The 10 Most Influential Consulting Leaders to Watch in 2018

1. ™ www.insightssuccess.in JUNE 2018 BUNCE OF ETHOS Changing Times and the Relevance of Business st Ethics in 21 Century EDITORS-TAKE Creativity Encourages Innovation, Innovation Triggers Revolution SHAHID AKHTAR Founder & MD: Phoenix GRS SHAHID AKHTAR A Courageous, Persuasive and Passionate Trailblazer of Immigration Business

4. Editorial W hether it’s about the strategy, operations, tax, finance, HR, or IT, business consultants have become a vital part of the corporate life. More than 7,00,000 consulting firms provide services virtually across all business spectrums. From defining strategic direction to simply serving as an additional pair of hands for outsourced work, business consultants have become inextricably linked to the success of most corporate houses. Today, the management consulting industry is flourishing and has become a $250 billion industry. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during 2018–2025. It’s highly profitable and professional services amongst all. But there are certain challenges that need to be tackled to fuel this growth further. Technology is disrupting almost every industry and consulting business is not an exception to it. This ongoing IT revolution is breeding newer technologies and tools every single day. These drive organizations towards new business models, and disrupting company structure. Adoption of an agile IT infrastructure that includes thriving technology like Artificial Intelligence is crucial for providing newer and more efficient operational models for clients. Reforms fuel Growth Multi-sourcing is the other vital area that needs to be looked after. Gone those days when a large project gets awarded to a single consultant that had the capabilities to offer all the solutions under one single roof. Now-a-days, with increased globalization and intense competition, business frameworks have become more robust whose maneuvering needs to be done with utmost care. It is difficult for a single firm to offer all the services given the transformation in various practice areas. Therefore, firms are required to partner with multiple consultants so that they can receive expertise in every niche area of a single large project and offer the best which they are capable of. Apart from these, performance based billing to extract ‘value for money,’ bringing diverse candidates with unconventional and creative aptitudes, reformative regulatory changes that are par with the current pace of the industry are some important areas where consulting businesses needs an overhaul. Consulting firms must recognize the need to embrace change, transitioning from time-honored business models to those that harness the power of digital technology. This will empower them not only in delivering better outcomes to their clients but will assist them in forging a long lasting relationship that will build on greater mutual trust and respect. Ashwini Deshmukh

5. ™ Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor Shraddha Deshpande Managing Editor Executive Editor Rajarshi Chatterjee Ashwini Deshmukh Contributors Sayali, Nupur, Ajinkya Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Co-designer Vanshika Mittal Picture Editor Alex Noel Savita Pandav Art Editor Poonam Mahajan Visualiser Business Development Manager Akansha Garewal Marketing Manager Dhruv Apte Business Development Executives Tejaswini Whaval Research Analyst David Circulation Manager Vivek Bangade Database Management Prashant Chevale Technology Consultant Swapnil Patil sales@insightssuccess.com June, 2018 Corporate Ofces: Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off. No. 513 & 510, 5th Flr., Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: 020- 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com Cover Price : RS. 150/- https://twitter.com/insightssuccess Follow us on : www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/ ollow us on : www We are also available on : Copyright © 2018 Insights Success, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success. Printed and Published by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd.

6. O N TEN TS 16 INTERVIEW WITH INSIGHTS SUCCESS RAJEEV SHROFF: A Trailblazing Leader who Always in a Quest of Learning New Things SHAHID AKHTAR: 08 C O V E R S T O R Y A Courageous, Persuasive and Passionate Trailblazer of Immigration Business ARTICLES 26 36 EDITORS-TAKE Creativity Encourages Innovation, Innovation Triggers Revolution BUNCE OF ETHOS Changing Times and the Relevance of Business Ethics in 21st Century

7. 20 28 34 40 ASHWIN BHADRI: CXO STANDPOINT Meticulous Attention and Astuteness are behind his Soaring Success DIVAKAR VIJAYASARATHY : A Triumphant and Accomplished Mogul in the Professional World TECH-WIZARD How Mergers and Acquisitions Assist Companies to Boost their growth 22 DR. GOPAKUMAR NAIR: A Personication of Intelligence and Passion MEGHANA NARSIMHA: A Path-breaking Leader with the Vision and Courage to Dream Big FINE-ANGLE Does Hiring a Freelance Business Consultant is More Effective than the other Available Options? 30 42 48 50 MINNAT HASHMI: An Enthusiastic Leader with a Vision to Succeed SHEKHAR AGHARKAR: An Efcacious Leader with a Vision for Success ORGANIZATION'S VIEWPOINT Vertical Limit… In Pursuit of Innovation 44 YOGESH CHOUDHARY: Architects Business Ecosystems to Propel Innovation

8. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H Troubleshooters of the Business World A business consultant not only provides a valuable piece of advice but lays the future roadmap for any organization. What makes a consultant great is its unique ability to embrace the change. They come in, they fit in, and they get the job done. Their soft skills and technical expertise allow them to take on their roles quickly and easily. An ace consultant knows how to accomplish the best results in the shortest possible time with as little friction as possible. Great consultants are problem solvers: bring them in and the work gets done. Such consultants are always confident about their skills and expertise and carry the potential to transform the fortunes of any company in positive trajectory with their adept consulting knowledge. They accept frictions, unforeseen circumstances, and negative feedback as well but never bog down in challenging circumstances. They learn from every setback and reflect the true valor of perseverance. Great consultants always see the big picture and bring a fresh view, and meaningful insights that can solve problems and boost the client’s business. In order to highlight such great leaders of consulting industry, we have come up with an issue of “The 10 Most Influential Consulting Leaders to Watch in 2018”. This issue covers the story of many great leaders who have built a niche in the market with their cutting-edge consulting offerings. On the cover, we have showcased Shahid Akhtar, Founder & Managing Director, Phoenix Global Resettlement Services Pvt. Ltd. Phoenix Global Resettlement Services is a leading immigration consulting company which provides the best immigration services, consultation, advisory, and support to skilled professionals, who aspire to immigrate, work, and settle in some of the world’s best economies. There are several other prominent leaders of consulting vertical which we have highlighted in this issue. To give deeper insights of the business world, we have included several masterly articles which are exclusively written by eminent industry leaders. Our in-house editors have crafted some intriguing piece of articles on key business values which our reading will find captivating. Interview of Mr. Rajeev Shroff, Board Member at Cupela Consulting is also included in this exclusive issue. So, do flip the pages and enjoy reading!

9. www.inonic.com

10. S T O R Y C O V E R

11. A LEADER CREATES A VISION AND MAKES PEOPLE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR WORK. Shahid Akhtar A COURAGEOUS, PERSUASIVE AND PASSIONATE TRAILBLAZER OF IMMIGRATION BUSINESS Founder And Managing Director: Phoenix GRS

12. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H C Anyone can transform their dreams into realities if they have the courage to pursue them. Having the quality of courage means the person is capable of taking risks even knowing the fact that there is no assurance of success. One such risk taking groundbreaker who is known for providing exemplary immigration services is Shahid Akhtar, Founder & Managing Director, Phoenix Global Resettlement Services Pvt. Ltd. Shahid always wanted to become an ace entrepreneur. To pursue his entrepreneurial dream, he studied Bachelor and Master of Commerce at Ranchi University and then pursued MBA in International business at European University Geneva/Montreux. Switzerland. ourage is one of most vital traits that has the potential to shape the destiny of any person. Even after completing a top notch MBA from a reputed university in Switzerland, and when the job market was sluggish, he took up an entry level sales job just to get the vital exposure of his favorite industry. This was an intentional compromise as he always wanted to start a consulting company hence taking up a job was a well thought move and a calculated risk in order to set foot in immigration consulting industry and learn the tricks of the business in the hard way. Shahid believes in building mutually beneficial partnership and relationship with clients, and is always focused on hiring and retaining high performance individuals that can become an asset for the company. He encourages strategic and tactical events that can boost professionalism in the immigration business and also guide company in creating a positive organizational culture. The choice was conscious as he desired to come out of his comfort zone and face the harsh reality of the competitive world. He then worked for an immigration consulting company for 13 years and soon his risk taking attitude encouraged him to leave his well-established professional career to start his immigration business in a highly competitive market. In 2011, with barely any big financial support, he founded Phoenix Global Resettlement Services. With just one small office in Bangalore in the year 2011, the company has now its presence in most of the prominent cities of India and has grown into one of the most trusted brand in immigration consulting business. As the Managing Director, Shahid works with the senior executives to oversee the operations of companies across a variety of functional areas, such as marketing, advertising, information technology, and operation. He develops strategic marketing and sales plans to boost profits and efficiency and always coordinates among the various departments such as legal, finance, operations, marketing, and sales, to maintain a hassle free business environment that can lead towards achieving the company’s goal. professionals, who aspire to immigrate, work and settle in some of the world best economies like Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The company also assists entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals to acquire permanent resident status and citizenship through investment in business and property in countries like Malta, Cyprus, Italy, Belgium, St. Kitts and Nevis, Monaco etc. With rich experience and a highly successful track record in serving its clients, Phoenix GRS is the undisputed leader in the immigration service industry. The company has a technical collaboration with one of the top European immigration consulting firm- SAVVA & ASSOCIATES to provide unmatched immigration services to their clients. As a result of having the strongest technical team, Phoenix GRS has been acknowledged as the best Immigration Consultant in the Immigration Service Industry. Shahid is a judicious leader who always looks for an opportunity to grow even in the time of crisis. He never bogged down even in the adverse circumstances and is always ready with the contingency plan for the possible failures. These qualities make him a thoughtful leader and a dominant force in the business world. Shahid’s patience, consistent efforts and trust on human capital assisted him to grow as a professional as well as an individual and in gaining meaningful insights of the immigration consulting business. About the Company Phoenix Global Resettlement Services is the leading immigration consulting company, which provides the best immigration services, consultation, advisory and supports to skilled Unrelenting Desire to be an Entrepreneur Coming from a humble background,

