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BUSINESS INDIA • April 19,2009

BUSINESS INDIA • April 19,2009
Cover F e a t u r e

o n a recruiting spree? What is the 'cer­ T H E ROLL OF H O N O U R

Ex appeal
tain something' that sets apart senior
executives horn these companies? Is it
the quality of the seniors or the system
that makes these leadership factories so
prolific? And could the seemingly-
Hindustan Unilever Ltd,
W h y a l u m n i f r o m a f e w c o m p a n i e s are so never-ending pipeline of talent at these Akhil Basrai. Debashish Roy Sanjay Khosla
giants ever run dry? Business India stud­ HR Director, Greater Asia Div. Executive VP and President
p o p u l a r w i t h h e a d - h u n t e r s across I n d i a I n c ied t h e issue, a n d came u p with some
Global Head, HR
IBM F
• Colgate PatmoHve, Hong Kong Kraft International

interesting answers. Akhil Gupta Sanjay Sehgal

JMD and Group Director, MD India and
The l o w - d o w n o n t h e t o p job Reg Tech Ops Head
1 Strategy & Business Devp.
APACSandoz
There's n o such t h i n g as the perfect J HbattiAkttL
C E O . The dream candidate to kick-start l|
: Amrit Thomas
I Debu Bhattacharya Santrupt Misra
a sluggish consumer goods company MD Director, Corporate HRD
Executive VP
during a boom phase may be com­ nitedSpirits 1
Hindatco Aditya Blrla Group ~
pletely wrong for a private equity firm
intent o n consolidation during a ind Kripalu
downturn. Global business trends, the : President
:
CadburyAsia
demands of t h e market, the maturity
of the industry, the company profile Anjani Kumar
and t h e targets it sets itself - all play a Choudhary Hasit jjoshipura Satish Pradhan
MD Executive VP, HR
a significant role in determining w h o is President, Farm
Equipment Sector CSKPharma India Tata Sons
right for t h e top job at any given time.
Mahindra & Mahindra
Still, without descending into stereo­ K Ramkumar Srikanth Balachander
type, recruiters and HR consultants 'I Anup Mathur Executive Director CFO
agree that some basic attributes remain ICICI Bank Bharti Airtel
| Senior Advisor
constant among senior managers. —ii Mahindra & Mahindra— Uday Khanna
Naveen Kshatriy a
At the top of the list for m a n y head- - >t -Ashok Venkatramani CEO and M D CEO
hunters is proven cross-functional Castrol India Lofarge India
CEO
skills, the ability to manage and inspire Utpal SenGupta
DHRUV GANDHI teams and communicate effectively, Non-Executive VC

