The following is an edited excerpt from the conversation.
Introduction
Vishal: Good Afternoon friends! Welcome to a new episode of Career Circles Live. Today’s session is on exploring opportunities at Ingram Micro.
For those joining us for the first time, Career Circles Live is a LinkedIn Live session powered by Taggd. The idea is to bring employers and industry leaders closer to aspirants, so you can hear directly from leaders, understand the organization and the roles, and get practical clarity on careers and the interview process.
Over the next 45 minutes, we’ll cover what Ingram Micro is all about, what opportunities exist, and what it takes to crack the interview process. With that, I’m welcoming our guest, Mr. Anil Tari. Anil is a senior leader managing the SAP global services function at Ingram Micro. Anil, welcome.
Anil: Thanks, Vishal. Let me briefly introduce myself. I’m an engineering graduate. I started my career in the steel industry for a few years, and then around the 1998–2000 era, like many others, I moved towards IT. I did courses on SAP, got into SAP, and began my journey in the IT industry.
It’s been 28 years now in IT, across multiple organizations, both in IT services and global delivery centers. For the last eight years, I’ve been with Ingram Micro. I work on SAP and other technologies, and also global projects and implementations. I’m also part of the managing council for Ingram Micro India’s shared service center.
Ingram Micro is a global leader in distribution and logistics of IT products. We focus on IT products, hardware and software. We manage the complete supply chain of IT products, starting from OEMs who make the hardware and software, all the way to retailers and customers who sell to end customers like you and me. We manage and plan supply chain. We have 134+ logistics centers globally, through which we manage buying, selling, and stocking of products. We operate in 200+ countries from a sales perspective.
The core business is sales and warehouse functions. We are into distribution for hardware, software, and services. And to manage our own business, we also need our own IT operations and IT support. That’s why we have a large portfolio of applications, and a big IT team supporting the business. In Ingram Micro, you’ll see both IT and non-IT teams operating together.
In India, we have two to three divisions. One focuses on the core supply chain and logistics business. Alongside, we have a big IT team supporting global IT operations for 60+ countries where we have warehouse and supply chain operations. That’s the high-level view of what we do.
Vishal: Where are Ingram Micro’s centers in India?
Anil Tari: From a core business point of view, we have logistics centers across 26 locations in India, and multiple offices supporting those. From an IT support point of view, we have centers in Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai.
How Technology and IT Roles Are Changing
Vishal: In the last few years we’ve seen massive shifts, and you’ve seen the change over two decades. How do you see the next two years, especially on the IT side?
Anil: Even if you look at the last two decades, the focus was always on automation through IT: automate processes, integrate systems, generate reports, and use those to make decisions and improve business performance.
That’s why you had ERP, CRM, SRM, standalone applications, reporting tools, and basic analytics. The goal was optimization and performance improvement.
What changed in the last five to six years is the shift from standalone automation to digital transformation. Earlier, automation and reporting enabled decision-making. Now the goal is automated decision-making, where systems take decisions and trigger actions with minimum human intervention.
So, it’s no longer just faster processing or integration. It’s about AI, machine learning, robotics, digital platforms, and using data not only to capture transactions, but to enable the system to decide and act.
But this shift also raises data privacy and cybersecurity concerns. For example, automating payments means sharing credit card information, address, and more. Hence, privacy and security become critical.
ERP and CRM remain important, but AI, ML, cybersecurity, data privacy, and predictive analytics have become key. Analytics has moved beyond reporting to predictive analytics that supports decisions.
That’s also why skill requirements have changed. Earlier SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, and functional consultants were prime. Now AI, ML, cybersecurity, and advanced analytics skillsets have become prominent.
Hiring Market Outlook
Vishal: Hiring was very bullish post-Covid, and now the market looks more stable. How do you see the next two years? Will there be a spike again?
Anil: We had disruptions and stabilization phases. There were supply chain disruptions, semiconductor challenges, and even geopolitical events that impacted inflation and industries. At the same time, the industry reshaped and invested heavily in digital transformation. Remote work and digital business accelerated demand for hardware, software, and services, which benefited the tech industry.
After a peak, you usually see a trough, a downward cycle. But it doesn’t continue long. Hardware refresh cycles and software upgrades will drive demand again.
If you refer to the NASSCOM report, they mentioned that in 2023 the technology industry including hardware would reach around $245 billion, with around 8.4% year-on-year growth. That indicates the demand cycle continues. Some industries may see specific impacts, but overall, the market should pick up again over the next couple of years.
Roles and Skills at Ingram Micro
Vishal: What kinds of roles and skills are you hiring for?
Anil: Our core business is supply chain distribution and logistics of IT products, so sales and warehouse management are core. In sales, we have two broad role types:
- Account management is customer centric. A sales associate or account manager may handle 30–40 accounts. Their focus is revenue and collections.
