Best of BeingCeo - The Anniversary Episode

It’s been One year! Tune into this special anniversary episode of BeingCEO as we showcase management lessons from some of India's best known business leaders. Packed with laughs, memorable life lessons and insights as our host Deepali Naair recounts and celebrates a year of connecting with guests and looks back at the best moments on the show, putting her journey on the spotlight this time around!

Sanjay Behl, Former CEO, Raymond

Sanjay Behl is a highly accomplished leader with a proven track record. A young student from Banaras with big aspirations, Sanjay started his professional journey with Hindustan Unilever. He has also operated in a leadership capacity at Nokia and Reliance in India and the Asia Pacific. As a CEO of Raymond in his last assignment, he catapulted the legacy textile and apparel company to become a leading fashion retail organisation with disruptive and sustainable growth in revenue, profitability and enterprise valuation. Currently, the CEO and Co-founder of a technology-based venture Nextqore, Sanjay has built a very rich and diverse expertise in business leadership and management. In this unfiltered chat, Sanjay shares some fun anecdotes from his journey and sacred mantras that he imbibed along the way.

Manish Maheshwari, MD, Twitter India

A graduate from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School, Manish Maheshwari always envisaged being a CEO. He has had an admirable yet unconventional career path where before joining Twitter India as MD, he worked for well-known MNCs like McKinsey, Procter & Gamble (P&G), and closer to home, with Flipkart, and Network18 Digital. With such a diverse career with stellar companies, what does it take to be armed with the right skills to lead such varied organisations.

Catch Manish in this open conversation where he shares some of his valuable life mantras.

Apurva Purohit, President, Jagran Group

One of the most influential businesswomen in India, Apurva Purohit is a paradigm of being a pathbreaker in a male-dominated industry. Before heading The Jagran Group (Dainik Jagran, Mid Day, Inext, Inquilab, and Radio City) as President, where she has been credited with the listing of Radio City on the local stock exchange, Apurva successfully built TV brands like Zoom at Zee Telefilms and launched one of the largest media buying agencies in the country, Lodestar. She has been ranked as one of the Top 30 Most Powerful Women in Business by Business Today and was featured on Fortune India's Most Powerful Women in Business list.

In this episode, listen to her unveil secrets on how to thrive in a man's world, what keeps her going, and why she’s never had to write a CV in 30 years.

Sudip Ghose, MD, VIP Industries

Sudip Ghose has over two decades of experience in Sales & Marketing, where he successfully executed leadership roles across different spheres like strategic planning, brand marketing, and consumer behaviour, to name a few. Before joining VIP Industries, Sudip was at Samsonite, Onida, Whirlpool, Reliance Communications, and Bausch & Lomb.

In this freewheeling conversation, Sudip shares some precious lessons learned and skills developed from being a grassroots level marketer, going on to becoming an MD.

Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM

Touted as one of the most prominent faces in India’s advertising industry, Nandini Dias is currently the CEO of Lodestar UM, a leading marketing agency in the country. Nandini has the distinction of having launched over 400 brands in media and managed media investments for over 175 clients. She garnered her credentials as an influential businesswoman with the strategic acumen she developed in a well-orchestrated professional journey.

Tune in to the inside scoop of her leadership style and how she maintains a work-life balance.

Vinay Agrawal, CEO, Angel Broking

Coming from a traditional Marwari family, Vinay Agrawal dismissed the urge to join his well-established family business to become a Chartered Accountant. He joined Angel Broking in 2000, as a Consultant, and went on to set-up their ‘Equity Derivatives’ business segment, which today contributes more than 50% of the company’s overall revenue. As CEO, Angel Broking, Vinay is someone who owns his failures with grace and his quest for learning is admirable. He shares his journey and learnings in this candid conversation.

Rajesh Ramakrishnan, MD, Perfetti Van Melle India

An accomplished leader, passionate photographer, and fervent mountaineer, Rajesh Ramakrishnan, MD of Perfetti Van Melle India has a charisma of his own. A career spanning 26 years, that started with Reckitt Benckiser followed by successful stints with Marico, Pepsico, Apollo Tyres, and Hindustan Times, before transitioning into the role of MD Perfetti Van Melle, Bangladesh. His story of becoming MD and how he coped with it, is captivating. Tune in as Rajesh gets candid with some personal learnings and exciting experiences.

Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO Edelweiss Asset Management

At 36, she is India’s only woman-head of a major asset manager. As MD & CEO Edelweiss Asset Management, Radhika set up India’s first domestic hedge fund with a fierce ambition to grow it from (current) $4 billion to more than $40 billion by 2025. Radhika opens up about moving forward quickly and not looking back, building a team to share the vulnerabilities, and cover off areas of weakness, her mantras for happiness, and staying energized illustrated through heartwarming anecdotes.

Salil Murthy, MD, General Mills, India & South East Asia

Salil Murthy’s flourishing career has seen him in key leadership roles across diverse countries and regions namely India, China, and Southeast Asia, with P&G and General Mills. His profound experience of 18 years in FMCG marketing and sales, has honed him for his current role at General Mills. In this episode, Salil shares his views on leadership characteristics that revolve around absolute integrity, staying centered, culture as a reference point, and many others.

Megha Tata, MD, Discovery Communications India

Megha Tata, has spent 28 years in the Media and Entertainment Industry. Her successful track record with Star India and Turner International, along with a multitude of awards and recognitions has cemented her position as one of the most powerful women in media. Today, she continues to break every possible stereotype in leading a large media company like Discovery. Her humble upbringing is in some ways responsible for shaping her as an incredibly determined individual. Tune into her extraordinary journey.

Debjani Ghosh - President, NASSCOM

In this episode, we chat with a fiery woman leader who is a veteran in the technology industry. In her first job interview with Intel, she was bold enough to pledge to head the company in India and achieved that sooner than she thought. She is passionate about the use of technology to make an impact on people's lives. She was felicitated by the President of India under the auspices of the ‘First Ladies’ program, just one of her many accolades. The pivotal life stories that define her success are more than enthralling. Catch the first woman president of NASSCOM India sharing some golden rules of success and tips for people aspiring for her job.

Ashutosh Gupta, Country Manager, LinkedIn India

Ashutosh Gupta is a seasoned leader, an incisive decision-maker with incredibly deep market expertise. He has built a successful career with over 20 years of experience in the IT & Software Services Industry, starting with Infosys, then Cognizant and Google. Currently, Country Manager of LinkedIn India, his startling clarity in life led him to make many unconventional yet successful career pivots. Tune in to Ashutosh sharing his story, why culture is the bedrock of a winning organization, and leading with compassion.

Paul Dupuis, MD & CEO, Randstad India

For Paul Dupuis, adventure is at the core of his existence. He made a pilgrimage to Japan, spending his first night on a park bench. Little did he know this would turn into a lifelong adventure. From backpacker to senior leader on the global stage, Paul has over 25 years of professional experience across Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, and now India, as Randstad India’s CEO & MD. He has authored a definitive book on leadership, The E5 Movement. For Paul, when the ‘why’ is clear, the ‘how’ is easy. Tune in as he draws from experiences in global leadership, mantras that define him, and why people with the right values matter.

Mainak Dhar, MD & CEO, Kimberly-Clark, India & South Asia

Mainak Dhar, has spent almost three decades thriving as a successful business leader across diverse markets and geographies. Mainak started his career with Procter & Gamble, spending almost 18 years there before joining General Mills India as Managing Director. Today Mainak is Managing Director & CEO at Kimberly-Clark India & South Asia. A proficient business leader by day and best-selling author by night (17 to his name), he is someone who believes ideas can transcend many boundaries. He also firmly believes de-cluttering is essential to focus on what matters, not all conflict is bad and average leaders provide feedback on the ‘how’ while he believes in the ‘why’. Tune in to more leadership insights!

Mukund Vasudevan, Managing Director, Ecolab

With over 25 years of successful leadership stints at various national and international organisations, Mukund Vasudevan believes every day at work should be treated as the first day at work. Currently, the MD of Ecolab Inc, a Fortune 500 company, and the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, Mukund previously worked for Pentair, McKinsey, and Schlumberger. In this episode, he shares learnings from his professional journey, his passion and commitment to water conservation, the importance of the culture of communication, the power of listening, and his unique way of taking notes.

