The Lally School of Management & Technology

A.P. “Preetham” Parigi, managing director of Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL), and managing director and CEO of Times Infotainment Media Limited (TIML), travelled halfway around the world to personally accept the 2009 William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year Award. His visit to the Capital Region April 6-9, however, resembled a whirlwind book tour, without the book. Parigi had a message he wanted to share about what it means to be an entrepreneur.

He is credited with Radio Mirchi’s meteoric rise from its humble placement in four markets to become India’s hottest radio network using bold branding, customized content, and innovative programming. Radio was a ubiquitous, but ignored, technology at the time of Radio Mirchi’s launch in 2000 when India privatized the radio industry. And although State radio covered 98 percent of India, it ignored the 600 million Indians under the age of 30. It was this reality that fueled Parigi's passion that Radio Mirchi could become a “hot” brand in the world’s second most populous country, and set the tone for what would be the birth of a whole new kind of media company.

Indeed, today, Radio Mirchi reaches more than 200 million listeners, with an average daily listenership of 20 million in 32 cities and in 10 languages. And in what one might consider historical irony in a country that was formerly a British colony, Radio Mirchi’s parent company, TIML, expanded its international presence in 2008 when it purchased U.K. radio giant Virgin Radio – one of the largest deals brokered by an Indian media company outside of India.

Parigi is quick to acknowledge that his success is due largely to the two most important individuals in his life—his mother, and his wife. He is mindful, when speaking to any audience, of attributing much of who he is to these two women. “My mother made sure my eyes were always on the stars; my wife made sure my feet remained firmly on the ground.”

It is this humility and his compassion though, paired with his success in business, which set Parigi apart from other leaders. For Parigi, entrepreneurship is less about business success, than it is about a way of life. To listen to him describe entrepreneurship suggests that it is a state of mind; a way to live life more fully with meaning and compassion. And it is this philosophy he seems driven to share with the younger generation—either as an anonymous benefactor to a tribal school of first generation learners, a radio innovator connecting millions of youth to the global community, or in a classroom in the Capital Region.

In fact, much of Parigi’s time in the Capital Region was spent in the classroom, meeting with MBA students at Lally, high school students at Tech Valley High School, and future broadcast professionals from the New School of Radio and Television.

Parigi was quick to dispel the unmitigated romanticization of college drop-outs finding entrepreneurial success. The secret, he argued was G.T.K.Y.—Getting To Know Yourself. For Parigi, a brief stint as a student at Duquesne University before returning to study in India, and varied stints as his grandfather’s campaign manager, learning to fly in the airforce, and a manager at Tata Corporation, helped him “connect the dots” and revealed he had a flair for enterprise, among other strengths and passions.

 
He’s also quick to point out that “luck” is really a high level of preparedness that, when it meets opportunity, is able to capitalize on the chance presented. He sees entrepreneurship as an innovative process, and being prepared mentally and academically are extremely important to the end product.

But if Parigi appears at home in the classroom, then the intimacy of the radio studio certainly is his second home. It is, after all, “a dinner for two,” he will tell you.

It only seems appropriate that Parigi should have the opportunity to sit down with three capital region radio stations including, WROW 590 AM, WAMC (a local National Public Radio affiliate), and Rensselaer’s WRPI. Waiting for his interview to begin with WRPI program director, Brian Donlan, Parigi asks, “Right here?” pointing to an empty seat next to the control panel. He hops into the “hot seat,” throws on a headset and begins rhythmically tapping to the music playing. Moments before he engages his invisible audience, Parigi points out the radio is integral to daily life, acting as a passive mode of connectivity. “You can work on a car, entertain at home, or cook all while listening to the radio. You can’t do that with television or print.” 

But what matters most to Parigi is the journey one takes through life, and more important, how one navigates it. Entrepreneur or not, he encourages us all to ask, “How much do I take away from society?” While simultaneously asking, “Do I want to be an agent of change?” Parigi’s own answer is undoubtedly found in what he chooses to do outside the board room with the same passion and vigor as inside it.

Parigi joins past recipients who include Warren Bruggeman '46, former vice president and general manager of GE’s Nuclear Business Operations; Fred Smith, chairman, president, and CEO of FedEx Corporation; James Crowe ’72, CEO of Level 3 Communications; and Tom Le Fevre ’71, co-founder of Intuit.

Entrepreneurship is one of four building blocks in the Rensselaer Plan and is a key element in preparing future leaders to think about and approach challenges creatively. Established in 1990, the William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes successful entrepreneurs whose vision, commitment, and creativity exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit that is Rensselaer’s past, present, and future. Those honored with this award bring the world of entrepreneurship into Rensselaer’s classrooms and laboratories.

Accordingly, the Lally School of Management & Technology, Rensselaer’s business school, will launch a new master's program in Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship in September 2009, that will specifically address technology transfer and  bringing technologies from the laboratory to market. The School’s MBA program helps students take an integrated approach to solving business problems, and also introduces concepts related to national innovation systems, industry dynamics, and unintended consequences, as well as ethical dilemmas associated with emerging technologies. Both programs build on Lally’s research programs on entrepreneurship and technology-enabled business creation.

In addition to a multimedia presentation on Radio Mirchi and Parigi, the April celebration featured a panel discussion with Parigi and RPI’s extended entrepreneurial community, including: Michael J. Miller ’79, senior vice president for technology strategy at Ziff Brothers Investments, formerly editor-in-chief of PC Magazine; Tobi Saulnier ’84, founder and chief executive officer of 1^st Playable Productions; and Vikram Agrawal ’02, chief executive officer of Etransmedia Technology Inc.