Honest conversations about leadership, careers, technology and resilience. Jonathan Justus speaks with experienced professionals about the decisions, setbacks and lessons that shaped their journeys. A podcast from Elevana. Watch the video interviews on YouTube: @elevana-pro.
Leadership Is Creating Leaders | Krishnamoorthy Raman
Krishnamoorthy Raman, technology leader, innovator and leadership coach, talks about his journey from engineering college in Kerala to building award-winning products made in India, and why he believes leadership is about creating leaders. He shares how he trains young engineers to think differently, the story behind Sushrut and robot-assisted surgery, why humility, humanity and integrity are the ingredients of invention, and how design thinking, AI and failing faster shape better products. He also speaks about knowing yourself, the four quadrants of life, a smart factory platform for India, and his vision for the country's next ten years.PRO Leader Series: Jonathan Justus in conversation with Krishnamoorthy Raman.Connect with Krishnamoorthy RamanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnamoorthy-raman-2b104315/Chapters0:00 Opening0:22 Introduction0:32 From Calicut to Kirloskar1:40 Award-winning products made in India2:32 Entrepreneur, then building a division4:05 Training young engineers to think differently4:48 Robotic surgery and Sushrut5:54 Leadership is creating leaders7:48 Finding the strength in every person9:03 Humility, humanity and integrity10:27 Design thinking11:44 AI as an accelerator12:59 Fail faster, never give up13:55 Spirituality: knowing yourself15:11 The four quadrants of life16:25 A smart factory platform for India17:13 Vision for India18:14 Learn to be humble19:13 ClosingWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m7gPXVWTE-IDisclaimerViews expressed by guests are their own and not those of Elevana. This content is for general information only and is not professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional where needed.
26 Oct 2026
மனதின் சங்கிலியை உடைப்போம் | Break the Chain in Your Mind | Suganya Thangavel
Career break-க்குப் பிறகு மீண்டும் வேலைக்குத் திரும்புவது, மன நலம் ஏன் முக்கியம், நம்மைக் கட்டிப்போடும் நம்பிக்கைகள் பற்றிய "யானையும் சங்கிலியும்" கதை, நாம் ஏன் தள்ளிப்போடுகிறோம் என்பவை பற்றி Life Coach சுகன்யா தங்கவேல் பேசுகிறார். கையில் இருப்பதிலிருந்து தொடங்குவது, survival mode-இலிருந்து வெளியே வருவது, "இது முடிவல்ல" என்ற நம்பிக்கை பற்றியும் பகிர்கிறார்.Life coach Suganya Thangavel talks about coming back to work after a career break, why mental health matters, the "elephant and the chain" beliefs that hold us back, and why we postpone what matters. She also shares how to start from what is already in your hands, how to get out of survival mode, and why it is never the end.PRO Leader Series: Jonathan Justus in conversation with Suganya Thangavel, Life Coach and Goal Strategist, Chennai. (நேர்காணல் தமிழில்.)Connect with Suganya Thangavel / சுகன்யா தங்கவேலுடன் இணையJoin her WhatsApp community / WhatsApp சமூகத்தில் சேர: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EbbIrpGNGNfBnP07H3Qz7gWhatsApp messages only, please no calls / WhatsApp செய்தி மட்டும், அழைப்புகள் வேண்டாம்: +91 96293 67250LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suganya-thangavel-815815395/Chapters / அத்தியாயங்கள்0:00 தொடக்கம் | Opening0:32 சுகன்யா தங்கவேல் யார்? | Who is Suganya Thangavel?5:16 Career break-க்குப் பிறகு | Coming back after a career break7:13 இடைவெளிக்குப் பிறகு interview | Interview questions after a gap9:29 கையில் இருப்பதிலிருந்து தொடங்குங்கள் | Start from what is in your hands12:53 மன நலம் ஏன் முக்கியம்? | Why mental health matters16:07 யானையும் சங்கிலியும் | The elephant and the chain20:42 அறிவுரையா, வழிகாட்டலா? | Advice or guidance?25:18 ஏன் தள்ளிப்போடுகிறோம்? | Why do we postpone?30:16 Survival mode-இலிருந்து வெளியே | Out of survival mode33:09 இது முடிவல்ல | It is never the endWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cyWG6Azz9agDisclaimer / பொறுப்புத் துறப்புViews expressed by guests are their own and not those of Elevana. This content is for general information only and is not professional, medical or mental-health advice. Please consult a qualified professional where needed.இந்த நிகழ்ச்சியில் விருந்தினர் தெரிவிக்கும் கருத்துகள் அவர்களுடைய சொந்தக் கருத்துகள்; அவை Elevana-வின் கருத்துகள் அல்ல. இது பொதுவான தகவலுக்காக மட்டுமே; தொழில்முறை, மருத்துவ அல்லது மனநல ஆலோசனை அல்ல. தேவைப்படும்போது தகுதியுள்ள நிபுணரை அணுகவும்.
