"Speed and agility are important in everything you do… A champion team can always beat a team of champions,” declared Dr Rustom Kanga at a function organized by the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce Australia (WZCCA) on June 19, 2022 to present him the trophy for the global Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year. The founder and chief executive officer of iOmniscient Pty Ltd, reportedly the longest standing independent analytics company in the world, had won this honor for the year 2020 but the pandemic had prevented the recipients from receiving their mementos in person earlier although they were felicitated online this year (see "Temerity and talent,” Parsiana, April 7-20, 2022).
To make the occasion memorable for Kanga, WZCCA tied up the felicitation with a gala dinner and networking function at Wharf Restaurant in Sydney’s picturesque Darling Harbour, surrounded by water and interesting guests. "It is widely acknowledged that Zoroastrians have a rich and illustrious history of successful entrepreneurship and philanthropy,” remarked WZCCA chair Jimmy Medhora.
Top: Rustom Kanga; above: Jimmy Medhora (r) presenting Outstanding Entrepreneur
of the Year award (far l) to Kanga Photo: Jehan Bhagwagar
WZCCA member Dinaaz Lentin, author of the inspiring book Battle Scars and a recognized keynote speaker, traced Kanga’s academic achievements. A high ranker in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance exam, he later won a Tata Scholarship to the London School of Economics where he topped his class in Masters in Management and thereafter completed his PhD in finance. After working for ESSO and British Petroleum in the UK he joined Digital Equipment Company in Australia where he was made vice president, the only person from Australia to hold such a position in the US company.
A leader in using artificial intelligence technologies, from the 1980s he has created solutions for industries ranging from oil and gas to smart cities. In the last four decades, Kanga and iOmniscient have won several awards, developing over 70 international patents along the way. He has demonstrated the philanthropic ethic that Zoroastrians are known for, by making his Lost Child App (that helps to track missing children) freely available to anyone, anywhere, globally.
In his acceptance speech laced with typical Parsi humor Kanga recalled how a comment from Marlene before their marriage led him to think of artificial intelligence. A few years junior to him at IIT, on his graduation Rustom thought he would share his notes with Marlene. "When she graduated she gave them back to me saying, ‘I don’t know how you passed. You did not understand a thing!’ That is when I started thinking about artificial intelligence – you have to when you don’t have the real stuff!” he jested.
One of his greatest personal regrets is that he did not persevere with his mPAY idea in 2000 when he along with a colleague developed a new technology to make payments from one’s phone called mPAY. He was dissuaded by friends who worked in major banks telling him, "People use their phone for talking. No one will want to use it for payments.” Not long afterwards Elon Musk launched Paypal!
"My great achievement is that I managed to win Marlene’s heart and keep it. We are still together after 52 years. And I got a bonus — my two sons, Zubin who is now a successful concert pianist in London and Jehan who is an entrepreneur in his own right. I am very proud of them as at half my age they have already achieved more than I have in a lifetime,” said Rustom.
The event also celebrated the success and wealth of talent in the small but growing Zoroastrian community in Australia. Medhora introduced Kobad Bhavnagri who had won the WZCC Outstanding Young Zarathushti Professional award in 2013 but had not been felicitated by the local community earlier. Currently, a leading expert on energy transition, he is the head of strategy for Bloomberg NEF, non-executive director of the Carbon Market Institute, adjunct senior lecturer in the faculty of Engineering at the University of New South Wales (NSW) and a member of the Australian Government’s Energy Industry Roundtable.
The function started with a diverse group of more than 100 individuals networking over drinks and beverages, forming professional and social relationships in the process. The event’s master of ceremonies, Philip Boniface, played a short video introducing the WZCC as well as a brief message from its global president Capt Percy Master.
Quoting Sir Isaac Newton, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,” Medhora acknowledged the efforts of his predecessors, Adil Sarkari and Fili Madon. He then spoke briefly on initiatives he is very passionate about: WZCCA Podcast series, HERstory, which relates the struggles and successes of strong, resilient women from all walks of life. He noted that two of the ladies he had interviewed for the series were present at the event and, thanks to the networking carried out earlier, he had identified a couple of prospective interviewees for the series.
Collaboration with other like-minded organizations was an initiative designed to bring together a wide group of people to facilitate the sharing of resources, experiences and expertise for mutual benefit. In this regard, the WZCCA and the Australian Zoroastrian Association of New South Wales have recently worked together on a youth focused event and have plans for more joint initiatives in the future.
The keynote speaker at the function was Neville Roach, chair of the Advisory Council for Australia and New Zealand of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and chair of TCS Financial Network Services group of companies based in Sydney. An eminent Australian of Indian descent, in his address on "A Fortunate Life,” Roach admitted that he has enjoyed more than his share of good fortune. However, luck alone wasn’t enough; he was ambitious and driven, working hard and non-stop, juggling several balls in the air.
One of the VIP guests was Jodi McKay, former leader of the Opposition in the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament and a fervent advocate of multiculturalism. She is known to have over 90 saris in her collection and wears one each time she attends an Indian function! Presenting her with a publication on the Zoroastrians in NSW, Medhora got her interested in adding a gara to her extensive sari collection!
A sumptuous three-course buffet dinner (with Parsi style sev as an additional dessert) rounded off an enjoyable evening. Thanking those who had contributed to the success of the function, Medhora commended the dedication of WZCCA members Jehan Bhagwagar, Kaizan Bhagwagar and Zoran Saher and thanked Mehernosh Seervai (Goody Seervai’s nephew) and his band for providing entertainment. He further congratulated Marlene Kanga for receiving the AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) and this writer for the Order of Australia Medal announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list a couple of days before the event (see "Medal for Meher-Homji,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, July 7-20, 2022).
Kersi Meher-Homji