Best business moment?
Signing global agreements with Vodafone and Telefonica in London and Madrid
Favourite TV show?
I don’t watch TV!! Does the Pakistan-India match count?
Books on your bedside?
Fountainhead — Ayn Rand
Midnight’s Children — Salman Rushdie
Our Kind of Traitor — John Le Carré
What’s your cologne?
Comme Des Garcons
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You get your suits from?
Barneys, New York
What’s your shaving mantra?
Geo F Trumper
Penhaligons
Who’s your favourite shoemaker?
Berlutti
What’s your weekday breakfast like? And weekend?
Weekday — fruit and oatmeal
Weekend — idli or scrambled eggs
Your current set of wheels?
BMW 7 Series
In the car is it sleep or cell for you?
Cell for urgent calls, else music on iPhone and eyes shut
Favourite champagne?
Bollinger
Your sleeping ritual?
Read good book, in bed by 10 pm
Massage or workout to de-stress?
Neither, go out sailing
Designs that have caught your eye recently?
Japanese shoes
French suspenders
Your IT tools?
iPhone, IBM laptop
Favourite fashion designer?
Sorry, not really into brands
Favourite spirit?
Single malt scotch or Grey Goose vodka
Belgian beers
Favourite wine?
Merlots
Best gift received?
24-volume set of Asterix comics
Best gift given?
State-of-the-art computer lab for kids to two schools
Favourite cuisine?
Mexican, but the non-Indian variety
What food items do you like to shop for? Why?
Cheeses, because they have such variety and subtle variations to choose from!
Newspaper/TV channels and websites you prefer?
I’m not really a big consumer of the media
Where do you like to sit when being driven? Up front with driver or back seat like sahib?
Up front
On a plane do you prefer to network, sleep or catch up on films and reading?
Sleep or read, no more networking please!
Fancy coffee or masala tea?
Coffee
Can you cook? What?
Rice, akuri — that’s it unfortunately!
Do you fill customer feedback forms? Why?
Yes, unless I feel convinced that there will be no action taken
Are you a beach or mountain person?
Water and mountains, no beach
God for you is...
Justice, sensitivity and care for others, straight talking
Favourite café?
Theobroma, Colaba Causeway
Favourite restaurant?
India Jones
Workday lunch is...
Soup, fruits, uttapam or thali at nearby restaurant.
What’s your workout regime?
Swimming, home exercise bike, early morning walk with my dog
Your ideal holiday?
Badruts Hotel in St Moritz in December
Maldives resort, Chill Out
Trans-Siberian railway trip
At parties do you like to talk turkey or PC?
Turkey
A few of your goddesses are?
Don’t worship any goddesses really, of any kind, to be frank
Alpha males you know?
Phaneesh Murthy (iGate)
Luis Miguel Gilprez (Telefonica)
Your favourite motto?
Write history, don’t read it
Arvind Rao, CEO and Co-founder, OnMobile Systems