13. Uniqueness of the Company Decision to migrate to any country is the biggest decision a person can take in his lifetime. Moving to a new country in search of better life, thus not only an economic decision but also a very emotional decision, which is hard to take. The clients repose tremendous faith on a consultant; hence there always be the need of a consultant which can treat clients with lot of care and compassion and the immigration services require a very personalized and customized approach as process entails lots of documentation and other support works. The process requires very frequent interaction, including face to face, with the consultant. Phoenix Global Resettlement Services thus fits into the criteria by offering varied immigration services as per client needs and satisfaction. consultants having 11 years of experience on an average. These adept professionals have robust back-end support in each of their branches. They have even partially decentralized their operation in order to ease the client interaction and ensure the faster processing and filing of clients applications. “It has been a malady that most of the consultants doing back-end operations at one node and other branches acting like their sales outlets. This model doesn’t actually work in immigration service industry as clients’ needs frequent interaction with the branch where he initiated the process. If the cases are at least partially handled by same branch where client has retained the services, it gives lot of confidence and transparency to the clients and ensures faster application filing thereby resulting in faster visa turnaround time” asserts Shahid. START YOUR VENTURE EVEN IF THERE IS MORE CHANCE OF FAILURE THAN SUCCESS, SINCE SELF-BELIEF, PASSION AND ZEAL FOR WORK CAN CHANGE THE ODD IN YOUR FAVOUR, SOONER OR LATER. This company provides a very unique customer centric and transparent approach under the guidance of senior They never do a false promise to any

14. REALITIES.“ living better and smoother for the longer run. client for some monetary gain; client satisfaction is what the company strives for. They always pick only those candidates, who fit the eligibility criteria to go into the destined country. The company follows a stringent internal assessment process that too at free of cost with the assistance of their skilled immigration professionals before committing anything to the client. Owing to this distinct policy, the company has achieved a success rate close to 100% which has enabled them to acquire clients’ trust in a very short time. Notable Accomplishments A persuasive personality, Shahid, has a huge influence of Jack Welch, Former CEO of GE over his life. Jack’s unique business style, character, and commitment to transform GE into the world’s most competitive enterprise inspired him immensely and made a deep imprint on his personality. For Shahid, a good leader always creates a vision and makes people passionate about their work. Shahid asserts, “Any leader should always come up with good ideas and should energize, excite and inspire others to execute it rather than enervate, depress and control.” COURAGE AT THE CORE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO TRANSFORM YOUR DREAM INTO Cannes, France in October 2017. This event was attended by leading companies of more than 30 countries. Apart from the consultation and visa processing support services, the company also provides post landing services to its clients in overseas countries. These services include: booking accommodation, airport pickup, assisting clients in applying for the social security number, assistance in opening bank account and applying for a credit card and health card, providing information on various social welfare schemes, assist in applying for children’s admission in school/colleges, assist in buying properties and setting up businesses. The company also guides its clients on country’s laws, social norms and right as a permanent resident to make their Future Endeavors Shahid is an ambitious person and that reflects clearly through his vision which he has set for his company’s expansion. He is working to open new offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Dubai and has planned to add few more offerings in its services. The company also has plans to enter into the business of overseas education. His commitment towards work and diligence has led him to win much recognition in the industry. A renowned business technology magazine recently acknowledged Shahid as of one of the most Influential leaders in the Immigration Consulting business. A renowned European media group also recognized him as one of the prominent personalities in Immigration Consulting business. He was even invited as a special guest to participate and support the prestigious International Immigration Expo in The company is also ready to diversify in the area of English Language proficiency training by opening few centers to train its clients for exams like TOEFL, and IELTS, who seek to immigrate or study overseas.

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17. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H Management Company Name Brief ACPL, one of the pioneers in India for the virtual/outsourced CFO concept, provides outsourced management services in the finance and commercial areas, as a single window solution, thereby enabling its clients to concentrate on their core competence. Arthtech Consultants Pvt. Ltd. (ACPL) arthtech.com Shekhar Agharkar Founder & Director DVS Advisors is a contemporary tax and regulatory Firm with specific focus on Direct and International Tax. Divakar Vijayasarathy Managing Partner DVS Advisors dvsca.com Equinox Labs is FSSAI Notified, NABL Accredited and ISO 9001:2015 certified laboratory, offering complete testing services for Food, Water, and Environment & Hygiene. Equinox Labs equinoxlab.com Ashwin Bhadri CEO GNAs is a premier intellectual property consultancy and legal advisory firm providing high-quality legal and technical solutions to knowledge based industries. Gopakumar Nair Associates (GNAs) gnaipr.com Dr. Gopakumar Nair Founder & CEO HK Strategies hkstrategies.com HKStrategies is a global public relations and integrated communications agency. Deepa Jayaraman COO i tech solutions is a leading recruitment, staffing and it solutions provider which has a robust, well established it consulting & executive search division providing time efficient & cost effective business and people management solutions. i tech solutions itechsolutions.net.in Minnat Hashmi Founder & Director Phoenix Global Resettlement Services is the leading immigration consulting company, which provides the best immigration services, consultation, advisory and support to skilled professionals, who aspire to immigrate, work and settle in some of the world best economies. Phoenix Global Resettlement Services Pvt. Ltd. phoenixgrs.com Shahid Akhtar Founder & MD The Company provides solutions under multiple disciplines in website development viz., IT, Web development, Mobile application, Designing & Branding and is one of the leading Website-designing companies of India. Radiant Web Technologies radiantwebtech.com Yogesh Choudhary Founder & CEO Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. tce.co.in Tata Consulting Engineers is a best-in-class integrated engineering consultancy solutions provider. Amit Sharma Managing Director Meghana Narsimha Managing Partner, Anitha Managing Partner Yasasve HR Consulting services provide recruitment and minimize their client’s time span and speeding the process of recruiting personnel and also in skill development trainings, women empowerment programs. Yasasve HR Consulting Services yasasve.com

18. Rajeev Shroff: A Trailblazing Leader who Always in a Quest of Learning New Things M delivery organizations in India, China & Argentina. To get more details about Rajeev’s career journey, we have taken an interactive interview with him. Here are the excerpts of that interview. r. Rajeev Shroff,Board Member at Cupela Consulting is a renowned business leader who is known for sharp business acumen and diligence. Backed with significant experience in accelerating performance, transforming businesses, and working in high action situations, Rajeev has a vast exposure in building global software 1. What is your current designation, company, roles and responsibilities? How you are assisting your current company to grow further? A lot of people ask me, how do I slice time? My reply is how one can be satisfied doing just one thing throughout their lives. Currently, I manage Cupela – a platform for Transformational Coaching and Consulting that works with leading organizations in the country. I also run a Startup Investment Group – Ten Innovate. Also, manage to be a fractional CEO at SmartDrive India & a Leadership Advisor for a not for profit – Rangde.org. From advisory to sometimes handholding leaders across companies to run programs, am able to add value in some form or the other. 2. What strength of yours makes you unique among peers? I believe in bringing context to the consulting practice. I feel pure consultants bring a lot of structure, methodologies, and results focus, but there are gaps with respect to experience of having actually deep expertise of running a company and understanding of the perspective of the Board or the CXO’s who manage the company, CXO’s who will continue to do so after the consultants have come and gone. That’s the reason one of the big five consulting companies, when creating a proposal for offshoring work to India, reached out to empanel our company as an external consultant during the offer making process. 3. How a business leader should be like? A business leader simply needs to manage multiple priorities. The days of doing a couple of things well is gone. A contemporary leader should be able to scale up or down, present to the board and at the same time, know the pulse of the organization. Apart from this, an understanding of customers’ motivators along with current technology helps them in understanding the pulse of the organization. So qualities like being able to learn constantly assimilate, ask the right questions, being perceptive, with a constant focus on staying ahead in his game are things that are necessary. 4. What are the current industry scenarios from your point of view? Where global businesses are marching? There is a stark difference between where the world is going and where we are. As a leadership community in our 16 June 2018| ™ ™