Y
ou'll go crazy if you try to
speak to every ex-
Citibanker who's at a
board-level position,"
declares Sanjay Nayar. The
C E O of KKR India Advisors has a point.
Glance through the resumes of the t o p
professionals in the financial world
and, more likely than not, you will find
Citibank listed somewhere under
'Experience'. A former Citi employee
himself - h e was CEO, Citi South Asia,
until a couple of m o n t h s ago - Nayar
glances through the proffered list of
alumni and reels off another half-
dozen names. "I'm sure there are m a n y
more I've missed," he muses.
Citi isn't the only leadership factory
in India. Hindustan Unilever Limited
(HUL) has an impressive track record in
exporting talent to other consumer
goods companies, even other indus­
tries. C o m p a n y officials believe there
may be as m a n y as 800 to 1,000 former
H U L employees at board-level posi­
tions across companies in India. In just
t h e past two m o n t h s , 550 alumni
signed u p at a company-run dedicated
worrying about the effects of American
website; of these, nearly 250 were
protectionist I T and outsourcing poli­
senior executives and heads of compa­
cies, while Citi is surviving on US gov­
nies. Of course, HUL'S reputation as a
ernment hand-outs. Under the
'school for CEOS' dates back several
circumstances, writing about these
decades - t h e first Indian chairman of
companies as talent nurseries is to
Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL), Prakash
adopt an exceptionally simplistic
Tandon, went on to head State Trading
position, point out t h e devil's
Corporation and Punjab National
advocates in Business India.
Bank after h e left the company.
But is it, really? After all, what has
Citi a n d HUL may be the perennial
turned out to be the worst financial
favourites for poaching, but others are
downturn since World War II has
fast approaching their cult status.
affected all companies across t h e
Wipro a n d ICICI Bank have n o t only
world, regardless of whether they are
groomed more t h a n their fair share of
leadership factories or talent
present-day C-level executives, they
importers. Even GE, which has been
are also generating a breed of entrepre­
called t h e best school of management
neurs w h o w a n t to try their h a n d at
in t h e world, hasn't been spared: t h e
creating wealth for themselves, rather
company's market capitalisation fell to
than for their clients.
under $100 billion in February 2009,
However, n o n e of the CEO factories
t h e lowest in close to 20 years. And
is being held u p as a spectacular busi­
although t h e halo around Citi US has
ness success these days, ICICI Bank
slipped and shattered, t h e Indian oper­
went t h o u g h a crisis of confidence a
ations of the financial group have
few m o n t h s ago, with rumours of
remained more or less intact.
impending bankruptcy. Tata Consul­
What makes organisations like
tancy Services (TCS) a n d Wipro are
these t h e first choice of head-hunters
and being results-driven. The best can­ Agro Tech foods
didates don't hesitate to take complex
V Shankar
decisions; they remain calm under
R Gopalakrishnan MD
pressure, show strong process orienta-,
DShivakumar Executive Director Rallis India
tion and are personally flexible in
MD and VP \_ Tata Sons
terms of mobility and willingness to
Nokia India
learn. Oh, and they are big-picture Ravi Dhariwal
thinkers, capable of a broader strategic Dalip Sehgal CEO
Bennett, Coleman & COR-
vision for themselves and the organisa­ MD -
Codrej Consumer Products
tions they lead. Sadashiv Nayak V S Sitaram
If that isn't a tall enough order, con­ Damodar Mall CEO COO
sider this. Of late, two more elements CEO, Innovation and Food Bazar Daburindia
have moved across t h e page, from t h e INCUBATLORI
Vlneet Taneja
'desirable' to t h e 'imperative' column: Future Croup
Marketing Head
international exposure and high levels Nokia India
of personal integrity. "The bar is being
raised constantly," agrees MadhavSha-
ran, regional market leader of the * The above list is not exhaustive JIN™,
industry practice, Asia Pacific, at execu­ • Over 140 managers of IHUL currently serve Unilever globally, including Hansh Manwani, Vfndi Banga.
tive recruitment firm Korn/Ferry Inter­ Sanjiv Kakkar, Arun Adhikiari and Sanjay Dube
national. "But, depending o n t h e
for their top executive requirements. management teams of HDPC Bank (ex-
company's lifecycle, some skills will be
Typically, a senioir leader's departure Citi), Mindtree Consulting (ex-Wipro)
more critical than others."
leaves a long tail: more resignations and Aviva (ex-Citi). "New companies
That's where companies like HUL, are growing explosively, but lack the
follow, either as his earlier team dis­
Citi, ICICI Bank, Wipro and TCS come necessary internal resources, whether
bands or as he recreates it in the new
in. Many talent brokers openly refer to it is technology, people or finance. So
organisation. Just take a look at t h e
these companies as "one-stop shops"

