What happens when businesses can’t find the right talent, teams struggle to work together, and technology investments don’t deliver as expected? Projects get delayed, innovation slows, and valuable time and resources are wasted trying to fix gaps that seem impossible to bridge. Without expert guidance to align people, processes, and technology, even the most promising companies risk falling behind. This is where iconic leaders make a difference—they spot potential, build strong teams, and ensure technology works for people. With experience, empathy, and strategic insight, they turn challenges into opportunities, foster innovation, and help businesses unlock human potential and achieve lasting impact.
Surya Patra, Founder and CEO of Softest Consulting Services Ltd, exemplifies this leadership by driving the company’s growth with a human-first approach, bridging organizational needs with talent potential, and making technology an enabler rather than a barrier. Under his guidance, the company has created innovative frameworks to assess candidate potential beyond conventional credentials, building high-performing teams that thrive in changing environments. He nurtures a culture of empathy, continuous learning, and strategic thinking, allowing the company to respond quickly to industry shifts like AI adoption, hybrid workforces, and digital transformation.
These results reflect the measurable outcomes of his leadership, showcasing how strategic vision and a human-first approach have driven the company’s performance and market presence:
| Metric | Achievement (2022–2025) |
| Revenue Growth | ↑ 180% |
| Client Expansion | ↑ 4× (Europe & USA) |
| Market Reach | Active in 6 countries |
| Retention Rate | ↑ 94% average |
His leadership has also driven major milestones—launching projects ahead of schedule, building strong client partnerships, and earning accolades such as CEO Insights India Top 10 Indian Business Leaders in Europe and the Indian Achiever’s Award 2022—showcasing his ability to turn challenges into opportunities, unlock human potential, and guide sustainable, innovative growth.
A Unique Lens on Talent
Surya Patra’s journey into entrepreneurship evolved gradually, shaped by his values, observations, and desire to challenge the status quo. With a background in engineering and finance, he worked across diverse geographies and industries, noticing that many businesses overlooked exceptional talent by focusing on degrees, titles, or experience rather than true potential. This insight became the foundation for Softest Consulting, a company designed to bridge gaps in understanding.
Softest Consulting operates as a values-driven talent partner, prioritizing empathy, intuition, and global understanding. The company identifies not just skills but stories, not just credentials but character, making its human-first recruitment philosophy central to everything it does.
A Journey Built on Vision and Patience
Launching Softest Consulting was a carefully planned journey rather than an overnight success. Establishing credibility was one of the first challenges, as the founder was relatively young in a market where trust often depends on experience. Hiring the right team was another major hurdle; building strong teams without compromising culture required unique methods to evaluate synergy, combining intuition with analytics. Internal frameworks were developed to assess alignment beyond skills alone, improving retention and fostering trust.
Expanding the brand across borders demanded sensitivity to cultural differences while staying true to the company’s philosophy. Empathy guided client relationships, and transparency about the company’s journey—including successes and setbacks—helped establish credibility. Recognizing hidden talent potential beyond resumes became essential, shaping the human-first approach to recruitment that is now central to the company.
The Power of Listening and Leading with Humility
One lesson that profoundly shaped Surya as a leader was learning to embrace uncertainty—not as a threat, but as a driver for growth. Early in his journey, he believed strong leadership meant having all the answers. Over time, he realized that the most effective leaders are those who ask the right questions, stay curious, and remain open to challenges, adapting to the ever-changing business landscape. This perspective taught him to trust his team more, listen carefully, and lead with humility.
Surya Patra recognizes that innovation often emerges in moments of ambiguity, and by leaning into these moments, he has grown as a CEO and as an individual. This mindset has influenced the culture at Softest, fostering continuous learning and shared leadership.
People-First Technology
At Softest Consulting, technology is used as a tool to support recruitment operations, not sold as a product. The company stands out by combining deep expertise in tech recruitment with empathy and strategic insight, creating solutions that match skilled professionals with the right organizations. Whether supporting a startup in Dublin or a Fortune 500 company in the USA, the approach remains consistent: listen carefully, think boldly, and execute with precision.
Success Story
Today, businesses face growing volatility—from AI disruptions and hybrid workforces to digitalization challenges and shifting regulations—creating a pressing need for talent that can adapt, not just perform tasks. Under Surya’s leadership, Softest Consulting guides clients through this uncertainty by identifying transformative candidates and building teams that thrive amid change. Many organizations struggle to align technology investments with real business outcomes, and Softest addresses this by delivering agile, scalable solutions that are closely aligned with each client’s purpose. Shifting from a purely service-driven approach to a partnership-focused model, the company embeds itself into client ecosystems to co-create resilient, future-ready strategies and solutions.