24 Oct 2026
Career Breaks, Systems Thinking and Leading Change | Sunanda Gundavajhala
Sunanda Gundavajhala, Director of Operations and Board Member at DispatchTrack India, joins Jonathan Justus on the PRO Leader Series.In this conversation she talks about rebuilding a career after a break, how her early years in the process industry shaped her systems thinking, hiring for potential and curiosity, leading change in an AI-forward company, and why Agile is a mindset and not a framework.Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WRnlFV2_V3gChapters0:00 Cold open0:31 Welcome and introduction1:15 What defines Sunanda?2:04 From chemical engineer to leader4:41 A career break is not the end of a career7:36 Advice for anyone returning to work11:07 First woman engineer: the reactor incident and the yield project15:09 Proving herself: why do you want to struggle?16:30 Systems thinking: people, process, outcomes19:36 From project management to product20:30 Hiring for potential, curiosity and hobby projects22:28 Leading change in an AI-forward company24:22 Agile is a mindset, not a framework26:19 Books that shaped her thinking28:24 Building functions and organizations30:01 Advice for young leaders34:18 Why mentorship matters, especially for girls36:45 Closing thoughts: do not let one chapter become your whole storyViews expressed by guests are their own and are not professional advice.
22 Oct 2026
Market Research: Turning Data into Insights | Rupesh Govindan
Jonathan Justus speaks with Rupesh Govindan, Market Research and Strategy Consultant at Robas Research, about how a business question becomes a decision tree, how many answers narrow down to a few trends, how research gets stakeholder buy-in, and the tests he applies before choosing between an EV and a petrol vehicle.PRO Leader Series with Jonathan Justus | ElevanaWatch the video interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@elevana-proChapters0:00 Cold open0:29 Welcome3:31 From a sales job to market research8:05 The interview that started it: I don't know Tamil9:11 Seven years executing, seven years learning9:56 When a client's question is vague10:45 Breaking a problem into a decision tree12:20 Questionnaires and discussion guides16:01 The reverse decision tree: 30 answers become 3 trends18:51 SPSS and the refinery study22:44 360-degree stakeholder research25:18 Choosing the sample26:47 Three things that answer any research question28:00 Becoming objective: a holiday plan by cost per day28:51 EV or petrol? The life-cycle cost test39:35 When a client says the research is wrong41:55 Data over perception44:18 How do you interview a thief?49:06 Closing thoughts
15 Oct 2026
Why Complex Projects Fail and How Leaders Prevent It | Dr. Sujith Sasikumar
Jonathan Justus speaks with Dr. Sujith Sasikumar about engineering leadership, project communication, quality, transparency, and teams that run on process.
PRO Leader Series with Jonathan Justus | Elevana
Watch the video interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@elevana-pro
Chapters
0:00 Welcome
0:45 From Tejas to Volvo: 25 years in engineering
5:18 Learning never stops: MBA, PMP and a doctorate
9:58 From engineer to leader: the mindset shift
14:44 Quality is never compromised
17:34 Teams that run on process, not people
20:28 Transparency: never punish a reported problem
22:46 Why complex projects fail
27:16 Senior PM: three capabilities
34:00 Closing: keep learning
15 Oct 2026
From Indore to Global Ambitions | Naveen Yograj on Vision and Leadership
Naveen Yograj joins Jonathan Justus to discuss education, entrepreneurship, mentors, building teams, and the lessons that shaped his approach to leadership.