• 51 •
• so*
 BUSINESS INDIA . April 19,2009
they keep {going back to the well-tested,
easily availlable sources," explains Sha-
ran. Adds TCS vice president and head,
global HR, Ajoy Mukherjee, "In a sense,
TCS has b e e n the single-largest groom­
ing groumd for rr professionals w h o
have been i instrumental in shaping the
Indian IT services industry."
A coup>le of disclaimers here. First,
the gold sstandard of talent develop­
m e n t amd people management
The three attributes of leadership
A leader has the ability t o .
• Demonstrate strategic sawy
• Drive vallue creation for all
• Build industry/
stakeholder credibility
• Inspire h i g h
performance
• Understand and
invest ini people
• Act as a role model
Source: BC(C experience
anywhere :still remains GE: t h e Ameri­
can comp.any's track record in creating
leaders is cover 100 years old a n d is still
consideretd the best in the world. Sec­
ond, HUL,, Citi a n d t h e others men­
tioned in this article are only among
the many companies t h a t have pro­
duced leaders for other Indian compa­
nies in r e c e n t times. Old-timers recall
how a c o u p l e of decades ago, the best
bankers b o r e the Grindlays or State
Bank of Iindia tag, a n d alumni from
c o m p a n i e s like Eicher, Asian Paints,
N T P C andl SAIL were hired at a pre­
m i u m . Incidentally, t h e frequently-
mentione>d Tata Administrative
Services (TAS) doesn't fit in here. An
entry-level programme, it is supposed
to groomi fast-track executives and
provide tlhe base for senior managers
of Tata ccompanies. But while TAS
has been a useful programme for
Tatas, o n c e TAS officers join individ­
ual c o m p a n i e s , they are groomed
within t h o s e companies.
But t h e numbers these companies
achieved d o n ' t really compare with
those of, ssay, H U L and Citi, a n d t h e y
Psst! Want to be a CEO?
W hich is the quickest way to the C-
suite? Working your way through
the ranks at one organisation or switch­
ing jobs every few years to leapfrog your
way to the top? Both ideas have merit,
say HR consultants and recruiters. Older,
established companies like HUL, Citi,
Wipro, ICICI Bank and TCS may prefer
• Build operating muscle
. think strategically • Hold people to account
• Confront reality decisively
• Promote collaboration Sr
transparency
relying on home-grown talent to fill top
slots within their organisations, but
newer companies and start-ups don't
have the luxury of dipping into a readily
available talent pool. Which means you
stand a chance at a variety of companies -
if you have what it takes.
aren't as omnipresent in today's
resumes as perhaps they were some
years ago. "These companies are hunt­
ing grounds for talent developed in
t h e past 20 or so years. Twenty years
from now, business leaders m a y well
c o m e from other organisations,"
points out Namrita Jhangiani,
partner at executive search firm Egon
Zehnder International.
The portable manager
Wipro and TCS professionals move o n
t o other I T companies, and Citi and
ICICI Bank executives typically stay on
in banking and related financial ser­
vices industries. Former Leverites,
though, haven't been b o u n d by any
such self-imposed restrictions. There is
• 52»
Cover Feature
So first, some introspection and self-
knowledge. Be honest in appraising your
strengths and weaknesses. Have you sep­
arated yourself from the herd? Have you
come to the notice of senior manage­
ment or aren't they even aware of your
existence? How much of what
you've achieved is due to the environ­
ment in which you operate, and how
much is the result of your aptitude and
effort? Answer these truthfully and then
take the call.
Of course, a lot depends on the indus­
try and function in which you operate.
Some sectors reward opportunism - fre­
quent job and company changes are
most readily accepted as the fastest way
to grow in sales and marketing. And
regardless of the route you choose, don't
pass up any opportunity to work abroad.
Global exposure and experience in
adapting to different cultures and work
environments, developing cross-cultural
sensitivities and managing the resultant
stress are all critical prerequisites for
today's leaders. "International exposure
is a common denominator of all Citi
leaders. It is hard to imagine a CEO of Citi
India who doesn't have at least some
international experience," agrees
Ian Core, human resources head, Citi
South Asia.
As a rule of thumb, if you are in a tal­
ent-creating company and you are part of
the top talent, you will do better to stick
at least one ex-HUL executive at the top
deck of companies across a huge vari­
ety of industries, from capital goods
and heavy engineering (Hindalco,
Lafarge), consumer electronics and
media (Nokia, MCCS) to pharma (San-
doz, GSK), automobiles (Mahindra &
Mahindra), banks (ICICI Bank) and the
more conventional foods and con­
sumer goods (Cadbury, Kraft, Dabur
and Godrej). (See The roll of honour)
What makes t h e m extra portable
and adaptable? Perhaps the variety of
experiences Lever managers go
through, thanks to mandatory job
rotations. The managers at the helm of
those companies earned their stripes at
HLL between the 1960s and the 1990s,
when the conglomerate was present in
BUSINESS INDIA • April 19, 2009 Cover F e a t u r e
(BCG). The emphasis at all times, then, talent factories appear to have evolved
on. This way, you get a better-than-aver- is on creating leaders for the future. almost spontaneously, most likely as a
age shot at making it to the top job. consequence of the ideas and convic­
Even if you're not among the stars,
longevity will still pay off. By the time
Wired for growth
Just how are these leadership factories
tions of the original leaders and line
managers (coming full circle to the
you reach middle and senior manage­ tirelessly rolling out generation after 'wiring and D N A ' issue). "The culture of
