Knowledge@Wharton -- Leadership and Change

M. Damodaran, Former SEBI Chairman: 'The Courage of Conviction Is More Evident Today'

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:25:50 EST

M. Damodaran, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, sees at least two major positive trends for Indian business. One is a push for better corporate governance, such as the inclusion of more independent directors on boards and stronger auditing standards. Another is the fact that, unlike previous generations, India's younger entrepreneurs "don't shy away from asking the tough questions" and are willing to ride out failure in order to succeed. In an interview with Wharton management professors Jitendra Singh and Harbir Singh, coauthors of the book The India Way: How India's Top Business Leaders Are Revolutionizing Management, Damodaran spoke about what he envisions for India's business future.

New 'Right-hand Men': The Growing Role of Women in Indian Family Business

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:27:06 EST

Women have always been powerful forces in Indian politics. When it comes to business, however, they have had little opportunity -- often regarded as marriageable assets, useful for tying up business alliances. But forces such as globalization, liberalization and a growing emphasis on education have enabled women to move away from peripheral roles and, in many cases, take over the reins of the company. According to experts, this trend is altering the paradigms for everything from succession planning and inheritance to what constitutes "entry level" work for the offspring of family business heads.

ISB Founding Dean Pramath Sinha: 'Over the Years, I Have Become a Student of Leadership'

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:13:41 EST

According to Pramath Sinha, founding dean of the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB), the single biggest challenge in starting a business school in India was "building a great reputation in a short period of time." So far, the gamble has paid off: In 2008, ISB became the first Indian institution to be included by the Financial Times in its global ranking of the top 20 business schools -- only seven years after the school was launched. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Sinha answers questions about the genesis of ISB, what it takes to lead different kinds of organizations, and -- in keeping with his latest venture as founder of 9.9 Media -- where he thinks the media industry in India is headed.

Cricket Legend Sunil Gavaskar: 'The Biggest Challenge Is to Get the Team to Believe in Itself'

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:59:43 EST

According to Sunil Gavaskar, former cricket captain for Team India, success in any vocation requires Three Ds: discipline, which is more mental than physical; dedication to hours of practice; and determination -- because, as Gavaskar says, during the time when he was playing the game, "cricket wasn't a career option." Today, of course, that last part has changed, with top players earning millions of dollars and corporate sponsors lining up to pay them. At the recent Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia, Gavaskar spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton about his career, how the business side of cricket has changed, and what he has learned about teamwork and leadership along the way.

Incoming ICICI Chief Chanda Kochhar Sees Promise for India, Hope for Banks

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:12:09 EST

In the February 27 edition, India Knowledge@Wharton published an interview that Michael Useem, director of the Leadership and Change Center at Wharton, conducted with K. V. Kamath, CEO of ICICI, India's largest private bank. In this companion interview, Useem speaks with Chanda Kochhar, who will replace Kamath as ICICI's CEO on May 1. Both conversations took place during the recent World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Kochhar is a keynote speaker at the Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia on March 21.

ICICI's K.V. Kamath Believes Falling Prices Can Drive Growth - Even in a Downturn

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:59:53 EST

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which ended February 1, Wharton management professor Michael Useem interviewed K.V. Kamath, who has served for more than a decade as chief executive of ICICI Bank, the largest private bank in India and a major player in the Indian economy and beyond. Discussion centered on the decision to name Chanda Kochhar as ICICI's new CEO, the crisis facing U.S. banks and the current business climate in India, among other topics.

Why Sutherland Global Succeeds: An Interview With CEO Dilip Vellodi

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:52:37 EST

Sutherland Global Services was involved in business process outsourcing long before the term became widely known. Headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., Sutherland Global has 22,000 employees and operations in seven countries, including India, the Philippines, Canada, Mexico and Bulgaria. India Knowledge@Wharton and Ravi Aron, a senior fellow at Wharton's Mack Center for Emerging Technologies, spoke with Dilip R. Vellodi, CEO of Sutherland Global Services, about the company's business model and its future.

HCL's Vineet Nayar: 'We Are Stepping on the Accelerator'

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:08:52 EST

As the global economy slows down, demand for the services of Indian IT firms should shrink. But for Vineet Nayar, CEO of New Delhi-based HCL Technologies, one of India's largest IT firms, the slowdown does not signal a need to "step on the brakes." Instead, Nayar believes the way out of the recession lies in aggressively increasing investment, opening new offices and offering new services. "At HCL, we are stepping on the accelerator," he told India Knowledge@Wharton in an interview at the HCL Global Meet in Florida in mid-November.

Infosys CEO S. Gopalakrishnan: Lessons on Building a 'Globally Respected Corporation'

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:00:38 EST

In 1981, seven young entrepreneurs in Mumbai set out to create a global corporation from scratch. The company they founded, Bangalore-based Infosys Technologies, has become a US$4 billion information technology powerhouse, with more than 100,000 employees. "We focused on building a world-class company," said S. "Kris" Gopalakrishnan during a recent Wharton Leadership Lecture. Gopalakrishnan described what it took for him and his six co-founders to see their vision through, and how Infosys envisions its future in the IT sector.

Infosys: Wanting to Be a 'Transformation Partner' While Undergoing Its Own Transformation

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:37:58 EST

Infosys Technologies, which recently passed the milestone of earning $1 billion in profits, has set its sights on becoming what chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy calls a "trusted transformation partner" for its customers. Meanwhile, the company is also going through its own transformation, as demonstrated by its recent acquisition of Britain's Axon Group. India Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Infosys executives and industry experts to explore how the company plans to rise to its next level of growth.

