The annual EPIC2 Achievement Awards is one way VMware recognizes outstanding members of our company who exemplify our shared values – Execution, Passion, Integrity, Customers, and Community – and make VMware a great company to work for. Read on to learn more about one of our 2016 EPIC2 Achievement Award Winners, Kumar Gaurav, and discover what inspires him to give more each day.
Kumar Gaurav
Director, R&D
Bangalore, India
VMware value that means the most to you: Passion. It is what drives me. Passion and perseverance is what counts, and I think it’s also the reason why VMware has recognized me as a 2016 EPIC2 Achievement Award winner. My passion helped drive me to lead the first New College Grad Bootcamp at VMware India, while still managing my regular job responsibilities. It was intense, but I saw a need for it, and it made me feel happy and proud to contribute back to our new hires.
Hobbies: I’m into consumer grade electronics. I make and break . Recently I made Amazon dash buttons.
People might not know:
- I run marathons. I still vividly remember the 2013 Corporate 20k run, where each of our team members that participated had a personal best. It was such an inspiring moment for me.
- When I take off from the office I enjoy going totally offline. I go where there is no phone and internet. Every year I go on an 8-10K trek with a trekking group in the Himalayas. No phone, no internet, and no family. It’s a detox of sorts for me. I enjoy the cold, the snow, the natural beauty, and the simplicity of life with a backpack. What I enjoy most of all is being able to fully focus on living and being in the moment like thinking about where I’m going to place my foot next on the ridge.
- Before joining VMware, I created two startups, one in hardware electronics in 2004 and the other in the education domain in . These experiences allowed me to fully understand why it is that the team matters more, not the idea that you start with when creating a company.
Inspiration: I’m inspired by the successes of ordinary people. There are many stories from our people here at VMware too, which inspire me. A co-worker of mine named Vaibhav inspires me when it comes to ‘do-what-it-takes’. He is a recent university graduate from the class of 2014. I started out as his coach and mentor, and really admire his focus and dedication. He has really made his mark both within and outside of the company.
Guilty pleasure: Taking work home and spending late nights working against my wife’s wishes.
Career ambition: I would like to do something that benefits the larger community. I think that I am past the age to be a Nobel-aspiring theoretical physicist, and hence now have a more practical ambition of creating a successful tech startup by the time that I finish my career.
Occupation if money wasn’t an obstacle: I would continue to pursue my passion for electronics.
#1 passion: Electronics and math. Both are addictive and I can easily spend countless hours on them without getting bored.
Biggest takeaway from receiving the 2016 EPIC2 Achievement Award: I feel both happy and proud to know that I work for a company that recognizes the contributions of its people from all aspects of the business. The fact that my organization is recognizing me for the work that I’ve done outside of my core project duties tells me a great deal about our workplace culture. It is simply inspiring!
Giving Back: I spoke with multiple colleagues who partner with the VMware Foundation to determine which nonprofit to direct my Citizen Philanthropy investment* towards and decided conclusively on CARE India. Interestingly, this organization was also the partner for VMware’s recent Good Gigs Service Learning Trek in India. My colleague, Arun, gained first-hand experience on this trek and knew the impact they were making in the community. CARE India believes in using monetary gifts to seed long term benefits, which i something I truly feel passionate about.
*Each of the 2016 EPIC2 Achievement Award winners received a monetary donation called a Citizen Philanthropy Investment to direct to the nonprofit of their choice from the VMware Foundation.
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The post Dare to Be EPIC2: Kumar Gaurav appeared first on VMware Careers Blog.