ment, you would have had ample generation of executives ready to move these organisations made it essential to
opportunity to differentiate yourself and into C-suite across India Inc? The most grow talent and get high-calibre peo­
not be just another face in the crowd. important reason their assembly lines, ple," agrees Anita Ramachandran,
"Leave too early in your career and there keep moving without a hitch is, per­ C E O of h u m a n resource consultancy,
is no guarantee you will be noticed in haps, attitude. "The wish to create Cerebrus Consults.
But rather t h a n why, Ramachan­
your next place of employment," warns leaders is a wiring issue. Either it's ini
dran says she is more intrigued by how
Boston Consulting Group partner and your D N A or it is not," says BCG'S
these companies are able to continu­
director Vikram Bhaila. Bhalla, w h o has been tracking talent
ously provide talent of consistently
Korn/Ferry International head, indus­ management across several Indiarn
high quality. "Keeping the average
try practice, Madhav Sharan, advocates companies for several years. H e
a similar strategy. "Earlier, money was believes a large part of t h e extraordi­ standard high is far tougher t h a n
nary success of these particular compa­ developing the potential of a few high
the main attraction in switching jobs.
nies has to d o with t h e way they were performers," she points out.
Now empowerment and growth are
set u p and the way t h e y are run even The answer may lie in overachiever
more important. By the time people
today - the original leaders were s o work environments: more intense,
complete 10 years in a company, they
convinced of the importance of p r o ­ high-powered and competitive; an
would have moved between businesses
moting talent that the idea has become emphasis on learning and the constant
and functions and become well-
ingrained into the organisations' psy­ interaction with smart, successful peo­
rounded individuals. Some people may
che. "Now, even w h e n leadership ple. Alumni from these companies
also realise that they will not reach the
changes, the thinking doesn't. For agree with that reasoning. "The people
top within this organisation, so they can
these companies, leadership develop­ in Citi are so good, the competition
look outside when market opportunities
m e n t is part of the business model. forces you to stay in touch and be up to
come up," he says.
They believe in hiring top quality, speed o n all developments," says
And there will be opportunities. The
investing significantly in growing it Devinjit Singh, w h o last year quit an
CEO factory stamp sets you apart in any
and retaining only the best," h e says. 18-year career with the bank to become
case - even an average performer in a
Which would mean, by implica­ managing director of Carlyle India
high-performing environment may be
tion, t h e H R department's role in peo­ Advisors, "HLL'S workplace is focussed
better than the top performer in a com­
ple development is of a more recent on output. There is a high level of inter­
pany where the bar is not set so high.
origin. And although this in n o way nal challenge, so you need to work
"Such a person may then stand a better
chance of success outside," agrees discounts the function's efforts t o faster and smarter," adds V.S. Sitaram,
Kalpana Morparia, chief executive offi­ streamline and institutionalise t h e chief operating officer, Dabur, also
cer, jp Morgan India. process, it would not be fair to give it all an 18-year veteran of the consumer
the credit for the robust talent manage­ goods company.
ment at these companies, say industry R. Gopalakrishnan's memories take
h i m back even further. Recalling train­
businesses ranging from industrial observers a n d talent scouts. In fact,
ing in HLL during the 1960s, he says,
chemicals to animal feeds. From han­ specialised HR functions that go
"The company's depth of manage­
dling workers on tea estates and man­ beyond mere administration a n d
m e n t m e a n t there were people w h o
aging inventory at chemical factories payroll activities are a fairly recent phe­
could be icons to young trainees and
t o selling consumer products and n o m e n o n at many of these talent nurs­
junior executives. PrakashTandon and
dairy products, Levers executives could eries, established long after practices
Vasant Rajadhyaksha were gods to
and did try their hands at virtually any like early responsibility, taking risks on
people and rotating top performers me." Gopalakrishnan joined Tata Sons
aspect of business.
as executive director in 1998, after 31
Job rotation makes a h u g e impact became almost hygiene. "There was n o
years in HLL, t h e last three as vice-
o n the portability of a manager. "What structured training programme at ICICI
chairman of the company.
you are learning is not about soap or a when I joined (in 1975)," points out
bank. You are learning to lead, to man­ Kalpana Morparia, C E O India, JP Mor­
age, to create systems of control and to gan, and the former strategy and com­
The top-down approach
The hothouse environment plays a
manage accountability. You are learn­ munications officer and vice-
chairperson for insurance, securities critical part in nurturing and growing
ing to get a team to work together ener­
talent, but it certainly isn't the only
getically; to convince a board; to give a and asset management at ICICI Bank.
reason. There are also the intensive
tough message to the unions," points "It was more on-the-job learning."
Indeed, the people m a n a g e m e n t training and institutionalised talent
out Vikram Bhalla, partner and direc­
development programmes (more o n
tor at the Boston Consulting Group and development functions at the
• 53 •
 B U S I N E S S I N D I A • A p r i l 19, 2 0 0 9
Cover Feature B U S I N E S S I N D I A • A p r i l 19, 2 0 0 9 cover reaiurc

