(From top left in clockwise order) Naresh Trehan, Bhaskar Bhat, Vivek Gambhir, Varun Berry, Manish Malhotra and Saugata Gupta.
Six individuals, every on his very own route, however driven with the aid of the same pressure—passion for the process. whether or not it was bringing higher technology to deal with coronary heart sufferers in India, or making quartz watches while no person else became, the career spans of theprofessionals featured here display that all that subjects is a process nicely completed. Naresh Trehan, Bhaskar Bhat, Vivek Gambhir, Saugata Gupta, Manish Malhotra and Varun Berry proportion their stories
preventing FOR extra, FOR better: Naresh Trehan, chairman and handling director, and chief cardiachealth care provider, Medanta—The Medicity
Naresh Trehan hates tags, regardless of how flattering. He prefers to be known as a fatalist Indian rather than patriotic; he isn’t keen on appellations together with millionaire, billionaire and excessive–internet–well worth man or woman, and he hates the word charity. “It feels like you’re doing a favour to a personand that you are superior,” he says.
The aversion can also be because he’s regularly tagged as India’s first-class cardiac health care professional. Trehan is the chairman and dealing with director, and leader cardiac surgeon of Medanta—The Medicity, a speciality hospital in Gurgaon. considering that 2000, he has been the chairman of thehealth committee of the Confederation of Indian enterprise. during the last few years, he has also becomea member of the fitness ministry’s Key Advisory organization, vice-chairman of the offerings Exportadvertising Council and chairman of the Healthcare ability quarter Council, shaped in 2012. he is one of the founder participants of the global Society of minimum Invasive Cardiac surgery, and is consulted onevery principal fitness–associated choice taken by way of the Union government. If that’s a mouthful, he isn’t disagreeing: “those names and titles are all useless. either you are an awesome man or women or a rotten one.”
If there’s one factor that frustrates and excites the good doctor more than any identify or fulfillment, it’s miles technology, and his love for India. Frustration with now not having enough era to treat heartpatients in the early Nineteen Eighties made him head to the ny university clinical center in 1988,straight away after graduating from King George’s scientific college, Lucknow. Medanta changed into born out of Trehan’s drive to improve India’s heart-care gadget.
“My biggest frustration is ready why we’ve not been able to change the development of coronary heartailment in India. So, within the ultimate decade, i’ve come to be worried in reading causative marketers, the earliest detection, then reversal after which treatment,” he explains.
however there is a paradox. no longer all generation excites him, one instance being his cellphone.immediate messengers like WhatsApp bewilder and aggravate him and he prefers his antique Nokia S52, a QWERTY cellphone with out internet connection, to any telephone. He has ordered five of thesetelephones already as the employer has stopped manufacturing the model. He also cannot relate topeople’s fascination with manufacturers. “somebody asked me as soon as why is your shirt fraying. I saidthat there are things: one, that i am very keen on it and i really like it very a good deal to put on it time and again, and 2nd, that i have were given full value of my rupee.” He jokes that if he has a Rs.1,000notice in his pocket at the start of the week, it’ll likely nonetheless be there by way of the cease of it.
His day begins at nine.30 each morning with an hour of yoga and cardio exercising, and then he headsimmediately to office where he sees a mean of approximately a hundred patients a day. Birthdays and anniversaries are also mainly spent operating. “You basically reduce to rubble for your own family timeevery day. Even during the birth of our children, I were given there at the remaining 2d to take myspouse to the health facility.”
So, what does he do with all the money he has? “I tour two times a 12 months for every week in summerand round Christmas with the family, and take pleasure in matters that deliver me consolation in touringand my work, as an example, my automobile,” he says.
when it comes to making an investment, Trehan believes that medical doctors are the worst sufferers offinancial manipulators. He has insurance for himself, his wife and two daughters, however doesn’t spend money on shares or actual property.
“If I buy some thing, I buy it with a view that it will be used by the circle of relatives at some point in time. i can plan for a residence for my grandchildren due to the fact not many human beings can find the money for to buy and matters aren’t easy today, however i will’t purchase a assets and plan to promoteit for extra money,” says Trehan, including that he also invests in numerous “now not-for-profit tasks”, that encompass giving employment to as many people as possible. He is also planning to open a now not-for-profit kids’s medical institution.
