Brian Frazier is the Head of Operations. Brian joined Ujjivan as Regional Operations Manager in 2007. Brian is happily married to Colette and they live with their 3 boys – Corban(6), Haddon(4) and Kai(2), at Bangalore.

Brian, a native of Houston, Texas, comes from an Engineering background and holds a degree in Petroleum Engineering. On graduating from college, Brian took up an assignment with Marathon Oil in Minneapolis as an engineer. Though he had opportunities to remain in Texas, Brian decided to take up a position in Minneapolis as it would give him an opportunity to meet new people and understand a completely different geography and culture. In 2001, Brian married Colette and they started their life together in Minneapolis. Both decided to move into a diverse and challenging neighborhood to be exposed to the challenges that the poor face. This experience helped open his mind to the more pressing needs of people and identified that a change in their lives would be necessary. So, in order to develop a better skill-set, he decided to go back to college and enrolled for an MBA at the University of Houston.

During his MBA, Brian travelled to Pakistan to visit a friend, who had set up social businesses for the poor in Karachi. His friend also introduced him to microfinance and the importance of a social business being sustainable. The concept of a profitable, socially-minded business intrigued Brian and he began to read and learn more about Microfinance during his time in college. In the summer of 2006, Brian travelled to India as part of an India Immersion experience through school. It was the visit to Ujjivan that lingered in Brian’s mind, at the end of the 3-week long India trip. Brian remained in touch with Samit Ghosh through e-mail over the next year. On the completion of his MBA, Samit Ghosh invited Brian to join Ujjivan as Regional Operations Manager. Though not completely sure of what the future would bring, he took the leap of faith and moved the family to India in August of 2007.

As he began, it was very clear that Mr. Ghosh had been correct in Operations being the right fit. Ujjivan has also been a great learning curve for Brian as he picked up the ropes of the Retail Banking business. In 2008, Brian took up the challenge of heading the Operations function across India. Brian’s proudest achievement is the fact that the Operations team is ready to scale new peaks every day, without any fear or apprehension. The fact that the entire team is always ready to take up the next achievement or milestone brings him a great deal of contentment. Brian also has enjoyed seeing his team grow and develop their skills for the future of Ujjivan.

On the home front, the family has adapted to India well, with the family building close friends. Food in India came naturally for them, as Colette is from South Louisiana, where spicy, rice-based dishes are a staple. On a lighter note, Brian says his biggest challenge has been driving in Bangalore traffic. His wife Collette is the hero amongst the International women’s group for the extraordinary achievement of driving the car herself! Brian credits much of the “strange” decisions he has made in his life to his Christian faith, which took root during his college days.

Going forward, Brian wants to integrate technology better into Ujjivan’s operations, to maximize the benefits of economies of scale and build efficient processes. Brian is keen to continue working in the social space and impacting the lives of the poor through his work.