Mukesh Ambani explains the clear thought process behind the Reliance group’s decision to move beyond its polyester business If Dhirubhai Ambani was a larger-than-life patriarch and Anil was the public face of Reliance, Mukesh was an enigma. Those who knew him well credited him with...

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Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, has pulled off one of the most spectacular turnarounds in Indian corporate history Rajiv Bajaj, 40, managing director of Bajaj Auto, has pulled off one of the most spectacular turnarounds in Indian corporate history. Through superb...

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In a business that is completely dominated by MNCs, Sam Balsara’s Madison Advertising has gone from strength to strength In a business that is completely dominated by multinationals, the small-built Sam Balsara stands tall and independent. As one advertising agency after another...

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Dr Vijay P Bhatkar is an acclaimed initiator of the electronics revolution in India and a renowned global leader in computing Dr Vijay P Bhatkar, 61, is an acclaimed initiator of the electronics revolution in India and a renowned global leader in computing. Of his many path-breaking...

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Sanjeev Bikhchandani epitomises the belief that this is the best time for entrepreneurs in India Sanjeev Bikhchandani epitomises the belief that this is the best time for entrepreneurs in India. His is a classic story of spotting an opportunity and chasing it with guts, determination,...

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Meeran Borwankar, Mumbai’s first woman Joint Commissioner of Police, has shattered an important glass ceiling In a city that is the playground of gangsters like Chhota Rajan, Dawood Ibrahim and Abu Salem, not to mention continuous threats of terrorist attacks, Meeran Chadda Borwankar,...

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For Hafeez Contractor, India’s best-known architect, it has been a long struggle to make it in India, rather than stay on in the US Hafeez Contractor. 57, is clearly India’s best-known architect. This is partly because he is amazingly prolific and can work almost anywhere and is also...

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After a brilliant career at HLL, Keki Dadiseth now wants to be associated with businesses that will “challenge the grey cells” India is now the centre of global attraction. And if there is one manager who is at home at a time like this, it is Keki Dadiseth. He studied chartered...

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Ashank Desai figures prominently among those who grasped the opportunity after Indian entrepreneurship was unshackled in the 1990s When history notes how Indian entrepreneurship was unshackled after the 1990s, Ashank Desai will figure right up there as one of those who grasped the...

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Baba Kalyani navigated Bharat Forge through a series of daring global acquisitions to make it the most profitable forgings manufacturer In the early 1990s, when Indian businessmen were dead against foreign competition, fighting through what was called the Bombay Club, Baba Neelkanth...

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KV Kamath explains the various thoughts and considerations that guided his actions and decisions at ICICI Bank As appearances go, KV Kamath, 59, managing director & CEO of ICICI Bank, looks the quintessential global banker - he is invariably turned out in expensive dark suits and speaks...

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Meenakshi Madhvani has experience in every aspect of advertising and has had the courage to explore new media opportunities From selling Fiat cars to media space, client servicing to media consulting, Meenakshi Madhvani has done many things. Her career is worth describing because she has...

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Satish Magar found a unique way of extracting full value from his ancestral farmland by converting it into a model township. Satish Magar, 47, is an interesting combination -- he comes from a political family, with landowner background but had an urban, Western education. He then opted...

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If India is emerging as a global platform for R&D today, the process began at the NCL, Pune, and the credit goes to RA Mashelkar. It is not for nothing that he is called the “Warrior of Haldighati”. Dr Raghunath (Ramesh) A Mashelkar, 65, led the challenge against the attempt to patent...

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Rakeysh Mehra has gone from being a sportsperson, to ace salesman, to advertising man and, finally, went into making films. Eureka Forbes’s loss is clearly the gain of Indian cinema. Rakeysh Mehra’s roller-coaster life and its myriad experiences translated into a path-breaking movie that...

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A M Naik rose to the top slot in Larsen & Toubro, and put it on the path to being a multinational entity. AM Naik, Executive Chairman of Larsen & Toubro, an engineering and construction giant, has steered the company through some of its most turbulent times. Under him, L&T has recorded...

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Sudhakar Prabhu has built the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the Jeejeebhoy Towers that houses the Bombay Stock Exchange. Frischmann Prabhu -- announces a small board at the start of a dirty lane in Prabhadevi in Mumbai, flanked by tightly-huddled hutments. Down the uneven lane is a...

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HDFC Bank’s managing director Aditya Puri is sharp, aggressive, demanding and sharply focused on the bottom-line. He is gregarious, informal and loves a good laugh. But don’t let that fool you. If HDFC Bank is among the most consistently profitable banks in the country today, it is...

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SBI chairman AK Purwar has taken on the challenge of turning a banking behemoth into a nimble-footed and tech-savvy entity. After a brief stint as a lecturer in Business Administration at the Allahabad University, Arun Kumar Purwar opted to become a banker. He soon realised that he had...

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Glenn Saldanha, a serious, highly focused and confident young man, seems extremely certain about his company’s growth path. Five years ago, Glenmark was a small formulations company, the bulk of its revenues coming from India. Today, it is a radically transformed company focused on...

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