Met Group of Companies: Kunal Gupta’s Vision to Revolutionize Entrepreneurial Landscape

In the past few years, the Indian economy has witnessed a surge of dynamic entrepreneurs. These market players have not only defied the status quo but have also spurred the evolution of their industry. Some of these entrepreneurs are especially noteworthy, in that their brand has successful served and innovated across a multitude of industries.
One such entrepreneur is Mr. Kunal Gupta, Founder & CEO of MET Group of Companies. In little over a decade, Mr. Gupta has transformed his business into an all-encompassing brand that specializes in multiple domains like IT/ITeS, BPM, Entertainment, Hospitality, Gaming, FinTech, BPO, BPM, etc. He’s regarded as one of the most versatile CEOs of the nation in 2021.

Mr. Gupta’s Multifaceted Brand

MET Group of Companies offers a broad range of services across multiple industries. Given below are the different facets of the brand:

MET Technologies Pvt Ltd: MET Technologies is a globally renowned name in the field of IT/ITES, Software Development, BPO, and Digital Marketing. Its ambitious project FITSER is an internationally acclaimed IT/ITES, Software Development, BPO & Digital Marketing unit. So far, it has served clients in the USA, Latin America, Europe, Middle East apart from serving domestic clients. After gaining a strong foothold in these global markets, the FITSER brand has further expanded in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region with another extension- DIGITAL FITSER AUSTRALIA reaching out to clients in Australia & New Zealand.

XLN Media Solutions Pvt Ltd: MET Group of Companies’ XLN Media Solutions is one of the most sought-after companies in the gaming and entertainment industry.

Fenicia Hospitality Services Pvt Ltd: Regarded as Asia’s largest Luxury Lounge, Club Fenicia offers unmatched fine dining services.

CAFEPLEX Entertainment Pvt Ltd: Cafeplex Entertainment’s ‘CineCafes’ is a premium private screening facility situated in a luxury lounge. It offers one-of-a-kind movie viewing experiences to its audiences in a luxe setting.

Rapido Payments Pvt Ltd: A payment gateway processor that serves domestic as well as international merchants in the e-commerce vertical.

The Brand’s Inception Story

Kunal Gupta started his career as a software engineer at Infosys, after completing a software engineering course from PESIT, Bangalore, an Executive course in Decision Making from IIMC Kolkata, and an MBA PGPMAX from ISB Hyderabad.
During his two years at Infosys, he got acquainted with all the functionalities and workings of the BPO and BPM industry segments. Despite having great scope in his career, he chose to do something different. “I had a strong will to do something worthwhile for my city and this led me to return to Kolkata and think about creating an employment avenue in the form of a business that can also bring in the light of technology and be a source of livelihood for the educated youth of the Eastern region,” says Kunal.
Given his strong interpersonal skills, Kunal quickly assembled the right networks and dove into the field of BPO services. In 2010, he founded MET Technologies Pvt. Ltd, with a humble workforce of 3 employees. He aimed to provide BPO services to international clients from his small setup in Bangur, Kolkata.

“The journey of MET began with only 3 employees and since then there has been no looking back. Today, MET has a capacity for more than 1700 employees with state-of-art facilities and world-class infrastructure. Besides the IT/ITeS sector, I had also ventured into other business verticals like hospitality & wellness, gaming & entertainment, and lots more diversifying operations and scaling new heights in the field of entrepreneurship. It helped me to set up diverse business verticals globally making MET Group of Companies a reputed name.”

“Another very crucial aspect was laying the strong foundation of the company with a robust Management team who are impeccably skilled, qualified, and professionally trained people’s managers. All the members of my management team are extremely qualified and passionate individuals who have a robust background of working for several reputed brands and have years of experience in their respective fields.”

