India was quite a late entrant into Megacorp GE's scheme of things. But in the 10 years that it has been here, the going's been great for the multinational. Not just for the company whose revenues in India crossed the $1 billion-mark some time ago, but also for its President and CEO Scott Bayman. The 57-year-old Bayman has been with GE India from Day One, making him one of the longest-serving expats in the country. Besides GE's burgeoning business, which includes medical systems, appliances, plastics, lighting systems, and financial services, what keeps him engaged is his other passion, golf. The rolling greens of the Classic Golf Resort in Gurgaon seem to have bowled him over. "It's my macro-source for business. It is a place where you can build relationships." Of those, Bayman has surely built quite a few in the last 10 years.

Truly A Victor

He may not be as visible or voluble as some of his competitors. But going by the kind of international recognition coming his way, TVS Motors' CMD Venu Srinivasan is definitely up there among the most astute managers in India Inc. After winning the coveted Deming award (for TVS Motors) in 2002, Srinivasan was named a 'Star of Asia' for 2003 by BusinessWeek. "I am proud that we are winning laurels amidst international competition. It speaks volumes of our workforce that has worked extremely hard under difficult odds," said Srinivasan, after receiving the award in Hong Kong. BusinessWeek, in its tribute, acknowledged his persistence over the last decade when he revived his company from near-oblivion after a crippling strike, emerging strong enough by 2001 to split with joint venture partner Suzuki. And since it all started with the advent of the four-stroke bike Victor, the tag Moped King, which Srinivasan struggled for long to overcome, has also come unstuck.

Family Fitness

While elder sister Schauna trims corporate flab at Parle Agro, Alisha Chauhan has her own plans for toning up those tired muscles-quite literally. Daughter of the Rs 700-crore Parle Agro's Chairman Prakash Chauhan, the 25-year-old has just opened v3, a health and fitness clinic for women. "It's not a gym, but a centre for holistic mind and body fitness," says the management graduate from Australia's Bond University. Located in Mumbai's upmarket borough Juhu, V3 (it stands for Verve, Vigour and Victor, if you must know) will flaunt a group exercise studio and always-on-tap expert docs. From fruit drinks to mineral water to fitness. How's that for backward integration?

Mobile Matchpoint

Three years back, the 33-year-old it consultant from Chennai, J. Murugavel, found a soulmate through the internet. Impressed with the medium's power in such matters, he started the marriage portal Bharatmatrimony.com, which has helped nearly 26,000 people get into the wedlock. Now, he has tied up with major cellular operators to provide similar services on the mobile phone. If you're single and eligible, dial 5050 and cross your fingers.

Ally From East

The high-profile former CEO of zee and head of Rediffusion, Sandeep Goyal had kept headhunters and the media guessing about his next move after quitting Zee in 2002. A few months back when ulcer gulch was abuzz with reports of a partnership with ad major Dentsu in India, Goyal wouldn't confirm or deny them. Now, it's official. Dentsu in India will be a 74:26 JV, with the Japanese parent holding a majority stake. It has already bagged the Rs 30-crore Toyota account, which is handled by Dentsu Worldwide. "We have a catchment of big Japanese clients. But since I have built up a large number of personal relationships here, there will be plenty of additions very soon," beams the 40-year-old. Happy hunting.

-compiled by T.R. Vivek; contributed by Abir Pal, Moinak Mitra & Nitya Varadarajan