Shiv Shivakumar, Group Exec. President - Corporate Strategy & Business Development, Aditya Birla Group

Shiv Shivakumar is one of India’s most well-known business leaders and leading management thinkers. Currently, the Group Executive President, Corporate Strategy & Business Development, at Aditya Birla Group, Shiv is an icon in the business world, having held top positions at Philips, Nokia and PepsiCo. He is a passionate writer and voracious reader, who goes to extraordinary lengths to stay connected with the people he leads. Tune in to this episode as he speaks candidly about how to get along with a bad boss and offers guidance on cultivating the ability to lead people with authenticity, integrity, and consistency.

Sarbvir Singh CEO, Policybazaar.com

Sarbvir Singh heads Policybazaar.com, and puts stock in hard work over everything else. Having had a very successful run as a venture capitalist with investments in BookMyShow, Yatra, and Webchutney, he is a strategic thinker known for spotting early wins. He has also held senior leadership positions in Capital18, JP Morgan, Citigroup and Emerson Electric. Tune into this episode to hear him share his tips on leadership and excellence at the workplace.

Alok Ranjan, CEO, Flipcarbon Integrated Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Alok Ranjan had a stellar career in the HR industry before becoming the CEO of Flipcarbon. His career started with Shaw Wallace, followed by a successful stint with SAB Miller as HR Director, a position he rose into quite rapidly. Next he joined ABI (Anheuser-Busch-InBev) India as their People Director. With 21 years under his belt, Alok is recognized as an extraordinary HR leader. Tune in to Alok speaking about aligning purpose and the importance of loving what you do and doing what you love.

Sridhar Balakrishnan, MD & CEO at ACC Limited

Sridhar Balakrishnan has had a stellar career graph with many successful stints across geographies and diverse industries including construction product, media and FMCG. He started his career with Marico as an Area Sales Manager and scaled his way up to the role of COO. In his professional journey, he has been responsible for driving innovation lead growth, turn around unprofitable units, and build new engines of growth. His 22 years of experience in consumer business attribute to his unique leadership style of culture building and strategy making. Tune in to this episode as he simplifies life lessons.

Damodar Mall, CEO, Grocery Retail, Reliance

In this episode, we chat with a CEO who rightly calls himself 'Supermarketwala'. His outstanding career journey began with a supermarket chain in 1999-2000, which has since expanded into the multi-store D-Mart chain in western India. He has also been instrumental in shaping Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar models for the Future Group. Retail and consumer behavior are his strengths, he currently heads Reliance Retail as a CEO. A business graduate from IIM, Bangalore where he won a gold medal in marketing, he is someone with an unconventional leadership style. The wit with which he delivers his wisdom is unmissable. Tune into his amazing journey as he shares his golden nuggets.

Umesh Revankar, VC & MD, Shriram Transport Finance

Umesh Revankar is the epitome of perseverance, patience and hard work. His career spanning over 30 years has been with one company - Shriram Transport Group. He joined as an executive trainee in 1987, steadily rising to the position of VC and MD. He believes in positively impacting people with his unique leadership style. He has led many unconventional changes within operations, particularly around customer service. Tune into his story from his career path of three decades.

Rajit Mehta, CEO & MD, Antara Senior Living

Rajit Mehta started his career with HCL Technologies as HR Manager, subsequently building his career up to CEO at Max Life Insurance. He describes his journey to be full of 'sweat and serendipity'. He outperformed his own goals by becoming a VP HR at the age of 32 when he only aimed to be a GM at the age of 30. He has spent over two decades with Max Life Insurance playing an instrumental role in shaping the growth of the company. A devoted leader, who likes to put business first before everything, Rajit chats with us about his unique approach to learning, leadership, conflict management and staying inspired.

Suresh Raina, Partner, Hunt Partners

In this special episode, we chat with CEO-maker, Suresh Raina, Partner at Hunt Partners, a leading talent management company. Finding the right match between companies and a CEO has been his raison d'être for over a decade. This endows him with stirring insights on what makes a good CEO. With 30 years of global experience in cross-functional roles across industries, Suresh shares golden nuggets for aspiring CXOs, covering key areas - leadership, culture, conflict management, and failure. Tune in!