directors spend close to 10 days on the between functions and businesses so

that place a premium o n good gover­ courses. "Citi has a culture of taking in
same process, while the 250-odd talent they get a feel for the entire business,
nance and ethical behaviour, this can raw talent and then growing and devel­
Wipro rl 1
scouts across the organisation tot up
between 3,000 and 4,000 man-days in be a heaven-sent opportunity: ensure oping it. Many, if not most, of our lead­
that the newbies are exposed to the ers were recruited straight out of
and also develop cross-functional
capabilities, ICICI Bank's incoming
their quest for future leaders. The top CEO, C h a n d a Kochhar, has worked
A V Sridhar BVVenkatesh managers are also expected to conduct desirable culture and values and business school," says Ian Gore,
Rajiv Pant h u m a n resources head, Citi South Asia. across businesses like corporate credit,
Founder, President, CEO Founder, CEO, President President, North America leadership programmes, attend class­ encourage interaction with senior
infrastructure financing, e-commerce
i Digitelne * Majoris Software Hexaware— room Q&A sessions and be available for colleagues known for their personal "The need to maintain balance and
perspective while dealing with the strategy a n d retail. In 24 years at Citi,
mentoring high-potential middle and integrity.
i h A n a n t Kansai Rama Kumar inherent tension between creative Nayar held eight jobs across three con­
Rajendra Khare senior managers. "For t o p leaders, t h e HUL goes a step further. All new tinents. Dabur's Sitaram covered per­
Revathi Kasturi innovation and discipline was t h e
Ravi Bhat task of developing leaders is o n par employees are required to complete
Founders (both) sonal goods, soaps, detergents and
Founders (all three)
Tarang Software Technologies_ with bringing up children. That is the mandatory online courses on the core bedrock of t h e Citi school of manage­ foods at H L L India before moving to
values and culture of the company and ment," adds Jerry Rao, founder
level of c o m m i t m e n t you need. You t h e strategic group at London, in over
Cautam Sinha Ricky Bindra
should get goose bumps w h e n your what is expected and acceptable and former chairman, MphasiS, and an 18 years with the company. Gopala-
Founder and CEO CEO ex-Citibanker.
TVA Infotech juniors succeed and have tears in your behaviour for employees, " H U L has the krishnan's HLL portfolio covered IT,
NCEN Media Services
eyes when they fail," says K. Ramku- soul of a small company in the body of sales, brand management, public rela­
K B Chandrashekhar Sanjay Ananda ram mar, executive director, HR, ICICI Bank. a conglomerate. We have a very down- Walking the talk tions, general management, interna­
Founder Founding Partner to-earth, cost-conscious approach," More than the innumerable presenta­ tional exports, running a group
Anant R Koppar Exodus Comm. & e4e jumpStartUp Venture Fund If such involvement doesn't come tions and classroom lessons, alumni
Founder says Nair. That attitude shows up in the c o m p a n y abroad... "As soon as you
naturally, these companies have mea­
KTwo Technology Solutions K Vaitheeswaran Sridhar Mitta company's management trainee swear by what they learnt on the job. became comfortable with one
sures to ensure senior managers
Co-founder and C O O MD programme, rechristened the Business The early experiences and real-life role, a n o t h e r challenge was thrown at
'. Anil Garg develop it - fast. At HUL, for instance,
Indiaplaza e4e Labs Leadership Training (BLT) programme. training that the development farms you," he says.
Amardeep Lakhtakia all employees are assessed on six criti­
Founders (both) Overhauled a few years ago to bring it provide all their executives, and not
Murali Parthasarathy Sudip Banerjee cal 'standards of leadership', including The challenges weren't only of new
Info Knox more in line with HUL'S changing just t h e high-potential candidates,
team alignment and their efforts at areas of business. All these companies
requirements, the 15-18 m o n t h struc­ help raise the performance bar organi­
COO CEO
... f l
Primus Engineers l&T Infotech building superior talent. At ICICI Bank, sation-wide - and increase the market consider it a priority to define precise
Ashok Narasimhan tured programme for freshers now