A prime example of their impact is a mid-sized Fintech provider in Ireland, burdened by legacy systems and fragmented data. Softest designed a customized team-building matrix based on project DNA rather than job titles, achieving a 50% reduction in hiring time, 30% higher retention, and the launch of a diagnostic tool six months ahead of schedule. Operational efficiency rose by 40%, and the client regained confidence in their digital roadmap. These outcomes showcase Softest’s ability to tackle critical challenges while ensuring technology acts as an enabler, not a burden.
Building a successful business in a foreign country after migrating from a modest, middle-class background in India is no small achievement. Surya Patra has overcome numerous challenges to reach where he is today.
AI-Powered Talent Intelligence for Smarter Hiring
At Softest Consulting, staying ahead is rooted in curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning. The company fosters cross-industry collaboration and a culture that embraces change, ensuring it doesn’t just follow trends but anticipates them by listening to clients, observing global shifts, and exploring emerging technologies.
Key focus areas for 2025 include:
- AI-powered talent intelligence predicting candidate success and retention
- Skills-based hiring over traditional credentials
- Fractional and project-based tech talent in cloud, cybersecurity, and data science
- Integration of employee experience platforms
- Convergence of AI with sustainability technology
Media Features
In 2022, Surya Patra was recognized by CEO Insights India as one of the Top 10 Indian Business Leaders in Europe, with Softest Consulting featured in their Annual Edition. This accolade highlighted individual achievement and reinforced the company’s belief that purpose-driven organizations can succeed across borders.
He has also been honored with several other recognitions and media features, including:
Indian Achiever’s Award in 2022 from the Indian Achiever’s Forum:
- Indian Leaders in Europe 2022 – Annual Listing
- YouTube Interview 1 – Beyond Borders, Beyond Resumes
- YouTube Interview 2 – Story of an Indian Immigrant Leader in Ireland
Strategic Partnerships in Fintech and Health
Softest Consulting has established long-standing relationships with key players in the Fintech and Health sectors across Europe and the USA, earning their trust to provide high-quality talent even under tight deadlines and changing project requirements. These partnerships highlight the company’s reputation for efficiency, quality, and deep market insight. As a forward-looking and practical organization, it remains open to strategic collaborations that address real-world challenges and create value for the wider community.
Continuous Improvement as a Core Mindset
At Softest Consulting, continuous improvement is more than a task—it is a core mindset embedded in every aspect of the company’s work. Excellence is seen as an ongoing process, where every project, client interaction, and internal workflow becomes an opportunity to learn, refine, and grow. Surya Patra emphasizes the importance of listening deeply—to clients, teams, and the market—as feedback is treated as a key driver of innovation. The company invests in upskilling, retrospectives, and agile methodologies to adapt quickly while maintaining quality.
Under his leadership, a culture is fostered where curiosity is encouraged, mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities, and progress is celebrated not just in metrics but in collaboration, communication, and service. In a rapidly evolving industry, this commitment to continuous improvement ensures the company stays ahead—responsively, responsibly, and relentlessly.
Advice For Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Surya Patra advises emerging leaders not to wait for perfect conditions but to start even when things feel messy. He emphasizes that mistakes and imperfections often teach more than successes. Leaders should focus on building with people in mind, not just products, and recognize that a resilient team is more valuable than a viral idea. Staying consistent, curious, and kind is key, as these qualities form the true superpower in entrepreneurship. He also stresses the importance of being process-focused rather than goal-focused to ensure long-term sustainability and growth.
Surya Patra’s 5 Impactful Business Lessons
- People First: Prioritize human potential over credentials; build teams that thrive through empathy, curiosity, and alignment with organizational goals.
- Lead with Humility: Listen, ask the right questions, and embrace uncertainty to foster innovation and shared leadership.
- Technology as an Enabler: Use technology to empower people, not replace them, ensuring solutions are purposeful and impactful.
- Continuous Improvement: Treat every project and interaction as a learning opportunity; adapt processes while maintaining quality and consistency.
- Vision with Patience: Build trust, credibility, and sustainable growth by balancing ambition with integrity, persistence, and strategic thinking.
