Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Sunil (SKG) Gupta, Senior Director in Cognizant and author of the book “Unlock Yourself” about creating a purpose led and fun filled life — a seasoned corporate leader with over three decades of experience spanning supply chain, IT-BPM, SaaS platforms, and now, marketing and influencer relations at Cognizant. Some highlights from the conversation has two major parts A Career Built on Transitions and Reinvention and making of the author Sunil started his career in the early 1990s in procurement , choosing the lesser-known path at a time when everyone else was aiming for sales, marketing, or R&D. His instinct for building structured systems began even then. By the late 90s , he was part of one of India’s earliest experiments with reverse auctions and e-procurement , trained on platforms like Ariba before they became mainstream — gaining domain expertise that would shape the next phase of his career. Sunil joined the IT-BPM world in 1999 , sparked by a newspaper ad that challenged readers to rethink their role during the Internet boom. From there, he helped set up B2B digital platforms across multiple sectors , including food and manufacturing. One of his standout projects was setting up a fully hosted commodity futures exchange , offering not just software but an end-to-end platform-as-a-service (long before SaaS became a buzzword). At Cognizant, Sunil spent over a decade building enterprise architecture and consulting practices , including growing a team of 300+ technology and business architects. He played a key role in setting up frameworks that bridged technology with real business impact. He later moved to the Philippines, taking on leadership roles in BPO services and transformation , and now works in marketing and analyst relations , helping position Cognizant’s offerings with global firms like Gartner, Forrester, and IDC. The Making of an Author – Unlock Yourself : Sunil’s book is a blend of personal introspection, professional learning, and tools for self-coaching. He introduces the RADHA framework – Reflect, Ask, Decide, Help, Act – to guide people through change and self-discovery. A strong advocate for neurodiversity and learning with compassion , Sunil discusses how society needs to reframe what “normal” means in both education and the workplace. His approach to writing and self-reflection was deeply influenced by the Theory of Constraints, coaching experiences , and even NFT community dynamics as an example of meaningful online engagement. Key Takeaway Moments: “Procurement taught me how systems work — and how people work within those systems.” “I realized I’ve always been in procurement… even when I didn’t know it — we’re all negotiating in life and work.” “My transition from technology to marketing feels as exciting as my first job — it's like starting fresh, but with wisdom in your backpack.” “Ask for help. Not because you're weak, but because you were never meant to do this alone.” A fresh take on fulfillment, success, and redefining “being number one” Sunil Gupta, also known as SKG, is a vibrant lifestyle step- up coach and a seasoned expert with over three decades in business strategy, program management, and corporate real estate. An IIT Kanpur alum, Sunil has enhanced his credentials with leadership programs from Symbiosis, Harvard Business Publishing, TinyMagiq, and SnehWorld. He volunteers with unicorn incubator IIT Startups and the Art of Living, Philippines. Sunil's personal advocacy is guiding first generation graduate girl students - whom he fondly calls as #BiryaniGirls. Known for his playful nature in childhood, Sunil worked diligently through high school and eventually graduated as a Mechanical Engineer from the esteemed IIT Kanpur in 1992. He later, in 2003, completed a PG in International Trade from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and in 2021, completed an Executive Leadership Development program by Harvard Business Publishing and subsequently a 7-day residential TrainTheTrainer (T3P) program by Sneh Desai & team. Sunil boasts over three decades of experience in multiple industries with a focus on business strategy, portfolio & program management, corporate real estate & workplace management and sourcing. Besides his work, Sunil lends his expertise to unicorn incubator IIT Startups as a mentor and also provides career guidance to first-generation female students, the ‘BiryaniGirls’. In his personal life, Sunil is an avid follower of The Art of Living teachings and has actively volunteered with their Philippines chapter. His journey to find life’s meaning led him to establish the #PurposeProject, a venture to help people discover and live their true calling. Over the years Sunil has contributed to multiple whitepapers and leading books on Theory of Constraints & Business Transformation. At present he is working on multiple books on personal development, goal setting, habit forming and purposeful living in what he calls as #