19. Interview with Insights Success Mr. Rajeev Shroff Board Member Cupela Consulting 17 June 2018| ™ ™

20. 8. What are the various accomplishments or any noteworthy mentions that you received in your career till date? Tell us something about that. country, there is too much of living in the success of the past and unwillingness to challenge status quo. Digital Transformation is changing our world faster than we can imagine. There is a lack of holistic thinking and driving change. If employees are not ready, there is simply no point in deploying Artificial intelligence, if anything, they will fear for their job, instead of understanding the true purpose of AI, which is to first take away what machines can do better, so we can focus on the tasks we are best equipped to handle. My coaching clients or people I try, and help are my best recognition. When I see them transform and grow into better people, and succeeded, I get a great sense of accomplishment. 9. Tell us something about your company (Its inception year, headquarter, short journey and more). 5. Tell a brief journey of yours since early childhood covering notable milestones that worth mentioning which include your educational background, different professional services and more. I started off with TEN Innovate India Pvt Ltd in the year 2012. It’s primarily an Angel investment group focussing on Oracle Alumni, a Unique By- The-People-Of-The-People-For-The-People Model, investing in B2B Technology companies. It's headquartered in Bangalore and in a short period of time, we have been able to grow TEN to a network of 60+ Investors, 600 Entrepreneurs and helped over 50 startups in transforming business strategy, driving business growth. I have completed my Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Communication from Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College. Besides this, there are several workshop certifications which I possess which include Cloud Computing Lean Leadership Workshop and Franklin Covey Focus Workshop which have been instrumental in shaping my professional life. My main focus is to help create end to end transformation of companies including the leaders. No transformation is about one thing; it always involves People, Process, Technology and above all – leadership transformation. We aim at extending coaching expertise to leaders across sectors, help transit from manager to business leader and build leadership competencies. 6. Which is the one adjective which match closely with your personality? What are your passions? Innovation is something I identify myself with. Besides that, the zeal to experiment something new challenges me each time. 10. What are your future goals? 7. Who is your role model and why? What inspiration did you draw into your life from your role model’s life? I hope to be continued driven by my passion, my desire to be the best in what I do, and create long lasting change in this lifetime for people I work with. My role model is someone who is relatively unknown because he chooses to be that way. He is literally the humblest leader I have met, ever, and at the same time the best software programmer I have come across, the best head of a company, knows more about business strategy or marketing than heads of many large corporations. I have tried to learn to uphold integrity, always focus on growing people, and try not to allow success to mess with my head. 11. What advice do you want to give to budding entrepreneurs? One thing which I definitely believe helps in maintain consistency and continuity is by “Not copying others and creating your own journey. The previous generation does not understand you, just like you won’t understand the next, so let them be.” 18 June 2018| ™ ™

22. Ashwin Bhadri Meticulous Attention and Astuteness are behind his Soaring Success P which is ahead of its time; envision a new world which most of us can’t. bringing Indian food on par with global standards started. These two moments defined my career path.” assion and courage are the most important traits of the successful entrepreneur. These breed of people have the knack to imagine & innovate something Ashwin also had an opportunity to gain some practical business lessons from his father, he says, “I earlier had a hands-on training at my father’s venture, learning the operations and customer support. This helped me move up the ladder quickly, knowing what a good company needs and how team roles should be defined.” While studying in the United States, I realized importance of Innovation, Improvisation and how they are the two sides of the same coin “ One such innovative and passionate entrepreneur is Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs. He is an International Speaker on Food Safety and role-model for budding entrepreneurs across India. With his strong business acumen, he has nurtured Equinox Labs into India’s leading food, water and air testing company. Ashwin is management graduate from IIM, Ahmedabad and an alumnus of the University of Texas and the Cornell University. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Ashwin took his schooling lessons from Bombay Scottish School. Sharing Insights about the Ideal Leader While sharing his insight of a shrewd business leader, Ashwin says, leaders usually confuse empathy with sympathy. Understanding the situation with unbiased, no-nonsense attitude can segregate the result-generating teammates from the ones that don’t. He gives absolute priority to work-life balance in an organization. He feels, overworked people often deliver poor quality. “ The Entrepreneurial Odyssey Every entrepreneur has a great story to tell about his/her incredible idea/s, which leads him/her to the unchartered path. And Ashwin is no exception. Qualities that Shaped his Life We learned about the varied dimensions of Ashwin’s life that shaped him in the due course of time. He says, ‘I ask a lot of questions. This keeps me in touch with the latest trends and updates. I then start applying them with improvisations to improve my work quality, reducing the manual inputs and automating everything possible for better results.’ Ashwin says, “While studying in the United States, I then realized importance of Innovation, Improvisation and how they are the two sides of the same coin. My company is a pure serendipity. As I delved into the testing sector, I realized the fallen standards of food in India as compared to the world. Soon FSSAI came into being and the task of 20 June 2018| ™ ™

23. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H Ashwin believes in living life on the edge, he states, ‘I have even lost quite some bucks in the process, risked my customers, and almost lost my prospective partnership. But everything has taught me something, at least how to use money prudently!’ Personalities that deeply influenced the CEO are Frank Kern, Richard Branson, Ratan Tata, Elon Musk and Robert Downey Jr. Ashwin’s Quest towards Excellence Equinox Labs, the brainchild of Ashwin, was incepted in August 2005. With an aim to offer end to end solution for customers with respect to food, water and air quality across India. Ashwin has nurtured the company to gain an expertise in FSSAI compliance and Food Safety Management for corporates and FnB companies. Headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, Equinox has its registered office in Mumbai and another office located in Bengaluru. The organization has the PAN-India presence in thirty-nine cities and whopping twelve-hundred plus collection points across the country. Ashwin Bhadri CEO While speaking about his role, the founder says,“As the CEO of Equinox Labs, my responsibility revolves around guiding my teammates, steer them in the right direction, supporting my team and train them with experiences so that they are prepared for the worst-case scenario.” Equinox has been FSSAI notified, NABL accredited and ISO certified, guaranteeing the results across one-sixty plus countries. company to make them understand the loopholes, asserts Ashwin. Awards and Accolades Ashwin has been honored with several awards and accolades for his exceptional contribution to the Industry. He is recognized as the ‘100 Most Influential Leaders Globally’ in the Healthcare sector. Ashwin is also a recipient of ‘Operational Excellence Award’ by S. P. Jain and the ‘Food Safety Leadership Award.’ Meticulously Designed Solutions The Food and Beverage Industry and its allied sectors in India are growing up rapidly. However, to match up the pace, it has the huge deficit of required infrastructure, latest technology and solutions to streamline the business operations. The governing bodies too, lack required manpower and finance. He is frequently seen speaking on notable food safety issues on leading news channels. Ashwin has also closely worked with FSSAI, to develop new food regulations. Future Roadmap While speaking about future endeavors, Ashwin says, we recently partnered with Thyrocare and acquired Whaters - with these two companies as our partners, we now aspire to become the largest network of the testing laboratory. Equinox, under Ashwin’s guidance has taken care of all these issues, by offering wide-ranging solutions with advanced testing facilities. Ashwin says, “We focus on food, water and air testing and safety consultation. We do not just provide results; we provide a complete analysis of why the result is good or bad, we devise strategies for a continual safety in the premises.” With more innovations on the top list, Ashwin aims to take the company to the pinnacle in the next five years, with training, collaborations, networking events and more. We also prepare customized schedules and metrics for the 21 June 2018| ™ ™

24. HOW MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS GROWTH ASSIST COMPANIES TO BOOST THEIR ergers and Acquisitions M consolidation of companies or assets. M&A’s can be broadly classified into three main categories: Horizontal (merger of companies in the same space), Vertical (merger of companies in different stages of same supply chain), and Conglomerate (merger of unrelated companies). alignment with business strategy. ·?Shareholders or investors looking for an exit. improved technological know-how, trademarks and patents, thereby increasing efficiency in production and pricing. (M&A) is a general term that refers to the An M&A can be a rapid way for companies to achieve their objectives and increase company’s growth. The intention is that the resulting combination of products, people and pipelines will take the business to new heights. 2) Economies of Scale – M&A’s bring greater negotiating strength in dealing with vendors due to the larger size of the resulting entity, in addition to higher output of products/services resulting in lower fixed costs per unit. Rationale for M&A Since the early 1980s, high-profile leveraged buyouts such as Duracell International, Uniroyal, and RJR Nabisco have attracted widespread attention. Much of the fanfare has focused on negotiation tactics, savvy financial structures, and prices. Little attention, however, has been given to the other numerous buyouts that have occurred in that time period and to the fundamental changes in operating practices that have generated positive returns for many of those companies. 3) Larger Portfolio – To obtain a new product line for diversification or substitution or to complete a product range e.g. Nigeria Breweries Plc. planned takeover of Schweppes. It can bring about a new market outlet, eliminate competition or protect an existing market. There are various strategic reasons for companies to consider making an acquisition and a successful takeover can help companies achieve their strategic objectives as well as increase cost effectiveness within the business. Some of the major reasons are given below. 4) People – It has often been said that the success of the any big business depends to a large extent on the quality of its management personnel. Through M&A’s, external managerial talent can be acquired and utilized most efficiently. Also due to its larger size, the company has the advantage of offer better remuneration, better growth ·?As an inorganic growth opportunity to reach untapped markets or customers. ·?Viable business solution for companies attempting to downsize, reduce costs and streamline operation leading to an increase in profitability or Merits of M&A 1) Intellectual Property – Through M&A’s, a company can obtain 22 June 2018| ™ ™