On his achievement mantra, Trehan says sincerity of concept topics the maximum, and questioningahead. “I stay by way of matters: if you aren’t better these days than yesterday, then you definitelywasted 24 hours and if you are standing nonetheless, you’re going backwards.” With that, he movesdirectly to his subsequent patient.
funding mantra: My idea of investment is more on the saving side in preference to the ‘speculative’ facet.
—Pooja Chaturvedi
keeping tempo WITH THE instances: Bhaskar Bhat, handling director, Titan Co. Ltd
decide to your organization and the organization will decide to you.” while Bhaskar Bhat tells this to theemployees of the Rs.eleven,900 crore Titan Co. Ltd, India’s largest watch maker, he method it. Bhat has lived by way of his words, spending over three decades with Titan.
in the 1980s, while India become growing on the so called “Hindu rate of increase” with regulated markets, a wrist watch changed into nevertheless a luxurious. Tata Watch project—a joint task amongthe Tata group and the Tamil Nadu commercial improvement Corp., which later became Titan—wasreleased in these times by means of Xerxes Sapur Desai. Bhat joined him in 1983.
but Bhat’s professional adventure had all started an awful lot before that—with campus placement on the Indian Institute of management (IIM), Ahmedabad, in 1978. A big panel led by Adi Godrej employed him for his first job with Godrej and Boyce, says Bhat over smartphone.
After marketing customer products for five years at Godrej, in 1983, Bhat implemented for a task with Tata Watch venture. “at the same time as there has been the excitement of launching a brand newbusiness, it turned into a brand new class and we had been not positive if it might prevail or no longer,” recollects Bhat.
over the years, Bhat labored in one-of-a-kind roles across sales and marketing, human assets andglobal business, staying with the business enterprise through its lows and highs.
In mid-Nineties, a few exits at Titan propelled Bhat’s rise. Bhat became trendy supervisor for sales andadvertising, a position he humbly brushes off greater of a hazard occurrence. “they had self assurancein me, which helped me do higher. It didn’t have a lot to do with my competence,” he says.
Having performed many jobs, he says the function of being related with the market is critical. “I supposeto be in contact with the market is extremely vital for any advertising agency. The leadership crewneeds to be with the market,” says Bhat, whose preliminary days at Titan had been shaped with the aid of founder Xerxes Desai.
The maximum excellent decision taken by way of the institution, consistent with Bhat, was the accessinto quartz watches, at a time whilst anyone was making mechanical watches. “We had a desire of makingmechanical timepieces, however we took the right name,” he says. Titan’s shift to digital watcheseffectively ended the technology of clunky mechanical watches made by means of Hindustan machinetools.
Bhat have become the managing director of Titan in 2002, after which he opened newer categories for the organization—developing the eyewear business, growing sub-manufacturers inclusive of Mia and Zoya for jewellery and Helios for premium watches.
A mechanical engineering graduate from Indian Institute of era (IIT), Madras, and a management degreeholder from IIM, Ahmedabad, Bhat attributes his success to mentors consisting of Desai and Ravi Kant, former non-government vice-chairman, Tata vehicles Ltd. “more than the academic element, interacting with an entire various lot of humans broadens your angle pretty extensively,” he says.
For 2014-15, Bhat’s compensation stood at Rs.76.8 lakh, at the same time as pre-requirements and allowances at Rs.1.2 crore and commission at Rs.2.eight crore, according to the agency’s annual record. On investments, a reticent Bhat admits that he is terrible in handling his non-public finances. “I’m no longer especially enamoured by using cash,” he says. “I haven’t any high-priced or less expensivepursuits…just a few pastimes. i really like coming to paintings,” he says.
though he manages an business enterprise of seven,000 personnel, Bhat says there aren’t too manyhuman beings he himself confides into. “To be frank, I don’t have everyone that I communicate to,however I speak to loads people all of the time; now not from a view of mentoring, but more from a view of getting to know,” he says.
Bhat’s tenure results in 2017 and he does now not aspire to be an angel investor, writer or a budding philanthropist. “I plan to stay life and experience every minute of it, due to the fact I revel in coming topaintings and that i enjoy going home. i love being with humans. If I can be more useful to society inpopular, and country specially, i’d do this. I’m willing to help individuals who want my time or know-how.”
