Sometimes, all it takes is a leap of faith to opt for a completely unknown field, take calculate risks along the way, and pave the path for others to follow !

John Paul Manickam, our next pathbreaker, leads the Joint Security Intelligence Center (JSIC) at an IT MNC, the department that monitors global events, and takes proactive measures to protect the critical assets of the company.

John talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about his tryst with criminology and its relevance to the burgeoning field of corporate security !

For students, its fine to follow others who are your role models, but its even better for others to follow you !

John, Your background? 

I grew up in an orthodox Christian family in Tamil Nadu where discipline, faith and education were prioritised. My Dad was a priest in the Church and my mom was a teacher. I loved sports from a very early stage, played cricket and football, read more about sports, and followed sports personalities through Sportstar (a weekly bulletin) and newspapers. My Dad took me to watch the 1986 football World Cup in our neighbour’s home (we didn’t have a TV) when I was just 4 years old. The live telecast was at midnight in India as the event was hosted in Mexico, yet I woke up to go with my Dad. I was put in a boarding school when I was 9 and till I finished my Masters, I was on my own in a hostel. This had a bigger impact as I grew up – my resilience to overcome challenges by myself came through this phase of life. When I was 11-12 years old, I began reading crime novels written by a Tamil author named Rajesh Kumar and that became my habit for many more years. I have read over 750 such novels during my school days, which later became the reason to choose Criminology.

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?  

I flunked my 10th class exams as I failed in my mathematics paper. Those days it took one full year to clear the exam again and hence one could start 11th class only with juniors. So, when I restarted my schooling in 1998-2000, everywhere I went – there was chatter and conversation around computer science being the future. I hated mathematics, so I opted for the Computer Science (CS) group in my higher-secondary school which didn’t have maths as a paper. Additionally, the CS book was just 75 pages, so it looked easy too 😆. So my choice for graduation was more due to societal pressure rather than due to my desire. Though I did my BSc in computer science, from the first semester, I knew that it was not my cup of tea. In the meanwhile, my reading continued and the passion to be an investigator was growing inside me.  We were 54 in our Computer Science batch. After our graduation, I was the only one to choose a subject (Criminology) which was unique and unknown during those days. All other classmates went on to do MCA, MS in IT or MBA for their Masters and some even went on to begin their careers after graduation. My dad was not happy with my choice and he sent me out of my home. I had to stay in my friend’s home for two days while my mother convinced my Dad to allow me to study what I loved. My life was forever changed by this bold choice.

What were some of the drivers that influenced you to pursue such an offbeat, unconventional and unique career in Corporate Security?

My exposure to reading diverse crime novels led to the curiosity of knowing things and processes that a normal citizen doesn’t know about. For example – how a crime happens; why it happens; how a crime scene looks like; how investigators have such instincts to narrow down suspects; what would go through the minds of the victims and criminals during those tragic moments etc. These curious questions led me to do Criminology and when I came out to the real world after my Masters, I had to balance my life between preparing for my civil services exams and managing my finances in Chennai. Though I tried cracking the UPSC exams, it was hard for me to work and study at the same time. So I was constantly looking for a career which would help me to use the knowledge I got from Criminology – that’s when I found the field of Corporate Security. Over the years, I understood that what I do is not just a job that pays me but an everyday challenge where I have the opportunity to save lives in diverse ways.

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path?

It was through constant search I found Corporate Security. I loved my every day when I studied Criminology, this resulted in me passing out as a ‘Gold Medallist’ for academic excellence from the University of Madras. So, I was stubborn that I had to do something that I love, and the passion to use the knowledge I was blessed with through Criminology, led to finding my career. In 2005, it was not easy as there were no specific careers for students of Criminology in India, though the subject was unique – jobs in the market were almost zero as most never knew that there was an academic program like Criminology. My first focus was to be financially independent in Chennai immediately after my Masters, so I found a job in a Call Center. I got that break due to my good communication skills, my extensive reading and writing during my childhood which helped me in finding my 1st job. I was selling 3G phones, holiday packages and credit cards for the first 6 months while I constantly searched for my core career. I knew that the call centre job was just an ad-hoc measure to survive in Chennai. It needs both self-awareness of what you need and sustained efforts to find that path which will take you to your desired destination. 