Anil Kumar Jain - CEO, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)

Motivated to serve the country, Anil Kumar Jain charted his career path to the Government of India. An engineer by training and profession, he has spent 36 glorious years making his mark in the telecom industry. Hailing from a humble background he has truly scaled the peak by passionately fulfilling leadership positions at BSNL, MTNL and the Department of Telecommunications, India. Currently, the CEO of the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), Anil aims to make the best internet services accessible and affordable for every individual in the country. His life story is nothing but enthralling. Tune into this freewheeling, inspirational conversation as he shares golden nuggets on leadership, culture building, serving the nation and more.

Prabhjeet Singh - President, Uber India & South Asia

He calls himself an ingenious professional entrepreneur. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM-A, Prabhjeet Singh joined Uber in 2015 and has been instrumental in scaling the profitability of the company. Prior to Uber, he spent close to a decade at McKinsey which he believes proved to be a key building block in the elevation of his professional journey. An innovative and strategic leader tune in as Prabhjeet shares the fascinating story of how he landed the job at Uber, his unique approach to conflict resolution, and work-life balance. Prabhjeet also lets you in on invaluable secrets of building an entrepreneur-driven culture within an organisation.

Sameer Garde, President, Cisco India & SAARC

Having worked for some of India's most illustrious companies like Nestle, Pepsi, Whirlpool and Dell, his success is an attestation to his career trajectory. However that's not all, he has also had some stints at startups and ran a consultancy of his own. Currently, the President at Cisco India and SAARC Sameer believes every workplace has had an immense contribution to making him the leader he is right now. Tune in as he chats about culture building, ambition, conflict resolution and his interesting take on competition

Sucheta Mahapatra, Managing Director, Branch International

A big believer in grit and resilience, Sucheta Mahapatra is someone who does not abide by the corporate definitions of 'success'. She believes her highly successful career trajectory is an outcome of hard work, gratitude and a bit of luck. With over 15 years of experience across companies like WeWork, Airtel, and Bain, Sucheta is touted as one of the prominent leaders in the tech industry in the country. Her process of powering through work by prioritising according to her daily fulfilling goals is a golden nugget. She shares her insights on the process of hiring, continuous learning, building culture and more.

Alok Bansal, MD & CEO, BFSI Business, Visionet Systems

Alok Bansal's career trajectory testifies to the fact that clarity and planning lead to success. An IIT Bombay and Havard Business School alumnus, Alok is someone who believes in creating tech-driven solutions to solve complex problems. He started his career with Reliance and has held leadership positions in IT firms like Altisource and XL Dynamics. With more than two decades of experience in developing businesses by leading strategy management, financial services, and global BPM operations Alok is someone who has mastered a unique leadership approach. We chat with him about his journey from being a chemical engineer to leading a software company, his hiring philosophy, entrepreneurial culture and more.

Raghav Gupta, MD, India & APAC, Coursera

A lifelong learner, Raghav is an engineer who has also pursued Business of Fashion at NIFT Delhi and an MBA from INSEAD, more recently. Raghav believes in the 'done is better than perfect' philosophy and attributes his career successes to hard work and luck. Having made a mark in three distinct industries - apparel manufacturing, management consulting and consumer technology - he is now MD at Coursera enabling a new generation of learners. Hear him trace his journey from engineering to INSEAD to Country Manager at BlaBla car to Coursera as he shares insights on leadership, processes, entrepreneurial culture and more.

Harsh Mariwala,Founder & Chairman,Marico Ltd.

Harsh Mariwala, Founder and Chairman of Marico Ltd. is a business leader like no other. With a career spanning 3 decades and having overseen the growth of numerous much-loved household Indian brands like Parachute, Saffola, Livon and Kaya just to name a few,his journey has stories that can fill an entire book. On this special episode, he gives listeners a glimpse into his role, and shares candidly his hits and misses and life lessons with host Deepali Nair, on this episode, which also marks one year of the show!
Popularly known as the CEO of CEOS, Harsh truly has a completely grounded perspective on life and disarming honesty, we rarely witness. Parachuting his way into the lives of so many people he also discusses his newly released book that he co-authored - 'Harsh Realities’ and the principles and values that have carried him to being who and where he is today.