CEO and Co-founder
luly Systems
Ashok Soota
Chairman and Founder
MindTree Consulting!
* T h e above list is not exhaustive
that later), t h e quality of the incoming
talent - also t h e resiult of stringent
selection processes - and
leaders' commitment to their
h u m a n resources.
Analysts and c o m p a n y HR heads,
without exception, believe that it is the
last that distinguishes t h e CEO factories
from wannabes. "Such a n initiative is
doomed to failure unless there is com­
plete buy-in from t h e management
committee and board on its impor­
tance," says a Mumlbai-based talent
IP M
*MSL. Sudip Nandy
Executive Chairman CEO
Mumgappa.Carpocate.Baafd Aricent
PradeepKar
Founder, C M D
Microldnd '
spends as m u c h time o n people as o n
business issues, says Ranjan Acharya,
top
senior vice-president, corporate H R D .
"He personally signs off all overseas
postings and reviews performance-
potential assessment for the top 200
executives," Acharya says, HUI.'S
management c o m m i t t e e also spends
about half its t i m e o n people issues.
That includes issues ranging from
recruitment, induction, mentoring,
appraisals, target setting to identify­
ing and grooming 'Listers', t h e com­
a substantial portion of top managers' value of their people. roles a n d accountability for their
includes a six-week international stint;
annual bonuses is linked to their It starts early, with trainees and new y o u n g recruits. "Nobody at Wipro is
but t h e original, four-week rural India
ability to develop leaders and ensure treated like a trainee for a year. We
spell, designed to teach budding lead­ managers being moved regularly
succession cover for critical jobs.
ers 'humility and sensitivity', remains
unchanged.
Class acts
Tailored training and induction
W h e n talent nurseries send their
programmes are c o m m o n to the other
recruiters to the top B-schools and
companies as well and if they d o n ' t
engineering colleges, their talent
have t h e same cachet as t h e BLT a n d G N Nagaraj
development programme is usually Citi's Management Associate pro­
already underway: t h e process began Chief Technology Officer
gramme (MAP), they are n o less rigor-. Reliance-Money -
with deciding w h o to hire and where to ous. In fact, that is t h e hallmark of the
look for them. There's a double advan­ m a n a g e m e n t training programmes of mm | Harsh Roongta
tage to bringing o n board t h e finest all the talent providers. Citi's flagship Ajay Srinivasan CEO I U h » n a Morpana
available talent. The young managers- CEO Apnapaisa CEO
initiative, MAP, for instance, is a two-
in-the-making are already used to win­ .AdityaSirtaBnanceSeiyices — IP Morgan India
year, high-intensity course t h a t even
ning: they are relentless in their K S Harshan
b a n k officials concede is "not easy" Aluri Srinivasa Rao
determination to succeed and are not Executive Director
and alumni describe in more colour­ MD
afraid of hard work. "The Day Zero-Day federal Bank
ful terms. "You feel like you've been Morgan Stanley Pt
One candidates at the leading schools
passed through a churner, grinder and Ajit Sarap RasheshShah Prakash Gurbaxany
have already been through very nar­
threshing m a c h i n e - and t h e n it Amey Saxena Venkat Ramaswamy Founder
row filters, so they really are the cream begins all over again," says a former jitesn Kothari Founders QVC
of the crop. The filters at campus Citi executive, only half-joking. Ashu Retail Lahiri . .Edelweiss-Capital -
recruitments then are more about cul­ Suyash, M D , Fidelity India Fund, is Vinod Sudhindra Prakash Nene
ture issues and fitment than technical
skills," adds Korn/Ferry's Sharan.
more temperate. "Straight out of B-
school, associates come with acade­
i
Vlvek Kumar
Founders (all six)
Platinum Power Wealth
-
^Tk
tSM
Corporate Director, Finance
B h a r t i

_
Enter

" "
P rises

management consultant. And it has to If t h e recruitment is relatively mic knowledge. A longish i n d u c t i o n

pany's top performers, points
go far beyond lip service. "For a com­
out Leena Nair, vice-president, HR,
pany to be very successsful, talent devel­
South Asia, Unilever a n d executive
o p m e n t needs to be a management
director, HR, H U L .
agenda, not just am HR agenda,"
At ICICI Bank, t h e C E O devotes five
explains Egon Zehnder's Jhangiani.
At Wipro, c h a i r m a n Azim Premji full days every year to t h e leadership
empanelment process. Executive
j ^ ^ ^ Sameer Chadha
uncomplicated, 'on-boarding' - when brings t h e m closer to reality and helps
Gaurav Deepak ^E*flHfe COO
t h e newcomers actually join the organ­ t h e m understand what is expected of
isation - is far more critical. That's them," she points out. MP K A Chaukar . Barclays Snared Services
because conventional wisdom holds Avendus MD . ...
Like the BLT, the MAP, too, includes T o t o Industries Shanta Valium Gandhi
that an individual's values and attitude international experience: associates are
to work are defined in the first six to 12
VP, Acquisitions & Partnerships
sent to Citi offices across Asia Pacific American Express Banking
m o n t h s of his career. For companies for four-week development training * T h e above list is not exhaustive

