Nation salutes new generation leaders

Fifty-seven years later, a globalised nation no longer frowns on the boys abroad. They are now seen as boosting India8217;s image in foreign lands. Those who have become CEOs of global corporations are even influencing their employers to look to India and other emerging markets as a key market opportunity. For instance, Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone, is reported to be eyeing a key India thrust, including the option of taking equity positions in Indian telecom majors.

Global corporations tend to pick out Indians not only for their brilliant academic and professional records, but their ability to adapt to multicultural environments, and fluency in languages. Multinationals with plans for Asia want managers who understand the region better.

Other leaders who have taken an explicit India focus in recent years have been former McKinsey CEO Rajat Gupta, Rana Talwar at Standard Chartered and Victor Menezes at Citibank.

But manoeuvring the choppy waters of the emerging markets and catching the right wind for global growth is not easy. While Gupta chalked up impressive growth for the firm during his tenure, there were question marks about the company8217;s association with clients like Enron. Talwar, on the other hand, left the bank prematurely and Menezes never made it to the top post at parent Citigroup, despite being in the reckoning.

From the late nineties onwards, there have been a host of other Indian CEOs who have made it to the top, including Rono Dutta of United Airlines and Rakesh Gangwal of US Airways. Dutta has, in fact, returned to India as CEO, Air Sahara, and has masterminded its new fare structure.

Gangwal quit the airline in the late nineties and the group he presided over filed for bankruptcy about two years back.

There are others like Muktesh Pant, former chief marketing officer of Reebok worldwide, who came close to the top post at the global footwear major.

After raking in strong marketing wins for the company, he decided to opt out of the company to start a venture of his own. Indira Nooyi is also amongst the top leaders at Pepsi worldwide.

However, any display of overenthusiasm for the home country by these expats might not pay off. While the focus on Asia continues, many corporations are also discovering that the region is not yet yielding the kind of sustained returns and market success that they hoped for. Hindustan Lever Ltd HLL for example, has seen declining growth in recent times. Keki Dadiseth, former chairman of HLL who has a keen interest in India and Asia, has now been at the top echelons of the parent Unilever for the past few years.

Sarin came to Vodafone from outside the company ranks and was also a rank outsider in the global telecom world. As he takes Vodafone to newer territories, it is yet to be seen how this Indian copes with the challenges of managing a global corporation.