25. TECH-WIZARD ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sowjanya Bonda is a Business Partner in AND Business Consulting. She is AND’s go to person for all transaction advisory, fundraising mandates and strategic initiatives. She has worked with more than 20 start-ups over the past 2 years and successfully assisted in fundraise (debt and early stage equity) for select clients. She enjoys working in Technology, Infrastructure (especially Renewable Energy) and Agriculture sectors. She has more than 10 years of experience working with Greenko, Spark Infra, Wipro. She is a PGP from IIMA (2009) and BE (CSE) from Osmania University (2004). Sowjanya Bonda Business Partner AND Business Consulting 23 June 2018| ™ ™

26. effective implementation did the job. ·?Maintaining brand individuality – A rare instance where both the companies managed to create a portfolio of new offerings while keeping their individuality intact. While Reebok capitalised on its strong presence with the youth, Adidas focussed on its international presence and high-end technology. ·?Economies of scale – Adidas benefitted from enhanced distribution in North America, where Reebok already had a strong foothold. Increased operations naturally translated into reduced cost across each front of the value chain such as manufacturing, supply, distribution and marketing. Post the acquisition of Reebok: ·?Revenue increased by 52% in 2006, representing Adidas’ highest growth in 8 years. ·?It crossed the benchmark revenue of EUR 10 billion for the first time. ·?The market share of Adidas-Reebok in the US increased to 21% from 19%. opportunities and can hence reduce attrition. Demerits of M&A However, the combined business has to deal with increased operational & personnel related complexities – presence in multiple markets, more diverse consumer base and more complex product/service portfolio. Cost synergies, a tangible and often quickly attainable goal, take precedence over the grinding work of formulating, isolating and tracking revenue metrics and growth efforts. Cost reduction goals can even conflict with revenue growth opportunities. Figure: Market share before and a?er acquisi?on of Reebok by Adidas Source: icmrindia, NAFSMA Case Study - Adidas acquisition of Reebok Walt Disney Company acquisition of Pixar: Another successful M&A was the acquisition of Pixar by the Walt Disney Company in 2006. The merger between the two top animation movie producers allowed Disney and Pixar to collaborate without any external problems they previously encountered. Although this acquisition greatly attributed to Disney’s success in the animation business, many shareholders worried that the famous Disney movie culture would be compromised for Pixar’s innovative movie generating techniques. The acquisition was largely successful, with Disney benefitting by bringing innovative ideas and technologies to Disney themed movies. It combined two of the most successful animation companies in the business, and solidified an already existing partnership. In 2005, Adidas announced its plan to acquire Reebok North America at an estimated value USD 3.8 billion. Adidas offered to pay over 34% premiums over last closing price for Reebok. This was a favourable deal for Reebok as it was facing tough competition from the likes of Nike, Adidas and Puma. The footwear market in North America was mainly dominated by Nike with a 36% share. Increased market share and cost cutting through synergies were clear-cut strategies for both Adidas and Reebok. Adidas with its hi-tech quality products and Reebok with its style quotient planned to combine and capture the market. Reasons for Success: ·?Cultural fit – Adidas is a German company and Reebok an American entity. However, proper communication, clear strategies and 24 June 2018| ™ ™

28. Creativ?y Creativ?y Revolution Revolution N always plenty in the race who offers more or less similar type of services with much affordable cost and desperately wait for the arrival of their ‘good times’. Stimulating Seating Arrangement: o organization can stay longer in this fast paced hypercompetitive world with a mediocre product and service. There are Does a big office which hires diverse individuals with unique talents provide enough opportunities to share idea among colleagues? May be not. Most of the employees if not encouraged, hesitate to mingle among most of their co-workers. Since most believe in completing their task and go home while living under the company of few likeminded individuals. The one thing thus any organization needs to do in order to stay relevant in the race‘is an environment and actions that can boost creativity’ at workplace. Only the creative thought process has the potential to boost innovation which in turn assists companies in crafting alluring products for which people can die for. Thus, we are highlighting few methods which can augment nurturing creativity within an organization. While, bonhomie between compatible persons are good but it limits the creative thought process in any individual. But when a person starts living or working in the close surroundings of dis-similar but skilled peoples, probabilities of learning new things 26 June 2018| ™ ™

29. EDITORS-TAKE Most employees even after having some thoughts, idea and even a technique that can incrementally contribute in solving some of the complex problems does not openly come forward. The fear of failure and the anxiety of ‘what others would say’ if it did not work properly, never allow their idea to become a reality. It is thus the job of a manager to let ideas’ flourish. No one knows whose idea will work better; even a junior sub-ordinate can come up with a much more innovative and enthralling idea than their seniors. Contention here is: will it work? Managers have to understand one truth that a great idea does not create ‘on-demand’. Employees needs time to nurture it and when it’s ready, managers have to show empathy if their Idea ‘FAIL’ rather than expressing wrath. get high. It can make transformational changes in one's thought process and personality. Since surrounding affects and makes a deep impression on human soul, more you get involved in a company of talented individuals with diverse mindset, more will be your chances to get inspire and grow the innovative instinct in yourself. Liking, disliking, way of doing work, techniques to solve a similar problem with various methods, varied personalities traits, and more a person can learn from other. But what is the solution? Are the employees going to make friendship with all other dissimilar personnel? Chances of such things to happen voluntarily on large scale seems impossible but if the top management of company decides on rearranging seating arrangement on a periodic basis then it can truly turnout as a gift not only for the organization but for the individual as well. For example, if product engineer who knows all the nitty-gritty of company’s product sits with a customer care executive who many times faces customers wraths for all the shortcomings of the products then it gives vital exposure to product engineer for understanding the shortcomings of company’s product at a very minute level which ultimately help company in crafting a much better version of that product in near future that too as per client’s needs. The right messaging help promoting a culture that celebrates failures by recognizing that each one offers a lesson that can help move the organization in upward trajectory. For example, the technology industry often weeds out unsuccessful ideas through what it calls “beta testing.” The messaging behind the term is brilliant; it lets creative thinkers know their ideas will be given a shot and that they won’t be stigmatized. This gesture is definitely not easy for any manager but expressing this at the times of failures will encourage their teammates and that will only turn fruitful in longer run. Similarly, if sales executives sit with customer care executives, it assists them to pitch the product on all the positive aspects in future sales meetings which a customer genuinely likes. But the first thing needed to accomplish this is a “rotational seating arrangement on periodic basis” among all employees that too at a cross departmental level. Ultimately, when thoughts flow, ideas nourish, and when ideas nurture, creative thought process takes a boost. Despite having risk if an employee who is talented and have a good track record comes up with an innovative idea, the first and the most common problem such employees face are the resistance and ignorance from their own team and management. Sometimes it extends into creating a mockery scene as well. Management thus have to take cognizance of the fact that if an employee is putting their prestige on risk, which every employee values the most, then there should be some value in employees idea. Management thus needs to take some counter measure to promote such traditions, of taking risk. If the management offers financial incentives or special recognitions in terms of awards to an employee when it comes with a realistic and innovative idea then true innovation will sprout inside the organization and employees can explore their true potential since: life is not about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself. Offer Time, Let them ‘Fail’ and Reward the Risk Taker Every employee has some sort of hidden talent. Each employee comes from a diverse community, have different economic strata, different linguistic identity and more which makes them unique in their own sense. Employees also have different types of schooling; upbringing, and culture, but one common thread which assembles all of them in a single line, is their unique and individual “TALENT”. But are their talent got notified? 27 June 2018| ™ ™