PRO Leader Series with Jonathan Justus | Elevana
Watch the video interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@elevana-pro
Chapters
0:00 Welcome
1:05 From Indore to Cranfield
4:03 The mentor who changed everything
7:55 Starting Vishisht School of Management
12:01 Leaving the family business
14:32 Building a team from scratch
17:50 Why a private college must create a pull
22:36 The hardest lesson: regulatory battles
25:44 The price of the learning curve
27:43 The glass that protects you
30:05 Why law? The LLB journey
37:40 Exams, hard work and giving 100%
44:05 AI, teachers and mentors
48:11 The most pressured generation
50:54 When the system frustrates you
53:50 Advice for young leaders
1:03:22 Simplicity is the new wow
1:05:26 Closing thoughts: one skill, 10,000 times
15 Oct 2026
From IBM to the House of Lords | Karthik Shekhar
Jonathan Justus speaks with Karthik Shekhar about his IBM years, Y2K, the House of Lords, labour rights, and lessons from work across several industries.
PRO Leader Series with Jonathan Justus | Elevana
Watch the video interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@elevana-pro
Chapters
0:00 Welcome
1:23 Roots: Bangalore, Mysore and Vivekananda
4:42 Joining IBM when it had 500 people
5:36 Building a GCC before it had a name
7:25 The detour: a union for IT workers
10:48 A film, a hospital and a sweet house
12:26 140 countries and the House of Lords
15:31 The night the lights went out on Y2K
18:44 Women, night shifts and safety
20:41 Jeerjimbe: four state awards
25:03 Running a hospital through COVID
31:04 From hospitals to the food industry
32:49 What he told the House of Lords
35:23 Teaching at XLRI, IIM Ahmedabad and TISS
37:09 What can a union still do?
39:12 Spirituality and everyday work
42:03 Verify, read, finish: advice for Gen Z
46:19 Closing thoughts
15 Oct 2026
SCCM, Intune and AI: Building a Career That Adapts | Anoop C Nair, Part 2
Anoop C Nair and Jonathan Justus discuss Intune, identity, community, personal branding, and adapting an IT career as AI changes the work.
PRO Leader Series with Jonathan Justus | Elevana
Watch the video interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@elevana-pro
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
0:25 Welcome back: Intune from the basics
1:12 Microsoft's playbook: SCCM, Intune, Copilot
2:44 Patterns, and why half of Intune is SCCM
4:10 The framework that compounds
6:04 Why community? Value add beats volume
9:54 Personal branding and the hiring manager
14:39 Moving from SCCM to Intune: think bigger
16:42 Identity first: no Intune without Entra ID
18:21 Skip hybrid, go cloud native
21:33 Will AI take Intune jobs?
26:33 One domain, AI as your juniors
29:00 HTMD: empowering people
33:21 Beyond work: SportsTra
35:28 No shortcut: be curious, ask why
15 Oct 2026
Rejected, Then Rebuilt: Anoop C Nair's Career Journey | Episode 1
Anoop C Nair joins Jonathan Justus to discuss his early career, learning SCCM, rejection, and the process he built through experience.
From the PRO Leader Series by Elevana. Watch the video interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@elevana-pro
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
0:23 Welcome
1:26 I'm Chatur, not Rancho
3:11 The village boy who couldn't learn languages
4:53 Mumbai, a first job and learning by heart
8:50 One PDF and a console: learning SCCM at JP Morgan
12:12 The pushback that created the first Anoop
13:16 Capgemini and the second Anoop
15:57 The Microsoft interview
20:22 Rejected: the end of a career?
21:46 I will prove it with SCCM
24:23 Believe in the process
28:29 What if Microsoft kills SCCM?
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