Subhakar Rao Surapaneni – Full Biography

 Named one of the “100 Most Influential Global Sales & Marketing Technology Leaders” by Marketing Times, Subhakar Rao is inching towards celebrating two decades of driving global business change. It was in 1991 when Mr. Subhakar Rao began his Masters in Wayne State University that the entrepreneurial bug caught him. That was when he began a search for Technology and IT solutions that played a large a role in his life as his better-known innovations in sales & marketing outsourcing. Nearly 12 years after he began parallel careers in philanthropy and IT, Subhakar Rao started Champions Trust & Charitable Foundation. Based in Bangalore,India, , a think tank – or as some call it, an “action tank” – dedicated to accelerating funding for poor and their education,engaging people, teachers and organizations, and enabling use of computers in schools. He is also Chief Patron and Trustee of Sri Sai Seva Charitable Trust.

A decade earlier, Mr. Subhakar Rao founded Educational Foundations that made investments and grants to create QIS College of Engineering and later expanded to other business college and schools. In 1998, He formalized his previous education oriented philanthropy by co-founding the Surapaneni Educational Academy and in the next decade the Champions Lifelong Learning Society which has contributed to improving education. These institutions are also involved with and donating several hundred computers and helping numerous educational institutions including School, Engineering College & Bachelors Colleges. Now in its 10th year, the Foundation has worked closely with giving out to more than 100 schools and educational institutions. Over the past decade, he has supported extensive programs in such areas as physically challenged job creations, assistance to families of children in low income groups, youth programs and worldwide research on online communication techniques enabling a greener world. 

Mr. Subhakar Rao  is also chairman and founder of the widely respected SMEI, a non – profit, sales & marketing think tank in India that seeks to create a more educated responsible sales & marketing force, more thoughtful deal making, and improved job creation. SMEI research areas include global capital markets, regional and demographic studies, human capital and job creation, access to capital, intellectual property studies, and enhanced understanding of economic issues.  More than 10,000 thought leaders and decision makers from nearly 30 nations are now members of this global forum and the summit’s are attended by delegates from across the world. Numerous top Sales & Marketing trainers have been brought to India like Neil Rackham, Barry Trailer, Steven Covey, Harry Beckwith, Brian Tracy, Lesley Everett have been invited to these sessions or attended in India. 

As a Investor and Incubation champion, Mr. Subhakar Rao’s skills are in making organizations more efficient, dynamic and democratic by innovating a wide range of organic growth  techniques previously unused by most companies. This financed much of the early growth of IT outsourcing and Marketing outsourcing industries. “Subhakar Rao is a formidable innovator and we’ll all from the Outsourcing Industry will be in his debt for a long time for showcasing how Global Businesses can be effectively setup.” 
“Mr. Subhakar Rao’s contribution to the explosive economic growth experienced by the Marketing and Technology Outsourcing Industry in the past 18 years is one of the greatest achievements of modern global entrepreneurs.” 
His most important work was training and creating numerous marketing and IT entrepreneurs who launched these ideas for building companies that became engines of marketing outsourcing industry. Based on his initiatives, Surapaneni was determined to focus, first, on cash flow rather than reported earnings; and second, to consider human capital part from India and across the world a part of the balance sheet. This was in a decade when Outsourcing was in its nascence stage and it was assumed by those who are biased that Indians are replacing American jobs. 

In 1997, the US immigration/customs department charged him with visa paperwork/ reporting violations in a case that continues to engender controversy. He admitted conduct that resulted – during a brief period in his 15+ years in Outsourcing world – to plea on a single count of violation. Although such conduct had never before (or since) been prosecuted – a fact rarely mentioned in sensationalized press reports – he resolved the case without a trial to prevent further impact on his family. After paying a $425,000 and serving a five month community service sentence, he resumed his philanthropic and entrepreneurial work and moved base to India as he wanted to not get further into expensive litigation. 
Subhakar Rao and his partners created what is today a major part of the structure of Marketing Technology Outsourcing firms based on their innovations in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. These innovations – now taken for granted and followed by numerous marketing outsourcing outfits – powered job growth in India and are now moving around the world. 

Mr. Subhakar Rao graduated from St. Johns High School as topper in the CBSE Exams and a gold medal winner,  A summa cum laude graduate of the Loyola College where again he topped the college, He went on to pursue a Bachelor’s in Computer Science at the prestigious BITS, Pilani rated among the Top 5 Engineering institutes in India. He graduated 6 months ahead of the rest of his class and was the one chosen by BITS to send to USA for a Internship program.  He has received honorary certificates and degrees from business and marketing schools; he teaches frequently about leadership and sales management issues; and is a widely sought after speaker.

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