Personally Tech With Qwikcilver CMO Pratap TP

Every week, we look at the way leaders from different fields use technology in our regular column, Personally Tech. It's a chance to look at how people who run some of the most high profile technology businesses operate, and we've checked out the gadgets used by people heading startups like Jabong, Fabfurnish, and Ola.

This week, we speak to Pratap TP, the CMO of Qwikcilver, one of the leading gift card providers in India, whose gift cards are used by online stores such as Flipkart, Amazon, and offline chains such as FabIndia and Titan. Here's a look at the apps and gadgets that power Pratap TP's life.

Describe your technology setup - what computer/ phone/ tablet/ camera/ gaming console/ other gadgets do you use?
Pratap TP: The common thread across all kinds of technology I use is to make communication with colleagues and our customers as seamless and smooth as can be. Gadgets have helped to be as close to the market as can be - without having to always travel or even step out of office or home.

I use my Lenovo Thinkpad laptop - that has served me well. I've used different Thinkpads over time, but I'm loyal to the brand. My personal and official mobile phone is a One Plus One, gifted to me by my wife before a recent family trip.

My Sony Cybershot and Sony Handycam are both gathering dust at home with their usage dropping significantly over the last year, thanks to smartphones.

What are three apps (mobile/ tablet or PC/ Mac) you cannot live without?
Pratap TP: Most of my gifting, shopping, and dining happens on our own Woohoo gifting app (review). WhatsApp has become a dreaded app for me - I get forced into zillions of groups - but I can't do without it. Truecaller app is one very important app - it helps to weed out unimportant calls that take up so much time otherwise.

Which is the one gadget (other than your phone) you never travel without?
Pratap TP: Apart from the phone, my Sony Cybershot and Sony Handycam are gadgets I travel with. It helps capture moments for posterity - all the more to aid to my rapidly cluttered memory for names and faces - though I'm using them less and less these days as phones are getting better.

What is your dream gadget/ technology setup?
Pratap TP: A gizmo that helps me travel without actually travelling... giving me the same physical, sensory, and emotional experience as actual travel does. I would love teleporters like in Star Trek, to be able to say, "Beam me up Scotty," and be done with the commute. Think about it - you would avoid physical travel, with bleary red eyes and messy traffic snarls.

How has technology changed the way in which you work?
Pratap TP: On the personal front, technology means I peacefully coexist with my work, my friends and family, and entertainment, all on a single screen. Our technology platform also allowed our business to exist, so technology entirely defines the way I work.

To see more stories about the apps and gadgets that leaders from different fields swear by, take a look at our earlier Personally Tech articles.