With their innovative mindsets, transcendental vision, and resolute leadership willpower, visionary leaders like Prajakta Kutnikar are always inspiring the world. She states, “A proponent for women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship and a strong believer in India’s growth story, I take pride in saying that along with my husband Rajesh, we are first-generation entrepreneurs, a couple who succeeded through passion and perseverance. Both of us value integrity and building deep relationships.”
About Rajesh Kutnikar, the Founder and CEO of ITChamps Software
Rajesh Kutnikar is a technocrat and a mentor, an entrepreneur, who has been successfully running an enterprise in SAP consulting and training which he co-founded with his wife, Prajakta back in 2005.
Rajesh was born in Hubli and brought up in Bangalore where he completed his Engineering in Computer Science and Technology from PESIT. He was one of the first 10 developers hired by SAP AG, Germany from Bangalore. He worked as an HR Developer, Quality Coordinator, and Manager in SAP Asia, Singapore before moving to the USA in 1998. He worked in the USA as a Senior Consultant and Manager at Deloitte Consulting implementing and managing SAP projects for organizations like Microsoft, Starbucks, J. Crew, etc., and returned to India with his family in 2004.
He has been instrumental in growing IT Champs as an SAP Partner company with partnerships for SAP license sales, implementations, support, hosting SAP solutions on the cloud, and SAP training & Education. IT Champs has trained over 500 career aspirants as SAP consultants in the past 19 years and has provided employment to over 250 resources.
Apart from being the Founder and CEO of IT Champs, Rajesh is a member of the Bangalore Chapter of the prestigious CEO Clubs of India, Member of the IT panel of CII, and Charter Member of the Mysuru chapter of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) and a life member of IIMM. Rajesh has also been a member of the “Board of Studies” at VTU, Belgaum.
His interests include Music, Biking, and Golf.
As the Director and Co-founder of ITChamps Software Private Limited, Prajakta ensures that India remains the global hub and world leader in digital transformation technologies.
How Prajakta, her husband Rajesh, and their team are doing it is regaled by Prajakta in an exclusive interview with CIOLook India, the highlights of which are given herein.
Prajakta ji, as a visionary leader in the industry, could you take us back to the beginning of your journey? What motivated you to step into this dynamic ecosystem?
My journey in the technology sector began with my engineering degree from Walchand Institute of Technology, Solapur. After a few years abroad, my husband Rajesh Kutnikar, the CEO, and I made the conscious decision to return to India in 2005. We saw tremendous potential in India’s growing IT landscape, particularly in the SAP ecosystem. We recognized that organizations needed reliable, committed delivery partners who could provide high-quality SAP implementation and support services. This vision led to the founding of ITChamps Software Private Limited in Mysore.
What truly motivated us was not just the business opportunity but the chance to contribute to India’s emerging technology sector. We wanted to build an organization that could deliver excellence in SAP services while maintaining strong ethical values and customer focus. We started as an SAP implementation partner, and over the years, we’ve evolved and expanded our service offerings to meet the changing needs of our clients while staying true to our founding principles of passion, dedication, and ethics.
ITChamps has emerged as India’s leading transformational company. Could you share the guiding philosophy that has propelled your organization’s success?
Our philosophy has always been straightforward – ‘Scaling New Heights through Passion, Dedication, and Ethics.’ What’s worked for us is maintaining consistent quality in our SAP implementation services while building long-term relationships with our clients. We’ve grown steadily from our initial days as an implementation partner to now supporting clients across 45 countries.
Our success stems from staying focused on what we do best and ensuring we deliver reliable solutions. We’ve been fortunate to work with organizations like ABB, where we’ve maintained a partnership for over 15 years, supporting their payroll operations across multiple countries. These long-term relationships reflect our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
The industrial landscape is continually evolving. Please brief our audience about ITChamps’ USPs and how you are currently positioned as one of the best transformational companies in its sector.
Our primary differentiator is our delivery-focused approach. With a team of over 120 consultants, we don’t just implement solutions – we work alongside our clients to ensure they achieve their business objectives. In my role overseeing professional services and SAP education, I’ve seen how this collaborative approach helps create sustainable solutions.
What truly sets us apart is our willingness to go the extra mile. Whether it’s developing custom solutions for specific industry challenges or offering value-added services without additional costs, we believe in creating win-win situations. This approach has helped us maintain long-term relationships with our clients across manufacturing, aerospace, and professional services sectors.
Your visionary leadership style is often recognized as a driving force behind your company’s achievements. Could you shed light on your approach to leadership and team building within the organization?
I believe in a very hands-on approach to leadership. One practice I maintain is having regular one-on-one conversations with our employees. These personal interactions help me understand not just their work challenges but also how they’re doing overall. Our team members must know they can approach me directly with their concerns or ideas.