So, what’s the only component employees don’t recognise approximately Bhat, we ask? “I’m a senior citizen now, formally. So they all better appreciate me,” he quips.
investment mantra: After retirement, he does no longer want to be an angel investor, creator or a budding philanthropist
—Suneera Tandon
vacationer OF foreign shorelines: Vivek Gambhir, dealing with director, Godrej patron merchandise Ltd
domestic-grown purchaser items maker Godrej purchaser products Ltd (GCPL), an over $12.5 billionbusiness enterprise, has in recent years transformed into an emerging marketplace pressure. a variety of the credit score for this is going to its coping with director, Vivek Gambhir, who assumed the positionin 2013.
The agency nowadays gets half of its business from worldwide markets, in comparison with 10% fiveyears ago. The dramatic shift came as a part of Gambhir’s globalization approach for GCPL.
His 3×3 method of growing the corporation inside the three product categories of home, hair and personal care in Asia, Africa and South america has meant that GCPL is no longer just a domestic “rest room soap maker’” Soaps now account for less than one-1/3 of the business, from constituting over -thirds of sales five years ago. Gambhir additionally spearheaded the company’s 10×10 approach—announcedin 2011—of growing sales 10 instances in 10 years. He calls it a goalpost that lets in the enterprise to make the right kind of investments and selections. in the enterprise, he’s already acknowledged to be a motivational chief and an extremely strategic thinker.
Gambhir, forty six, who labored with consulting company Bain and Co. within the US, Singapore and India from 1997 to 2009, joined Godrej Industries, the organization’s conserving employer, as chief approachofficer in 2009. He led the finance, investor members of the family, prison and information technologyfeatures and then went on to force mergers and acquisitions at GCPL and subsequently to dealing withthe agency. currently, he also leads the financial price introduced Committee for the organization and serves at the investment committee of Omnivore Capital, an agriculture generation–focused challenge fundsubsidized by the organization.
but taking over an operations function was by no means the plan. “i was very happy as a representative, doing fairly nicely. Godrej institution turned into a former patron and one thing brought about every other…”
Gambhir and his team have controlled to inject “numerous sizzle” into the over 118-yr–old enterprise’smerchandise in terms of packaging, design and functions. GCPL nowadays has doubled investment intostudies and improvement.
because of paintings schedule, he gets to meet his photographer spouse Roopika Saran, and their 3youngsters, who stay in Delhi, simplest on weekends after they spend time both gambling tennis, cooking, traveling or going out. “I stay in Delhi and paintings in Mumbai. i have a first-rate–knowledgespouse and a splendidly supportive own family, which enables manage this two–metropolis way of life,” he says. The own family stocks a not unusual love for visiting to offbeat places. Gambhir’s 13–yr antiquedaughter has been to 30 countries already. They plan to visit Botswana next. Then there are weekendswhile Gambhir and his wife decide to fly to a destination in the u . s . for just a day. On a latest Saturday, they flew to Jaipur to walk around Amber fort, says Gambhir, who regularly does no longer bear in mindhis exact income. “My wife thinks I don’t reflect onconsideration on cash. To me cash isn’t the stop; it isthe method to the end.” He doesn’t fuss over wealth creation, and uses offerings of a wealth managementadviser, who has been mandated to put money into simple devices. Neither does he spend money onartwork or anything too speculative. “She (the adviser) decides combined recommendations. I trust her judgement and examine her basic performance.” He has additionally invested in real property.
notwithstanding the time constraints, he blogs every Monday on his website, Monday-8am.com, in whichhe writes on subjects together with venting, dealing with your boss, proudly owning our relationships,and so on, often participating with colleagues. Gambhir has finished a master’s in commercial enterprise administration from Harvard enterprise faculty, and a bachelor’s in computer science and a bachelor’s in economics from Lafayette college, US.
Gambhir works out three times every week, has an elliptical trainer at home, and tries to use it a fewinstances per week. He also tries to meditate for 15 mins each morning and evening. Hisrecommendation to people aspiring to make it huge in their careers to have a few goals but not over-plan. “Have a extensive experience of what you want to do and what your strengths are. Don’t get stuck in the herd mentality; it’s miles critical to parent out what makes each people satisfied.”
funding mantra: Invests in simple contraptions; does now not put money into something toocomplicated or speculative.
