Newsmaker: Asim Ghosh

In control at the top

Some years back Asim Ghosh joked that most of his income went into supporting his sons' education. Financing two sons in pricey England would strain the pockets of most Indian fathers "" perhaps even that of Ghosh, reputed to be the among the best paid telecom bosses in the country.

Those sons "" one a physicist, the other a physician "" have since graduated and are probably no longer a drain on his bank balance.

But the latest twist in Ghosh's fascinating career means money should be the least of his problems. Vodafone is known to pay top dollar salaries to its executives, and Arun Sarin's very visible, public and enthusiastic vote for Ghosh, 59, to be the new chief executive of the Vodafone-Essar entity, will probably come accompanied by a hefty raise.

It is not as if his is a rags-to-riches story "" he comes from an illustrious Kolkata family, has studied abroad and worked in multinational companies like Pepsi.

It is equally true that there is probably no other professional in corporate India who has made the kind of money that Ghosh has. Not that anyone grudges him that. He has built Hutch-Essar into a high-value, premium mobile service, with the best advertising and the highest paying consumers.

Ghosh, true to his low key yet extremely elegant manner (he wears the best suits in India, complete with a silk kerchief), is all grace and poise in the face of his new responsibility. Having managed Hutchison Essar all these years, a complex holding structure fraught with many implications, Ghosh has retained his calm demeanour throughout.

To journalists, Ghosh is polite, sometimes testy, in his responses. This is one CEO who never indulges in idle gossip. Scratch him hard and he will hold his brief, except on occasions like earlier this week when journos sought to know the nature of his holding in Hutchison Essar.

His pithy riposte: "Do I ask you about the mortgage on your house and how you have funded it?"

That sharp comment sums up his public dealings "" he will discuss things that are only relevant and bristles if the questions go too far. However, he does speak his mind in eloquent words that say it straight and sure. Some, especially in the industry and babudom, hold that against him.

Says an acquaintance: "He is the best in the business, very suave in running the company. In contrast, his handling of the external environment is not too good. He is the sort who finds it difficult to handle babus, rapacious politicians and aggressive journalists. They, in turn, don't like his kerchief."

In surviving a brutally competitive industry and a complex shareholding structure (one that has attracted the attention of the government more than once), Ghosh has been lucky in the company he has kept.

"He allied himself with the right people at the right time "" like Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Sunil Mittal. In that sense, Ghosh is a shrewd and canny businessman," says another acquaintance.

Ghosh remains unruffled and on top of things as ever. Amidst the media frenzy over the Vodafone deal, all he wished for, he said, was to "find more time to play golf".