 "Rohan Murty")
That the bulk of India's population is young (between the ages of 15 and 34) is a well-documented fact. That many of them are ambitious and raring to go is also known. Besides leaving their imprint in many other spheres including academics, culture and the arts, India's youngsters have not left India Inc untouched either. Workforces in many organisations are getting younger, and leaders at the helm of many companies are below the age of 35.
What is also interesting to note is that there is no dearth of managerial talent in the 15-34 age-group. A new bunch of CEOs is emerging with amazing regularity in India, some of whom have quickly moved up the ranks in their organisations, or are opting to start and lead their own companies. We look at a few young CEOs who have emerged on the corporate firmament over the past year.
CONSENSUS BUILDER
Anand Piramal
Executive director, Piramal Realty
He's the son of billionaire businessman Ajay Piramal, but he doesn't let the proverbial silver spoon get in his way when dealing with people. Twentynine-year-old Anand Piramal, executive director, Piramal Realty, who began managing his father's real estate interests two years ago, is a consensus builder. He's also an astute businessman like his father, despite lacking the depth of experience of the latter, who was handed over the reins of the Piramal Group in 1984, following the demise of both his father and his elder brother Ashok in quick succession.
"Anand has inherited the quality of listening to everybody from his father. But unlike his father who is a quick decision maker, Anand takes time in deciding things," says a senior executive who has worked with him.
But that in no way means that Piramal Junior has no vision at all. Quite the contary. Ajay Piramal is said to be counting on the real estate business as the group's next pillar of growth. Piramal Realty, which has 12 million square feet under development in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, and investments of over $600 million (nearly Rs 4,000 crore), is expected to be at the centre of this. Among its 14 ongoing projects in Mumbai, one is a premium residential project on a seven-acre plot that Piramal Realty bought from the Mafatlal group for Rs 605 crore a few years ago.
The Harvard-educated Anand, who does not hesitate to have food with the group's drivers and, like his father, is involved in philanthropic activities, has his hands full. "He has long-term vision like his father. But the biggest task before him is to stand as tall as his father," says an insider.
SURE-FOOTED ACHIEVER
CEO, Tata Starbucks Ltd
The manner in which 34-year-old Avani Saglani Davda has steered Tata Starbucks over the past year and more has left many spellbound. While Starbucks, at over 17,000 stores internationally, remains the world's largest coffee house brand, the fact that it was a late entrant in India was not lost on friends and foes.
Davda cleverly used what appeared as a clear disadvantage to her advantage. She has, according to retail industry sources, mounted one of the fastest expansion plans a retail brand has seen in the country in the last few years. In the span of 14 months (between the launch of the first Starbucks outlet in Mumbai on October 21, 2012 and December 31, 2013), 33 stores have come up in three cities - Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore - which means the 50:50 joint venture company opened an average of two stores per month in 2013.
Davda, a Tata Administrative Services (TAS) officer, who joined the group in 2002, was marked out by the erstwhile vice-chairman of Tata Global Beverages, R K Krishnakumar, as an achiever early on in her career. What she brings to the table, say persons in the know, is hard-crore sales and marketing experience backed by general management skills with a good understanding of consumer brands - qualities that help her in running the JV.
Despite being the youngest CEO in the Tata universe, she remains down-to-earth and approachable, attributes that help her carry the weight of expectations of the two partners. Into the second year of its operation, Tata Starbucks will be expected to move even faster and launch stores in newer cities. Given the speed with which Davda has moved in year one, that should not be a tough call for her.
SOUNDING BOARD FOR DAD
Executive assistant to Infosys co-founder and executive chairman, N R Narayana Murthy
His academic record and humility are the first things that strike you when meeting 30-year-old Rohan Murty, son of Infosys' co-founder and executive chairman, N R Narayana Murthy. Unlike scions of other business families, who were cheered when they stepped into their fathers' shoes, Rohan became the epicentre of speculation and criticism when NRN announced he would bring his son, a Harvard Junior Fellow, along in his second innings at Infosys.
Even as Murthy stressed that Rohan would work only as his executive assistant in his office and that their appointments were 'co-terminus', many observers contested Rohan's merits to be at the company in any senior role. Six months after his appointment at the country's second largest IT services firm, much of that frenzy appears to have died down. Rohan's calm demeanor and conduct appears to have worked in his favour.
"Rohan is more like a go-to-man for his father at Infosys," a source close to the company said. "When Murthy started out in the 1980s, he had a team of people like Nandan Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan, S D Shibulal, etc., who worked with him. But in his second innings at Infosys, he did not have many confidants. Thus he brought Rohan along, as it would give Murthy the comfort of having someone to turn to in times of need."
The PhD in computer science from Harvard is believed to have strengthened the culture of interacting with employees and having open houses at Infosys. Interestingly, Rohan has not limited himself to managing Murthy's office alone. He has been a part of client-facing activities, having travelled to crucial meetings with his father. For now, he seems to be cruising along quite comfortably.