—Shailaja Sharma
DO some matters, however DO THEM nicely: Saugata Gupta, coping with director and leader executiveofficer, Marico Ltd
Saugata Gupta describes himself as dull, not in in any respect interested by social outings and ultra-modern gadgets. He nonetheless uses a Samsung S4, which through his personal admission is the oldestcellphone owned among his team participants use.
yet, the professional existence of Marico Ltd’s managing director and chief government officer issomething but dull. Gupta, an engineer from the Indian Institute of technology, Kharagpur, and amanagement graduate from the Indian Institute of control, Bangalore, started out his profession with Cadbury India Ltd, now known as Mondelez India meals Pvt. Ltd.
considered one of his first assignments as a brand manager on the enterprise became working on theCadbury Dairy Milk brand and launching the “kuch khaas hai” marketing campaign lower back in 1994. Headditionally released Perk in his nine–12 months stint with the business enterprise.
For the beyond 10 years, Gupta has been crucial to the transformation of Marico, which he joined in 2004,increasing the corporation’s product portfolio into the value–introduced hair-care space and emergingincrease segments such as deodorants and hair gels.
His 24-yr career also noticed him do a quick three–year stint inside the monetary offerings region at ICICI Prudential life insurance Co. Ltd as leader of advertising and institution sales head. “I realized myinterest lay in the patron zone,” he says, explaining his return to customer packaged items area.
At Marico, his ascent to the top has been fast. he’s the primary non-promoter on the helm of the fast–transferring customer items (FMCG) enterprise. He took over from promoter Harsh Mariwala as managingdirector in April 2014. apparently, Gupta also attracts a better income, at Rs.6.2 crore, than Mariwala, who drew Rs.5.08 crore for the yr ended March 2015, consistent with Bloomberg.
Gupta’s leadership style sees him taking on the roles of a popular and a soldier. “The matters thatpressure an FMCG corporation are brands, skills and tradition,” in conjunction with communicationand alignment with employer’s imaginative and prescient. these are also the areas wherein Gupta spends a number of time.
existence, although, is not all approximately paintings for him. Gupta believes in stability, prioritization and sacrifice. At paintings, the act of balancing sees him manage the quick term with the long time,velocity with excellence, and manipulate with empowerment. “today’s leadership is about resilience,ability to anticipate and address changes.
Sacrifice to him method doing a few matters, however doing them well. as an instance, considering the fact that he took over as managing director, he has recognized 5 middle regions of significance for theorganisation to focus on; the relaxation are outsourced.
these values are essential to how he leads his private existence as well. He and his wife, a senior banker, prioritize circle of relatives time over social commitments. “we’ve sacrificed social outings in favour of spending best time with our daughter,” says Gupta, adding that it’s no longer viable to do everything—have individual careers, a hectic social life and raise youngsters. His “regret” price for social outings stands at 80%.
Gupta nevertheless drops his 15-yr–antique daughter to school each morning and then gets to office viaeight.30am. “It’s only a matter of every other two years and then she can be away to university,” he says,adding that they are able to choose up on social commitments after that.
His strong center–elegance values also are reflected in his investments. he is a protracted–term investor,reasonably cautious, not very greedy or stressful. He depends on a pool of economic advisers for his investments. His largest indulgence is vacations. Gupta takes as a minimum two–3 vacations along along with his family each 12 months. His favorite locations include Switzerland and Italy and the seashoresof South-East Asia. This new 12 months, he is taking off to New Zealand. In Mumbai, he has attempted hisfingers at playing the keyboard and these days even sold a Yamaha model. but he gave up classes 5months in the past as it supposed waking up early on Sundays.
A resident of Bandra, Mumbai, he enjoys renting DVDs or going for a walk on Carter street within thenighttime.
For Gupta, the upward push to the top has also been guided by a easy motto: “in case you are correct,you’re constantly gaining knowledge of and unlearning. then you definitely don’t need to chase roles, or chase money. the best roles and money chase you.”
funding mantra: he’s a protracted–term investor, fairly careful, not very grasping or disturbing.