• 54*
• 55<
 BUSINESS INDIA
-Adltya Purl
MD
- HDFC Bank
Anil Ahuja
Head of Asia
^ Anil Jaqqia
; HDFC Bank
|,j Ashu Suyash " Puneet Matta
— {. MD and Country Head Head, Wealth Management
I Fidelity Fund Manager Credit Suisse India
! Devinjft Singh
— J--MD
! Carlyle Croup India
i t h e m engaged - for a longer time.
_ j { G S Sundararajan
i CEO and MD
- J JullertonJadia
i get a C E O w h o can handle 10,000 peo­
Gunit Chaddha
MD and CEO
-Deutsche Bank —
* The above list is n o t exhaustive
believe in giving people early compre­
hensive business exposure with inte­
grated profit-loss responsibilities t o
help t h e m grow," says Acharya. Not
only d o they help keep employees
engaged, progressively larger responsi­
bilities can also be a subtle barometer
of an employee's career p a t h . Hear
Anil Ahuja, n o w head of Asia at private
equity c o m p a n y 3i Asia, o n his initial
years at Citi, "You were given responsi­
bility very early. I was trade head at 27,
responsible for over 200 people. But if
you didn't d o t h a t at 27, you couldn't
clear India by 35, Asia i n a n o t h e r five
years a n d you couldn't b e C E O at 50.
Not everyone would get thiere, but this
way you at least h a d a shot: at it." Adds
M April 19,2009
Cover F e a t u r e BUSINESS INDIA * April 19,2009
Cover Feature
company. "When these fresh bankers
every year, involving m a n y levels of Learn, t h e Huddle a n d so on). result of t h e company's culture,
talk of closing dollar deals, they are
hierarchy, from t h e CEO down. "Lead­ Wipro a n d ICICI Bank have also set says Morparia, which "encourages
referring t o million-dollar deals. Gen­
ership development requires D N A u p programmes in association with these traits".
erations of public sector bankers proba­
anchors - some heritage issues need cross-industry companies like L'Oreal But t h e m a i n reason t o p executives
bly retired without ever dealing in
those sums of money," adds t h e talent
nurturing and continuance and others and GE, respectively. C-level executives resign is t h e pyramidal corporate hier­
built afresh with an eye on t h e future - from t h e bank also conduct leadership archy. As Suyash succinctly puts it,
management executive quoted earlier.
as well as a strong structure in t h e form mentoring programmes in addition "There is o n e t o p position. That is why
Not surprisingly, assignments at these
of a set of people with t h e ability t o to customised programmes by you have so m a n y Citi managers out­
companies assume a larger-than-life
r r assess future leaders," says Ramkumar. external coaches like Ram Charan and side." For t h e organisation, it is a logi­
|? yRa° _ Sanjay Nayar aspect, especially w h e n compared t o
Founder g former ChWmarT~CEO^ - - many other companies in India. The talent academies depend on C.K. Prahalad. cal decision - given a choice between
MphgslS KKRJndia Advisors powerful review and selection If t o p performers get special privi­ No.l and No.2 leaving, it would prefer
processes that include benchmarking, leges, they are also first in line when it No.2 quit. T h e departing candidate
Munish Sharda S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g the point
Director, Direct Sales Force 360-degree feedback, peer reviews and comes to tough assignments. Stretch doesn't lose out either. With their
Aviva The initiatives towards recruitment, experience a n d credentials, and t h e
assessments on a performance-poten­ assignments are an accepted practice at
training a n d on-job direction are increasing n u m b e r of start-ups and
tial matrix. Once an executive is identi­ talent nurseries - jobs that require
aimed at bettering t h e overall perfor­ new ventures, senior and board level
fied as high potential, he is provided exceptional skills and talents. The
mance level in t h e organisation. There executives from these companies are
with every opportunity to better him­ high-flier will most likely possess a
are also a chosen few, at every talent welcomed with open arms at most
self, his skill set and his performance, functional level of the necessary skills -
factory, w h o are singled out for star companies, giving t h e m a chance
Former Head either through structured training in
Paresh Sukhtankar treatment. Consultants a n d talent to a t t e m p t new challenges and new
—CenttmonBank technical and soft skills, or through
Executive Director hunters advise beginning t h e process environments.
HDFC Bank mentoring and coaching - all faithfully
Sunil Mehta of identifying, coaching and nurturing
Country Head and CEO top talent early - preferably by Year II.
followed by periodic assessments a n d " T h e people w h o leave As t h e global downturn progresses,
AlCThdia That way, n o t only can you groom
feedback to ensure t h e executive's us are o u r best there may n o t be as many resignations.
career is o n its correct growth path. At the same time, the business environ­
your high potential people t h e way ambassadors. If y o u are a
T R Ramachandran Typically, the high-fliers are a very ment now is completely different from
you want, but by signalling that they leader in a d o m a i n , y o u
Rana Talwar CEO small, select group - certainly less t h a n what prevailed earlier. "Until the mid-
have a bright future in t h e organisa­
Former CEO Aviva India Life Insurance
tion, you can keep t h e m - a n d keep
10 per cent of any company's popula­ are t h e agenda setter and 1990s, all good talent converged o n
