Ghoshal: IOC loses one of its own

In Sumantra Ghoshal's death, your company has lost a friend, ICICI Bank MD & CEO M.V. Kamath told a gathering of senior Indian Oil Corporation functionaries here yesterday.

Kamath couldn't have been more accurate. Indian Oil was the only company Euroguru Ghoshal, who died yesterday in London of a brain haemorrhage, ever worked for. He spent 12 years in Indian Oil, India's largest company.

He joined the company in June 1969 as a management trainee. (The illustrious batch also churned out current Indian Oil chairman M S Ramachandran, ONGC chairman Subir Raha, GAIL India chairman Proshanto Banerjee, among others.)

Even in those early days, Ghoshal's infectious enthusiasm was not lost on Ramachandran. Ghoshal had developed his trademark laughter by then.

Though he went overseas to pursue a career in academics, Ghoshal did not lose touch with Indian Oil. Three months ago, he had come to deliver a lecture to the company's brass. "We always considered him as one of our own," Ramachandran said.

Ghoshal was also closely associated with Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India's largest pharmaceutical company. He worked very closely with Ranbaxy between 1996 and 2000 when it was drawing up plans to establish a global footprint.

"He helped us to acquire a strategic roadmap through productivity and growth," Ranbaxy managing director and CEO D.S. Brar said, adding: "He was a great strategist. As a company, we learnt a lot from him."