—Sapna Agarwal
SUSTAINABILITY IS THE actual test: Manish Malhotra, fashion fashion designer
Manish Malhotra loves things—ploughing again earnings to make his brand bigger, and unlearning to holdtempo with converting generation.
but at coronary heart, this celebrity designer is traditional when it comes to private investments.
Manish Malhotra, a 9aaf3f374c58e8c9dcdd1ebf10256fa5 call in the Hindi movie enterprise for designing for actresses, has spent 25 years inside the movie business. The year 2015 marks 10 years of his label. plentyhas modified in that point. “people like me have visible a number of battle to discover their regionwithin the global. i’m a person who has not studied the problem, but has learnt at the task and moved with the instances. I sense the whole lot nowadays comes so right away; i hope they don’t lose their nuances.” even as ruing “on the spot” solutions, he additionally feels that development is beautiful, andsuch things as social media and internet paintings for our top. He feels that the one essential issue forthe new generation is to attention—folks that try to evolve, to analyze, are those who will perform.
according to him, absolutely everyone is on the identical platform. “Now what is available to me isavailable to all people. that is when the law of nature comes in. the person who desires to cross pastwill should reinvent and rediscover.”
Malhotra has also modified the manner he designs. This yr, for the primary time, he did Western put on. He moved from his standard pink and purple to darkish brown and burgundy. this alteration is in line withhis plan of launching a shop in London subsequent year where he desires the silhouettes to be extracutting-edge. “I realised that consumers need new matters. We underestimate buyers. they are hungry for brand new thoughts in our genre. in case you deliver the buyer something new inside the genre thatthey prefer, they may be there for you.”
within the past 3 years the style enterprise has visible a variety of changes, he feels. There are more youthful designers, stylists, customers seeking out some thing new and easy get admission to thruInstagram. “I think the client is likewise converting, that is a extraordinary thing. those are theinstances whilst you push yourself and reinvent.”
trade to him is a herbal development. “There are numerous folks who age but no longer necessarilydevelopment. They journey, but now not always imbibe. however i have usually been that person whowants to imbibe and do some thing new, who desires to project, no longer to get tired, or get bogged down.”
however, in relation to investments, he’s conservative. Of his general wealth, 50% is ploughed again into his logo as capital. The ultimate goes into real estate and paintings. “I invest my cash in my label. i amnot a fashion designer who’s looking ahead to a sponsor. a whole lot of designers are only looking forsponsors for their indicates due to the fact they don’t want to spend their very own cash. however for me,i love to spend money on myself.”
besides making an investment in his enterprise, the proprietor of a 9,000 sq. toes shop in Delhi, buysactual property. “In a metropolis like Mumbai in which there are greater people and much lessavailability of assets, it’s far a secure location to make investments. I put money into property; whether or not it’s far my shop, workplace or the house that I stay in—I very own it. it has been a number ofhard work to personal what I personal. I by no means had the money as I usually invest in enterprise.” He says
even as he finds making an investment in actual estate conventional information, the sturdy start-upsurroundings in India is likewise appealing. “I might also observe making an investment in start-ups.not now, but in some unspecified time in the future of time in my lifestyles.” however he isn’t relaxedwith equity or the inventory market.
Malhotra likes to spend on his house and himself. “i’ve got costly matters for my house. I (additionally) love shopping for luggage and footwear.” on the subject of philanthropy, he says he does now not do “empty” charity. “I empower them.”
He feels he is fortunate to do some thing in lifestyles. “i am rich inside the experience that i can dosomething. i am also one who jumps into the water and learns to swim. i am a risk-taker in relation to myprofession,” says Malhotra, including that his consumers now extends to Russia, China and Europe.
Malhotra’s definition of success is that sustainability is the real test. “It isn’t smooth to maintainreinventing; it isn’t smooth to cope at instances. I pick out no longer to be pressured via it. I hold onhard myself. For me, everything is my paintings. I experience privileged that i’m nevertheless relevantand get to work with humans from Sri Devi to Alia Bhatt.”
funding mantra: he is a conservative investor. Of his general wealth, 50% is ploughed back to his logo as capital.
—P.R. Sanjai and Vivina Vishwanathan
prepared TO GET HIS arms dirty: Varun Berry, coping with director, Britannia Industries Ltd
Varun Berry has drawn many lessons inside the path of a career spanning 29 years and 4 companies. Nowhandling director of Britannia Industries Ltd, Berry recalls maximum of the nearly three decades.
