Enable and empower team members to do the right thing. When people are put first, they'll put the client first.
Our Values
People First
Customer Next
Empowered people will focus on extraordinary customer outcomes first.
Better Place 360
Look to make life and lives better all around us. Do good by doing good.
Our History
Neo Group Founder and Chairman, Atul Vashistha, is recognized globally as a leading expert on globalization and sourcing and founded the company in 1999. He is a founding board member of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) and also the founding Chairman of Nearshore Executive Alliance. He has authored three best-selling books: The Offshore Nation, Globalization Wisdom and Outsourcing Wisdom.
Atul Vashistha co-founded NeoIT, the first offshore advisory firm for global services.
Supports IAOP as founding member and board member to improve the sourcing industry’s business service models and outcomes.
Atul Vashistha founds Neo Group to launch broader service offerings.
Launch of real – time risk monitoring service, Global Supply Risk Monitor (GSRM).
GSRM rebrands as SupplyWisdom to reflect broader product offerings and new cloud based platform.
Leadership team expands to enhance Digital and Media advisory offerings.
Neo and SIG partner to launch GBS Board.
Neo is committed to a growth mindset. We will continue to invest in our people in order to create solutions that help our clients take advantage of global talent while addressing risks.
Our Leadership
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Hemant Puthli
Hemant brings over 30 years of experience in IT and Management Consulting Services. He has a keen understanding of global technology services and supplier delivery operations arising from his extensive experience in the US, Canada, India, Australia, parts of Europe and South America. Over the last 12+ years, he has led Neo Group engagements with several clients across diverse industries, involving strategic transformation projects such as sourcing portfolio assessment, partner selection, contract negotiation, sourcing/ governance organization design, governance tool implementation and support services oversight, health-checks and readiness assessments.
Prior to Neo, Hemant worked at the Vice President/ Director level for various Deloitte entities. He started as Head of Operations and Infrastructure for Deloitte US operations in India, where he was responsible for planning, building-out and staffing a captive center serving US clients in India. Hemant later served as the CIO for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Pvt. Ltd. and was responsible for the entire IT management organization supporting the Indian operations of the firm serving Indian clients.
Other organizations where Hemant has worked include:
– The RPG Group (a large diversified Indian business group), where he was CTO for group companies in the Entertainment Sector (including the Indian arm of music company HMV)
– Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), where he was Principal Consultant in their Strategic Change Practice, serving clients in telecom, financial services and other industry sectors
– Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), where he was Program Manager and Chief Architect of the BSE On-Line Trading (BOLT) system
– Cadbury (India), where he started his career as an application software engineer
He is the author of several whitepapers, has hosted many webinars and has been a speaker at various conferences.
Hemant Puthli
Partner
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Pankaj brings over 20 years of experience in key positions covering a broad spectrum of functions in management consulting, captive centers set-up, operations and service delivery management, corporate governance, project management, vendor relationship/performance management and BPO/IT services with large global companies. Pankaj has led over $1B in global sourcing engagements for companies like Home Depot, Electronic Arts, Exult, Gateway, Chevron, Cendant, Trustmark Insurance, Menlo Worldwide, Bandar Judi Slot and others. Pankaj’s expertise covers the complete life-cycle of services globalization. This includes leading teams for devising and implementing strategy – engagement model, portfolio assessment, head count rationalization, transition planning and management, location and delivery partner selection, setting up of service levels and contracting and governance. In addition, he has led teams that worked on studying, auditing and analyzing vendor companies’ competencies. Key results delivered were successful implementation of the strategies, driving cost competitiveness and performance compliance resulting in higher efficiencies and effectiveness to the overall deliveries.
Excerpts of Pankaj’s work include:
World Leader in Interactive Media & Entertainment (Public): Led the complete lifecycle of Finance business process offshoring directly working with the global CFO, Corporate Controller and other business leaders. Managed PMO for performance and vendor management, growth and cost optimizations. Successfully set up the captive and ran operations in India for various finance functions. Managed two global finance transformation projects.