- Business development is vendor centric. We work with OEMs like Cisco, HP, Dell, and many more, including software companies. Business development teams are subject matter experts on the vendor portfolio and products. They support account teams with product expertise.
We also serve different customer types, channel partners, and corporate customers like hospitals, universities, and colleges. Often, we provide bundled solutions: servers, networking, laptops, software, and more.
In India, we also have a corporate IT division supporting 60+ countries where Ingram Micro runs supply chain operations. Our India setup is a global delivery center, not just an offshore center. We have a wide range of roles: developers, subject matter experts, solution architects, program managers, project managers, delivery managers, data architects, and more. Opportunities exist across core business roles and IT roles.
Interview Process
Vishal: What is the interview process like at Ingram Micro, and what does each round evaluate?
Anil: Typically, there are two rounds: technical evaluation and HR evaluation. Technical evaluation is job specific. We check technical experience, excellence, and subject matter expertise. Sometimes the technical panel is in India. If the expert is outside India, there can be an additional technical round with someone in another country.
Post technical clearance, HR evaluates communication and behavioural skills. We also check alignment with our standards of success, such as integrity, responsibility, innovation, talent, and being courageous. For the India IT team supporting global countries, written and verbal communication is important because you work with different nationalities, cultures, and remote stakeholders. Overall, it’s typically two to three rounds: one or two technical rounds, followed by HR.
Experience vs Academic Knowledge
Vishal: Candidates often ask about balancing academic knowledge and real job experience, especially in tech. How do you look at that?
Anil: Both matters. The balance depends on the team. For sales and supply chain roles, experience and domain understanding are key. Product knowledge, OEM portfolios, pricing, negotiation, and contracts are important. We value experience strongly there. At the same time, sales have levels. At entry levels, a decent understanding of at least one product line or brand is needed. Our intention is to provide exposure and growth.
For the IT side, strong programming fundamentals, logic, and problem-solving can make a big difference even with minimal experience. We hire through campus programs, provide training, and give on-the-job learning. Therefore, the weightage depends on the role and function.
Career Growth and Internal Mobility
Vishal: What does career progression look like at Ingram Micro, both vertical and horizontal?
Anil: Ingram Micro has global job roles and global alignment. So, the same job level in India, Australia, the US, Singapore, or other countries has similar expectations. This also enables mobility across countries if opportunities open.
On progression, many freshers join at entry level, get trained, then they grow into independent developers. Then they move into design plus development, where their design gets validated. Next, they reach a stage where they can design and validate others’ designs, and that’s where solution architect roles come in. There’s also a people management and project management path: project lead, project manager, program manager, delivery manager, and so on.
Projects test not just technical skills, but design skills, management skills, and people skills. Working across countries also adds complexity because laws and statutory requirements differ, so solutions change. That’s where growth happens.
Culture, D&I, ESG, and Engagement
Vishal: Can you also share about culture, engagement programs, and initiatives like D&I and ESG?
Anil: Ingram Micro is an equal opportunity company. There is no discrimination based on gender, language, nationality, religion, caste, sexual orientation, or anything like that. What matters is capability and the passion to deliver.
We also focus on ESG initiatives. For example, we did a “one associate, one tree” initiative and distributed samplings to associates to plant and take care of. We have programs for women employees,and we are tied up with the “NASSCOM Women Wizards” program. We encourage female associates to participate and grow.
We also have engagement communities like the Josh community that runs activities, and we’ve had events like fun fairs. We respect the LGBTQ community and have associates from that community working with us. We also have specially-abled associates who are doing phenomenal work. We also won the Great Place to Work award recently, which reflects our culture.
Audience Q&A
Q. Are we hybrid, work-from-office, or work-from-home?
Anil: For core business operations like warehouse and supply chain, office presence is key, so it’s primarily work-from-office. For the IT team, we still allow hybrid working. People can come to office two to three days and work from home a few days. That’s currently possible.
At the same time, office culture helps productivity. At home, you can be stuck in meetings continuously and forget breaks. In office, the day has structure, discussions happen faster, and collaboration is smoother. While hybrid is allowed for IT, working from office is still beneficial whenever possible.
Q. Does Ingram Micro allow switching careers across functions? For example, moving from IT to sale
Anil: Yes, it’s possible. Ingram Micro offers flexibility. People can apply for different roles depending on their skills, and they can move across functions globally as well.
A strong example is that our HR head recently moved into a sales function and is managing the sales business. That shows it’s possible at senior levels, and it’s possible for others too, based on openings and fitment. People can move across IT, sales, marketing, HR, and other roles.
Closing
Vishal: Thanks, Anil, for sharing details that candidates don’t usually find online. For aspirants who want to apply, please share your profiles at careers@taggd.in. If you have questions post the event, drop them in the chat window. We’ll be happy to connect. Thank you, everyone. See you in the next session.