30. Divakar Vijayasarathy: A Triumphant and Accomplished Mogul in the Professional World E venture is not everyone’s cup of tea. It isn’t an ordinary journey; it is the test of your patience, perseverance, the talent to handle success and a strong will to bounce back from failures. It is about embarking on an uncharted path, full of hurdles and adventures, but ultimately leading to manifestation of dreams that will change the course of one’s destiny, and apparently, which will look like an overnight success to rest of the world. He says, “I carry a very important responsibility to facilitate in maintaining our present position in the market and also ensure that our Firm maintains a steady growth path for the future”. ntrepreneurship is a serious business and one needs to have the nerves of steel to succeed in this profession. An ability to turn a small idea into a big The Journey from Dreams to Accomplishments Divakarwas born and brought up in a close-knit middle- class family; he was no ordinary kid for his age. He lost his precious years of childhood to some serious family miseries and thus, became mature at the very early age. Since then, Divakar has been fighting adversities with unrelenting hope and ambition. You can craft a magnificent canvas of your success story with the diverse crayons of Creativity, Diligence and Robust self-belief “ “ Meet Divakar Vijayasarathy,a charismatic, passionate and inspiring personality, with an infectious smile, who perfectly exemplifies the persona of a successful entrepreneur. He is the captain of his own ship who sailed through rough waters, to reach the shores of success. Though he dreamed of becoming a doctor, destiny ended up making him an excellent Chartered Accountant. Divakar always excelled in his academic & professional career and achieved several milestones. He was an All India Ranker in Chartered Accountancy Exams, and secured highest placement offer in ICAI campus. As a highly ambitious person, he desired to create his own mark and he The Multifaceted Leader Divakar Vijayasarathy is the Managing Partner of DVS Advisors (“the Firm”). DVS Advisors is a contemporary tax and regulatory Firm with a specific focus on Direct and International Tax. constantly was in search of that one thing which would take him a step closer to his dreams. Divakar is regarded as one of the top-notch tax experts in India. He looks after the overall Firm’s operations and is primarily involved in top management recruitment, handling sensitive client relationships and acquisitions, integrating various arms of the business, identifying and acquiring potential target firms and businesses and forging new partnerships and alliances. Divakar took calculated risks in life. He quit his well- secured PSU job and entered the banking domain, earning a six-figure fat salary. However, destiny had something else for him; he quit this job too, and with a huge risk, started his own venture“DVS Advisors”, at peak of his professional career. This venture was incepted in the year 2007 offering 28 June 2018| ™ ™

31. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H tax, legal, risk and related advisory services. Years followed and then, a big breakthrough came in. The Firm setup its first overseas office in 2011, which was a remarkable moment for Divakar and his entire team. Divakar excelled in writing too and went on to publish his first National Publication Book on International Taxation in 2011 with India’s leading publisher. Due to Divakar’s sheer grit, out-of-the-box strategies and innovative ideas, his e-commerce venture was awarded the “Most innovative start-up in 2015”.The Firm acquired an NBFC in 2017, and started the first debt fund in 2018 (backed by investors from Middle-East), which was an important strategic step towards expansion of the business. Looking back at the journey, Divakar says, “Never give up – entrepreneurship is not easy, but is also not difficult. Consistency, focus and determination are key drivers to success. Compromise short term losses for long term benefits and success will always follow you”. Divakar Vijayasarathy Managing Partner Qualities that Shaped His Life While sharing his thoughts about the qualities and people that shaped his life, Divakar says, “My dad will always be my role-model in life. His words, which I often heard while growing up, made a profound impact on my life”. Dubai, Zambia and Senegal. The firm is part of MSI Global Alliance, an international network of independent accounting and law firms, which is headquartered in London. “He taught me to maintain a calm head in times of crisis, focus on details, be fair and impartial, smile in the times of adversity and most importantly, money never stays, it always flows, so never be attached to it”, expressed Divakar. DVS Advisors specializes in the services such as Structuring Inbound and Outbound Investments, Tax Structuring and its Management, Domestic and International Tax Advisory and Litigation, Transfer Pricing, RBI and FEMA Compliance and Litigation, Business Setup, Global CFO Services, Investment Banking and Debt Syndication and many more through its diversified team of professionals including Chartered Accountants, Lawyers, Bureaucrats and Bankers. He quotes, “Remember – Life is not about having and getting, it’s about being and becoming”. Divakar’s Notion of an Ideal Leader Divakar believes, “An astute business leader should have an unbreakable resolve after failures and a sponge-like heart to absorb the disappointments, still maintaining the composure”. Future Footsteps While speaking on prospective future strategies, Divakar states, “We are planning to consolidate our various business verticals; our aim is to focus more on automation, and develop an organizational template for seamless acquisition and integration of smaller firms into DVS”. “He should be a harmonious mix of Empathy, Hunger, Vision, Grace, and Impartiality”. Organization that Delivers Value DVS Advisors is an international professional services firm offering a wide-range of Tax, Legal, Risk and M&A advisory services for domestic and global business of all sizes. Headquartered at Chennai, the Firm has a global presence with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, London, Divakar believes in giving back to the society and desires to start a dedicated research academy on international taxation in future. 29 June 2018| ™ ™

32. DOES HIRING A FREELANCE BUSINESS CONSULTANT B Before addressing the question, let me first talk about how did business consulting evolve and why do typically companies need Business Consulting intervention. usiness Consulting is a both a highly respected and at the same time highly questioned concept. Based on the experience of the individual it swings either way. IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE OTHER AVAILABLE OPTIONS? The profession of Business Consulting evolved in the 50's when the businesses started becoming large, complex and therefore in need of special skills and people with deep expertise in one, more or entire business. Let’s begin by first looking at some of the most common reasons why a company or a business looks for outside help especially at a Business Consulting level. 1. To obtain specific expertise. Clients typically hire people who have the skills and expertise their own staff lacks. 2. To identify problems. Sometimes employees are too close to a problem inside an organization to recognize it. 3. To act as a catalyst for change. No one likes change; a consultant generally can do things without getting bogged down by organizational issues. 4. To be an objective onlooker. Besides seeing problems from a different perspective than internal staff does, a good consultant provides a fresh, objective viewpoint, then delivers results. 5. To mentor, guide and train people in skills which they may not have. 30 June 2018| ™ ™

33. FINE-ANGLE Manoj Tandon CEO ABOUT THE AUTHOR Manoj Tandon holds a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and PGDM from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. He has over 32 years of experience in the IT industry. A large part of his professional experience has been in leadership positions, rendering Technical and Strategic Leadership to software organizations at the level of Managing Partner, Member of the Board etc. During his career he has lived and worked in UK, Europe, US and India. He is an avid writer having written for newspapers and publications like Economic Times, Business Standard etc. Manoj also has been involved in Academics for quite some time. As a guest faculty he has taught in IIM, IIT etc. and has been a member of the Academic Advisory Board of many institutes. At present he is the CEO of TMTC, a leading business consulting company. 6. To do a company’s “murky work.” Let’s face it: No one wants to be the person who has to take tough decision which may sometimes impact the business or the employees. 7. To use the network and contacts of the consultant. Now, there can be many more and also very specific reasons for engaging a consultant but the one listed above are typically the ones which have been generally seen to be the reasons. In today’s world, consultants can provide much more than just filling the knowledge base and experience of the customer. They can for example provide: ·?Strategy Development ·?help creating a business plan ·?Once strategic and business plan is created, help and work hand in hand to implement it etc. Now, keeping all the above in mind, lets evaluate whether hiring a freelance/individual/small consulting firm is a better approach or going with a corporatized business consulting company a better approach. 31 June 2018| ™ ™

34. Let’s compare the two against various parameters in the table below: Corporate Remarks S.No Parameter Freelancer 1. Cost Reasonable High This is a no brainer, Corporate Consulting companies cost exorbitantly high Unless the assignment requires a large amount of manpower, the company is better off engaging a freelancer with requisite knowledge and experience. 2. Quality of people engaged in the work Large firms are notorious for sending senior people during the sales process and sending junior staff to execute bulk of the engagement One can search for a “real” Subject Matter Expert Consultant This is an area where global knowledge databases of large consulting companies are almost unbeatable. No individual consultant or a small consulting company can match the reach and data or a larger corporate consulting company. 3. Knowledge of the industry, locally and across the globe Medium to Low High There is a lot of information available on the internet on individual consultants also. This may mitigate the risk to some level. One can also use exclusive networks of highly validated professionals, across a wide array of business areas, and offer the luxury of custom-matching talent to the specific needs of your business. Independent professionals have highly diverse backgrounds and skillsets, as they tend to work with numerous clients making them more flexible and capable of dealing with complex projects, whether that’s financial modelling to budget efficiently, or optimizing pricing to hit revenue targets. Authenticity of the consulting capability This is a grey area for freelancers, unless one knows the freelance business consultant thru some reference it can end up being a waste of time and money 4. One is on more sure footing as far as authenticity of the Company is concerned. The place to be careful here is the kind of team one gets. In a nutshell, while it is not possible to give a blanket statement about which is a better option, freelance consultants or large corporatized consulting companies. However, given the fact that businesses are becoming more and more niche players, their needs are becoming more and more specific and the fact that there are enough senior, experienced and knowledgeable consultants coming into the industry, the climate is beginning to change in favour of freelance consultants. Also gone are the days that one saw good quality consulting only in “dark suit, light shirt and blue tie”. Nowadays people with quite accomplished background are entering in the field of business consulting and are surely worth considering for the value they bring to the table. 32 June 2018| ™ ™