Mr. Gupta’s Diverse Clientele

In the course of his entrepreneurial journey, Mr. Gupta has traveled extensively and co-created new business ventures in more than 10 countries. “At present, I am focused on providing authentic thought leadership, driving empathic conversations, meaningful discourses of cooperation, co-existence, and creating some experiences that can change lives,” he said.
MET Group has a geographically diverse clientele that spans 5 continents. The company aims at catering to as many clients as possible, irrespective of their size or scale of business. “We cater to an international clientele base that comprises all types of businesses ranging from SME, SMB, SOHO, B2B & B2C businesses to large corporations to enterprise-level businesses empowering them with our innovative solutions. From Start-up founders to product owners to well-established international business brands, our clients are highly diverse with varying commercial needs. Most of our clients are reputed names in their fields of business and also have multi-national operations and hence, we have to cater to them with their customized needs,” he added.
To date, the company has provided hundreds of bespoke solutions to clients in different industry verticals. Some of these verticals are:

• IT/ITES
• Hospitality & Leisure
• E-Commerce
• Business Intelligence
• Transportation & Logistics
• Banking & Financial Services
• Telecommunication
• Real Estate

Overcoming the Challenges of The Pandemic

Mr. Gupta, like countless other entrepreneurs, had to face several daunting challenges during the pandemic. To ensure an uninterrupted flow of operations during the lockdown, he had to redefine his company’s infrastructure. “MET Technologies had always functioned on the model of ‘work-from-office premises culture’. However, the pandemic-driven lockdown forced us to look into the work-from-home setup seriously making us redefine our existing IT infrastructure to facilitate employees to work seamlessly even from remote locations,” says Mr. Gupta.
The company also revisited its product creation and delivery models to make them more accessible and adaptable for this new change.
Most of the company’s hospitality businesses, which included Clubs, Lounges, and Restaurants, had to be shut. This forced Mr. Gupta to think of alternative ways to revive the company’s operations in the safest ways possible, once the lockdown curbs were lifted. “In this context, our primary focus was on ensuring that all our employees remain safe and unaffected from the infection and so, we invested greatly on thorough sanitization and disinfection of our offices & facilities,” he added.
As Steve Jobs had said-
“Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people!”
“I have been able to overcome challenges of all kinds is also because of my strong Management team. They have been the great pillars of my organization and, in every department be it – Operations, Human Resources, Finance & IT is manned by heads who are well-equipped and aligned to the vision and mission of the organization. They are all remarkable individuals, impeccably skilled and trained in their respective domains of specialization with years of industry experience. They have always endeavored to make the MET Group soar to new heights of success every time. I have also included them in all vital processes of the company and received an equal amount of cooperation from their end as well,” he added.

How He Ensures Employee Satisfaction

For Mr. Gupta, his employees are his greatest strength. He emphasizes greatly on the welfare and well-being of his employees and has introduced a range of activities that ensure the same. “We have put in place our HR Wing to look into a broad spectrum of activities that ensure their well-being, and happiness. Our policies are also designed to keep the employees at the helm of all affairs. We have incorporated several employee-centric best practices to create a lean organization with just three levels of hierarchy. Our open-door policy ensures that there are no chances of grievances and even the slightest of the grievances are addressed immediately making the employees feel at home even while at work,” he says.
The company also has special Rewards & Recognition (R&R) practices that acknowledge the hard work, passion, and dedication of its employees every year. We also emphasize constant training of the employees so that they can hone their skills to face the emerging challenges of the industry bang on. Besides this, sporting events, celebrations, and fun activities are conducted regularly to ensure that the employees stay happy and content.

