If business were
a circuit, we could already have a winner. He's started against CEOs, zoomed ahead of them
on the bends, and beaten them handily in the straights. Now, he wants to do the same from
the corner-room. Meet Gautam 'KS' Singhania, 33, the newly-appointed
Raymond's CEO, one of the youngest inheritors in India. Marketing condoms and selling
synthetic yarns until recently, Gautam is hoping that his new job will prove to be more
stimulating than his previous stint at the loss-making Raymond Synthetics. ''I haven't got
the time to feel anything. There's lots to be done,'' confesses Gautam, who, until he
married femme fatale Nawaz Modi 2 months ago, was one of India's most complete bachelors.
With Vijaypat Singhania, 61, retreating into the hangar, it is Gautam who will now mould
the JK West Group in his image: racy, trendy, and, of course, always the talk of the
town...
Speaking of which, Abdul Rashid Mir has created a circuit of
his own. The CEO of the Cottage Industries Exposition, this Kashmiri, with the Queen's
English and the King's etiquette, hosts dream shopping binges although you have to shell
out $50,000 to be invited to one. A chartered aircraft then carries you from New York to
Delhi, Bangkok, and Nairobi, where you can pick up anything money can't buy. ''They are
special incentive travellers,'' explains Abdul, 56, ''who buy things that are many times
more the price of the ticket.'' No wonder his guest-list ranges only from Madonna to
Murdoch. ''Tina Ambani is an old client,'' adds Abdul, who is now setting up a palatial
50,000-sq. ft mall in Mumbai for his regulars. Of course, this will be in addition to his
existing outlets at the Mint Palace in Benares and the Udaipur Palace Annexe. ''We are not
selling a product. We are selling a heritage. So, the right kind of location is a must.
Where else do you exhibit a Rs 15-lakh carving of the Ramayana on a single rosewood trunk?
Or a Rs 25-lakh silk carpet, with over 2,500 knots per square inch?'' asks Abdul, who,
obviously, is a big collector...
One collection
Bachhus would approve of. Believe me, Modi Telstra's affable CEO, Barry Conney,
takes his hobby seriously. Between making presentations to the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India and managing the telecom giant's operations in India, the 57-year-old
Australian keeps a watchful eye on everything from sparklings from Australia to the rouges
of France. He also collects wines from Italy, California, and Chile-although not India
yet. While most of his collection is back home in Sydney, he has a few at his swank home
in Calcutta. ''Not only do I enjoy drinking wines, I also enjoy collecting them. In fact,
many of them appreciate in value, and are a good investment, often better than the
stockmarket!'' says Barry, who dabbles in wine futures too. Watch out, once day, for a
Chateau de Cooney!...
In France,
incidentally, if your little finger sticks out when you toast your guests, they're bound
to think you're snooty. In Japan, the only way to show you love the sushi is to bow, and
say: ''Oiiishii desu.'' And just what do you do if you have to eat, sitting cross-legged,
from a banana-leaf in India? Difficult, definitely, but not impossible for a transnational
CEO, especially if you have help. From, say, Global Adjustments' Ranjini Manian,
35, who offers her skills to expats who dock at Chennai. ''Atithi devo bhav (The Guest Is
God) has always been intrinsic of our culture,'' explains Ranjini, whose customers include
firang managers from Ford, Airtouch Communications, Intel, and Hyundai Motor. ''What we
are doing is different because it's not business. It is one person helping another to
succeed,'' she says. Well then, a great business-to-business strategy for success...
Nothing succeeds
like success-and Ashok Soota. Twelve months short of retirement, he has
shocked everybody in corporate India by taking the plunge himself. Explaining his decision
to start a Rs 40 crore e-commerce and telecom software venture, the former Wipro president
says: ''I always did have a desire to be an entrepreneur within me. When I found that my
partners and I had common objectives and shared a similar vision, I joined the team.''
That includes Lucent Technologies' Subroto Bagchi and Wipro's N. Krishna Kumar, who headed
its e-commerce and financial solutions division. For the quintessential manager, who
started his career at DCM Shriram in 1965 and joined Wipro in 1984, this is the ultimate
test. And Ashok is going to need all the luck he can get...
Just like Ashok
Joshi, who has just been appointed the Executive Director of the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE). Although he had himself applied for the job, since the 57-year-old was
promoted as the deputy managing director of SBI Factors only in April, 1999, it was a
tough call to make. ''I had to think long and hard before accepting the BSE offer,'' says
the affable banker. Finally, telling himself that his 34 years in banking had prepared him
for just such an assignment, never mind what happened to his predecessor, R.C. Mathur, he
signed up. As someone who makes it a point to peruse 3 business newspapers a day, Ashok's
bound to know that he's going to be making, rather than reading, the news in future. Best
of luck.
