Meet Ranjini Poddar, CEO & Co-Founder of Artech, the #1 largest women-owned IT staffing company in the U.S., supporting commercial and government clients, including Fortune 500 companies across the U.S., Canada, India, and China.
Each year, WBENC presents 14 women business owners with the prestigious Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) Star Award, the nation’s premier recognition for excellence among certified women-owned businesses, honoring female owners for their leadership skills, business success, and ability to serve as an inspiration to others.
Meet Ranjini Poddar, Co-Founder & CEO of Artech LLC
Ranjini co-founded Artech while completing her Juris Doctor (JD) at Yale Law School. At that time, in 1992, the idea of information technology outsourcing was relatively new. While IT services were available, the quality and continuity of the services were inconsistent.
Ranjini leveraged her knowledge of IT gained at the University of California – Irvine, where she earned her B.S. in Information & Computer Science, to open Artech and offer companies a new option for IT services.
Early on, Ranjini and Artech found themselves in a classic David vs. Goliath situation. They had to slay competitors larger than themselves to make a name for themselves in the industry. At one point, Artech was in a four-way competitive bid process with three other companies. Next to Artech, the smallest company in the bidding was about 10 times larger. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Ranjini championed her company to proceed, presenting an innovative solution and exactly how Artech was capable of executing it. The customer selected Artech over the larger companies that were more proven from an experience standpoint because of their out-of-the-box thinking and what they showed they could bring to the table.
Today, Artech has expanded its global footprint, with more than 25 branch locations around the world. They’ve utilized this footprint to support clients such as Accenture, Dell, Google, and IBM. As for Ranjini, her business acumen and leadership have earned her a spot on the Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing list five years in a row. She was also named Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Women Magazine in 2018.
Ranjini is “The Powerhouse” because she excels at identifying which doors need to be opened and does what it takes to swing them wide open.
Today, Ranjini shares her advice for new entrepreneurs, how being part of the WBENC network has made a difference for her business and her guiding words for newly certified women-owned businesses.
What advice do you have for a new entrepreneur?
Your strategy is only as good as your ability to execute on it. While it’s okay to think big, you really have to be realistic in terms of your resources. And if you’re smaller, ensure you know what your core capabilities are and stick to them. Too often I see that smaller companies over-reach in an effort to obtain new business, and I think it really hurts them.
What do you view as benefits of being part of the WBENC network?
A WBENC-Certification provides Artech access to numerous opportunities. Certification is a means of getting the company in the door to work with large corporations and leveling the playing field when competing with larger non-diverse companies in the same industry space that already have existing relationships. It gives us an avenue to present our credentials and capabilities and provides opportunities for the company to deliver to its prospects.
What guiding words would you like to share with a newly certified WBE who is looking to get involved in the WBENC community?
I would tell a newly certified WBE to get involved in as many local and regional events as you can! Remember, your certification should be used as a door opener, not an entitlement. Being certified has been a key facilitator for Artech getting its foot in the door to partner with large corporations and leveling the playing field when competing with other companies that may already have existing relationships.
At the forefront of the staffing industry, Artech is a minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) committed to maximizing global workforce solutions on behalf of its clients. Artech’s deep heritage, proven expertise, and insightful market intelligence has secured long-term partnerships with Fortune and Global 500 and government clients seeking world-class professional resources.
