"My biggest failures are my greatest teachers. Let’s work together to turn challenges to opportunities and failures to success."
Gopakumar Pillai ( CEO & MD – SBL Knowledge Services Pvt Ltd )
Mr. Gopakumar Pillai is the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of SBL Knowledge Services Pvt Ltd, India’s fastest growing knowledge organization. He founded SBL in 2005 and oversees the operations, technology, and services division of the business. He is responsible for building strategic technology partnerships along with driving the growth of the international business wing of SBL.
Prior to SBL he was the Founder & Managing Director of SITCO India where he spearheaded the launch of a multitude of textiles and plastics manufacturing units. He also served as a Consultant at Ocean Industries and was the architect behind the company’s business turnaround. Mr.Pillai was recognized for his insightful approach in converting underperforming manufacturing units to profit-making industries.
Mr.Pillai started his career in the textile industry with Vardhaman Group. He served as a management consultant and led the establishment of textile and plastic manufacturing units in the African region. During this period, he successfully orchestrated many businesses turnarounds and exhibited his entrepreneurial skills with the innovative design of thermoplastic processing machinery.
After returning to his home town, he founded a 30 member ITES company in Ochira, Kerala with a vision of providing digital solutions to customers in the UK. Simultaneously, in his brief stint as a Consultant with Ocean Industries Ltd between 2000 and 2003 he identified the best practices and re-engineered the business processes for enhanced profitability.
In April 2003, he ventured into SITCO India (Kerala). In his role as the Founder & Managing Director, he was instrumental in the growth of SITCO from a small home business to a diverse manufacturing and export business group with a strong foothold in 10 different business verticals across 4 continents. He mentored a multitude of large turn-key projects providing strategic business consultation encompassing technology, finance, and change management.
He founded SBL in August 2005 to provide genealogy services to the UK. As the CEO, he directed the growth of SBL from a 30 member team to a business conglomerate rendering geospatial, image editing, business transformation, and software services. Under the stewardship of Mr.Pillai, SBL has a successful photogrammetry division offering global LIDAR building information modeling service, and a highly acclaimed eParliament solution – the first digital parliament of the world.
He is a post-graduate in business management.
Mr.Pillai is proud of the recognition and accolades his flagship venture eParliament has garnered. Himachal Pradesh government recognized the exemplary mission behind SBL’s eParliament with highest civil service award and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has selected the project for implementation on mission mode across India.
Born to a devout family in Kollam district, his father Mr. K.P Pillai was an ONGC employee and mother Mrs. Vasanthy, a housewife. Imbibing strong moral values from his parents, Mr.Pillai is a staunch follower of Shirdi Sai Baba the great spiritual master of India. He follows Sai Baba’s teachings of love, forgiveness, compassion, charity, contentment, devotion to God and guru and sets example for others. Keeping the values of his spiritual master alive, Mr.Pillai believes that the greatness of a person is not the money but the positive impact and benefits he can bring in the lives of others.
A family man to the core, Mr.Pillai is a devoted husband to Sangeetha and a doting father to Saigeeth and Saigovind.
When he is not working he spends time reading or traveling.
