Hard work pays off—and how! All of 38 years old, Manoj K. Mishra has aced the corporate world, and thanks to his outsized endowment to Georgia State
University, his alma mater, he has rightfully earned the coveted status of a philanthropist.
Tracing his rich career trajectory is a thrill ride, and it’s less than half over.
(Left) On the top of his world: Manoj Mishra on the rooftop deck adjacent to the brand new GSU
College of Law Library. (Photo: Bonnie Youn)
Manoj Mishra recalls a critical experience that prompted him to apply to law school—and it’s a good one. Then a junior at Loyola University in Chicago, he was studying for his Bachelor’s degree in history. Father John Piderit, then President of Loyola, had been high school friends with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and convinced his esteemed former classmate to come speak to the students. At
the reception that followed, Manoj boldly struck up a conversation with the Justice. They chatted for a good fifteen minutes. Impressed with
the young college student, Scalia remarked, “You’re a pretty sharp kid, you should consider going to law school.” Surprised, Manoj demurred, responding that his goal was to become a
history professor. But the seed was planted.
The very next day, he asked his advisors whether law school would be a better option than pursuing a Ph.D.
New Delhi-born Manoj immigrated to Chicago with his family in 1980 when he was three years old. His mother was a trained nurse, and there were tremendous opportunities in the medical field at the time, especially for Indian and Filipino immigrants. The family decided to take a chance and seize the opportunity to come to America. Manoj grew up in Chicago. In 1995, just as his parents made the move to Atlanta, he enrolled at Loyola for college.
After graduating in 1999, he now had law school on his mind. Manoj wanted to rejoin his family in Atlanta, but he was also conscious of the cost of law school. Considering his options, he decided the best choice was Georgia State University College of Law. He applied and was accepted into the Class of 2002 and was one of the few Asian American law students matriculating that year. Manoj moved to Atlanta in May 1999 and
that summer, he got
a job selling used
cars to help pay for
his tuition. He even
continued with the
gig part time as a first year law student.
By his second year, Manoj got a job teaching Friday
Property Law tutorials, which involved reviewing law
school lectures with first year students. In exchange,
GSU gave him free tuition, a stipend of $1,500, and free
books annually. Thus began Manoj’s love and affinity
for his alma mater. “It was an incredible deal—I got
to go to law school basically for free. I graduated with
virtually zero debt, which provided tremendous freedom.
It gave me the luxury of seeking a position that
was right for me.”
Graduating in 2002, he first joined a small corporate
and estate-planning boutique, Robertson & Gable,
LLC in Duluth. He began practicing corporate law,
contracts, and commercial real estate transactions.
“I was there for five and half years—it was a great
firm, great people, and it gave me a great foundation.”
When it was time, he took the leap into the corporate
world. He applied to go in-house at SAP America, Inc.,
one of the largest business software solutions providers
in the world. Although he did not have a technical
or computer background, SAP was looking for
negotiators. “They figured as long as I had a strong
background in negotiating deals and contract law,
they could train me in the technical aspects, which I
grew to find interesting.”
Manoj hit the ground running in the contracts
department, handling software licensing and support
services. “A contract’s a contract, after all.” After three
years, SAP decided to throw him into the Wild West of
software, or more accurately, the “Wild East.” He was
sent to SAP India, as Deputy Legal Counsel, and also
appointed Lead Counsel for SAP Thailand.
Arriving in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Manoj
recalls the culture shock. “It was a dramatic adjustment
in every single way.” The first two months
was sensory overload. One of his Indian-American
friends invited him out early on for drinks. Bemused
at Manoj’s disorientation, he gave a toast: “Here’s to
Manoj finding out what being Indian really is!”
“But it’s funny how quickly you learn and adjust.
After a while, you stop noticing the noise and pollution,
the vast numbers of people, honking cars. The
traffic is crazy, snarled for hours due to any number
of reasons, including random livestock. For Indians, if
a sacred cow stops in the middle of the road, you just
have to get used to the idea that no one will do anything
about it! You learn to accept it, kick back, relax,
and read a paper until the cow moves. You learn to
work in a different manner
and pace from what
you are comfortable
with in the U.S.”
When asked what
he noticed the most
about the difference
between living in India
and America, Manoj observed,
“We see things as
so separate in America.
In India, there is no separation.
It’s hard to find
anywhere where religion
is not present—Hindu
gods and gurus are everywhere,
a part of daily
life. At SAP India there
was a giant Hindu god in the lobby where employees
would make puja offerings daily. It seemed like there
was a festival going on every single day. Getting work
done was challenging at times, especially with the
Indian cricket team doing phenomenally well when I
was there. Our team interaction and dynamics were
unique, and I had to find new and fun ways to solve
these challenges. ”
The exciting times in Bangalore were spreading
throughout India. Driven by the IT boom, the atmosphere
was dizzyingly international, with a lot of
expats relocating there for work and many Indian-Americans returning home. Manoj was impressed by
the energy and drive of his peers. “Two thirds of the
population of India is under the age of 35. You have to
realize—I was the old man, the one they looked to for
experience. I was surrounded by youth and enthusiasm
and treated as a senior leader. Living there made
me truly realize how youth and technology are changing
the world. If you look at how Silicon Valley started
in America, it started out of the garages of geniuses
like Gates and Jobs. That’s how Asia is like today.
What’s happening over there right now is thrilling.”
Manoj lived in Bangalore
for nearly two years, traveling to
Singapore and throughout Asia as
needed. Just when it seemed that
he had gotten used to the rhythms
of India, SAP called him back to
the U.S. in May 2013. He was assigned
to support SAP America’s
Western Region, out of Palo Alto
and later the Central Region out
of Chicago as well.
Manoj (3rd from left), with other top honchos at ACI, a publicly
traded company on NASDAQ, where he currently manages a $350
Million annual P&L, out of ACI’s office in Norcross.
At that time, a colleague was
making the move to ACI––a publicly traded company on
NASDAQ (ACIW) that provides banking and payment
solutions and powers electronic payments for more
than 5,000 organizations around the world. He suggested
Manoj come along. Manoj declined since he had
just returned to Atlanta from Asia. A year later, however
the same colleague courted him with an offer to join
ACI as Director of Field Operations for U.S. Banks—
an offer he could not refuse. More than 1,000 of the
largest financial institutions and intermediaries
as well as 300 of the leading global retailers rely on
ACI to execute $14 trillion each day in payments. “It
was a way for me to challenge myself beyond the legal
world. I was looking for an opportunity to pursue
the business side of work. This was the best way to
do it, especially with a rapidly growing company
like ACI.” He joined the company in May 2014 and
currently manages a $350 Million annual P&L, out of
ACI’s office in Norcross.
How challenging was the transition from inhouse
counsel to senior business executive? “I’ve
never worked harder in my entire life to make that
learning curve as short as possible, to become a resource
for the team as quickly as possible. I had to also
learn ACI’s business, which was entirely new to me.
But I’m not naïve to think I know everything—that’s
foolish and arrogant. I hope to learn until the day I die.”
What does Manoj notice most about the difference
in perspective? “Lawyers approach problems
in ways that may not always be pragmatic. We
want to have as much information as possible, but
counsel to make the least commitments possible.
However, in business, you must be prepared to make
authoritative decisions with the least information
available. This makes lawyers very uncomfortable
due to our training. A lawyer is a strategist, a very valuable
asset to any team or organization. But a general
is the decision-maker. You have to live—and die—by
those decisions. Not everyone is comfortable with
such responsibility.”
Manoj’s transition to the corporate world also
opened doors for him to give back, inspired by his
law school memories. “My years at GSU Law were
some of the happiest of my life. I had so much fun,
and I loved my classmates and professors. I developed
lifelong friendships from GSU, soon approaching
twenty years. I’ve had the pleasure of watching
our careers grow. This year alone, two of my classmates
are running for judicial office in Cobb County—
Kim Childs for Superior Court, and Aaron Strimban
for State Court. How exciting is that? It’s amazing
and inspiring to see people in my class doing great
things for our society.”