Largest HR BPO Company (Public): Managed comprehensive sourcing program – assessment, business case, location analysis, vendor selection and setting up of service levels. Developed engagement models and helped company set up a captive including legal entity, operational processes and governance structures.
Insurance and Benefits Company (Public): Led multi-function BPO/IT (business functions – Finance, HR, Payroll / IT – ERP) outsourcing engagement. Work included complete strategy, offshoring models, business case, location and vendor selection, contracting and governance.
Premier Research and Teaching Institution: Delivered application support and maintenance sourcing strategy. Provided full life-cycle sourcing assessment covering business case development, operating model, portfolio assessment, vendor selection and contract negotiations
Software Products Co (Public): Led health-check on the delivery of the outsourcing vendor partner – technical support and applications support – assessed gaps and suggested solutions. Prepared roadmap for vendor to partner.
Prior to Neo Group, Pankaj was heading the captive center of Electronic Arts Inc. with additional responsibilities for creating strategies to leverage low cost locations, transition management, leading PMO and special financial transformation projects along with managing diverse and global stakeholders. Earlier, he had a varied experience having worked with major Consulting, Manufacturing, FMCG and Insurance companies.
Pankaj received his bachelor’s degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and did his senior management program from Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. He is a noted speaker on the topics of services globalization and is a Certified Outsourcing Professional (COP) from IAOP.
Pankaj Sharma
Partner
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Shalabh is a transformation, outsourcing and governance specialist, skilled in delivering quality outcomes from transformational programs by consistently formulating win-win situations for stakeholders. He has significant expertise and well rounded experience in transformation initiatives related to large, complex, multi-location ITO/ BPO, as well as business/ process transformation; with deep experiential insights into all aspects of ITO and BPO, business strategy and planning, cost and performance optimization, BPR, and associated organizational change management.
His experience spans multiple industry verticals and stints in multiple geographies – North America, Western Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and India.
Shalabh Garg
Partner
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Leonard Johnson
Leonard comes with a 15 year track record of success in delivering and managing IT services for energy, banking, stock exchange, pharmacovigilance, and manufacturing clients. He brings over 12 years of IT service provider account management experience to Neo Group and is well versed in all facets of account, general management, operation management, client-facing service delivery, and client relationship management. He has diligent focus on customer satisfaction. At Neo, Leonard provides direction and oversight for the Governance Services accounts, delivery & operation teams to ensure client satisfaction, service delivery performance, and overall account financial performance. He also supports Governance Services implementations and growth initiatives with prospective new clients.
Leonard is a leader who strives to be a trusted business advisor to the clients with his “can do” attitude and strong desire to improve and make things happen.
Leonard holds a Master of Commerce in Financial Management & Industrial Relations from Bangalore University and Advanced Diploma in computer applications from NICT.
Leonard Johnson
Director (Operations)
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Aruna Iyer
Aruna leads the marketing and communication initiatives for Neo Group. She is a passionate, customer-centric marketeer with strong business acumen. Her expertise is in marketing communication, digital marketing, campaign development, and content creation.
Aruna is a strong believer in the power of collaboration to empower people for shared successes.
Aruna Iyer
Manager (Marketing)
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Peggy Crain
Peggy has over 20 years of experience building and managing strategic global customer relationships. Her PMP and Scrum Master certifications allow her to ensure project deliverables are managed successfully and completed on time. With a focus on continuous process improvement and process documentation, she works with clients and vendors to ensure contractual deliverables are met and Service Level Agreements achieved.
Peggy excels in analyzing, compiling and presenting data. With her ITIL IT Service Management and Business Analysis certifications, Peggy understands the importance of a solid alignment between IT and business which leads to better communication and improved quality of service.