In overseeing professional services and SAP education at ITChamps, I focus on ensuring that our consultants have the resources and support they need to serve our clients effectively. These personal conversations often reveal insights that help us improve our work environment and delivery processes.
For us, team building isn’t about grand initiatives—it’s about daily interactions that build trust and collaboration. When team members know they have direct access to leadership and that their voices are heard, they naturally feel more empowered to deliver their best work. This personal connection with our employees has helped us maintain a positive work culture where everyone understands that their growth is directly linked to our clients’ success.
The essence of future transformation lies in innovation, disruptions, and enhancing the end-user experience. How does your company strike a balance between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction?
At ITChamps, we believe operational efficiency and customer satisfaction are interconnected. Our delivery-focused approach naturally addresses both aspects. When implementing SAP solutions, we often develop additional tools that we provide to clients at no extra cost simply because we see an opportunity to enhance their experience.
Being responsive and adaptable is key to maintaining this balance. We measure our success not just by project completion but by how well our solutions work for end-users in their day-to-day operations. This practical approach has helped us maintain long-term relationships with our clients while continuously improving our delivery efficiency.
Digitalization and technological advancements are crucial aspects of the modern industrial ecosystem. How does ITChamps’ integrate these principles into its core functioning and contribute to a technovative future?
While everyone talks about digital transformation, we like to keep things simple and practical. Our focus has always been on helping our clients use technology in ways that actually make sense for their business. Sometimes, that means implementing the latest S/4HANA cloud solutions, and other times, it’s about finding clever ways to improve their existing systems.
What’s really exciting is seeing how we’ve helped companies, especially in manufacturing and aerospace, modernize their operations. We’ve created solutions like digital route cards and traceability systems that have made a real difference in their daily operations. It’s not just about using new technology— it’s about using it smartly.
The workforce is the cornerstone of any successful organization. How does your company foster a culture of growth, skill development, and empowerment among its employees?
Taking care of our employees translates directly into taking care of our clients. I make it a point to have regular conversations with our team members—it’s important to know how they’re doing, not just professionally but personally, too.
We encourage our consultants to keep learning and growing. Being an SAP education partner helps our teams access the latest training resources. But beyond formal training, we create opportunities for our people to work on diverse projects across different industries. This hands-on experience is invaluable.
What makes our culture special is that everyone feels heard. When someone has an idea or sees a better way to do something, they know they can walk up to any of us in leadership and have a conversation about it.
As a leader in India’s industrial sector, your company has likely faced its share of challenges. Could you share an instance where your team’s resilience and ingenuity triumphed over adversity?
To be honest, the COVID period was quite challenging for us. Initially, we struggled with the sudden shift to remote work—we had ongoing implementations across different countries, and our traditional hands-on approach seemed impossible to maintain. Our teams were used to working directly with clients, and the transition wasn’t easy.
But what really impressed me was how our people adapted. Once we got past those initial hurdles, we found new ways to deliver effectively. We developed better remote collaboration methods, which helped us become more efficient. Our teams didn’t just manage to complete ongoing projects—they found innovative ways to provide additional support to clients who were also struggling with the transition.
Looking back, these challenges helped us become more resilient and versatile in our delivery approach.
Businesses are a way for the Indian industry to pace up its economic potential and capacity. What would be your advice to other budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the startup space?
From my experience, business success isn’t always about having the most innovative idea—it’s about consistent delivery and building trust. When we returned to India to start ITChamps, we weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. We focused on doing one thing well: being a reliable SAP delivery partner.
My advice would be to focus on building genuine relationships. Sometimes, you might need to prioritize long-term relationships over short-term gains. We’ve often provided additional support or solutions to clients without charging extra because we believe in investing in these relationships. It may seem counterintuitive, but this approach has helped us grow sustainably.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of a good team. Your people are your biggest asset, and taking care of them is crucial for any business’s success.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for ITChamps? How do you aspire to continue making a significant impact on India’s transformational future landscape?
Our vision is quite straightforward – we want to keep growing while maintaining the same level of quality and personal touch that got us here. We recently opened our office in the UK, which is an exciting step in our geographical expansion. We’re looking to strengthen our presence in more country locations to better support our global clients, but we’re doing it in a measured way that ensures we don’t compromise on our delivery standards.
We’re seeing great momentum in areas like aerospace and cloud solutions. But what really drives us is seeing our clients succeed. Whether it’s helping a manufacturing company streamline its operations or supporting a growing business with its digital transformation, we want to continue being the reliable partner they can count on.
India’s technology sector has immense potential, and we want to play our part by delivering quality solutions while creating opportunities for talent development. It’s about sustainable growth – for our clients, our employees, and ourselves.
