Retired Global Upside CEO Ragu Bhargava, B.B.A. Accounting ’89, will be the keynote speaker at the UAA Alumni Homecoming Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Accounting alumnus Ragu Bhargava has come a long way from relying on free instant ramen cups from the UAA Student Union to get by. In 2022, Bhargava finalized the sale of his company, Global Upside, to Safeguard Global, handing over the reins to a company he’s been building for over 20 years. Now retired and living in Las Vegas, Bhargava is confident that his company’s new leadership will continue his legacy of workforce development and innovative solutions.

“It was like giving up for adoption your child who's 20 years old. My wife and I were so attached because we were both involved with it, but it was time to take the next step in life. Where do we go and how do we get there? But we still think about it — we still have so much collateral at home that has Global Upside written on it,” joked Bhargava.

Founded in 1999 by Bhargava and his wife Gita after moving to Los Altos, California, Global Upside was an accounting firm that provided cost-effective finance functions from a team of experienced accountants in India. Under Bhargava and Gita’s leadership as CEO and COO, respectively, Global Upside had grown into a multimillion-dollar company with a scope truly befitting its name, with offices in 20 countries and clients in 170.

While an Alaska education may seem intimate in scope, Bhargava credits his UAA professors with encouraging him to think creatively and globally. Coupled with his experience immigrating from India to continue his education, this mindset is something he was able to put into practice after moving to California and co-founding his company.

“My accounting professor asked on an exam to write a problem and solve it. What kind of question is that? Ask me a question and I'll give you an answer,” said Bhargava. “But that actually makes you think very differently because anybody can answer what is two plus two? But when you are asked an open-ended question, you have to define everything. That stuck with me a lot — I mean, I still remember this almost 40 years after graduation!”

As an employer, Bhargava placed a strong emphasis on commitment and a drive for growth when hiring new employees. Considering a university degree to be a clear indicator of these qualities, he made it a requirement for all candidates. A degree, representing years of sustained effort, demonstrated a foundational level of dedication that Bhargava believed would translate into other areas of an individual's life.

Similarly, Bhargava also commends institutions like UAA that not only invest in local workforce development through its program offerings, but also provide accommodations for people to continue their education no matter the circumstance.

“Almost every classmate of mine was a working person who took classes between work like I did, and the university allowed that to happen,” said Bhargava. “What that structure allowed was the flexibility for someone who maybe still had people depending on them to enhance a skill set that can benefit them in the future, and UAA offered that.”

In retirement, Bhargava has taken on a new role in the nonprofit sector, swapping in growth projections for fundraising targets. Working with an old classmate, Bhargava helps operate the U.S. arm of Tarabai, a health organization that provides free eye care services in his home state of Rajasthan. According to Bhargava, 90% of vision loss is preventable, curable and reversible, yet unaffordable to many of the people living in Rajasthan. 

“We have the vision to see what our life is, but imagine you didn’t,” said Bhargava. “Where I come from is a desert and the people there aren't getting the treatment they need, so we’re building basic care facilities in that region. There was one 32-year-old who lost his eyesight. He went to the clinic holding his wife’s hand. Now he can go back to work and make a living because he can see, all on his own. Those are the stories that touch your heart.”