Peggy Crain
Director (Governance)
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Mitch Klaif
Mitch Klaif is a Senior Advisor at Neo Group. He also has a private consulting practice working with private and public companies on a variety or organizational, management and leadership initiatives.
At Neo Group, Mitch supports clients in hi-tech, software, healthcare and banking. He is an experienced, collaborative, and relationship-focused executive with an exceptional record of results in diverse environments. Colleagues know him to be a problem-solver and expert project leader who thrives on challenges and deadlines with an eye for detail and organization.
Mitch left his position as Senior Vice President and CIO of Time Warner Inc., parent company of Time Inc., HBO, Turner Broadcasting, CNN and Warner Bros in 2019. Prior to that, Mitch was Senior Vice President of Time Inc. until 2014, when it was spun off from Time Warner. In the year prior to his move to Time Warner, Mitch was asked to lead the cost-driven transformation of Time Inc. to an independent company. Given his technology background, leadership ability and significant track record of the delivery of sustainable savings from the offshore model, and his lifelong knowledge of the media business, he was named the company’s first Senior Vice President for Business Transformation.
Mitch left Time Inc. to join Time Warner, after delivering and executing on a plan to deliver significant annual savings in all facets of media operations including finance, HR, consumer marketing, advertising operations, and information and digital technology. A key driver of those savings was a global enterprise effort to leverage lower cost labor opportunities offshore.
At Time Warner, Mitch once again used his background and experience in global workforce management to lead an internal organization focused on the delivery and sustainability of new and existing offshore model initiatives. He also managed corporate technology, global information security and an enterprise wide infrastructure shared-service organization.
Mitch knows the importance of being efficient and open to new opportunities while maintaining the integrity of the media content creation and delivery process.
Earlier in his career, Mitch managed a variety of publishing and media operations including finance, HR, consumer marketing, technology, facilities and advertising operations.
Mitch Klaif
Senior Advisor
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Atul Vashistha
Atul is the Chairman of Neo Group and Supply Wisdom. Neo is recognized globally as a leading sourcing analytics, monitoring and advisory firm.
Atul is recognized globally as a leading expert on globalization, outsourcing and governance. Consulting Magazine named Atul one of the ‘Top 25 Most Influential Consultants’ and ‘Top 6 IT Powerbrokers’. Globalization Today recognized Atul as an ‘Industry Most Influential Powerhouse 25’. Near Shore Americas recognized him as one of the Power 50. HRO and FAO Today named him a Superstar.
Atul is the author of three books – Globalization Wisdom, Outsourcing Wisdom and The Offshore Nation. Atul also writes ongoing columns for Global Decisions, Pulse and Global Services.
Media and Wall Street analysts at CNN, ABC, CNBC, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Economist, CIO, CFO and other global organizations seek Atul’s expert opinion. Atul continues to be a vocal proponent of globalization and has taken on the critics, such as Lou Dobbs and his ‘Exporting America’ segment on CNN. He is also a frequent contributor to other magazines such as Fortune, CFO, WSJ and Business Finance.
He serves on the Boards of Nearshore Executive Alliance, Shared Assessment and IAOP. Atul is a Former Chair and current member of the Norcal Young Presidents’ Organization and also supports numerous economic development, human development and corporate social responsibility initiatives such as Echoing Green, GreenStart, World Education Foundation, Because I Am a Girl and Foundations for the Future. Atul also served on the USA Department of Defense, Defense Business Board, from 2007-2013.
Prior to founding Neo, Atul was Senior Vice President of International at Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) and RKN Situs Judi Slot(54.151.146.24) where he led the international operations of the Fortune 25 Company. Atul and his seasoned team at Cardinal expanded profitable operations to Australia, New Zealand, Spain, UK, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia and other global locations. More importantly, his in-depth international experience earned him the admiration and respect of global CEOs and investors.
Atul and his firms are redefining how corporations create competitive advantage and how nations and individuals can leverage this mega-trend to build better futures for all.
Atul Vashistha
Chairman