1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?

Getting people to align to a common objective

2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Starting from the ranks and growing based on opportunities that the industry and business environment offered. Rode the IT wave

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Wake up early, exercise and yoga and running. Office and work or WFH. Intermittent hourly breaks for meditation- 5 minutes. Pranayama in the evening. Time with family and friends. Some quick reading and then retire for the night

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

Service before self. The lesser the ego the greater and more successful the leader

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

I AM THAT - by Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Not only on leadership but generally on life as well

6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?

Have more people aligning to common goals and objectives and leaders demonstrating integrity in thought, word and deed. People generally follow icons and examples. Leading by example creates leaders. Mahatma Gandhi is a perfect example. He created leaders not by some training programme but by demonstrating integrity, aligning people to a common objective and motivating people to look at higher ideals rather than petty differences

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?

In the current assignment as the Group CIO, the organization had abysmally low levels of cost consciousness and general motivation especially the IT team. Created a series of programmes to firstly align the team to a common objective and then motivating them to work towards improving their work atmosphere and lives in general. Some success was achieved resulting in not only a happier team but also significant cost savings and productivity improvements.