Business Interviews

‘Military style of leadership is redundant’

Wed, 02 May 2012 17:25:33 GMT

Success formula : Martin Brudermüller, vice-chairman, BASF

‘A good leader should be a day dreamer’

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:28:44 GMT

He is nearing 70, but Onkar S Kanwar, chairman Apollo Tyres, is like his company — fitter than ever before. Operating in an industry beset with old technology and archaic business ethos, he has successfully managed to steer the company to the position of India’s first global tyre manufacturer, with two overseas acquisitions — South Africa’s Dunlop in 2006 and the Dutch Vredestein in 2009.

‘Leadership style has to be situational’

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:58:30 GMT

Hubert Joly, president and CEO, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

‘There is need for regulatory changes’

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:50:24 GMT

Founded in 1935 as Bell Aircraft Corporation, Bell Helicopter has set the pace for the industry. Besides being the first to obtain certification for a commercial helicopter, Bell has delivered more than 35,000 aircraft around the world. John L Garrison, president and CEO, Bell Helicopter talks to HT on growth opportunities in India. Excerpts:

‘Volatility is the new normal’

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:29:43 GMT

Infosys stunned all when it announced that its dollar revenues would grow by just 8 to 10%, much below the industry average. SD Shibulal, CEO and managing director of Infosys says global macro-economic environment continues to be uncertain which is the “new normal”. Excerpts:

‘Being yourself is the best way to be a good leader’

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:33:08 GMT

Leadership, and leaders by extension, cannot exist in a vacuum and can only survive if there are followers who feel a genuine connect with the leader, says Harish Manwani, COO, Unilever and non-executive chairman, HUL, in an interview.

Why do successful leaders in one industry fail in another?

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:52:38 GMT

Asuccessful leader is a victim of his own hubris that results from basking in one’s success.

‘A leader needs to adapt his ego to the firm’s value’

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:48:09 GMT

Success formula: Didier Michaud-Daniel, CEO, Bureau Veritas. James Scouller

'A leader inspires people with his knowledge, spirit'

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:51:15 GMT

A majority of successful business leaders, says DLF chairman KP Singh, have a personal stake in the success of their company, which is not just financial but also emotional, though good leaders also need knowledge and charisma. The trailblazing realty tycoon spoke to HT about his leadership style in an interview.

'A leader needs to lead by example'

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:56:21 GMT

Leading from the front and leading by example is what sets a leader apart from his followers, which is why leaders need to be self-disciplined, transparent and objective according to SD Shibulal, chief executive officer and managing director, Infosys. SD Shibulal in conversation with Vivek Sinha.

'United TechMa-Satyam to have Rs 1,800-cr surplus'

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:36:03 GMT

Following the merger of Tech Mahindra with Mahindra Satyam, the new company will have a cash surplus of Rs 1,800 crore, which it will use for expansion purposes. In an interview with Hindustan Times Sonjoy Anand, CFO, Tech Mahindra, talks about the new company's growth plans

'Leadership is thinking out of the box'

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:04:34 GMT

One of India's 48 billionaires - the latest Forbes rich list ranks him at 270 with a net worth of $4.1 billion - Uday Kotak, 53, vice-chairman and managing director, Kotak Mahindra Bank says leadership is about being disruptive and thinking out of the box. Excerpts from an interview.

'I assure you, our rules are the same for all companies'

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:59:44 GMT

Just a week after India saw its largest insurance company LIC buy Rs 11,450 crore worth of shares in the country's largest oil exploration company ONGC --- a move described by former finance minister Yashwant Sinha as "daylight robbery" --- right under the nose of Sebi, its chairman UK Sinha clears the regulatory air.

‘I am much less autocratic now’

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:44:07 GMT

The 69-year-old Godrej Group patriarch, Adi Godrej says leadership is certainly no popularity contest. Good leaders, he says, even when they take decisions not liked by all, owe it to their subordinates to explain the rationale for such decisions.

Customers have consistently reposed their faith in our abilities

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:02:19 GMT

RAdm (Retd) Vineet Bakhshi, VSM, chairman and managing director, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) speaks to Hindustan Times on the driving spirit behind the creditable growth trajectory of the country’s youngest defence shipyard. Excerpts:

‘God is in the details, profit in niches’

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:12:14 GMT

Being the eldest son of the industrialist Rahul Bajaj, Rajiv, 45, got the world’s fourth largest two-wheeler firm as part of his inheritance. But in 2001, barely a year after he unofficially took over the reins of the firm, he saw Bajaj Auto slip and lose its No. 1 position in India for the first-time in 45 years.

'India an exporter of talent for us'

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:02:00 GMT

With eight consecutive quarters of growth behind it, Hindustan Unilever has been able to ride the stress of rising input costs, a falling rupee and changing business environment, with some success. The company's chairman and parent company Unilever’s chief operating officer Harish Manwani talks to HT.

Singing a different tune

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:43:21 GMT

Interview with Vineet Singh Hukmani, CEO, RadioOne.

'Many projects affected due to land acquisition problems'

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:13:59 GMT

Last in news for building India’s longest railway bridge -- the 4.6-km-long bridge involving the construction of the Vallarpadam-Idapally new line in Kerala -- the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) is bracing up to start execution works on major projects including the construction of the prestigious Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail link. Corporation Managing Director Satish Agnihotri spoke to Srinand Jha on upcoming schemes and related issues. Excerpts:

This budget should be bold and realistic: new FICCI chief

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:16:27 GMT

Achieving political consensus for impending policy reforms tops the agenda of R V Kanoria, the newly-elected president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

‘These challenges are only in the short-term’

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:02:07 GMT

Despite the uncertain macro-economic conditions in the developed West, Infosys is preparing for the long term, with continued investments and a positive hiring outlook, its MD and CEO SD Shibulal told Hindustan Times. Excerpts:

We will be experimenting with PPP mode for the first time

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:13:15 GMT

Dogged by controversies and delays in past years, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC) now seems poised to begin execution work of India’s single biggest infrastructure project involving the construction of 3,300 route kilometres of tracks at a whopping Rs 60,000 crores.

'We want to grow more than mkt'

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:59:40 GMT

Volkswagen, Europe's biggest car maker by sales, is aiming for a 10% market share in India by 2018. In conversation with HT.

'Mini is a brand, not just a car'

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:54:25 GMT

The iconic Mini has finally entered India - the 100th country to see the iconic car. In conversation with HT.

‘India will be one of our highest growth markets’

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:29:03 GMT

Even as the rumour mills are busy speculating about his retirement, 66-year old CEO of Ford Motor Corporation, Alan Mulally came calling in India to unveil a compact sports utility vehicle EcoSport on Wednesday. Excerpts from an interview with HT.