The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce was proud to have Mr. Satish Pai, President of Schlumberger Information Solutions, as the Keynote speaker at the, September 28th 2001, luncheon. Mr. Pai heads the division of Schlumberger which harnesses the power of the “i” (internet, information, individuals, innovation, and incubation) to develop integrated business solutions for the global oil and gas industry by bringing together best-in-class software applications, information systems and expert services.
Mr. Ashoke Nath begun the afternoon program by denouncing the bloody attack on America and out lining the steps the Chamber has taken in response. “Letters of condemnation and support for our country were written to President Bush, all 100 Senators and all members of the Congress, our Governor and Mayor of Houston. A blood drive was held on Saturday September 15th and forty units of blood were collected in a few short hours. A Fund raising drive was initiated, I-FOCUS”. (Indians For Our Country, United States)
Mr. Nath said, “These terrorists brought out the best in all of us – The Spirit of Giving, Sharing and Helping! We are well known for our generosity, whether in Somalia, Bosnia or even in Afganisthan and the victims of oppression. But this time it is in our home! IACCGH encouraged all other Indian organizations to come together and jointly collect funds for the Victims of the Attack on America. The response has been unanimous and I believe the result will speak for our unanimity on October 11 or 13 when we shall announce the amount collectively. The Indo-American Charity Foundation, the Hillcroft Merchants� Association, The Indoamerican Cultural Association have pledged parts or all of their proceeds of their respective day events; Many of our members have donated from a half-a-day�s to a weeks salary, our students are out collecting. Today I urge each and every one of you to donate to I-FOCUS”
Mr. Nath on behalf of the Chamber proudly welcomed Mr. Joe Berardino, President of Andersen Consulting and Dr. Ray Bowens , President, Texas A & M University as our new Honorary advisors. Mr. Jagdip Ahluwalia introduced our Keynote speaker Mr. Satish Pai and outlined his accomplishments.
The topic of the afternoon was the “iTransformation of the Oil and Gas Industry” and the Tata Consultancy Services-America sponsored the event. Mr. Pai, a dynamic speaker, covered recovery factors in the industry and how to improve it. He spoke about the downturn and lay-offs resulting in a diminishing skill base and not enough people with experience. He stressed the need to improve the image of the industry by improving safety, environment and using high-tech.
Mr. Pai said the businesses are digitalizing and boundaries and distinctions between geography and companies were disappearing. To speed this process along companies need to explore information technology access. “But technology alone will not work , they will also need infrastructure and network to make it all come together”, he said.
Schlumberger wants to use Real Time Reservoir Management to manage the reservoir by using data from sensors underground on a real time basis instead of waiting for a problem to occur before fixing it. Mr. Pai said, “in the year 2000 companies are seeing a transformation. There is information sharing between companies, clients and government. There has been a “Digitization of process in Oil & Gas”. A global collaboration connects all cities and countries producing Oil & Gas. Schlumberger takes care of the last mile in the Oil & Gas Industry.”
In closing, Mr. Pai elaborated on the impact of the “i economy”. He said there is “Real Value” in collaboration, “Knowledge Capture and Dissemination” is facilitated, and “Connectivity” will make “Real Time” a reality. Last but not the least he stressed that Digital companies will generate superior “ROCE” (Return On Capital)
Mr. Rakesh Dawar introduces the second speaker of the afternoon Mr. Jim Thomas. Mr. Thomas is the Vice President of TCS- America . He outlined TCS work in the United States and pointed out that it was one of the few IT companies maintaining its profits and not laying off. He said he would like TCS to be mentioned with other leading Indian IT companies by the media as TCS has held its own for quite some time but has not been recognized for its successes.
Dr. Durga Agrawal gave the vote of thanks and said other IT companies can get tips from TCS on how to show a profit in these trying times. He also announced next month�s program with Mr. Paul Frison, President & CEO, Houston Technology Center.