SITAL RUPARELIA

Sital’s Background:

Sital is the son of refugee parents with Indian heritage. He was born in Uganda, Africa, grew up in the UK and started his career in London. Since 2012, Sital has been based in Singapore / Asia.

With this comes Asian values, a western mindset and an African sense of community – all combined with an English accent.

As you can see, from ‘Little Sital’s’ picture – suited style – he was destined for the corporate world. The bellbottom trousers and sandals was also a clue that he’d be a corporate boy with his own unique approach: Sital’s Perfectly Imperfect Way.

Sital’s Career:

Sital’s 30 year career spans across commercial leadership, recruitment, career and talent management roles in the Technology, Financial Services, and Retail sectors. Throughout his career, there’s been a consistent theme around enabling transformation, change, and community building.

Here are some highlights:

  • Microsoft: Sital led Asia’s Executive Talent Acquisition team during a period of rapid growth when Microsoft was undergoing cultural transformation and shifting to the Cloud. Sital’s team played a pivotal role in hiring diverse, transformational leadership, which was crucial in making Microsoft a $2.5 trillion tech giant leading the next generation of innovation.
  • Marks & Spencer: Sital led teams during the high growth period for the iconic British brand, and later guided teams through cultural change during the company’s toughest trading period in its 100-year history.
  • Barclays: Sital and his colleagues spearheaded the hiring of senior leaders for the UK Retail Banking overhaul. These leaders helped drive the transformation from a traditional bank to a modern, customer-centric retail brand.
  • SEI Investments: Sital and his team enabled the NASDAQ-listed investment provider to accelerate its growth ambitions in Europe and the Middle East by securing top talent from global banks during a highly competitive market.
  • Dot.com Boom and 9/11: Sital recruited for Investment Banks and Asset Management firms during a talent-shortage in the boom market. He and his colleagues then pivoted to navigate a severe market downturn following 9/11.
  • Global Financial Crises: Sital provided 1:1 career transition coaching to over 300 leaders in London’s financial district during the Global Financial Crisis. His clients included leaders from Goldman Sachs, CitiBank, JP Morgan, and Accenture.
  • Shop Keeper’s Son: Growing up as the son of an Indian refuge shopkeeper, Sital worked in his father’s shop on weekends and holidays, much like many immigrant children who pitch in. Besides enjoying the sweets and snacks, Sital learned from his father, a strong work ethic, commercial thinking, humility, and the importance of community values. And the importance of building relationships and networks of support. These lessons have been foundational in his subsequent career and his work today.

You can lose a deal and lose a customer, but you must never lose the relationship.

Sital’s Father

Sital’s Perspective:

Connecting as Humans: We are the most connected professionals that have ever lived. Yet in the developed world, we are also the most ‘disconnected’ and lonely population ever. The pandemic and the hybrid workplace have made true connection even harder and triggered a spiraling mental health epidemic.

What we need is a return to old-fashioned relationship building. Environments where we look each other in the eye, share some sips and food as a community, laugh, and be generous in how we can help each other navigate the most complex workplace in a generation. ‘Sip For Good’ is my attempt to help shift the dial in a very small way.

Doing Good NOW, not later: We are most valuable to causes and NGOs right NOW, not when we are retired. Our network, skills, and capabilities are valuable resources today. Don’t put off supporting that cause you care about until later. Do it now. Many of the pictures and stories you see on this website are my attempt to do just that – doing it now, not later.

Finding Meaning and Purpose: When we offer our Unique Talents in the service of something bigger than ourselves, we create meaning. When we offer those natural talents with our authentic, quirky, weird selves – that’s when the magic happens. ‘Sip For Good’ is me sharing my natural abilities to bring people together and help form connections. Doing so proudly with my quirks, craziness, and weirdness thrown in for good measure. And who knows, changing our small part of the world in the process.

“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Steve Jobs

What’s Your Story?
The causes shown on this site are the causes I care about. You can learn more about my personal connection and stories to the causes by clicking on the ‘Stories Behind The Causes’ tab on the menu bar.

Some of my stories and causes on this site may resonate with you. Some won’t. My stories are not important – it’s your story that counts.

My hope in sharing these stories is that it nudges and cajoles you to take action. Inspiration without action is just hot air!

I hope you listen to yourself more than me and others. That something you read on this site or elsewhere triggers something in you to use your unique talent in your own unique and quirky way to make a small difference in the world.

And in the process, create a series of meaningful (and fun!) memories along the way.

“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.”

Buddha