Kumar Mangalam Birla, who stoked the acquisition frenzy in 2007, hasn’t budged even when all’s not well with the economy
Award: Entrepreneur for the Year
Name: Kumar Mangalam Birla
Chairman, Aditya Birla Group
Age: 45
Why He Won: For changing the profile of the century-old conglomerate, earlier dominant in old economy segments. For entering new businesses and for gradually increasing international operations and geographic spread, through mergers and acquisitions.
Now, the Aditya Birla group cannot be ignored. To persevere and build this kind of visibility, Kumar Birla over the years put in place a strategic team that comprises 14 people based out of India and three in other parts of the world, including large and complex countries like China and Brazil. They speak the local languages and help the headquarters respond to an opportunity quickly.
On their part, the Americans were circumspect after having heard different versions of Indian mythology, traditions and behaviour. They couldn’t get why Indians find it difficult to look somebody in the eye and tell them “No”. To make things easier for the visitors, Misra invited the German CEO of Siemens (India) to talk about what he had learnt of the country and its culture. Not just that, he asked Nina Woodward, an American HR trainer with many years of India experience, to talk to workers and managers in America and allay their fears.
Choice #5: Instinct
(This story appears in the 12 October, 2012 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)