Jain Spirit 2004 10 No 20

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 28

26 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
In the Joy of Others Lies our Own
Atul K. Shah interviews Prem Jain of CISCO, one of the most senior Indians in the global IT industry
SCO SYSTEMS
Mr. Prem Jain holds BE with honours from BITS Pilani, India and a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Davis. He is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Routing Technology Group at Cisco Systems, which includes all Cisco routers and access products. Prem joined Cisco in 1993 when Cisco acquired Crescendo Communications. Prem Jain is committed to promoting Jain values in the western world. He was President of Jain Milan, founder president of the Jain Center of Northern California, Vice President of JAINA, the convener of the 1991 JAINA Convention at Stanford, California and also Chairman of the Board of Jain Center of Northern California. Prem's hobbies include skiing, hiking and playing bridge. He is actively involved in volunteer work for non-profit organisations, fundraising for the homeless and helping San Francisco Bay Area schools.
Jain Education International 2010 03
How has Jainism helped you to get where you are today as one of the world's most senior IT entrepreneurs?
My upbringing as a Jain has played a huge influence on me. Our principles and values have been a guide for my conduct and vision. The values of selflessness, humility, discipline and perseverance, tolerance and respect are key ingredients of success for any manager in any business. I feel extremely fortunate to have been raised in a culture of such integrity and simplicity, and attribute my success to this. At work, I manage 4000 professionals and this culture has given me significant communication and people skills.
In a nutshell, can you explain what the core Jain business ethics are?
Anekanta encourages me to listen and understand others. This has helped me cope with the huge diversity among our staff and customers, and allowed me to be flexible and accommodating to different views.
Satya or integrity has allowed me to attain lasting success. I have tried hard not only to speak the truth but to live by it. With our customers, I encourage all our staff to be honest