Perficient is focused on building a stronger future, and our colleagues inspire action by devoting their time, energy, and talent to giving back to those in need. Perficient’s corporate giving philosophy is supported by two core pillars: advancing STEM education and improving health and well-being. Through individual volunteer efforts, coupled with the work of Perficient’s Giving Employee Resource Group (ERG), our people can make a difference in the global community and bring a touch of joy to others.
We recently sat down with Hemant Rao Raghunath, senior client partner, to hear more about his work at Perficient and passion for giving back through non-profit volunteer work in Chennai, India. Hemant plays an integral role in helping children obtain an education through Teach For India. He is also passionate about animal welfare, which is why Hemant supports nonprofits like Teelusark and the Humane Society to feed, house, and rescue animals.
Continue reading to learn about the difference he is making in the lives of animals, children, and our colleagues across the globe.
What is your role? Describe a typical day in the life.
As a senior client partner, I am responsible for new sales and growing key accounts. My day involves doing research, reaching out to decision makers of large enterprises, and educating them on our digital service offerings. If a prospect shows interest, I set up a meeting with the practice/technical folks from respective technologies to walk them through our service offerings and case studies. During this meeting, I try to probe and gather any pain points, while positioning Perficient as a unique services firm. After the meeting, I work with the Perficient presales teams to send follow-up items such as a quote or a presentation.
Once the deal is closed, I make sure the transition from sales to delivery is smooth and that the client is happy with the services offered. I am also a part of the weekly stand-up calls with the customers to ensure we are on track. After a successful scope of work delivery, I take feedback from the client and ask for recommendations to continue improving Perficient’s offerings.
What has your experience at Perficient taught you?
Perficient has taught me a lot, including how to work with large enterprises, navigate through complex deal structures, build great relationships with key contacts, and much more.
READ MORE: Learn About Perficient’s Collaborative Global Culture
Whether big or small, how do you make a difference for our clients, colleagues, communities, or teams?
I strive to build a good rapport with my clients to ensure that they enjoy working with Perficient and think of us as an extension of their teams. Our ability to be flexible and nimble is something that our clients have appreciated when working with us. With regards to colleagues and communities, I make sure to give back in form, knowledge, empathy, and any other help required.
Reducing carbon footprint, rescuing animals, and helping underprivileged children are all very important to me. Through my volunteer work with Teelusark and the Humane Society, I’m able to help more than 300 animals with daily meals, neutering, and adoption. We try to get as many animals off the streets as possible because the stray animal population is a big issue. 
In India, animal and human conflict is a large area of concern. For example, people may get bitten by a dog and worry about becoming poisoned. These types of conflicts often occur in many of the areas that we are focused on improving. It is important that people and animals can peacefully coexist. Since I have started my volunteer efforts, it’s getting better each day and the animal abuse has reduced drastically within these communities.
I also volunteer with Teach for India to help underprivileged kids complete their education and connect them with good jobs. The kids receive the education they need, and they often look up to the volunteers as mentors. The students I have helped have since become supervisors in the manufacturing industry, joined the government forces, become entrepreneurs, and some have even started participating in the same volunteer efforts as I do. I’ve seen a lot of the students that I have helped experience great successes. It’s satisfying to uplift the students and give them a chance to make it big.
READ MORE: Perficient and Our Global Colleagues Make a Difference In The Community
Can you tell us more about your involvement in animal welfare efforts?
I take pride in helping and giving back to the community. Living an ethical life and being able to give back are important to me, and I’m able to do this at Perficient. I grew up on a ranch and have always appreciated animals while helping them in any way that I can.
This started when I was in school in India, and I was fortunate enough to help animals for my summer job. That’s when I started dog feeding regularly. Even once I started working full-time, I ensured that dogs, cats, and any animals in need could receive proper care. I would go out and do what I could, whether it was first aid, neutering, adoption, or assisting with animal births. Several of my team members at Perficient have gotten involved with my philanthropy. My team member, Ashwini, works with us for Lead Generation, our animal shelter initiative. She cooks dog food for over 200 dogs and feeds them every day after her shift.
It has been a long, rewarding journey for the past 15 years now. I love being part of a company that adopts social responsibility initiatives. Being a philanthropist is a big part of my life, and I see a lot of those same qualities in Perficient colleagues and the organization.
READ MORE: Learn About Perficient’s Volunteer Efforts at PAWS Atlanta
What do you enjoy the most about your charitable work?
What I enjoy the most is that I’m able to do something for people and animals who do not receive much support. During those moments of the day that I’m able to give back, I forget all about my stress with work, health, or finances. This is the point where I feel that life is worth living, and I am able to express unconditional love.
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