Knowledge@Wharton -- Leadership and Change

Lyricist Javed Akhtar: The 'Inside Pressure' Changing India's Film Industry

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:00:11 EST

Javed Akhtar is an Urdu poet, film lyricist and scriptwriter. Together with former partner Salim Khan, he scripted several Bollywood hits such as Sholay, Zanjeer and Deewar. He has also written a large number of successful films on his own, in addition to being a respected social commentator and activist. Indian cinema is changing, he says in this interview with India Knowledge@Wharton. Globalization is playing a part, but a small one. The real pressures, he notes, are coming from the changes in Indian society and the target audience.

Film Personality Boman Irani: 'An Actor Has to Feel Unfulfilled'

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:06:00 EST

Film and theater actor Boman Irani was introduced to cinema at a very young age. But he took a meandering path to becoming an actor. His first job was working as a waiter. He then sold burritos at the family store, and later became a photographer. Getting into acting was almost an accident. Today, with more than 60 films under his belt including hits such as Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and 3 Idiots, Irani has also forayed into television. The problem with Indian cinema, he notes in this interview with Wharton professor Kartik Hosanagar, is that there is a lack of good scripts.

Leading Question: Can India Be the First 'Fallen Angel' to Fly Again?

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:58:32 EST

Over the past few months, one crisis after another has gripped India. The problems of coalition politics have paralyzed the reforms process. A campaign against rampant corruption in the government and bureaucracy has brought decision-making in New Delhi to a standstill. Standard & Poor’s, a rating agency, warns that India could become the first "fallen angel" among the BRICS countries. Dilip Gadkar, editor of Macro Viewpoints and CEO of G-Square Capital Management, a hedge fund advisory firm in New York, argues in this opinion piece that these problems are the result of populist politics combined with unsound economics – but India could bounce back faster than the pessimists fear.

Myanmar Is Opening Up and the World Is at Its Doors

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:41:51 EST

After 50 years of military rule in Myanmar, which began with a coup in 1962, there seems to be some movement towards democracy. In April this year, a limited general election saw the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi, win 43 of the 45 seats available to it. Reformist President Thein Sein, who has emerged from the same military junta, is keeping some of his promises. Liberalization seems inevitable. There are doubts about how long it will take and the route it will follow. But the world is headed for Yangon.

Mahindra Satyam�s C.P. Gurnani on Opportunity, Innovation and Uncertainty

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:14:57 EST

The environment for entrepreneurs in India is much changed since C.P. Gurnani, CEO of Mahindra Satyam, entered the workforce in the 1980s. Today, he says, there are myriad opportunities for those willing to deal with uncertainty. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Gurnani discussed his career trajectory, what he sees as a burgeoning environment for innovation in India and the challenge of integrating disgraced IT services company Satyam after Mahindra acquired it in 2009.

Wharton's Harbir Singh: How Indian Firms Can Take Advantage of Global Opportunities

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:45:31 EST

At an event held in Mumbai recently, Harbir Singh, co-director of Wharton's Mack Center for Technological Innovation, discussed what is needed for Indian businesses to compete in the global landscape. According to Singh, while many Indian companies have the potential to be world-class, complacency and a lack of diversity within organizations are areas of concern.

Deutsche Bank's Venkat Badinehal: 'India Is Now Considered a Real Global Player'

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:08:54 EST

When the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) was set up 15 years ago, the promise of the Indian economy was just beginning to show on the horizon. Among the firm believers in the country's potential was Venkat Badinehal, now a managing director with Deutsche Bank, who helped to found the Forum. At this year's WIEF, he was back with his vision for both India and the Forum. The country has experienced a significant transition period in the past decade-and-a-half, says Badinehal in this interview with India Knowledge@Wharton.

Foresight's Ravi Mehrotra on the Global Shipping Industry and Working Through a Revolution

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:09:12 EST

Ravi Kumar Mehrotra has lived and breathed shipping for more than four decades, working in India, Iran and now Europe. A first-generation entrepreneur, Mehrotra founded and manages the London-based shipping-to-retailing Foresight Group. He is perhaps the only foreigner to have worked closely with both Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (better known as the Shah of Iran) and Ayatollah Khomeini. Mehrotra currently divides his time between managing the business and lecturing at Cambridge and industry forums. He recently spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton about his career.

Narayana Murthy of Infosys Technologies: Putting the Institution above the Individual

Thu, 05 May 2011 14:48:27 EST

Infosys Technologies, India's iconic software firm, is in the midst of its biggest leadership change ever. Co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy will be stepping down as non-executive chairman and chief mentor on August 20 when he turns 65. In a conversation with India Knowledge@Wharton, Murthy talks about the company's leadership team, his new role as chairman emeritus and life after Infosys.

Bajaj Auto�s Rajiv Bajaj: 'We Must Adapt to the Market's Evolution'

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:29:28 EST

Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj had to live through a few rocky years as he reinvented the company, choosing to focus on motorcycles instead of the company's earlier mainstay, scooters. He had dozens of critics outside of the firm, and even his own board and colleagues had their doubts. Now, as Bajaj Auto is rapidly regaining market share, most of those voices have been silenced. New product launches and a foray into the four-wheeler space are next on the company's agenda. India Knowledge@Wharton recently interviewed Bajaj about where Bajaj Auto is headed.

