Building Strength, Creating Leaders, Shaping Futures

By Lieutenant Vinod Subramanian (Retd)

For seven defining years, I wore the uniform of the Indian Navy. Those years were less about routine duty and more about learning how to stay composed when precision was non-negotiable.

Goa’s skies were notoriously complex—a shared space where fighter jets, helicopters, and civil airlines crisscrossed constantly. It was here, in this high-pressure arena, that I served as an Air Traffic Controller. My voice was the unseen lifeline balancing risk with judgment, ensuring every movement in the sky was safe and deliberate.

Pilots, both civil and military, trusted my instructions implicitly. It wasn’t just technical competence—it was the calm assurance I carried, the ability to lead with presence. The Navy honed in me what would later become my signature traits: clarity in chaos, strength under pressure, and leadership that inspires confidence.

When my Short Service Commission ended, I knew I had to reinvent myself. I sat for one of the most competitive management exams of that time and earned admission to the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Manila—a place that exposed me to global perspectives and sharpened my analytical instincts.

It was here that I discovered a truth I have lived ever since: the circumstances you don’t choose often become the arenas where you make your greatest mark.

Back in India in 2002, I entered the corporate world. Recruitment was not my dream role; it was what the market offered me. But instead of resisting, I embraced it.

What began as an “assigned path” soon became my stage. Recruitment, to me, wasn’t about filling positions—it was about building futures, creating matches of trust, and aligning human potential with organizational ambition.

Joining a consultancy, I spotted a gap in the Indian market. With only two people in the beginning, I founded FlexAbility, the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) arm.

From two, the team grew to 1,200 under my stewardship. From a fledgling idea, it became a market leader. And in the process, I redefined how RPO was understood in India.

I wasn’t merely expanding headcount—I was creating a culture. A culture where recruiters weren’t transactional agents, but trusted advisors. Where clients weren’t just accounts, but partners. Where young employees didn’t just get jobs, but careers.

My impact was so significant that I was appointed the first-ever CEO of the company.

FlexAbility caught the attention of one of the UK-based recruitment giants. After its acquisition, I played a pivotal role in the transition.

As Managing Director – India of this organization, I carried out a delicate task: weaving its global systems into India’s unique context, while ensuring Indian innovation added value to global processes. I shaped its India chapter not as an outpost, but as a critical pillar in the company’s worldwide success.

If there is a single theme to my corporate life, it is empowerment.

I empowered clients by helping them see talent not as a cost but as a driver of growth. I empowered candidates by showing them pathways they had not seen for themselves. And I empowered my teams by instilling confidence, discipline, and ownership.

Under my leadership, people didn’t just deliver targets—they discovered their potential. Many who began as junior recruiters under my wing are today industry leaders, carrying forward the ethos of rigor and respect.

Unlike many in leadership who focus solely on metrics, I carried with me the Navy lesson that every number is a life. Every aircraft was a pilot’s life, every hire was a family’s future, every decision had ripple effects.

Candidates often remembered me not just for jobs they secured but for the dignity with which they were treated. Clients remembered me for honesty even in hard conversations. And my teams remembered me for unwavering support—the leader who stood with them when things went wrong and pushed them higher when things went right.

Looking back, my journey appears less like a straight line and more like a series of turns. The Navy was a turn. Corporate was a turn. Recruitment in 2002 was a turn. Each could have been an ending, but I made each a beginning.

That ability—to flow with circumstance, adapt with courage, and convert chance into opportunity—defines my story.

Today, I am regarded as one of the architects of India’s RPO industry. The teams I built, the systems I established, and the leaders I groomed continue to define the sector.

More than numbers, my legacy lies in the thousands of careers shaped, the organizations strengthened, and the trust I built in an industry often accused of being impersonal.

Reflection
From guiding aircraft in Goa’s skies to guiding thousands of careers across India and beyond, my journey is one of resilience, adaptability, and purpose. Where once I kept pilots safe in turbulent skies, today I help organizations and individuals navigate the turbulence of careers and markets.

ABCEL Perspective
Vinod’s story reminds us that leadership is not about titles—it is about transformation. From the precision of airspace to the complexity of human potential, his journey shows that courage and clarity can turn chance into legacy. Veterans like him carry discipline and vision into every new frontier, shaping futures with integrity and impact.

Disclaimer:
Edited for clarity and storytelling with contributor permission. ABCEL has not verified this story for accuracy.
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