CONVICTION

"We were short on money,but we were long on hope"

In 1989,Infosys Technologies was on the brink of collapse after eight years in operation.Its joint venture with KSA had failed,one of its co-founder had quite and the company had suffered a huge loss.But Narayan Murthy bore on with the belief that things would change for the better.Under his leadership,the other parters came together with renewed strength and built one of India's Largest software companies.

INTEGRITY

"Question the unquestionable"


Despite being born into one of India's richest families,Ratan Tata(chairman,Tata Group)began his career by working in the furnaces with other workers at Tata steel.Over 50 years,he transformed the ultraconservative image of the Tata Group into a dynamic business enterprise. Whether it is in taking TCS public,its various international acquisitions or in creating the world's first Rs.1 Lakh car,every undertaking of the Tata Group is backed by the core values of ethics,fairness and honesty.

COURAGE

"Thing Big.Think Fast.Think Ahead.Ideas are no one's monopoly"


Breaking through the domination of business houses,Dhirubhai Ambani(Founder Reliance Group) built Reliance India from scratch to make it the first Forbes 500 Indian company.Reliance became India's Largest private sector company and crated an 'equity cult'among millions of Indian retail investors in a market dominated by financial institutions.His entrepreneurial spirit powered growth from petrochemicals,textiles,IT,telecom,energy and power to retail,infrastructure services and capital markets.

INNOVATION

"We need multiple engines of growth through existing and new business."


Harsh Mariwala(Chairman & MD,Marico) led the transformation of a traditional family-run commodity-driven business into one of India's leading FMCG companies spread across 25 countries.A firm believer in constant change,his "uncommon sense" at Marico pioneered several innovations,Parachute changed the packaging of coconut oil from tind into consumer-friendly bottles,Saffola took heart care to the edible oil category and Kaya Skin Clinics presented a successful diversification into the beauty service sector

DISCIPLINE

"The company is run to deliver long-term and short-term goals,not with view of the stock price."


Financial discipline is at the core of Azim Premji's(Chairman & MD,Wipro) leadership philosophy at wipro.Taking the reins of his father's vegetable oil business at 21,he built Wipro into one of the world's most successful IT outsourcing companies,that focuses on long-term plans without worrying about pleasing share holders every quarter.Despite being one of the richest men,he drives a 1996 car travels economy and demands employees switch off light when leaving their offices.

PROGRESSIVE

"None of this(policy changes)made me very popular but i thought it needed to be done."
The AV Birla Group conventionally had a "womb-to-tomb"policy with employees rarely retiring and the next generation having guaranteed jobs.On taking charge as Chairman in 1995,Kumar Mangalam Birla instituted a policy that vetted all applications from the family members of the existing employees.This renaissance led to a meritocratic environment,where more deserving and younger members could grow,making the Aditya Birla Group a world-class organisation.

SELF-BELIEF

"Okay,let's start developing our own molecules..."


When Kiran Mazumdar - shaw(Chairman & MD,Biocon India) started Biocon India in 1978,she faced scepticism with employees reluctant to work for a woman,Banks Hesitant to invest to biotechnology and vendors refusing to do business unless a male manager was hired.Over the next 25 years,her self-confidence transformed Biocon India from a generic pharmaceutical company into Asia's biggest biotech company... and Kiran Mazumdar-shaw into India's richest woman.

LEADERSHIP

 "The greatest test for leadership often comes during times of crises."



Known as a tough task master in HDFC,yet always accessible and helpful,Deepak Parekh (Chairman,HDFC)  has the knack of retaining his best people - hardly anybody from the company's senior management Director,GM or deputy GM,has left the organisation in the last 11 years.Becoming an informal crisis manager to the government,he has helped shape various policies with creative alternate inputs.

VERSATILE

"Our managerial excellence means we can succeed in any sector,anywhere."


Anand Mahindra (Vice Chairman & MD - Mahindra and Mahindra) took an unconventional route to his family business,studying architecture in Mumbai and film and photography at Harvard.Under his management,M&M became a multinational automobile giant with the Scorpio,and successfully diversified into steel production,financial management and IT.He is an avid photographer,football fan and the most articulate business tycoon on twitter.

VISION

      "Sustainability is an integral part of our business.It's in our enlightened self-interest."      

Since 1996 YC Deveshwar (Chairman & CEO,ITC) has built on his vision of growing with the Indian economy,long before it became a trend.His sustainability philosophy has since created several unique business models;the "e-Choupal"imitative,an IT-enable rural IT network that transformed rural economics for farmers across India,the first rural mall at Sehore,a successful foray into new growth areas like Retail and Distribution,and manufacture of branded FMCG goods including foods and garments.                                  

FOCUS

    "Being in touch with reality is an imperative leadership quality"

In 1996,amidst an economic slowdown,Anu Aga(Director,Thermax Group) took over as the executive chairperson of the Thermax Group.She dramatically reconstituted the board and brought a fresh new perspective in the Male-dominated engineering segment.Bringing in an external consultant,she focused on the organisation's core strength"engineering"and shed its multiple investments in areas like software and drinking water,making it a leading player in the energy and environment solutions space.

FORESIGHT

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

         "I personally belive India's time has come"

In 1992,when the Indian goverment had awarded licences for mobile phone services for the first time,Sunil Mittal had lost most of the telecom licence bids to HCL.Predicting a shakeout,Sunil Mittal had held on and made a substantial war chest ready for the right opportunity.When the meltdown actually happened in the mid-90s,he swooped down and bought licences from a host of ailing operators.Today,Bharti-Airtel is India's Largest GSM - Based mobile phone service provider.