I switched four jobs in my first two years, the biggest challenge I had in the early part of my career was that I had no one to guide me on how to build a sustainable career – a mentor could have been of great support. Finally, I found one (Dipak Tanwal) in 2007 when I joined Fidelity, and you can check my LinkedIn profile to see how that impacted my entire journey. My 1st job in security was all about managing the guard force, patrolling the hotel, managing guest grievances, managing materials that come & and go out, external liaison with the Police, managing vehicle parking during peak hours, and even I had to check dirty linen that goes out for washing every day – very raw manual work. I took a big leap from a supervisor to a manager in less than a year when I joined Ascendas and managed 70 security guards. It was also a physical security role securing an IT real-estate property. When I left them after a year, these security guards collected whatever little money they had to gift me a gold ring (the first ever gold ornament I wore) because I took care of their welfare in most ways. It was an inconsistent journey until I landed up in Fidelity where I began to learn Corporate Security’s traits and impacts on the Organization’s journey. I was amidst amazing leaders, skilful teammates and an environment which helped me find my footsteps as a professional and as a security specialist. My time in Fidelity defined my approach towards learning and growing in the same Organization through delivering excellence. I was also introduced to multiple facets of Security, not just managing guard force. This helped me to explore new areas of delivering security such as Travel security, Command Center operations, Background verifications, Investigations, Incident Response, Security technology, Training of employees and security personnel, security audits, tabletop exercises and many more. This happens when you land in the right environment under the right leaders with a progressive team. My students are always encouraged to keep searching for that one opportunity that will make their career an exciting journey

How did you get your first break? 

During my first 6 months in the call Center, my daily task was to spend an abundance of time with the daily newspapers as those were days when Social Media platforms were non-existent. This was to help my civil services preparation and also to find my career. One day, I found a newspaper advertisement from a leading 4-star business hotel looking for assistant Security Managers. Since understanding the internal security of the country was part of the curriculum in Criminology, I felt a relevance to that advertised job opening, so I walked in to meet the Security Manager. When I meet people, they become excited and curious about my journey due to that special word called ‘Criminology’ and that becomes my opportunity to win their attention. The Security Manager was happy, but he said that he could only give me an opportunity as a Security Supervisor as I have no relevant experience in this field. I agreed to it and that is how the whole Corporate Security journey began. The pay was less than I got from the call Center job but I was determined that I had to make this compromise if I needed a career that was relevant to what I studied. So I took a leap of faith and transitioned my career from an online salesman to securing the most critical assets of an organization. 

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Challenge-1: When we studied Criminology, we all (even my batchmates) knew that there was not much scope for us in India, except to become research scholars or go on to teach the subject in some college. I decided to take that calculated risk of going out in the job market and exploring opportunities suiting my skill sets and the knowledge I gained through Criminology. I knew it would take time but I decided to give it all so that I could find a career that I’m passionate about.

Challenge-2: When I came into Corporate Security in 2005, people around me looked at it as a watchman’s job who opened car doors, gates & carried guest luggage. The public view of security personnel was shaped by visuals of security guards wearing untidy uniforms, manning ATMs and standing at gates. There were things that a Corporate Security personnel did which were not publicly spoken nor was there awareness about this job. So wherever I went and talked about my job, people mostly looked down upon me. Once, when I offered a job that was available in my team to one of my classmates in Criminology, he directly said “I don’t want to be a watchman like you.” I was disturbed and worried that I had chosen the wrong career. So, I decided to share what I do daily, one person at a time – it started with my family. It took time before my dad was happy about my choice and looked up to me. Slowly, I expanded my efforts to friends, batchmates, relatives and civilians around me. Now I have introduced Corporate Security as a value-added course or a core subject in many colleges to help youngsters choose this field as their core career.

Challenge 3: When I entered the Corporate Security industry in 2005, there were mostly Ex-servicemen in this job. They were retired men from various uniformed services, at the fag end of their careers – so there were many challenges in working as partners in a team or in the same shift. I had to fight when it came to implementing new ideas, I had to break myths or push them to look at risks in a workplace from a different lens. I had to prove every day that I could add value to this industry. I decided to talk about this industry more to civilians, especially students. So, I volunteered to teach my juniors at the University of Madras and that’s how my mentoring journey began. In the last decade, I have helped 1000s of students to make Corporate Security a preferred career choice through my lectures, workshops, and training. I have also worked with academicians to build curriculums related to Corporate Security.

Where do you work now? Tell us about your current role

I lead the Joint Security Intelligence Center (JSIC) for Cognizant, it is a very unique place where we monitor all the global events, analyse if such events impact Cognizant business operations and then help leaders take proactive measures to protect the critical assets of the company. I was instrumental in building this center from scratch and it has been an amazing, fulfilling journey. We solve diverse problems like turning lots of raw data into meaningful, actionable intelligence; we monitor social media for chatter about Cognizant; we help business travellers to have safe & secure travel to high-risk countries; we help crisis managers to handle incidents effectively; we monitor VVIP travels to ensure their safety etc. 

