Is there a connection between the health of a CEO and the behaviour of his company's scrip in the stockmarket? Dhirubhai Ambani suffered a stroke on the evening of June 24. By the middle of the next day, the Reliance Industries had fallen from the previous day's Rs 284 to Rs 268. This despite the fact that the elder Ambani had groomed his sons to run his empire. And seven years earlier, when Aditya Vikram Birla died (October 1, 1995), the Grasim scrip closed on September 29, at Rs 592 and opened on October 4 at Rs 562. In Gita Piramal's Business Maharajahs Birla's wife Rajashree Birla defends the family's decision by saying, ''He (Aditya Birla) didn't want people to talk about it to him or be sympathetic about it, that was the only reason.'' Fair reason, no doubt; only, CEO's of listed companies have a responsibility to their investors. Simply put, they have a right to know. In the US, this has been institutionalised by SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission). India does not have any such rules. But it soon could.

Says Pratip Kar, Executive Director, Securities and Exchange Board of India: "There are no existing stipulation making it mandatory for a company to make disclosures on the health of the CEO or senior board menbers. But the corporate governance committee had received a suggestion that it should. The commitee will be considering this, which will go a long way in strengthening existing material disclosure norms and prevent rumours from wreaking havoc in the market.'' Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata is all for such a move. "I believe such a rule is appropriate if implemented properly. It should not constitute an intrusion on the privacy of the individual."

-Abir Pal

DYING YOUNG
Given India's personality-driven family-business culture the death of a CEO could be catastrophic.

G.C. Burman, 60
One day in 2001, he got off the treadmill, and suffered a fatal heart attack. He was to taken over as Dabur's chairman the same year from V.C. Burman. G.C. was widely perceived to be the man driving the professionalisation of a family business.

Parvinder Singh, 56
Ranbaxy's founder CEO had been battling cancer for some time when he died in 1999, setting off a mini-succession battle. This, despite the man having done enough to ensure a smooth handover to his chosen successor D.S. Brar.

Aditya Vikram Birla, 52
Birla's death (in 1995) from prostate cancer, was untimely and sudden. Son Kumaramangalam Birla was yet to prove himself and it took him several years to put the group he inherited in order, although he did manage to do so smoothly.

Dewang Mehta, 39
Fine he wasn't a CEO, but the death of Indian IT's most powerful lobbyist, of unkown causes in a hotel room in Sydney threw the entire industry into a quandary. While successor Kiran Karnik has done enough, Nasscom (the National Association of Software and Service Companies) will never be the same again.

Rohinton Aga, 61
The Thermax CEO dies of a heart attack in 1996. The usual succession issues raised their ugly head until wife Anu Aga took over. The company took some time to stabilise after his death.

Ravi Gupta, 59
In 1997, when Trikaya Grey's Ravi Gupta died (of stomach cancer), there was widespread speculation that the agency would shut shop. It took two years for the agency to recover from the blow.

Ravi Mammen, 39
The man considered the brain behind MRF's aggressive marketing strategy died of a heart attack in 1990. The company has gone from success to success, but Chairman Mammen Mappillai and Vice Chairman Vinu Mammen could have done with some help.

Raman Munjal, 42
The first managing director of Hero Honda died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1991. The Munjals had enough managerial bandwidth to cope with the loss but it still hurt professionally.

-Seema Shukla

IT'S WHAT YOU EAT THAT COUNTS
Food helps. At least, the right kind of it does, says nutritionist Ishi Khosla

Ishi Khosla: Set short-term food goals

It's quite easy for Chief Executives to keep themselves fit. All they need to do-to cope with occupational hazards such as stress, 16-hour days, 20 days of traveling a month-is keep an eye on what they eat.

First off, pack a brown-bag lunch from home if you aren't traveling or do not have a luncheon meeting. Do the smart thing and have a light meal before hitting that late-evening party. Stress and long workdays sap you of vital nutrients. Keep an eye on these killer-inputs.

B vitamins: These increase energy levels and help keep your nerves healthy. Can be found in green veggies, potatoes, fresh fruit, wheat germ, whole grain cereals, eggs, dairy products, yeast, seafood, lean meats, liver, poultry, pulses, nuts, and dried fruit.

Vitamin C: This increases the body's immunity to common ailments (it won't do to fall ill once a month) and helps heal wounds faster. Found in fresh fruits (especially the citrus ones), fruit juices, and fresh vegetables

Zinc: Another immunity builder (a low-profile one), Zinc is found in liver and red meats, egg yolk, dairy products, whole grain cereals and seafood-especially oysters and shellfish

Complex carbohydrates: These boost energy levels and calm the CEO mind (actually they'll calm any mind). Pasta, potatoes, oats, pulses, bread and rice are a good source. These apart, follow those old-fashioned rules about starting the day with a healthy breakfast, not drinking too much of tea or coffee, and avoiding snacks between mealtimes. Remember, unlike your day-job, think short-term when it comes your food-goals. Avoid long-term food strategies. And avoid stretch diet goals.
as told to Abha Bakaya

For more dietary inputs for CEOs and wannabe CEOs log on to www.business-today.com

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