"Truly stressful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking"
– Malcolm Gladwell –

Career

After my post-graduation in management I started my career with Hindustan Lever (now Hindustan Unilever Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of Unilever PLC), as management trainee. Later I undertook several national level responsibilities in sales, marketing, and customer service in other firms. I worked as the Chief Executive Officer of BPL Telecom Ltd — a telecom engineering, manufacturing and networking company — before setting up my consulting practice.

I had the opportunity to work in leading multinational, international and Indian companies and to hold senior and top management positions. I was able to build strong alliances with several world majors: NEC, Scientific-Atlanta, Mannesman, and Carl Schenck among others. Strong conceptual skills and focus on execution have helped me turn around loss-making businesses, revitalise old ones and create new streams of revenue.

Over 35 years of experience and the opportunity to work in diverse industries — FMCG, packaging, paints, capital equipment, hospitality and leisure, automobiles and telecommunications — has helped me develop breadth of perspective and a unique world view.

Knowledge and thought are, I believe, the fountainheads of effective action. That is why I enjoy teaching.  I teach an elective course titled Strategic Thinking to post graduate classes in the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Bangalore, the top two business schools in India.  I have taught the core Strategic Management course In Mudra Institute of Communication Ahmedabad (MICA) and Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) Bangalore, both premier business schools in India. Teaching helps me learn and keeps me young.

Besides teaching, I write regularly on management and am often invited to speak.  I have addressed audiences and conducted workshops for Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM is the premier organisation that represents and sets the tone for public policy for the Indian software industry) and management associations of Bangalore (BMA), Madras (MMA) and Hyderabad (HMA).

My strengths, expertise if you will, are in the following areas.

Competitive or Business strategy, creation and sustenance of competitive advantage.

Strategic marketing, especially segmentation, targeting and positioning consistent with the firm’s business strategy.

Strategic or goal directed thinking. To facilitate the learning and use of ideas and tools that enable managers to think clearly and effectively. To enable them to identify and avoid cognitive biases that lead to decision failures and disasters.

Strategic and entrepreneurial leadership. To groom leaders into strategists with an entrepreneurial bent of mind.