Award-winning technopreneur, CEO & Co-Founder of Avvanz, international speaker, trainer, mentor, and judge—Kannan Chettiar embodies the spirit of discipline and innovation.
As the driving force behind Avvanz, Kannan has earned recognition as a visionary leader in technology and business transformation. His entrepreneurial journey is marked by awards, global speaking engagements, and a reputation for building future-ready organizations. Beyond boardrooms and stages, he actively contributes to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) as a committee member, where he lends his expertise to shape industry growth.
Deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of innovators, Kannan serves as a mentor for startups and plays a critical role in evaluating groundbreaking ideas as a judge at Slingshot, SHRI, HRD Asia Awards, and Shark Tank events. His role as a trainer and thought leader has positioned him as a sought-after voice in business transformation and talent development.
Early Life and Professional Roots
Born and bred in Singapore, Kannan Chettiar’s journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Hons) in 1996, just before the Asian Financial Crisis. His first role was at Future Electronics, an electronics distribution company in Montreal, Canada, where he started as a Sales Engineer. From there, his career grew rapidly as he took on Sales and Marketing roles in global giants such as Dell, e2open (founded by IBM), i-Sprint (an Acer company), Arrow Electronics, element14 (Farnell Group), and, later, First Advantage, a global background screening company.
It was this blend of technology acumen and business expertise that eventually led him to disrupt the industry by founding Avvanz in April 2016—a Tech-enabled ala eCommerce, Background Checking platform built to address the gaps he witnessed firsthand.
Disciplined: Balancing Leadership, Family, and Fitness
If pressed to choose one word that reflects him, Kannan doesn’t hesitate: “Disciplined.” From managing multinational teams across Asia, the Americas, and EMEA, to winning recognitions such as Executive of the Year – HR Technology, his career has been marked by consistency and drive. But Kannan isn’t just a corporate leader—he is also an international trainer, coach, judge at pitching competitions, a mentor for startups, and a volunteer on government committees.
Beyond his professional achievements, Kannan is a proud father of two (a 23-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son) who anchors his life in family and personal well-being. He sets a clear rhythm to his day—starting with emails, followed by workouts, healthy meals, and business calls. While running a global company means late-night obligations, he ensures time for health, family, and mental clarity. Every morning, he dedicates at least an hour to resistance training, swimming, jogging, or HIIT. This integration of work, wellness, and family underpins his technopreneurial journey, shaping a discipline-driven lifestyle that fuels both his resilience and his unwavering commitment to excellence.
Influences and Inspirations
Kannan credits much of his discipline to his father, a strict figure who emphasized the importance of keeping the mind engaged and active. Equally influential has been Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, another major inspiration whose leadership, discipline, and dedication to health and hard work left a lasting impression.
Education and Career Choices
Though trained as an engineer, Kannan never spent a single day working as one. Drawn to people rather than machines, he began as a Sales Engineer and consistently excelled, topping performance charts and winning awards. Later, an MBA from the University of Birmingham helped him merge his technical knowledge with business strategy—skills that proved invaluable in building Avvanz’s tech-enabled solutions.
Founding Avvanz: From Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur
The entrepreneurial urge had always been there, but making the leap from intrapreneur to entrepreneur in his 40s was a pivotal decision. Life, he believed, was too short not to take risks. The founding mission of Avvanz was inspired by client pains he had witnessed in previous roles, and he managed to come up with disruptive solutions to solve these challenges. The very name—Avvanz, derived from the Maltese word for “Advance”—reflects the company’s commitment to helping clients overcome obstacles and move forward.
From Challenges to Catalysts of Growth
Launching as an unknown company posed challenges, especially in the risk management industry, where credibility is critical.
“Our first 10 clients came on board purely based on my personal merit. It was not easy, especially since we offer Risk Management Solutions. With sheer hard work, while building a high-performance team and focusing on being customer-obsessed, I got through the hurdles. Of course, support from family, advice from business partners, and divine intervention were key,” says Kannan.
With persistence, customer obsession, and the support of his family and partners, he built a strong foundation for Avvanz’s growth.
Avvanz: Multi-Award Winning ScreenGlobal Ensures Smarter, Safer Hiring and Redefining Trust
“Out of every 10 resumes or CVs, at least three pose some form of discrepancy—fake certificates, inflated employment credentials, undeclared criminal/financial offences, or a disturbing social media footprint,” says Kannan.
“Avvanz mitigates these risks through thorough background checks—more than 20 types of checks that cover 150+ countries. This means candidates could have studied, worked, or lived in any part of the world, and we can check on them,” he adds.
Avvanz is also the only screening company to offer due diligence on organizations themselves—a unique differentiator. With ISO27001 and ISO27701 compliance and continuous innovation through AI and RPA, Avvanz stands ahead of the curve in delivering trusted risk management solutions.
Leadership Philosophy
Kannan leads with a blend of Transformational and Shared Leadership styles. While managing CXOs directly, he fosters a startup-like culture across Avvanz’s six global offices. With employees ranging from 19 to 62 years old, he embraces a multi-generational workforce driven by creativity, energy, and engagement.
“My leadership style is Transformational Leadership blended with Shared Leadership elements. I constantly remind Avvanzers, ‘What would you do if this were your own business?’ As I always say, the best ideas come from those in the field,” he notes.
By empowering employees to think like owners, Kannan has cultivated a vibrant and collaborative work environment.
Future Vision
Looking ahead, Kannan is steering Avvanz towards greater automation with AI and RPA, freeing employees to spend more time with clients. Through Upskillerate, Avvanz’s sister company is dedicated to helping their clients upskill their workforce’s skills, competencies and accelerate success for them. He aims to drive growth not only within organizations but also across industries. Strategic acquisitions, alongside organic expansion, are also on the horizon.
On a personal front, Kannan intends to continue lifelong learning and eventually author a book—further extending his role as a thought leader in the industry.
Words of Advice
To aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs, Kannan’s advice is simple yet powerful:
“Understand the pains of your clients and build compelling solutions to solve them. The money will follow. Too many push products without solving real problems.”