If business were
a circuit, we could already have a winner. He's started against CEOs, zoomed ahead of them
on the bends, and beaten them handily in the straights. Now, he wants to do the same from
the corner-room. Meet Gautam 'KS' Singhania, 33, the newly-appointed
Raymond's CEO, one of the youngest inheritors in India. Marketing condoms and selling
synthetic yarns until recently, Gautam is hoping that his new job will prove to be more
stimulating than his previous stint at the loss-making Raymond Synthetics. ''I haven't got
the time to feel anything. There's lots to be done,'' confesses Gautam, who, until he
married femme fatale Nawaz Modi 2 months ago, was one of India's most complete bachelors.
With Vijaypat Singhania, 61, retreating into the hangar, it is Gautam who will now mould
the JK West Group in his image: racy, trendy, and, of course, always the talk of the
town... 
Speaking of which, Abdul Rashid Mir has created a circuit of
his own. The CEO of the Cottage Industries Exposition, this Kashmiri, with the Queen's
English and the King's etiquette, hosts dream shopping binges although you have to shell
out $50,000 to be invited to one. A chartered aircraft then carries you from New York to
Delhi, Bangkok, and Nairobi, where you can pick up anything money can't buy. ''They are
special incentive travellers,'' explains Abdul, 56, ''who buy things that are many times
more the price of the ticket.'' No wonder his guest-list ranges only from Madonna to
Murdoch. ''Tina Ambani is an old client,'' adds Abdul, who is now setting up a palatial
50,000-sq. ft mall in Mumbai for his regulars. Of course, this will be in addition to his
existing outlets at the Mint Palace in Benares and the Udaipur Palace Annexe. ''We are not
selling a product. We are selling a heritage. So, the right kind of location is a must.
Where else do you exhibit a Rs 15-lakh carving of the Ramayana on a single rosewood trunk?
Or a Rs 25-lakh silk carpet, with over 2,500 knots per square inch?'' asks Abdul, who,
obviously, is a big collector... 
One collection
Bachhus would approve of. Believe me, Modi Telstra's affable CEO, Barry Conney,
takes his hobby seriously. Between making presentations to the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India and managing the telecom giant's operations in India, the 57-year-old
Australian keeps a watchful eye on everything from sparklings from Australia to the rouges
of France. He also collects wines from Italy, California, and Chile-although not India
yet. While most of his collection is back home in Sydney, he has a few at his swank home
in Calcutta. ''Not only do I enjoy drinking wines, I also enjoy collecting them. In fact,
many of them appreciate in value, and are a good investment, often better than the
stockmarket!'' says Barry, who dabbles in wine futures too. Watch out, once day, for a
Chateau de Cooney!... 
In France,
incidentally, if your little finger sticks out when you toast your guests, they're bound
to think you're snooty. In Japan, the only way to show you love the sushi is to bow, and
say: ''Oiiishii desu.'' And just what do you do if you have to eat, sitting cross-legged,
from a banana-leaf in India? Difficult, definitely, but not impossible for a transnational
CEO, especially if you have help. From, say, Global Adjustments' Ranjini Manian,
35, who offers her skills to expats who dock at Chennai. ''Atithi devo bhav (The Guest Is
God) has always been intrinsic of our culture,'' explains Ranjini, whose customers include
firang managers from Ford, Airtouch Communications, Intel, and Hyundai Motor. ''What we
are doing is different because it's not business. It is one person helping another to
succeed,'' she says. Well then, a great business-to-business strategy for success... 
Nothing succeeds
like success-and Ashok Soota. Twelve months short of retirement, he has
shocked everybody in corporate India by taking the plunge himself. Explaining his decision
to start a Rs 40 crore e-commerce and telecom software venture, the former Wipro president
says: ''I always did have a desire to be an entrepreneur within me. When I found that my
partners and I had common objectives and shared a similar vision, I joined the team.''
That includes Lucent Technologies' Subroto Bagchi and Wipro's N. Krishna Kumar, who headed
its e-commerce and financial solutions division. For the quintessential manager, who
started his career at DCM Shriram in 1965 and joined Wipro in 1984, this is the ultimate
test. And Ashok is going to need all the luck he can get... 
Just like Ashok
Joshi, who has just been appointed the Executive Director of the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE). Although he had himself applied for the job, since the 57-year-old was
promoted as the deputy managing director of SBI Factors only in April, 1999, it was a
tough call to make. ''I had to think long and hard before accepting the BSE offer,'' says
the affable banker. Finally, telling himself that his 34 years in banking had prepared him
for just such an assignment, never mind what happened to his predecessor, R.C. Mathur, he
signed up. As someone who makes it a point to peruse 3 business newspapers a day, Ashok's
bound to know that he's going to be making, rather than reading, the news in future. Best
of luck.