GSU Law approached Manoj for alumni support
when they were fundraising for their new building
and establishing new scholarships. In March 2014, the
stars aligned. Manoj remembered how he was able
to attend law school practically for free. “Because of
my education, I was able to accomplish so much. The
very least I could do was repay GSU Law a portion of
my gratitude, so I pledged my support. I told Dean
[Steven] Kaminshine that I want to give our law students
all the tools they need to become successful,
because they’re going to go out there and represent
GSU Law. I want us to be recognized as the #1 law
school in Georgia—because we are!”
On September 9, 2015, Manoj joined Dean Kaminshine
and other dignitaries, including Governor
Nathan Deal, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and Georgia
Supreme Court Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson for
the ribbon cutting ceremony for the gleaming new
GSU Law building at 85 Park Place in the heart of
downtown Atlanta.
Mishra stands beside the Mishra Family Classroom. This room plus three
additional study rooms, and the Lecture Hall
with a capacity for 90 students, all bear the
Mishra name in the new GSU Law building
at 85 Park Place in the heart of downtown
Atlanta. (Photo: Bonnie Youn)
Thanks to their endowment, the new law building
includes the Manoj & Neha Mishra Lecture Hall,
with a capacity for 90 students. On the same floor is
the 50-person, Mishra Family Classroom. Sprinkled
throughout the building are three additional study
rooms on Floors 1, 5, and 6, also with the Mishra
namesake. But Manoj is perhaps most proud of the
scholarship he and his wife Neha endowed to honor
his parents: the R. P. Mishra & Annamma Mishra
Law Scholarship. Two students received the inaugural
award in January this year at GSU Law’s 8th Annual
Scholarship Luncheon.
An avid sports fan, Manoj is also very excited
that GSU established a football team in 2010. “I’m absolutely
thrilled with [GSU President] Mark Becker’s
leadership. The recent $300M acquisition of Turner
Field [for the GSU Panthers] will not only revitalize
that part of Atlanta, but the entire region. It is a
game changer for the school and the city.”
He’s also a fan of the other kind of football—
and is excited that a Major League Soccer Franchise
is coming to Georgia in 2017, the Atlanta United
Football Club. “We will be season ticket-holders.
We’re looking forward to the game day atmosphere
at the new Mercedes Stadium. From all accounts,
it will be a remarkable facility, one which will make
Atlanta proud.”
With wife, Neha Mishra.
Manoj has a few other interests outside of the
law. “My hobby is real estate. I love doing deals, and
dabbling in real estate is a fun way of investing. My
wife Neha, who I married in 2007, is from London. We
have a passion for travel. Our favorite places at the
moment include London, Switzerland, Dubai, and the
Caribbean. We also are big fans of cruising. We try to
sail at least once a year to get away and unplug.”
Manoj has been active in the IndusBar (now
South Asian Bar Association of Georgia) and GAPABA
(Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association). His
words of wisdom to his colleagues: “There’s no substitute
for working hard. Whenever you think you
worked hard, try working harder next time. That intensity
will be recognized and eventually rewarded.
You have to be ready to play the game. The game will
not wait on you.”
What’s left on Manoj’s bucket list? “Like so many
business executives, I would one day love to become
a CEO myself—be the general. I want to continue
advising startup cloud companies on best practices
and the software business. Neha and I are looking
forward to launching our real estate development
company, Mishra Developments Ltd., no later than
early next year. We plan to build custom homes intown.
Also, Neha and I want to expand our philanthropy
as we grow in our careers, to help make a real
difference in our communities. We are looking to
support educational goals starting with GSU, and
then eventually moving on to other local institutions/
causes. Atlanta has been great to the Mishra
family, and we want to return the kindness.”
He pauses and adds, “I’d also like to teach as
an adjunct professor at GSU Law one day. Teaching
has always been a true passion of mine, but I’m
only 38.” Somewhere, Scalia is probably smiling.
After nearly two decades of practicing immigration law, community
activist Bonnie Youn is now a Sr. Legal Recruiter finding the
best legal talent and coaching attorney careers at The RMN Agency.