A Short Strange Trip
On the morning of February 22, even
as the day was beginning, the indolent chirupping of birds was disrupted
by a series of yells in certain parts of Delhi and Mumbai. ''Hey,'' went
each of the exclamations, ''I know this guy.'' Everyone concerned was
referring to the photograph accompanying a largish international biz story
that made most of the dailies, general and business. There, sandwiched
between Coke Chairman and Chief Executive Doug Daft and Procter
& Gamble President and Chief Executive A.G. Lafley, was a
familiar face: Don Short, a Coke executive who was named to head
the fruit-juice and snack company the two FMCG behemoths were forming.
Most releases identified Short as a 'senior executive' and a report in the
Asian Wall Street Journal described him as 'a veteran Coke executive whose
star has risen in recent years'. Till late 1999, Short was in India as the
head of the red cherry's Indian ops and his record in a market that can
only be described as 'difficult' was, at best, mixed. He did manage to
replicate Coke's successful 'owned' bottle-chain model in India, but the
price was high: in April, 2000, the Atlanta-based beverages major
announced that it would write off $ 400 million of its India-related
assets. And Short was last heard of heading the company's North African
operations. Short's comeback isn't surprising in a company that has played
host to several: like that of Sergio Zyman, the man responsible for the
disastrous New Coke who went on to become Coke's head of marketing before
quitting to become a high-profile independent consultant. Coincidentally,
Daft was the head of Coke's Asian operations when Short was in India.
Still, it must have been a short strange trip for the 47-year-old Short (a
confirmed deadhead) from Delhi to wherever the yet-unnamed company will be
based.
Toy Story-II
Add one more to the growing list of women who have broken India Inc's
glass ceiling. The newest addition to a short list is Sangeeta Talwar,
a 40-something former Nestle' India exec who's just become the CEO of
Mattel India. The pioneer's role sits easily on this gardening freak's
shoulders: she was the first woman management trainee to be hired by
Nestle India (the year was 1980 and she had just finished an MBA from IIM-Calcutta).
In her 21 years with the Swiss multinational, she's been head of hr and
head of marketing, and had a three-year stint at Corp HQ in Basle-the
perfect recipe for a CEO-wannabe. Talwar also seems in possession of what
it will take to turn things around at Mattel: she's managed the launches
of the Maggi brand of noodles and sauces at Nestle, and has a daughter
(now 15 years old) who was an ardent Barbie fan. Says Talwar: ''Even with
food, there was a huge competition from the unorganised sector. With
Barbie and Hot Wheels, Mattel has a fantastic blend. It will just take
time to build the business in India.'' And may be her green thumb will
help things grow at Mattel.
Join This Camp
Too many people in the room,''
recalls benchmarking guru Robert C. Camp, recollecting one of the
talks he delivered on his first trip to India in 1995. That was around the
time India Inc. was discovering quality so the bustle can be explained.
Now, six years down the line, and the crowds still flock to listen to the
one-time head of Xerox' benchmarking efforts and the current Chairman of
the Global Benchmarking Network. Eighteen years spent benchmarking, and
four books (including Benchmarking-The Industry Best Practice That
Leads To Superior Performance) have given Camp enough insight into
most things, including how to separate the men from the boys when it comes
to management gurus. His recommendation: Benchmark! Says the peripatetic
benchmarker: ''Different situations require different solutions. Sometimes
the need is for benchmarking, sometimes a different quality process. Each
has a different objective.''
On the morning of February 22, even
as the day was beginning, the indolent chirupping of birds was disrupted
by a series of yells in certain parts of Delhi and Mumbai. ''Hey,'' went
each of the exclamations, ''I know this guy.'' Everyone concerned was
referring to the photograph accompanying a largish international biz story
that made most of the dailies, general and business. There, sandwiched
between Coke Chairman and Chief Executive Doug Daft and Procter
& Gamble President and Chief Executive A.G. Lafley, was a
familiar face: Don Short, a Coke executive who was named to head
the fruit-juice and snack company the two FMCG behemoths were forming.
Most releases identified Short as a 'senior executive' and a report in the
Asian Wall Street Journal described him as 'a veteran Coke executive whose
star has risen in recent years'. Till late 1999, Short was in India as the
head of the red cherry's Indian ops and his record in a market that can
only be described as 'difficult' was, at best, mixed. He did manage to
replicate Coke's successful 'owned' bottle-chain model in India, but the
price was high: in April, 
2000, the Atlanta-based beverages major
announced that it would write off $ 400 million of its India-related
assets. And Short was last heard of heading the company's North African
operations. Short's comeback isn't surprising in a company that has played
host to several: like that of Sergio Zyman, the man responsible for the
disastrous New Coke who went on to become Coke's head of marketing before
quitting to become a high-profile independent consultant. Coincidentally,
Daft was the head of Coke's Asian operations when Short was in India.
Still, it must have been a short strange trip for the 47-year-old Short (a
confirmed deadhead) from Delhi to wherever the yet-unnamed company will be
based.
Add one more to the growing list of women who have broken India Inc's
glass ceiling. The newest addition to a short list is Sangeeta Talwar,
a 40-something former Nestle' India exec who's just become the CEO of
Mattel India. The pioneer's role sits easily on this gardening freak's
shoulders: she was the first woman management trainee to be hired by
Nestle India (the year was 1980 and she had just finished an MBA from IIM-Calcutta).
In her 21 years with the Swiss multinational, she's been head of hr and
head of marketing, and had a three-year stint at Corp HQ in Basle-the
perfect recipe for a CEO-wannabe. Talwar also seems in possession of what
it will take to turn things around at Mattel: she's managed the launches
of the Maggi brand of noodles and sauces at Nestle, and has a daughter
(now 15 years old) who was an ardent Barbie fan. Says Talwar: ''Even with
food, there was a huge competition from the unorganised sector. With
Barbie and Hot Wheels, Mattel has a fantastic blend. It will just take
time to build the business in India.'' And may be her green thumb will
help things grow at Mattel.
Too many people in the room,''
recalls benchmarking guru Robert C. Camp, recollecting one of the
talks he delivered on his first trip to India in 1995. That was around the
time India Inc. was discovering quality so the bustle can be explained.
Now, six years down the line, and the crowds still flock to listen to the
one-time head of Xerox' benchmarking efforts and the current Chairman of
the Global Benchmarking Network. Eighteen years spent benchmarking, and
four books (including Benchmarking-The Industry Best Practice That
Leads To Superior Performance) have given Camp enough insight into
most things, including how to separate the men from the boys when it comes
to management gurus. His recommendation: Benchmark! Says the peripatetic
benchmarker: ''Different situations require different solutions. Sometimes
the need is for benchmarking, sometimes a different quality process. Each
has a different objective.''