Celebrating a Journey of Leadership, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Excellence

While working as a Network Administrator in the mid-1990s, Sreenivas Kurup assembled personal computers, developed software, and undertook bookkeeping and accounting services for SMEs as a hobby. After work, Sreenivas sold PCs to offices and homes, earning an extra income to supplement his salary. His hard work taught him how to start an enterprise and operate an organization independently. His Finance and IT expertise gave him the confidence to believe that he could “make things happen” and that “nothing is impossible” when you are hardworking and dedicated.

Converting a hobby into entrepreneurship, Sreenivas started his own IT Consulting Company with investments from his brother and his friend in 2004. He handled challenging roles in senior positions such as SAP Senior Consultant, SAP Project Manager, and Director of Projects, and eventually founded the SAP consultancy organization, Astrums Consulting, in Singapore, Malaysia, and India.

Astrums’ know-how in technology and business processes has led to its immense success in the region. Astrums has core competencies in Telecom, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, High Tech, and Trading & Service Industries. TIMEDotCom, Bartec, and ThyssenKrupp are some of the firm’s recent turnkey projects.

With over a hundred clients in Southeast Asia, Astrums Consulting generated SGD 22 million in revenue over the last few years and is recognized as an SAP Partner and an MSC Status Company.

Having realized the importance of growing outside Singapore, Astrums expanded into Malaysia in 2006 and, with the support of IE Singapore, started a unit in India as an offshore support center, supporting overseas companies.

In 2009, when investors wanted to sell off the company as it was not doing well in the market, Sreenivas decided to acquire the shares of Astrums. He made a personal financial commitment to buy over shares from all the shareholders, thus making it a 100% privately owned company.

In 2010, a major share of Astrums Consulting was acquired by a global organization based in Germany called hartung:consult. The group already had a presence in Berlin, China, and the USA, and with this acquisition, reached Singapore, Malaysia, and India. The Middle East, Indonesia, and Vietnam were the next areas of focus.

Today, Astrums is a stable and steady organization; 80% of its business comes from repeat projects and existing customers. Customer Relationship & Service Delivery are the company’s core priorities, and Astrums always encourages employees to meticulously take care of customer service.

Sreenivas gives the management team a free hand to make decisions, keeping in mind four main points:
(i) the capability to deliver; (ii) a clear understanding of the customer’s expectations; (iii) the risks involved and discussing any point that the team has not understood; and (iv) determining whether the project is cost-effective, profitable, and viable.

More than money, Astrums’ employees are motivated by their freedom to work, autonomy, and the flexible and comfortable working environment Astrums provides.