What are the key skills required for your role? How did you acquire them?

Key skills required include fantastic communication skills; collaborative mindset; multi-tasking to manage many events at the same time; research and analysis of diverse global events; speed reading; business writing; investigative skills; presentation skills; team management etc.

What’s a typical day like?

A typical day for me is always filled with surprises because there are new, dynamic events around the globe that require new ways to manage them, & mitigate risks emanating from them. I manage a team of 35 analysts, they are very diverse and do unique tasks for my team. My job is to govern the team’s operations, look at areas of improvement, help the team to be at a high-performance level, vigilant and alert to help Cognizant be prepared for challenges that can impact the continuity of business. 

The reason I’m in my 18th year in Corporate Security is bcoz I have an opportunity to save lives, and impact lives like no other team can. I can proudly say that I and my team contribute to 360,000 plus employees every day – not many teams can say that it’s not a job for me but more of an adventure that I enjoy. This keeps me going and that’s why, I share this knowledge with the next generation helping them to build a career in this industry. When you are blessed, it’s vital to share the blessings, so that many more can find an exciting career and taste the joy of impacting lives.

How does your work benefit society? 

When I say this job impacts lives, our daily activities have created an impact when it comes to life skills and lifesaving skills. So, we as a Corporate Security fraternity got together to help youngsters learn these skills – I have trained around 13000 civilians for free in Life safety, first aid, CPR, fire safety, LPG safety, and situational awareness especially for women at work. In the last 36 months, more than 6000 students/professionals have been touched through various Connects; more than 1000 students have been trained on Life Safety skills; 100+ interns have been coached and mentored; Over 400 students have been transitioned from Campus to Career; at least 75 students have been placed in jobs related to Corporate Security. I also work closely with the Tamil Nadu police in Community policing efforts, this is to bring awareness to citizens that it requires everyone’s support to create a safer neighbourhood and city, it is not just the responsibility of uniformed people. Our efforts have yielded great results, I can rapidly say that Chennai is one of the safest cities in India.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you! 

There are lots of amazing stories that I cannot tell due to confidentiality associated with my current job. I hold a couple of things close to my heart and I’m always humbled when I think about it, so let me share those with you. I had an opportunity to save 9 lives by helping them survive road accidents and medical emergencies, it is not the doctor who saves lives always. The 1st opportunity to save a life comes to the bystander and timely action can save precious lives. Secondly, I have testimonials of young mothers saving their kids during choking incidents – they come back to tell me that the lifesaving skills they learnt in my first aid sessions have helped them not to panic, confidently do the first aid and save their kids. I get overwhelmed when a mother thanks me, bcoz I know many moms who lost their kids as they were helpless not knowing what to do in such situations. Being a lifesaver everyday, wherever you are is a pride that I carry and I know I can be of help to anyone at any given time because of being an emergency responder both at the workplace and in my personal life. 

Your advice to students based on your experience? 

I failed my 10th-class exams and sat at home for a whole year while my friends and classmates moved on to the next stage of education. Those days transformed my journey. Even today, I fail and I fail often bcoz I try to do things in new ways – it’s fine to fail because the learnings through failures are immense. When I began my Criminology and Corporate Security journey, many around me looked at me as someone who had not taken the easy way out and I was doing something which had so many risks. However, I was happy with whatever I did and that was the most important thing for me.  Take your time, find things that you are passionate about and turn that into your career – you’ll love every day at work, or else it will become monotonous & boring after some years. Additionally, be ready for a ride with highs and lows, excitement and challenges – this will help you enjoy the rollercoaster ride of life. When I look back, I’m glad to see a 10th failure become a gold medallist, then from a young Criminologist to a lifesaver and now a leader cum teacher – I don’t think this amazing journey would have been possible if I had followed the choices my friends and classmates made. Each one’s journey is unique, so be ready to experience it – it is ok if you don’t follow the herd.

Future plans? 

Usually, I don’t have an answer if someone asks me what I’ll do in 5 years – I’m someone who cherishes every new day and makes use of it fully. I already teach in many colleges and universities in India. I make sure to connect with 5 new people every week and try to give back to the next generation in whatever way I can. Nowadays, I have started to build a passion for teaching and mentoring youngsters as I push them to meet the students – I have realised that I alone cannot reach many lives, bringing many hands together can impact 1000s of more lives. I continue to strive to build a community who are aware of the blessings of giving back and staying together.