Last Updated on August 13, 2016 by Chillibreeze
Narrative by Vilasini Kumar.
Henry Binan, Team Leader Presentation and Services
I have a BE (Electronics) degree. I was working in a multinational company outside Shillong for 3 years before joining Chillibreeze, Shillong in December 2011.
What I studied and what I currently do at Chillibreeze are very different, yet the job gives me a lot of personal satisfaction. I enjoy what I do. I see possibilities of promotions in the company and I look forward to taking on more responsibilities and rising to senior management levels.
Are you wondering why I returned to Shillong? What kind of a company Chillibreeze is that I am so happy with it? Read on and you will understand!
Why I returned to Shillong from NOIDA
I am a Khasi and was born and raised in Shillong. As you would have heard many of us in Shillong say–we love our city and would give anything to continue to live here. This is understandable given the beauty of the place and uniqueness of our culture.
I returned because I was missing home and wanted to settle down in Shillong. The picture here is of the beautiful Umiam River which supplies water to our city.
It is only the lack of job opportunities that takes young professionals outside the state. I left Shillong in 2001 to study engineering and though I found a good job in a multinational company in NOIDA, I returned right back to Shillong in 2010!
I started in Chillibreeze at the entry level, like all new recruits
I was recruited as an executive for the PowerPoint (PPT) Services team of Chillibreeze. This is one of the fastest growing services in our company and we serve busy consultants and managers associated with companies across the globe.
Despite pre–Chillibreeze work experience and PPT knowledge, every team member of the PPT Services Team needs to learn PPT formatting the way it is done for our customers. And this learning is hands–on, on live projects!
PowerPoint has several features that one can learn only through usage. Chillibreeze adds value to customers by giving their presentations a professional finishing touch with speed, which can happen only if all the executives know every nuance of the PPT software.
So, I started as an executive in the PowerPoint Formatting team. It is like starting on the shop floor—the best way to train and grow in a company, if you ask me! Especially in a company like Chillibreeze where each and everyone cares for the company and for the customers.
It is important for new joinees to have a solid foundation, understand the core services and work our way up.
Straight talk by a senior manager brought discipline in me
I like the fairness of Chillibreeze. The managers coach their team members and give them honest feedback, so they grow.
When I joined in late 2011, there were several days when I used to come in late. At times I used to call and say I am not coming! I had a problem with adhering to discipline. James, a very senior level manager, saw that discipline was missing in me and told me in no uncertain terms that if I cannot come on time, I need not come to work! That was a ‘wake up’ call for me. I am grateful to James for the candor with which he spoke to me. James’s guidance has been invaluable and I am really grateful to him.
Tips for people with work experience wanting to join Chillibreeze
Be open minded. You may have to start from scratch as the kind of jobs we do outside is hard to get here in Shillong. Chillibreeze is the only company in Shillong that inspires me to call others from Northeast, who have gone out of the state looking for jobs, to consider coming back ‘home’ and working here. If I had not been open minded, I may have gone back and missed out on all that I have gained here in Chillibreeze.
And, you see the salary and benefits that Chillibreeze offers to good performers,
And see the changes in yourself that the Chillibreeze values bring about,
You will start enjoying your job, just as I did! You will not want to leave, ever!
Note: Henry is getting noticed in the company because of his hard work. He is in–charge of important customer accounts and is always ready to take on more responsibilities.
We bring you candid feedback on Henry by two of his seniors in Chillibreeze.
He is now one of the most dependable people in the team and is also managing one of Chillibreeze’s big accounts. Under his management of this project, we have been able to expand our services within this company” – by James Syngai, DGM, Presentation Services.

Read other real-life team stories
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