Matt Barney of Infosys Technologies: Treating Every Leader 'Like an Olympic Gold Medalist'

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:22:21 EST

Infosys Technologies, an icon of the Indian IT industry, is moving towards a pivotal moment in its history: Chairman and chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy will be retiring later this year. Over the next five years, all of the company's remaining co-founders will also move on from their executive roles. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Matt Barney, vice-president and director of the Infosys Leadership Institute, talks about how the firm is preparing itself for this challenging next phase.

Gurcharan Das on Change in India and Lessons from the Mahabharata

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:24:29 EST

Best-selling Indian author and management consultant Gurcharan Das examines business from a perspective gleaned through his readings of the Mahabharata, the classic Indian epic. For example, the financial crisis, he says, was partly the result of human flaws which "enlightened regulation" could help to minimize. In addition to discussing the insight that the Mahabharata provides, Das spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton about the country's economic growth, and how it can overcome its nagging governance issues and excel in its competition with China.

VayuGrid Leverages the Power of Aggregation for Farm Prosperity

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:26:05 EST

Social entrepreneur Gerard Rego and his colleagues believe they have the silver bullet to end the woes of India's small farmers. Their for-profit firm, VayuGrid, promotes dry-land cultivation of oilseeds, pools thousands of farmers into a marketplace for discounts and spurs entrepreneurship. Its untried model, however, calls for impeccable project management and operational efficiency to succeed, India Knowledge@Wharton learns from participants and investors.

Aegis's Sandip Sen on BPO Strategies: Go Global and Span the Customer Lifecycle

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:30:05 EST

The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry has seen mixed effects from the recent economic downturn -- some big clients like Bear Stearns went belly up, while other companies started outsourcing to cut costs. But BPO firms must have a global presence and serve customers at multiple points in their business lifecycles, says Sandip Sen, president (Americas) and global chief marketing officer at Aegis, one of India's largest outsourcing services providers. Sen, the founder of call center firm Customer First Services, talked to India Knowledge@Wharton about his strategies for brand building and remaining competitive.

How 'Generation Next' is Moving Up the Corporate Ladder at India Inc.

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:54:12 EST

Young people at India's top family businesses are playing increasingly important roles in their companies. What sets them apart from the earlier generation of inheritors are their strong credentials: They have the right educational degrees, wide global exposure and, of course, the ambition to make it big. But experts warn that if they are to succeed, they also need the humility to appreciate the wisdom and guidance of older employees.

Tata Group, Infosys and Others: The 'Painful' but Necessary Succession Planning Process

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:02:39 EST

Group holding company Tata Sons has appointed a panel to find a successor for chairman Ratan Tata, who is retiring in December 2012. Another panel is working at Infosys to select a replacement for chairman and chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy. Will it be an insider or an outsider? Amid growing debate over how successors should be chosen, both companies say that all options are open. According to one Wharton faculty member, "If [these companies] care about ... the prosperity of the business, it is prudent to appoint the most competent and most capable people to run [them]."

Hero Motors� Pankaj Munjal: Going Global with a Passion for Wheels

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:39:02 EST

Cars and bikes are in Pankaj Munjal's blood -- his family founded the US$5 billion Hero Group, the New Delhi-based enterprise comprising 20 companies including the world's largest manufacturer of bicycles. As managing director of Hero Motors and Hero Cycles, Munjal oversees the company's two-wheeler production and its global auto components business. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, he spoke about why his firm is focused on the small-car market, what he looks for in new hires, and what toys he likes to take for a drive.

Tata Consultancy Services' Girija Pande: China and India Are on Different Roads to a Common Destiny

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:25:59 EST

Girija Pande, chairman of Tata Consultancy Services for the Asia Pacific region, knows both India and China well. In a conversation with Wharton management professor Jitendra Singh, he shares his thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of both countries, and the challenges facing their businesses and governments. China has perfected timely project execution while India scores in fostering innovation, but both face a shortage of skilled, global managers, he says.

Everstone's Roopa Purushothaman on India's Coming Urbanization Phase

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:56:36 EST

A resurgence of urbanization will be the next big wave in India's demographic dynamics, according to Roopa Purushothaman, who heads research at Mumbai-based Everstone Investment Advisors. Purushothaman, who analyzes spending, savings and other consumer patterns in India's urban centers, says that more women in the workforce and greater credit access are other trends that are likely to continue. She shared her insights with India Knowledge@Wharton at the Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia.

Wipro's Azim Premji: 'Ecology Is One of Our Big Bets for the Future'

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:16:04 EST

Wipro chairman Azim Premji believes that just as the past few decades have been the "Information Age," the next few decades will be the "Ecological Age." And just as he transformed Wipro from a small oil and soap business into a US$6 billion IT and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) powerhouse, Premji is now betting on ecology as the next big business opportunity for the group. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Premji talks about ecology as a social and business imperative, the vast opportunities that it holds, and Wipro's foray and plans in this space.