36. Dr. Gopakumar Nair: A Personification of Intelligence and Passion O the current scenario demands better communications, patient deliberations, willingness to listen and appreciate other’s views and perceptions, with open mind to go back to the drawing board reconciliations. With this goal and zeal Dr. Gopakumar G. Nair, set up Gopakumar Nair Associates (GNAs) group, he is the Founder and CEO of GNAs. Inspirational Journey from Childhood to becoming a “Patent Guru” ver the years there have been fast developments in the fields of IP (Intellectual Property) Laws, Technology trends, R&D and innovation; although Born to a humble Keralite family of Nairs, he spent his early childhood in pre-independent famine days. In spite of all the odds, his family was extremely educated, his father had MA.LT degree, and was the college principal in the 1930’s onwards after which he became active social worker. He has witnessed the struggle and success of India right from the era of Netaji Bose, Gandhi, and Nehru to Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh; through trials, tribulations and fair residual progress till the current Modi resurgence into global economic dominance, growth and leadership. advice to protect their client’s Intellectual property “ GNAs providing world-class consultancy and legal “ Having been associated with numerous organizations, he has travelled all over the world on behalf of the Government’s Export Promotion agencies, Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce. This exposed him to various World Trade development organizations such as GATT, ILO, WTO, TRIPs, Uruguay round, Doha round and many global protocols such as Montreal Protocol, at a very early stage. Exposure to these rounds and protocols enabled him to closely notice the potential impact of Uruguay Round, WTO, TRIPs and other treaties on small–medium industry. Subsequently, he opted out of Industry by merging his pharma company with a larger entity and chose to become a service provider. In spite of inadequate financial support and odds, Dr. Nair went on to do Ph.D. from National Chemical Laboratory, and post-doctoral studies at IIT- Powai. He has also studied Management courses at Jamnalal Bajaj, Patent Law from Institute of Intellectual Property Studies and LLB from Mumbai University over a period extending from 1962 to 2006. Dr. Nair has a scientific research background, Pharma Industry experience (as CMD, MD, Chairman and Director) of nearly 50 years, and active public life participation in various Industry Associations and Educational & Academic Institutions. He provides consultancy and retainer ship After acquiring new legal skills combined with pre-existing technology skills, he consequently became an independent IP practitioner, advisor and consultant. 34 June 2018| ™ ™

37. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H advisory services to a large number of entities, industries, corporates, academia, R&D institutes, start-ups and individual inventors; he is ably and efficiently supported by a team of highly qualified professionals in achieving this goal. On the legal front, his contributions are phenomenal. After becoming a Patent and Trademark agent and later completing his LLB, he went on to become an IP Attorney, IP Advisor and Consultant. Always being on the top of his game he has served as the interim Dean of Institute of Intellectual Property Studies. Currently, Dr. Nair is known more as an “IP Guru” or “Patent Guru”. He is recognised in India for his stature in the field of Patents in particular and IP in general. Dr. Nair is a Reflection of his Role Models Throughout his life span Dr. Nair has had many role models. If just one person to be mentioned, it would be none other than Amitabh Bachchan; his resilience, fighting spirit, magnificent obsession for humaneness, humor and humility is outstanding. Dr. Nair also admires Dr. Yusuf Hamied’s (Cipla) obsession for National pride and self- reliance, his passion for pharma research is commendable. He also considers Mr. N.H. Israni’s (Blue cross) and Mr. Ajit Singh’s (ACG worldwide) corporate management style and networking as unique and worthy of emulating. The common thread of all these individuals is their passion, excellence in their respective fields and goodness in all of them make them commendable role models. Dr. Gopakumar Nair Founder & CEO GNAs offer superior solutions to clients in the areas of intellectual property protection and enforcement. Their experienced and expert senior patent and trademark associates provide support to clients in many of the technical aspects of IP, TM, patent practice, patent Non- infringement services, freedom to operate opinions as well as patentability, infringement and work around solutions. About the company A Glance into the Bright Future of GNAs The original company was Bombay Drug House Pvt. Ltd which later became M/s BDH Industries Ltd, where Dr. Nair served as the Director for nearly 40 years. He has also served as the CMD of M/s Bombay Drugs & Pharmas Ltd. from 1978 to 2002. The organization has emerged as a leading, reliable and efficient intellectual property service provider, specializing in Patents. The association looks forward to strengthen its presence in this field to take a leadership position. Budding entrepreneurs are increasingly associating with GNAs. Addressing them Dr. Nair says, “Innovation, Innovative pathways and novel products with breakthrough technology applications are the way forward. Common sense, presence of mind, sense of humor, agility and sound health, sound knowledge and experience in chosen field are essential requirements of a business leader.” With his unending thirst for knowledge and passion for intellectual property, Dr. Nair founded GNAs in 2002, Gnanlex Hermeneutics Pvt. Ltd in 2007 and Gnanlex LLP in 2016. He also founded a knowledge broadcasting platform for IP training, known as Patent Gurukul. Under his wise guidance and watch, CIPROM was registered as a Charitable Trust in 2002. Presently, Dr. Nair is a leading IP Advisor and Consultant for many reputed research organizations and corporates. 35 June 2018| ™ ™

38. CHANGING TIMES CHANGING TIMES &The Relevance ofBUSINESS ETHICS BUSINESS ETHICS in21 Century st V However, with changing times and the world becoming increasingly success driven, it is high time for the relevance of ethics to be introspected. Particularly in the fields of business, irrespective of its scale of operation, many a time, the worth of any individual or any enterprise has been primarily analysed on the basis of revenue they are capable of drawing at the end of the day. So, these are the fields where the existence of Ethics has been questioned since ages. But equally so, these are the fields which have proven the critics wrong by setting unparalleled standards of Business Ethics at numerous instances. alues, Ethics & Morals have always been among the predominant attributes of a ‘Good Human Being’. People have always been judged on the basis of their actions, responses, behaviour and conduct in the public domain. More so, Ethics and Ethical Principles have always acted as the fine line of demarcation between the right & the wrong. The Outline: Quite often, ethics is related to ‘Conscience’ or a simplistic understanding of ‘Right or Wrong’. In the context of business, it is the reflection of any company’s ‘Philosophy of doing Business’ i.e. it simply defines the fundamental purposes of any company. It is the code of conduct which guides the business leaders in deciding what to do and what not to, for emphatically contributing towards the welfare of the society at large. Business ethics provides a shell of protection to different social group’s viz. consumers, employees, small businesses, government, creditors and shareholders. It provides a basic framework for doing business. Just because the definition of ‘Right & Wrong’ is homogenous in itself, business ethics is a relative term. Quite naturally, it differs from one business to another, one locality to another, and also changes from one country to another. In spite of this, the basic elixir of business ethics remains the same at one place and all, i.e. a strict No-No to each and every business mal- practices and unfair trade practices which can possibly impact the society’s welfare. 36 June 2018| ™ ™

39. BUNCE OF ETHOS The Background: The term ‘Business Ethics’ came into existence first in the United States during the early 1970s. The education over business ethics was started being implemented for millions of students across the world. Thereafter, several firms too started highlighting their ethical stature during the late 1980s, possibly in an attempt to isolate themselves from the then occurring business scandals. However, very sooner, the concept of business ethics caught the attention of academia, media and multiple business entities. Since then, this concept and its effective practice are flourishing strongly across the world despite a section attacking this school of thought as an infringement to the freedom of entrepreneurs. The Principles: Business Ethics enlightens the path of doing business for social good. It ensures zero exploitation of consumers under the garb of trade and benefits. By keeping the motive of social welfare as the priority, the code of business ethics nourishes an environment full of trust and transparency among the consumers as well as the employees. It promotes regular payment of taxes to the government, timely audits of the company’s finances, and a lucid communication channel of information to the investors and shareholders. The firm having a strong framework of business ethics completely discourages any sort of secret agreements and meticulously promotes an atmosphere free of bribes and corruption. The Code: Technically, the code of business conduct is also known as the Code of business ethics. It is nothing but a set of defined principles designed to guide the individuals associated in any business/work to conduct themselves with utmost honesty, integrity and diligence in all of their actions representing the association. A code of ethics is of supreme importance to businesses primarily because it ensures that the personnel involved are clear on the vision, mission, values and guiding ideologies of the company/enterprise. Business organizations quite often had to 37 June 2018| ™ ™

