Harshul Asnani, president and head of Europe Business at Tech Mahindra, returned to London after almost two decades working in Silicon Valley.
Asnani, who was born in India and studied engineering and business, now leads Tech Mahindra’s European operations from the British capital.
His first job was on a factory shop floor as a mechanical engineer, a role he describes as entirely practical and untheoretical in nature.
He entered the technology sector in the mid-nineties, selling computer hardware during a period when the industry still felt like frontier territory.
“It taught me that behind every ‘seamless experience’ is usually an exhausted sales engineer holding it together,” he said of those early years in tech.
After business school, Asnani chose technology over other available industries, drawn to what he described as the right kind of chaos mixing innovation with real client relationships.
When asked what he would change about London, he pointed to a tendency to underestimate its own capabilities and the city’s reluctance to own its achievements.
“London occasionally underestimates itself,” he said, noting that the UK is world-class in research, financial innovation, AI governance and global talent.
“A little less hesitation, a little more conviction,” he added, making clear he believes Britain’s strengths deserve far greater confidence on the world stage.
On the subject of business faux pas, Asnani recalled walking into a meeting convinced he had the smartest answer, only to discover he had misread the client’s problem entirely.
“Intelligence is overrated if you’re solving the wrong problem,” he reflected, describing the episode as a formative and useful lesson early in his career.
His proudest professional moment, he said, has been watching colleagues develop into exceptional leaders, adding that “revenue milestones fade; seeing your team take flight doesn’t.”
The best career advice he received was to “optimise for learning velocity” rather than chasing the next title, guidance he initially found abstract but later proved accurate.
He was equally clear about the worst advice he ever received, dismissing the instruction to “stay in your lane” as a constraint best ignored responsibly by those with ambition.
Looking ahead, Asnani described himself as cautiously optimistic, acknowledging economic uncertainty, geopolitical complexity and AI disruption while pointing to meaningful transformation across industries.
“We’re moving from AI theatre to AI execution, which is exactly where value gets created,” he said, suggesting Europe’s innovation trajectory remains strong despite broader instability.
For lunch, Asnani recommends Zaika on Kensington High Street, while for after-work drinks he favours The Eagle at the Rosewood on Chancery Lane.
At weekends, he can be found exploring London, reading, or escaping to Europe, with a particular appreciation for avoiding anything resembling a schedule.
His ideal two-week holiday would take him deep into the Himalayas alongside old college friends, “the kind who make even altitude feel lighter.”