Views on Entrepreneurial Stereotypes

Having been in the industry for more than two decades, traveling almost all over the globe, Mr. Gupta is a great business visionary and is well aware of how vile the business environment can get. “The business landscape can get quite overwhelming for entrepreneurs as you start a business to create a difference, though being aware of all the stereotypes. However, you can still set forth your aim and come out successfully. It is tough to escape the obvious stereotypes when in business, but the good news is that still, you can break those if you have the will and zeal to step on the untrodden paths and explore the unexplored,” he says.
According to him, an entrepreneur must focus on making a difference via his/her business or commercial venture. He believes that if one can contribute to society apart from their usual goals of profitability, they are bound to overcome all stereotypes. “If you have the talent, skills, and expertise to accomplish a task, you will emerge triumphantly. That is also because if your mind is set on a goal, you will leave no stone unturned to achieve it. Hence, I strongly believe that if you dream to achieve something, keep striving towards it relentlessly to achieve it successfully. It is always your efforts that will help you realize your dreams into reality,” he affirms.
Mr. Gupta also stresses the importance of “reinventing the wheel”. He believes that every entrepreneur must strive to add more elements to a market solution rather than altering the functions. This will ensure an enhanced user experience and add more value to the entrepreneur’s ventures.

Future Plans For MET Group

Mr. Gupta has numerous ambitious plans for MET Group, some of which have been given below:
To list MET Technologies in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) & Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
To own an IT Park in Kolkata that will include a wide range of amenities like cafes, entertainment zones, gyms, restaurants, etc.

• To make MET Foundation a globally recognized charitable organization.
• To make MET Technologies a globally reputed brand that serves as a one-stop solution for all IT/ITeS, BPO, Software development, and Digital Marketing service needs.
• To capture the e-commerce market globally and cover more potential business territories.
• To expand the brand’s operations of hospitality segments nationally as well as internationally over time.
• To increase Club Fenicia, Asia’s largest luxury lounge’s branches in different metros and tier 1 cities of the country.
• To establish the CineCafes franchise as the leading business model nationally and internationally.
• With these plans, Mr. Gupta aspires to spread the brand’s operations over diverse demographics and geographical territories.

Noteworthy Achievements and Accreditations

Over the years, MET Group has achieved a plethora of esteemed accolades owing to its effective business strategies. Some of the most noteworthy ones have been listed below:

Received membership of NASSCOM, TPSM (Telephone Preference Service), Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Claims Management Regulator, and MPS (Mailing Preference Service)
Became an ISO 9001:2015 certified and ISO 27001 certified.
“The 20 most promising Call Centre Technology solution provider” -CIO Review 2016
Winner Award “GROWTH – IT SERVICES” Nasscom East IT Awards, 2017
“CEO of the Month”-The CEO Magazine, October 2017
“25 fastest-growing BPM companies in India” The CEO Magazine, 2017.
The West Bengal Best Employer Brand Award 2018
The West Bengal Exemplary Leader Award 2018
Featured in the renowned magazine, EPCES NEWS (Export Promotion Council for EOUs and SEZs).
Times Hospitality Icons Kolkata Awards 2020 to Club Fenicia as the finest gastronomic destination in the city offering Iconic Contemporary Asian.

A Message to Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Every newbie yearns to hear the advice of an accomplished entrepreneur. Mr. Gupta, with his two decades of entrepreneurial experience, has all the know-how and insights for effectively guiding young entrepreneurs.
As a thought-leader who has envisioned growth for this own group in several strategically challenging market landscapes. Here’s what he has to say to them.
Quoting Steve Jobs, he said- “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.” “I believe, it is very crucial to understand that innovation is the core of any industry and any innovation must impact the lives of people who come in contact with it directly or indirectly. Hence, entrepreneurs and businessmen must devote a significant amount of time to constantly innovate and ideate to bring to life solutions that impact the lives of many in the true sense of the term. They must constantly try to create a business ecosystem where meaningful and prolonged business relationships grow and develop each day by nurturing innovation. The idea is to lead by being an example so that they can set benchmarks of success each passing day” he added.
Moreover, they must challenge themselves every day and dare to take risks, he believes strongly. “Push your limits hard. The biggest risk itself is not taking risks, so push your limits and challenge yourself every day,” he said. “All entrepreneurs and start-up founders must set forth an aim and have the vision to achieve it by building a great team who dare to think out-of-the-box and even face their own fears. It will help you become the game-changers and the ideal business role-models to look up to,” Mr. Gupta further added.