I AM UAA: Ragu Bhargava

B.B.A. Accounting '89
Hometown: Ajmer, India
Fun fact: Participated once in a whale hunt in Barrow

In 1986 Ragu and Gita Bhargava left India for the U.S., a young married couple bound for a great adventure in a new land. By the time they got to Anchorage, they had just $5 in their pockets. Today they are co-founders of their own outsourced finance and accounting firm, Global Upside Inc., which does business in over 30 countries. Part of their success is what they learned and experienced at UAA.

Although Ragu already had a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Rajasthan, India, he believed in the importance of a U.S. education and the great opportunities UAA could give him. As Ragu began taking his first accounting classes at UAA, he and Gita were making the transition from their lives in India to their new lives in Alaska. Some of the everyday changes were difficult, like the drastic change in weather, but the culture shock was made a little bit easier by the warmth, openness and acceptance of the Alaskans they met, who quickly became a great, supportive group of friends.

During their first year in Anchorage, their new friends introduced them to the life and culture of Alaska and in return, Ragu and Gita introduced them to some of their culture from India. A highlight of these experiences was a Diwali party. Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is one of the biggest holidays of the year, where friends and families celebrate together; there is always an exchange of sweets but meat and alcohol are never served. When Ragu and Gita hosted their first Diwali party for their new friends in Alaska, many did not realize that there would be no meat or alcohol at the party and were a bit apprehensive when they arrived at a college party without either one. But in no time they forgot the lack of both and had a fantastic time. "Our apartment was completely packed," Gita recalled. "It was standing room only! Everyone had a great time!"

Through the support of friends and professors, Ragu was able to proudly graduate from UAA with his bachelor's degree in business administration in three years. Ragu's hard work and achievement at UAA enabled him to win an internship with Deloitte & Touche, one of the global giants of the audit and accounting world. The internship gave Ragu opportunities and a lot of experience he couldn't get anywhere other than in Alaska.

One of these opportunities, unique to Alaska, was auditing the accounts of the Alaska Native Inuit regional and village corporations in Barrow. Through these audits Ragu was able to gain valuable accounting experience. Ragu was also able to experience the skill and strong community of the Barrow Inuit during their yearly whale hunt, an event which once seen is never forgotten. One memorable moment was his first taste of "Eskimo ice cream," which he was surprised to learn is a dish made from whale blubber.

After graduation from UAA, Ragu continued to work with Deloitte in Alaska. Ragu and Gita took full advantage of the warm summer months and beautiful Alaska wilderness to go camping almost every weekend. "We couldn't get enough of the beautiful landscape," Ragu recalled. Ragu and Gita stayed in Alaska for almost nine years before moving to Los Altos in the heart of California's Silicon Valley.

In California Ragu developed his auditing and accounting skills, rising to the position of audit senior manager at Deloitte. In 1999 he and Gita co-founded Global Upside as a finance and accounting outsourcing firm dedicated to providing cost-effective finance functions from a team of experienced accountants in India. While Gita played a major role in running the company, Ragu took a behind-the-scenes role as an adviser. In 1999 Ragu joined a Silicon Valley software company, NetIQ as corporate controller. His responsibilities included all of the company's accounting functions as well as managing several major acquisitions. He went on to serve as chief financial officer at ActivIdentity, a leader in security software and identity management. In 2008 Ragu decided to leave the large corporate world to take over as CEO of Global Upside (GU). His vision was to develop a specialty in outsourcing that would offer the quality, responsiveness and customer service that American companies expect.

Four years later, Ragu's vision has been realized. Under his leadership, GU has grown into a multimillion dollar business with large and small clients across the globe. Ragu and Gita lead a phenomenal team of skilled professionals and GU's reputation continues to grow.

Ragu attributes much of his success as a businessman, and a family man, to the valuable education he received at UAA: "My education at UAA taught me to think for myself. My professors taught me to understand and solve problems instead of just memorizing answers from books. This has helped me think outside of the box and solve issues I encounter in business. This thinking also allows me to help my clients and we are a trusted partner for most of them. My UAA education has made me a better businessman."

Although Ragu and Gita love living in the U.S., they proudly keep their Indian culture alive. They have three children, ages 16 to 21, and all have grown up in California, but with a keen awareness of their roots. The family celebrates Diwali every year and Gita cooks a wide range of Indian food. Ragu and Gita are proud of their culture and make sure that their three children know their heritage and are proud of it as well. "We teach our children about their heritage because if you are comfortable with your roots and where you come from then it is easier to move forward into new places and cultures," says Ragu.

"We raise our children to know their heritage so that they can go anywhere and be strong," Gita adds. "If you have strong roots and morals you will have a strong future."

For more information, please contact Global Upside Marketing Assistant Sarah Lytle at sarah.lytle@globalupside.com.