40. develop a number of policies, rules, and guidelines for governing their functioning in a proper manner. The size and content of these guidelines solely depend upon the size and nature of the business organizations. For small-scale operations, the code of business ethics is usually dependent upon the business owner’s personal values and morals; however, as the business expands, the same code help the companies with a compass to channelize the organization through the nitty-gritty of a turbulent business environment. A defined Code of Business Ethic helps every organization but is not limited to, accomplishing the under mentioned: Boosting the Sales: Because the consumers are more likely to approach and stay loyal to the companies they trust. This ultimately helps to attaining the monetary targets of any firm. Ø Stabilizing the Rules: Right from the top of the organizational pyramid, to the rock bottom of the hierarchy, if the rules are same for all, it stabilizes the professional atmosphere in its own beautiful way. Ø Personnel Empowerment: When the businesses works with a defined rulebook, the employees feel very rightfully empowered to report any possible ethical sidesteps that they come across. Ø Defining Accountability: A good old saying goes like, “Accountability to more than one is Accountability to none”. Once the accountability and the consequent repercussions in case of any deviation, are defined and properly documented, then only in all the likelihood, the people involved in the business concerned will be aware of their actions, the after effects and possible recourse in reality. Ø The Relevance: Though the times have changed, the basic principles of doing righteous business haven’t. Yes, the pristine importance of earning a profit and making money by business has not faded, but so is the eternal valuation of doing the same with proper conduct and ethical means. Indeed, there were few times in the last few decades when people were made to believe that if it is business then it cannot be ethical, and if it is ethical, it cannot be termed as a business; implying that business is solely meant to make profits nothing else. But, pretty sooner, it came up with utmost clarity that even in the globalized race driven by profit-making, only the ethical companies which sincerely discharged their social responsibilities and welfare of the society have survived competition and have continued to prosper and flourish. Expert says that they cannot survive in the long race until they win others’ faith and clearly, one cannot earn faith by cheating. A sense of scepticism and distrust always hampers the business image. Trust breeds trust and goodwill in the conduct of business, good business ethics is and will always be necessary for, such mutual trust and goodwill. Till the goods will continue to be traded & services will continue to be rendered, Business Ethics will continue to be the fulcrum of competitive advantage. Consumers are known to trust the ethical brands and remain loyal to them even during the phases of difficulty and turbulence. In a nutshell, Trust is the Key and it’ll Always Be! 38 June 2018| ™ ™

42. Meghana Narsimha A Path-breaking Leader with the Vision and Courage to Dream Big I democracy and partnership. Numerous foreign countries are setting up their facilities in India on account of various government initiatives like Make in India and Digital India. Meghana is a self-driven and a confident person and has always been motivated by her passion to be a great leader. She has received various awards and appreciations, to name a few: · Yasasve HR Consulting Services has been featured among “Top 10 most promising Recruitment Consultant” by one renowned magazine. ??· Meghana has received “International Achievers ndia has emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world and is expected to be one of the top three economic powers in coming years, backed by its strong “ Yasasve HR Consulting Services was established in 2011, by Mrs. Meghana Narsimha and Mrs. Anitha. Their charisma, upbeat nature and passion towards their work, have been the major driving forces behind Yasasve’s success. Meghana is the Managing Partner of the firm, and handles the recruitment sector. Her responsibilities include developing and executing the company’s business strategies in order to attain both the short- term and long-term goals. She also overlooks the company’s financial performance, investments and other business ventures. award for Emerging Company” on occasion of 44th Indian Achievers seminar on February 20 2018, New Delhi. We provide advanced recruiting services, to ease our clients work and decrease the time spent on screening of potential candidates th Under the guiding light of Meghana and Anitha, the firm has launched Women Entrepreneur of India, a Chennai based firm, in Hyderabad on February 14 2018 and promoting WEI activities in Hyderabad. WEI is an initiative that educates, trains, supports and motivates women entrepreneurs all over India, through innovative business ideas, startup funding avenues, “ th marketing support and mentor connects. On the other hand, Anitha takes care of the skill development and women empowerment training projects. The prime objective of this skill development project is the creation of self-employment and empowerment for women; the firm specifically targets rural women so as to instill an entrepreneurial spirit in them. Meghana believes that the firm is now ready to expand its recruitment globally, and has already begun talks with some of the US clients. Story behind the Passionate Entrepreneur Born to a family of doctors, Meghana’s parents always wished their daughter would follow their footsteps and become a doctor. In spite of this, she always looked up, upon her dream to become a successful entrepreneur. She 40 June 2018| ™ ™

43. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H has completed her MPhil in Management, and MBA in HR & Management. After working in recruitment industry for six years, she decided to start up her own firm in recruitment space and became an entrepreneur. Anitha and Meghana have been friends for over a decade and have taken their friendship to the next level by setting up this firm. Their zeal, vision to achieve big, and make their dreams come true, led them to establish Yasasve. Anitha, having worked for NIRD, Hyderabad, has handled projects like PMKVY, Skills Training, and Roshini. She has also worked with NGO’s, of the state and central government projects; this experience is of utmost importance for the firm. “Dare to dream” “Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader”—Indra Nooyi Meghana Narsimha Managing Partner Meghana believes in and looks up to Indra Nooyi, who is her role model. Her speeches have always inspired and motivated Meghana to achieve big, in her venture. Even though the firm lacks a mentor, their determination, hard work and trust has helped them develop and fight against all odds. determination, hard work, most importantly her 17 years of friendship with Anitha and their faith on each other has been crucial to tackle all the ups & downs in this market. The firm started with two employees providing recruitment initially only for Hyderabad & Secunderabad. Setting up a startup has been a “roller coaster ride” says Meghana. Yasasve now has 25 employees working together to achieve great heights. Every successful entrepreneur was a budding and struggling entrepreneur once. It’s the determination and dedication to achieve big that has made them successful today. Addressing young and budding entrepreneurs Meghana says, “Being a great business leader takes a lot of sacrifice, strong discipline, focus, innovation, confidence, passion towards work, and work-life balance.” Meghana believes that if one wishes to sustain in this competitive world, one needs to use strategies and methodologies which are superior and different from its competitors. Meeting deadlines is one of the bench marks of strategies at Yasasve. They aim that operations should be completed on time to eliminate the possibility of revenue loss in businesses.Recruiting on social media sites which help in spreading the message on niche social media sites that are frequently visited by the target audience. Using video interview technology can help enhance candidate search by streamlining the screening process, and makes it easy to spot potential candidate. These strategies are some of the distinctive features and services offered by Yasasve, and have led the path of the firm towards success. Learning from ones failures and moving forward against all odds, is what makes a great leader and entrepreneur. Meghana believes that treating every hurdle as a stepping stone towards success and a learning opportunity is essential. Providing Distinctive HR consulting service Establishing Yasasve HR consulting firm few years ago wasn’t an easy task; Meghana hasn’t kept a stone unturned to achieve the stature that her firm has reached today. Her 41 June 2018| ™ ™

44. Minnat Hashmi: An Enthusiastic Leader with a Vision to Succeed E an unrelenting desire to succeed. They overcome all the obstacles in order to achieve their goals and lead the company towards growth and prosperity. An Arduous Journey to Success fficacious business leaders are the ones who consider that their decision making skills are as carefully honed as their combat skills. They have Minnat was too young when he left home. He started his career with a small factory as a labour. Eventually he came to Mumbai to chase his dream of becoming an actor. Struggle was a part of his everyday life. It was not easy to even have proper shelter and food. He spent several nights at railway stations and streets. Later, he started doing field sales job and other odd jobs. then you can dedicate your time and yourself to achieve bigger goals “ One such leader with an innovative streak and an indomitable yearning to succeed is Minnat Hashmi, the Founder and Director of i tech Solutions(A division of Jobsvala Group of Companies). According to him, growth of a business is equally more important just as sustaining the existing business is, be it any sector or a business. Being passionate about work is necessary,only Eventually, he took up a job in BPO, due to which he was able to manage his further studies and establish “i tech Solutions”which helped him to grow and expand his business across India. i tech Solutions comes among top 3 consultant in Mumbai ( As per Timesjobs Report ). Now he has several offices “ Hallmarks of a Successful Frontrunner across India and plans to establish an office in Dubai soon. Under his leadership, the company has also launched their own job portal named “www.Jobsvala.com” in 2008. Minnat feels that successful leaders should be intuitive, explorative, and creative. They should inculcate the attitude of a life-long learner and should be reflective. He feels that being passionate about work is necessary. It helps one to dedicate their time towards achieving their goals no matter what comes in their way; their dedication and hard work overcomes all. In the year 2014, he decided to start a security guard company named “ Allied Guard Force Security Services which is well known security agency in Mumbai for its exemplary services. Eventually, he decided to do something ” 42 June 2018| ™ ™