It changed into 1986, and Berry changed into a 24-12 months–antique control trainee at a warehouse in Jalandhar, Punjab. He turned into given the job of handling income and distribution for tea maker Brooke Bond, a part of the Hindustan Unilever institution.
On the first day of Berry’s first job, a senior colleague passed on the subsequent phrases—the earlychook catches the trojan horse. Berry nevertheless lives by way of these words, the use of them ever sooften as he traversed from being a salesperson for a tea organization to the dealing with director of the u . s .’s biggest biscuit maker.
His dedication to work, he asserts, is what helped him the maximum. “What defined me changed into thati was so dedicated to my goals. If i used to be given a certain income target for every week i wouldmake certain that i might end despite the fact that it meant promoting until eleven at night.”
Berry’s early days in small districts and hamlets throughout the united states were defined by means ofrides on horse-pulled tongas, buses and jeeps, manoeuvring narrow by means of-lanes and dinky stores todeliver products, and dealing with inventory, budget and sales by myself. His first process fetched him Rs.1,950 in the past due Nineteen Eighties. “I spent all of it on new garments and different such things.”
some years later, Berry took on a advertising role at Dubai-based Jumbo Electronics Co. Ltd. “Which was a mistake,” he adds quickly. There wasn’t a whole lot paintings that excited him. “It become mundane… Igot out as quick as I should.” A year later, Berry exited Dubai.
back in India, Berry landed his maximum promising activity ever at American food and beverage giantPepsiCo in 1993, which became a -decade-long stint across various markets.
Berry’s PepsiCo days have been encouraged by using the extreme cola wars, wherein the two cola majors used advertising and marketing tricks to attempt to outdo every other. He recollects an instance in 1993, whilst Coca-Cola became relaunched in India after 17 years, and had determined to launch 300ml bottles at Rs.5—an try to tackle Pepsi’s 250ml bottles. Berry, then the general manager for franchisingenterprise within the North, in conjunction with the pinnacle management took a call to release 300ml bottles. within days, all bottlers had been advised to cast off 250ml bottles and splash the marketplacewith 300ml ones. “We did it earlier than Coke could release it… We painted the metropolis blue,” heprovides, regarding Pepsi’s logo coloration.
Pepsi took Berry to West Asia, the Philippines and Vietnam, where he spent his time running on new ventures, which includes dairy merchandise in Dubai. His final function at Pepsi changed into as head of the ingredients division in India.
In 2013, he joined Britannia as chief running officer, taking control as handling director a year later. Berry’sfulfillment at the Wadia group-promoted business enterprise is visible with the organization’s stockshaving surged manifold after he took over. Britannia shares, which had been trading at Rs.704 in June 2013 closed at Rs.2,882.10 on 24 September 2015.
In his private finance, Berry takes a eager interest in real property. “I’m a large real property guy. properfrom the start, I’ve been putting plenty of money (in it).” His most recent buy is a residence in Bengaluru. “We (his wife and he) will flow into it soon.” however his preferred is his house close to a golfing–direction in Gurgaon. Berry’s fund managers, however, aren’t glad with him hoarding on real property. “Ikeep getting letters from them that one hundred ten–a hundred thirty% of your lifestyles financial savings are in actual property, that is a incorrect aspect to do—you need to diversify.”
when no longer at work, Berry likes to play golf and travels regularly along with his wife, whose abilitynew undertaking he should fund.
Berry has funded begin–united statesbefore—in among PepsiCo and Britannia, he invested in iClinic Healthcare Pvt. Ltd, a healthcare start-up released with the aid of Sanjoy Mukerji, former leader workingofficer at Vodafone India.
Berry makes use of only some phrases to sum up his existence as a professional. “There are styles ofpeople,” he says explaining the genesis of his tribe. “One is the queen bee who is made to rule the world, and the opposite is the worker bee, who is made to roll up his sleeves, work beneath the system.” Berry says he has usually been the worker bee; doing things and getting his fingers grimy.
funding mantra: Has a keen hobby in actual estate and has put in numerous money into this uniqueasset. he also finances start-ups.
