B. Muthuraman: A new battlefront

As if fighting a global battle in the steel industry wasn't bad enough, Tata Steel's Managing Director B. Muthuraman must wage a more inane battle at home in Jamshedpur. In a new twist to the steel giant's ongoing tussle with the Jharkhand government, Muthuraman has received a showcause notice from one of the state's district commissioners for alleged violation of the land-lease agreement. Earlier the state government wouldn't renew the land lease (the last 40-year lease expired in 1995), but upon being pulled up by the Ranchi High Court, it relented. However, the two-year-old state has served Tata Steel a bill of Rs 5,937 crore in rental dues and past taxes. That's almost double the company's networth and a little more than the current market cap. In a true capitalist spirit, the state has even revalued the cost of the land to arrive at its staggering calculation. When BT went to press, Tata Steel was yet to make its interim reply to the show-cause notice. When you are a ceo in India, there's never a boring day. Right, Mr. Muthuraman?

Phaneesh Murthy: A new innings

Phaneesh Redux

He's back! after a brief period in the wilderness following his resignation from Infosys, the company's former head of sales is back in the news for all the right reasons. In association with the gmr group, he is starting up a Business Process Outsourcing company. Phaneesh Murthy's legendary selling skills should help the venture convince customers to outsource their processes. Playing angel may be a new experience for the GMR Group -- it was in the news for selling its stake in Vysya Bank to ING and GMR Breweries to UB -- but it certainly couldn't have asked for a better start-up man.

Naresh Goyal: Passenger seat? No

Course Correction

Jet Airways' Naresh Goyal retook the pilot's seat early December with CEO of three years Steve Forte quitting. A new executive committee, headed by Goyal, will run Jet. But why did Forte quit? Official reason: the US and consulting work beckoned. Unofficial version: his growing differences with Goyal over fare discounting. Goyal wanted it, Forte didn't. Obviously, Forte forgot rule three of management: The boss is always right.

Deepak Roy: Just Desserts

Just Desserts

Executive-turned-entrepreneur Deepak Roy has reason to cheer: his Triumph Distillers and Vintners has bagged the Gilbey range of whiskies from udv. It was Roy, ceo of udv's Indian operations then, who had overseen the launch of these brands, and when udv decided to focus on its premium offerings in May 2002, he put in a bid. With competition from the likes of McDowell, no one really gave Roy a chance. Still, things have a way of working out for the man: he wanted to be ceo before 40 and at 38 he was heading Herbertson's; he wished for an opportunity to build a liquor company from scratch and udv picked him to head its operations; now, he is keen to do his own thing. The Gilbey range has given him the opportunity to do just that.

Harshad Mehta: In death as in life

In Memoriam

December 31, will mark the first death anniversary of Big Bull Harshad Mehta. But some people are already beginning to remember him. People like the taxmen. Last fortnight, the Lok Sabha was informed that Mehta -- a one-time stockmarket star but more enduringly, a scamster -- owed the government Rs 5,430 crore in tax dues, making him the biggest defaulter. But then, the it department isn't the only agency Mehta -- who at the height of his fame and wealth lived in a 15,000 sq ft house with its own private swimming pool and golf patch -- owes money to. His legacy includes Rs 1,600 crore that Mehta -- who started his career as an insurance salaryman -- allegedly owes to several banks. Not the kind of tribute you'd want on your first death anniversary.

Arun Nanda: In elite company

Global Citizen

Diwan Arun Nanda ''never'' parties. But that hasn't stopped the bubbly from flowing in the offices of the Mumbai-headquartered Rediffusion Dentsu, Young & Rubicam. There's reason enough: on November 15, the 59-year-old chairman and managing director of Rediffusion dy&r became one of the rare Indians to make it to the charmed circle of the global advertising industry. That's when Nanda was appointed to the Global Leadership Council of Young & Rubicam Advertising (y&r), one of the world's top ten agencies. According to Nanda: ''It is a council that brings different geographical and hierarchical elements on one platform to shape y&r's policies for the future.'' That'll mean a more hectic calendar for the one-time Rajiv Gandhi advisor who spends two weeks a month out of the country. And now, he's really going global.

-Contributed by R. Sridharan, Roshni Jayakar & Moniks Mitra