Nostalgia, Leadership, and Innovation: Mr. Narayanan (KK) Krishnakumar’s Journey from IIT Madras to Delta Air Lines
Mr. Narayanan (KK) Krishnakumar, an illustrious alumnus of IIT Madras (B.Tech, Computer Science and Engineering, 1987), embodies the essence of technological brilliance and leadership excellence. As the Chief Technology Officer of Delta Air lines, he has spearheaded transformative innovations that enhance both employee and customer experiences. In this engaging interview, Mr. Krishnakumar takes us on a nostalgic journey through his IIT Madras days, reflecting on the invaluable lessons and cherished memories that have shaped his illustrious career. From the bustling Quark Café to the rigorous academic environment, his anecdotes capture the spirit of camaraderie, resilience, and intellectual curiosity that define the IIT Madras experience.Through his candid reflections, we gain insights into his philosophy of leadership, his unwavering commitment to giving back, and the guiding principles that aspiring engineers and technologists can adopt. This interview is a celebration of a remarkable journey—from the verdant campus of IIT Madras to leading one of the world's most prestigious air lines in its technological endeavors.
1. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of IIT Madras?
Gajendra Circle, the deer, cycles
2. What was your favorite hangout spot on campus with your friends? Is there a memorable story or moment from those times that stands out?
Quark cafe in front of Sarawathi Hostel. It was always fun to hear Vanamalai call out in his Tamil accent “Ooo asked Baekudu Beansu?” or “Ooo asked cold coffee?”. Quark was open quite late for us and if not late enough, we would also go to Velacheri for a chai.
3. Can you share any memorable experiences or lessons from your IIT Madras days that have stayed with you throughout your professional journey?
The first Physics quiz still remains in my mind on which I performed quite badly and was jolted into reality. Of course, what was to follow was its own journey of “resilience” since I found that I could rely on some of my other classmates who “got it” to explain things better. My courses in Computer Science started expanding out my frontiers and the nice learnings with Prof Pandu (who was ever enthusiastic and inspiring) around Martin Gardner and Jon Bentley’s programming pearls were amazing. Prof Kalyanakrishnan’s (the original KK) hardware courses and labs revealed what can be done at an instruction set and transistor level – what I learnt from him was that sheer passion can make a subject very exciting to everyone around you. Prof CRM steered my data flow computing undergraduate thesis with a firm steady hand and I learnt how to mentor people from him.
4. The Class of 1987 has made remarkable contributions to IIT Madras. Can you share your experiences and fond memories of being part of this cohort?
I was part of the B section of the 1987 batch and we had some really fun classes together (yes, I include the Physics class taught by Swami who terrorized us). My parents stayed in T.Nagar but I had preferred to stay in the hostel and went home for the weekends. I have really fond memories of playing tennis with Atri, Mallik, Karthick and others, and staying over to Saturday mornings to do NSO tennis, and also using that as an excuse to enjoy the Rava dosa made on Saturday mornings in the hostel canteen, before going home. The OAT movie was another draw for me to stay the weekend too. Saraswathi Hostel was my home for the latter three years at IITM and my immediate cohort there was the Computer Science class of 1987. It was an “interesting” cohort to be part of since many of the top 100 ranks came to IITM that year. We were called the despo batch, since we were not as much into other activities vs coding pursuits in the air-conditioned IPL terminal room or the PRIME computer room. It was simply an amazing group to be part of since the level of intellectuality was exceedingly high, and I learnt to work with the ultra-smart people on or near their level. Many of those friendships have lasted through these last 37 years and I enjoy being a lurker on the 1987 WhatsApp group to see how many of the extremely successful professors or industry leaders now still have a streak of their IIT days’ humor.
5. In your opinion, how can contributing to the class gift strengthen the bond among classmates?
I believe we all share a common bond having come through the fantastic peer group and the training that IITM provided. I know I can rely on any of the members of the group for any common cause or concern. I know that many of my classmates have contributed generously to the class gift already –we all know we got our world-class education for really a “song” and it behooves us to pave the way for others to enjoy similar experiences and benefit from it.
6. You’ve been actively supporting IIT Madras through initiatives like the COVID-19 Relief Fund, scholarships, and faculty fellowships. What motivates you to give back to your alma mater?
IITM was the first big step in my career progression. As I look back, I am extremely content with my journey through there and the basics I got from the education, which enabled me to achieve further graduate degrees. The foundation for thinking big and being fearless in achieving anything was laid at IITM. I believe strongly in gratitude and giving back – IITM was a huge ladder for me and it is but natural that I give back so others can have a similar or better experience and do even better.
7. Having navigated through multiple industries and roles, what key lessons have you learned that you would like to share with aspiring engineers and technologists?
I had the honor to come and present some of my “Being POWERFUL” philosophy and what I have learnt over the years at IITM in Dec 2022 (thank you Kaviraj Nair and Mahesh Panchagnula) I will repeat some of the learnings here:
- Mutual trust and respect is the foundation of any relationship
- Be supremely confident (but humble, not arrogant) in whatever you do
- Know your stuff. Ask yourself the questions that others (your “students”) would ask
- What matters is not the size of your authority, it is your influence and ownership
- You are only competing with yourself – don’t be consumed by competing with others
- Success is all about managing expectations - Set expectations properly and deliver to them
- Figure out stakeholders’ needs vs. wants
- Manage up, sideways with peers, and of course with your team – be visible and with integrity always
- If you fail at first, it is mostly fine as long as you recover
- You can negotiate even when you are in a hole
- Keep learning – there is no such thing as “irrelevant” knowledge or experience but ground yourself in facts
- Communicate, communicate, communicate
