deliver bottom-line benefits to most of the respected retailers in the market. The innovative solutions of Headstart demonstrate their dedication towards clients.The major awards won by the company include Microsoft Dynamics Best Reseller Award in MEA 2008 from Microsoft; Best RMS Vertical Reseller Award 2011 from Microsoft; Retail Industry Award 2013; and Circle of Excellence: MS Dynamics AX Growth Award by Retail Realm 2014 and 2015, sponsored by HP.
Major clients of Headstart include Aster Pharmacy, Spinney’s, Bagel Bar, Emirates Airlines, Ooredoo, Hot Brands International, Landmark Group, Nando’s, Dynamics Hospitality, Al Ghurair Retail, Cavalli Club and Fantasy World.
Personal History
A native of Kalliassery in Kannur district, Premchand Kurup was born as the son of Madhava Kurup, who was a Sales Manager at Bird & Company, a British firm in Chennai, and Saroja Kurup, a home maker. He is a close relative of the late E K Nayanar, Communist leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala and the nephew of the late Padma Vibhushan K P P Nambiar, a technocrat and industrialist who founded Keltron and Technopark. Premchand’s schooling was at Padma Sheshadri Bala Bhavan in Chennai. He earned a BE degree in Electronic & Communication from Guindy Engineering College in 1982 and started his career at Wipro. Schooling at Padma Seshadri instituted in him a very strong value system which was further engendered during the seven-year stint at Wipro. He arrived in the Gulf in 1989 and worked in three companies over a period of 10 years before venturing into business. The first step in this direction was co-founding two companies—Barcode Gulf and Headstart.
Value System
“A business man
is like a municipal
water pipeline.
The objective is to
supply water & not
quench his own
thirst. This is what
I have taught my
children.”
Premchand Kurup believes that one should lead a life based on principles in order to succeed. Likewise, he thinks integrity and respect are essential for a company to succeed in the market, in the long term. When you run a marathon, you need a value system; you need expertise over enthusiasm. He thanks his parents, his school and his mentors at Wipro for inculcating a strong value system in him. His principle for running business is ‘Share knowledge and share wealth’. So, all the key people involved in management of his company are also stakeholders and shareholders in his firm. We must live a life of contribution, a life of gratitude he says.
Family
Premchand Kurup is married to Remani Premchand, a home maker. The couple is blessed with two children. Daughter Kavitha Premchand earned her ACCA from Dubai and CPA from Canada and is specializing in Forensic Accounting. She is married to Nitin Nair, a Telecom Engineer at Rogers in Toronto, Canada.
Son Rohit Premchand is a Law student in the UK.
Company Websites
www.ParamountAssure.com
www.BarcodeGulf.com
www.HeadstartGlobal.com