45. E 10 INFLUENTIAL MOST CONSULTING LEADERS TO WATCH IN 2018 T H to achieve his dream and decided to start up his own production house, “ Hashmi Films Entertainment ”. An Industrious and Passionate Leader Minnat describes himself as a consistent leader and work is his focal passion. Apart from that he loves acting as well. He is always ready to work at any time of the day, and works for atleast 16 hours every day. His father is his greatest role model because he had exceptional determination. He always took time to help those who are less fortunate and that inspired Minnat to emulate in his own life. His father supported Minnat throughout his career and stood for him throughout all the ups and downs in his life. At times he got demotivated and decided to go back to his native place, but his father’s constant love and support boosted his confidence and inspired him to march ahead positively towards making his dreams come true. He attributes his success to his father and says that whatever he is right now is all because of his father’s support. Minnat Hashmi Founder & Director Minnat asserts that nowadays there are numerous recruitment firms, where they convince a candidate to join any industry irrelevant of their qualification or area of interest, just considering an individual’s necessity and out of their selfish motive to make better profits. Noteworthy Accomplishments Minnat has accomplished numerous landmarks throughout his illustrious career. He has been awarded as ‘Young Entrepreneur -2016’ (by Indian Achiever Forum in Delhi). He was also nominated in the UK for the ‘Global Rising Star-2017’. Under his astute leadership, i tech Solutions received the Best Staffing Organisation-2018 Award (by Times Ascent & World HRD Congress in Mumbai). Also, Global Achievers magazine published an article on his success (April,2018- Dubai). He considers these awards & recognitions asa symbol of the blessings that he has received from all throughout his journey. This action has an impact on their career from future perspective. He feels that providing right guidance to an individual becomes very important. Future Strategies Minnat wishes to succeed in other sectors that he might soon get into. As of now, he is planning to balance his career and business, and his passion to be a good actor. Spearheading through the Industry Advice for Budding Entrepreneurs Under Minnat’s percipient leadership, the company deals into recruitment and staffing business (temporary and permanent), wherein they help people in finding the right job. His motive behind sticking to this particular industry was not just to earn profits but it’s a different happiness to see a person smile & making their life easy by providing a right job to them. Minnat suggests up-and-coming entrepreneurs to work hard and find a way to achieve what they love. They may face challenges and get disappointed as life is not easy. He also adds that if life would have been so easy then every second person in this world would have been a business mogul. 43 June 2018| ™ ™

46. VERTICAL LIMIT… In Pursuit of Innovation C 8000m, Mount Everest being the highest. Each poses a challenge to the indomitable human spirit and there is a constant effort by climbers to scale these peaks. The quest began in 1924 when Mallory and Irvine lost their lives in the first ever attempt made to scale the mountain. What are the right ingredients for organizations for achieving the next vertical limit? ·?Is it about the tools and technology? ·?Is it the right people who do it? ·?Is it clarity about the risks and knowing how to mitigate them? ·?Or is it the strong foundation of organizational processes? onquering Mount Everest is a metaphor for achieving the impossible, of scaling great heights. There are fourteen peaks above the height of you are not there with the best of the best, you run the risk of losing out. To truly become the best and keep winning, one would need to set the “Next Mark” which would then be copied by others. Take the case of Dell. They redefined the business model of selling computers. Likewise, Amul revolutionized the co-operative movement in the country and set a benchmark for others on building a brand. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the summit in 1953, and this proved to the world that it was possible to climb these peaks. Till then it was believed that it was impossible to climb the last 800 m to the summit known as the “Death Zone”. Did conquering of Everest or other over 8000 m peaks take away anything from the challenge of climbing these peaks? Of course, it did not. This “Next Mark” established by Hillary and Norgay spurred several climbers to emulate their feat. It is evident that people will continue to strive for Next Marks that others will then benchmark. Of the above, many believe that tools and technology are the key. They then get caught up in the same and get limited by the limitations of the enabler. Over time, mountaineering equipment has become more sophisticated. Also, technology advancement has resulted in increasingly accurate information on weather. This has positively impacted the success rate. In fact, most of the successful climbs have happened after 1990. However, at the same time there have been too many deaths too. Any expedition to any high mountain is fraught with risks such as inclement weather, crevasses and avalanches, faulty equipment, bad quality oxygen and incorrect judgment. What motivates people is the desire to do what has not been done before? As one mountaineer said, “After my first ascent, I had made up my mind to see the world, to see it from above, from the highest peak, whence I could get that wide and comprehensive view which is denied to those who observe things from their own plane.” It is this very spirit that motivates organizations to continuously improve performance and aim for their own Next Marks. This spirit and conviction has fueled several innovations. The moment an innovation happens, others enter the fray to benchmark that product, performance or methodology. This ‘follow the leader’ process can only show what has already been achieved. It can never make one the leader. In today’s increasingly competitive world if Based on the above, what are the critical success factors for achieving the Next Mark? Here are the vital few: ·?Strong conviction to go into uncharted territories ·?Appetite for risk ·?Willingness to fail ·?Ability to use tools and technology as enablers 44 June 2018| ™ ™

47. ORGANIZATION'S VIEWPOINT About BMGI Breakthrough Management Group International (BMGI), a global consulting rm, partners with organizations to transform their business performance with a strong focus on delivering results. BMGI enables businesses to solve strategic, organizational and process problems. BMGI has partnered with organizations in various stages of their business life cycles and has delivered cumulative benets to its clients worth several billion dollars with an engagement ROI of 5:1 to 20:1. In India, BMGI is located in Mumbai. BMGI's clients include leading Fortune 1000 Global companies and other Indian companies from diverse industries such as nancial services, IT/ITES, airlines, chemicals, FMCG, discrete manufacturing, telecommunications, petrochemical, textiles, healthcare, energy and more. bmgindia.com 45 June 2018| ™ ™

48. How does an organization manage these vital few so that the Next Mark becomes a real goal which can be achieved again and again? An overview of the organization would show it to be a collection of processes managed by people. These processes generate outputs as per desired levels of performance. This implies that management of these vital few would also become a process. Hence, the following key issues emerge – ·?How many organizations see Innovation Management as a process? ·?How many organizations realize that to sustain innovation it is important to have a structure in place? Achieving and sustaining the Next Mark requires constant innovation. Hillary, when asked about the time taken to go up and come down and the amount of sleep at the top said – “It took seven days to reach the top from base camp but only three days to come down! Sleeping is always difficult at high altitude, so we didn’t sleep much.” Quite appropriate! It is difficult to stay complacent at the top as others will catch up. Also, it does not take long to undo the good that was painstakingly built. Here are a few musts that are needed to create the right environment and infrastructure that fuel creative thinking. ·?Continuous up gradation of employee skills and knowledge levels ·?Availability of robust processes that can be leveraged Most companies do not realize that organizational processes follow a maturity curve. In order to internalize innovation and sustain it, the processes need to be defined, implemented, measured and improved. Only then they will be ready to face various challenges. Technology can be used as an enabler at any stage to derive the level of performance desired. See the Organizational Process Maturity Model below: As the organizational processes progress on the maturity curve, a strong foundation gets built. These processes can then seek to establish Next marks supported by a strong Innovation Management processes. It is clear that as the maturity levels go up, the ability to manage and mitigate the risks improves and value creation too goes up. The message is on the board. To be a leader one has to have the conviction to surpass barriers and leverage strengths built over time. Or else, one will continue to follow beaten paths – those discovered or charted by others. How will your organization want to be remembered as? 46 June 2018| ™ ™

50. Shekhar Agharkar: An Efficacious Leader with a Vision for Success R accounts, payroll, company law, legal and HR can help them focus on building their businesses. One such company that provides outsourced management services in the finance and commercial areas to customers is Arthtech Consultants Pvt. Ltd. (ACPL), instituted by Mr. Shekhar Agharkar, in the year 1998. As the Founder and Director of ACPL, Shekhar brings 34 years of experience to the Company. ACPL is one of the leading management consulting and outsourcing companies which has promoted and are one of the pioneers of the Virtual or Outsourced CFO concept in India. to his father, a banker and a self-made man who rose through the ranks. Major part of Shekhar’s secondary education took place in Mumbai and he completed his matriculation from Solapur. He is a proud alumnus of the BMCC in Pune, having graduated in Commerce in the year 1979. He has always been at the top of his class and has received notable achievements and accolades during schooling and graduation. In the year 1984, Shekhar qualified as a Chartered Accountant, and is one of the lucky ones to have been promoted on the first day of his job, immediately after qualification in a reputed project engineering company. to the businesses of our clients, in a timely and professional manner, by assuringcontinuity, confidentiality, quality and integrity to our work apid globalization has led to intense competition for businesses. Companies have now realized that outsourcing of non-core activities like finance & We provide value added services “ A combination of innovation and rich experience in the field of accounting, finance and management consulting, has lead him to start Integrated Management Outsourcing Solutions (IMOS) under ACPL in 1998. He expanded the operations of ACPL, to set up in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Shekhar’s passion is “ Ever since its establishment, Shekhar has been single handedly responsible for the growth & success, and is the sole driving force behind this company. He looks after all the aspects from strategy, business, PR, to Operations. His vision and fervor has led the company to its current position as a forerunner in consultancy services. to create an ideal organization which would be one-of its kind in the Outsourced CFO space with a global footprint. He always works towards excellence in everything that he seeks out, with the aim that the society benefits the most. Unique Capabilities of a Passionate Leader A Visionary to Create a Global Footprint Shekhar has efficaciously navigated his company through Being a part of a humble family, Shekhar always looked up 48 June 2018| ™ ™