StanChart these few organisations and they could
tion, usually between 1 and 5 per c e n t - resource p r o v i d e r " -
so monitoring isn't difficult. "When cherry-pick talent," recalls Carlyle's
Rishi Pipariya Bhalla adds another reason, "You need i c i c i ' s K. Ramkumar Singh. That is n o longer the case - busi­
Director, Bancassurance we talk about our very best talent with
to get into the game early. You will not
Avbai . the greatest potential, we focus on a ness graduates today can choose from
so m a n y more options. Will these five
V Vaidyanathan small percentage of Citi's population. certainly not e n o u g h to excel at t h e
Sandeep Ghosh ple if you didn't teach h i m t o handle retain their pre-eminent status as tal­
Executive Director There is n o telephone book of names," task. The challenge, then, is to pick u p
Exc. VP, Commercial Banking ICICI Bank an area with 25 people." ent providers to t h e nation over t h e
Heacf-Asia agrees Citi's Gore. t h e necessary expertise on t h e job,
Nobody is rushing t o tag their best coming decades?
Royal Bank of Scotland Usually, n o n e of these companies which is usually among the toughest in
Vikram Sud and brightest, though, HUL looks at t h e
makes a song-and-dance of announc-. the company. "Large successful organi­ There is n o simple answer to that.
coo— growth potential of its BLTS three years
ing its star performers. (Of course, sations are trying to perfect a model Yes, managers have more choices. But
Kotak Bank after confirmation, while at Wipro, there are also so many more managers
that's only the official line. Everyone in where the objective is to stir-fry h u m a n
Acharya says leadership potential is today t h a n there were in t h e 1970s and
a particular industry knows w h o its talent," says Gopalakrishnan.
considered only after someone has 1980s, with even more being generated
spent about seven years in t h e organi­ best people are.) Individual feedback is
every year as t h e n u m b e r of manage­
Morparia, "ICICI has always done phe­ sation. The y o u n g guns at TCS, too, given in some cases, but typically, The more things change...
ment institutions multiplies.
nomenally well o n spotting talent a n d more subtle signals are sent to the can­ If these companies are so good at
need to bide their time. "The organisa­
taking risks o n people. It is n o t limited didates and their peers. At Citi, an developing talent a n d p r o m o t i n g How dot t h e companies react to los­
tional systems ensure that we identify
by stereotypes of people a n d jobs. 'orchestrated effort' is made to bring their people, w h y do their executives ing some of their best people? Philo­
a n d train potential leaders as well as
I experienced this first-hand w h e n future leaders to t h e notice of senior m o v e t o other organisations? (Inci­ sophically.
key members in both t h e middle
I was given effectively a supervisory management (for instance, by attend­ dentally, all companies maintain that "The people w h o leave us are our
and senior managerial positions,"
role in March 1977, less t h a n 18 ing meetings with board members as attrition, at t h e senior and C-levels, is best ambassadors. If you are a leader in
says Mukherjee.
m o n t h s after I joined. This was an observer); TCS sends t h e m o n spe­ very, very low.) a d o m a i n , you are t h e agenda setter
ICICI Bank hunts for leaders at three
followed regularly by assignments of cialised programmes developed by Personal reasons, of course, are their and resource provider. You shouldn't
stages in their careers: t h e first time,
increasing responsibility." Harvard Business School and other pre­ own justification. Except one. A disin­ grumble about people being poached,"
within t w o or three years of campus
The wealth of experience apart, t h e m i u m institutes; Wipro sets them u p clination to shift locations, either says ICICI'S Ramkumar.
recruitment, following which t h e can­
C E O factories offer a n o t h e r advantage with mentors from within and outside within t h e country or abroad, can be a The talent providers don't consider
didate is given select assignments and career killer. In t h e current business this brain drain. In fact, it's almost a
to their executives, w h o have recruiters the company; and HUL does all these in
increased exposure across t h e com­ environment, it is a decision that could win-win situation, though they will
queuing u p with offer letters: unsur­ part or whole measure. It also offers
pany. At middle and senior levels, suit­ transport you from the fast track to the never concede that. But think about it:
passed access t o scale. At five years into executives the chance to participate in
able candidates are considered for dirt track. as part of t h e company, t h e star per­
HUL, for instance, an area sales m a n ­ 'short-term exposures' t o Unilever
inclusion in a company-wide talent formers m a k e money for it; as alumni,
ager handles business of about Rs250 offices in other countries, as well as At t h e tech majors and ICICI Bank, a
pool. The e m p a n e l m e n t is a very they c o n t i n u e to make it look good.
crore - that's t h e size of a small informal peer group meetings back number of middle and senior execu­
serious three-month-long exercise
h o m e (Beer and Brands, Lunch and tives leave to become entrepreneurs, a • MEENAKSHI RADHAKRISHNAN-SWAM1
• S6»
• 57 •