AppLabs' Mak Teje: 'Software Today Is Intertwined with Every Business Process'

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:37:58 EST

In April, when Makarand (Mak) Teje became CEO of AppLabs, the world's largest independent software testing and quality management firm, his priorities were clear: He wanted to strengthen client relationships in the U.S. and Europe. Teje also wanted to find ways to increase revenues from $67 million to $100 million. In a slowing global economy, what strategies will AppLabs adopt to reach its ambitious goals? Teje discussed that question and more in an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton.

After This Week's Victory, Will the Congress Government Press Ahead with Reforms?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:30:05 EST

On Tuesday, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a trust vote in Parliament by a surprisingly large margin, beating out the combined opposition by 19 votes. At stake was the future of a proposed nuclear deal with the U.S. The UPA has the legitimacy it needs to continue on with the agreement, yet the vote this week exposed continuing acrimony over this issue and raises serious questions for Singh's coalition government.

'The Power of Two': An Interview with Wipro Co-CEOs Girish Paranjpe and Suresh Vaswani

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:23:46 EST

Wipro, India's third-largest software services firm, announced in April the appointment of Girish Paranjpe and Suresh Vaswani as the company's co-CEOs. At the 2008 Wipro Mandala event (an annual meeting that brings together Wipro employees and clients), held in Miami last month, India Knowledge@Wharton and Ravi Aron, senior fellow at Wharton's Mack Center for Emerging Technologies, spoke with Paranjpe and Vaswani about the company's reorganization and their roles.

Wipro Chairman Azim Premji: 'The Next Challenge Is to Globalize Our Leadership Much More'

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:17:42 EST

Wipro, India's third-largest software services firm, announced in April the appointment of Girish Paranjpe and Suresh Vaswani as the company's co-CEOs. At the 2008 Wipro Mandala event (an annual meeting that brings together Wipro employees and clients), held in Miami last month, India Knowledge@Wharton and Ravi Aron, senior fellow at Wharton's Mack Center for Emerging Technologies, spoke with Wipro Chairman Azim Premji about the company's new leadership structure.

Team Leadership at Wipro: Are Two CEOs Better Than One?

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:42:14 EST

Indian technology giant Wipro has replaced former CEO Vivek Paul, who left in 2005, with two joint CEOs. Does such a two-headed command structure work? India Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and Co-CEOs Girish Paranjpe and Suresh Waswani -- as well as with experts from Wharton and elsewhere -- about the rationale underlying the new structure and its fit with Wipro's strategy.

GE India's T.P. Chopra: 'Our Ability to Win This Market Will Depend on Our Ability to Localize'

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:42:14 EST

One year ago, Tejpreet Singh ("T.P.") Chopra took the reins as General Electric's CEO in India. At the time, India Knowledge@Wharton interviewed Chopra at the company's office in New Delhi about his top priorities for GE India and the changing role of the Indian division in GE's global operations. On the eve of his first anniversary as CEO, India Knowledge@Wharton caught up with Chopra again -- this time at the Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia. According to Chopra, GE has seen a lot of changes over the past year, particularly in terms of its efforts to tailor its products to the Indian market.

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam: 'A Leader Should Know How to Manage Failure'

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:07:23 EST

APJ Abdul Kalam was among India's best-known scientists before he became the country's President. An alumnus of the Madras Institute of Technology, he worked for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) where he helped launch India's first satellites into orbit. Later, Kalam worked on developing missiles and other strategic weapons; he was widely regarded as a national hero for leading India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998. In 2002, Kalam was named the country's President, and he held that position until 2007. During the Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia, Kalam spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton about his career as a scientist, his vision for India's future, and the most important traits for leaders, among other issues.

ICICI's Chanda Kochhar: 'Whenever There's a Challenge, I See an Opportunity'

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:36:24 EST

When it was founded more than half a century ago, ICICI was envisioned as the first development bank for a newly independent nation. Today, ICICI is India's largest privately owned bank with assets of nearly $80 billion and an expanding global reach. The group's story is not just one of growth, but of transformation: ICICI has evolved from a development bank to become a corporate and then a retail bank, meeting the needs of a newly prosperous population. Chanda Kochhar has helped shape the bank's ever-evolving strategy. Having started out as a management trainee in 1984, today she is ICICI Bank's joint managing director and chief financial officer -- and is also widely regarded as a leading contender for the CEO's position in the future. Wharton management professor Michael Useem spoke with Kochhar last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos about the leadership challenges she has faced in her two decades as a banker.

Does Microfinance Need Regulators? Nobel Laureate Yunus Thinks So...

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:40:22 EST

Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and founder of Bangladesh-based Grameen Bank, was in the western Indian city of Pune last month to accept the first-ever Sakaal Person of the Year award. Instituted by the western India based Sakaal group of newspapers to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to society, the award recognized Yunus for his own pioneering work in microfinance as well as for inspiring others to enter the field. Speaking at the event -- and also in an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton -- Yunus pointed out that while microfinance in India has lots of growth potential, regulatory changes are required and an independent regulator needs to be set up to monitor cases of abuse. Microfinance in India is now a $2 billion business, but it could potentially grow to a size ranging from $10 billion to $30 billion.

Advice from Wharton Faculty for Citigroup's Pandit: Restore Confidence, Build Credibility

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:40:22 EST

When Vikram Pandit this week was named Citigroup's new CEO, he drew mixed reactions as an insider who may not be tough enough to deal with the banking behemoth's many woes. He should work to restore investor confidence by revisiting Citigroup's "financial services supermarket" vision and better aligning structure with strategy, according to Wharton faculty members who spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton.