Tales From Heads

People centricity or Result orientation? That's a dilemma that leaders often grapple with. And in this episode of Tales from Heads, Sameer Chadha - CEO at KPMG Global Services shares his belief that this is no dilemma; people-centricity in fact enables business results. He talks about the role of luck, lessons learnt, how he sees his role as the organisation's Chief Culture Officer, having a tech buddy-cum-guru who helps him keeps learning, And the realisation that while things will be hard -  nothing is as difficult as it seems. I enjoyed the conversation - and I think you will too.  Listen in. Learn. Get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Sameer Chadha -  LinkedIn  WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vaithee joins me on Tales from Heads this week and shares stories from his journey as an internet entrepreneur. Vaithee is widely regarded as the father of Indian e-commerce - having co-founded Fabmall/Indiaplaza back in 1999. He talks about growing up in Kharagpur, watching cricket in Chennai, starting out as an entrepreneur, the struggles, the successes, the failures and the lessons learnt. His message: Success in life is all about getting up one more time. Listen in. Learn. Get inspired.   Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Vaitheeswaran K -  LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn   For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you thought about becoming an entrepreneur and then told yourself “I'll do it when I am ready?”Ah, you must listen in to Puru Gupta Co-founder and CEO of True Elements who joins me this week on Tales from Heads. Puru shares fascinating stories and insights from his life's journey: from being an army kid who changed cities every two years, to becoming a good engineer, going to B school, working with P&G and kicking up a cushy job to become an entrepreneur - just after getting engaged. (Much to the horror of his prospective in-laws.)There's lots to learn - and lots to inspire you too - from a man who has clearly found his true element.   Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Puru Gupta - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn   For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dheeraj Sinha, CEO Leo Burnett South Asia joins me this week on Tales from heads. As a little boy, Dheeraj spent six months standing in the balcony of his home in Bihar Sharif watching shoppers and shopkeepers in the bazar all day. And maybe it was this early love affair with the reality of the marketplace and the cycle rickshaw blaring ads for Bollywood films that led to his passion for consumers and advertising. Amazing how those early years impact our thinking, our choices, our lives.Listen in, as Dheeraj talks about courage, leading from the front, making happiness-based choices, and the power of ‘And'. Plus the India-Australia paradox that's influenced the design of the new Leo Burnett office.Listen in. As the ad guys would say, you don't want to miss this! Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Dheeraj Sinha - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pavan Bhatia joins me in this week's edition of Tales from Heads. Pavan was SVP and CHRO at PepsiCo for the Africa Middle East and North Africa region before stepping out of the corporate world to chase his passions. He is the founder of two ventures: GenWE and CareerGPS. Pavan shares stories from his life and career that remind us that leadership is not about big actions, it's about small things. Join Pawan in his journey as he tells you how a boy with ordinary grades at school, grew in confidence, discovered his strengths and went on to become a much loved, much respected HR leader. We talk about women in the workplace, mistakes smart leaders make, what it takes to succeed in your career, lessons from good bosses, and why a bad boss can be great for your career too. You'll also hear a lovely little story about Pavan's meeting with Indra Nooyi in the Pepsico private jet. It's a story that will stay with you. Like it did with me. Listen in. Learn. And get inspired!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week on Tales from Heads is Ashwini Deshpande, co-founder and Director at Elephant Design - India's largest independent design consultancy. Through stories and anecdotes from her life and career, Ashwini shares how a not-so-confident young girl from Aurangabad went on to set up a successful business and became one of the finest thinkers on design - not just in India but in the whole world. We talk about how the idea of Elephant was born, the early challenges, going to a meeting and being asked ‘where is sir', being a users' advocate, a powerful lesson learnt from a client (Conflicts are situational, don't let them affect your relationships), her advice to clients (get you design partner into the game early), the creation of the PaperBoat brand, and more. It's sixty minutes of pure magic. Listen in. Learn. And get inspired!   Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Ashwini Deshpande - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn   For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.   Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining me in the latest episode of Tales from Heads is Robin Banerjee, President and CEO of Caprihans India LimitedWe talk about his early years of struggle, doing a CA because it was the cheapest professional course available, and the fabulous advice from a colleague and a boss that helped him grow. Robin also shares stories that underscore the importance of having an open mind, having a mentor to look up to, and never letting go of your dreams.Robin is also a best-selling author and writes about corporate frauds, blunders and scams. And he tells us why intelligent people do dumb things - and why we should always value our values.Listen in. Learn. And get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Robin Banerjee - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining me in this episode of Tales from Heads is Shailesh Kapoor, Founder and CEO of Ormax media.As a kid, he watched Hum Aapke Hain Kaun 150 times. He was a topper at IIMC – but turned down coveted high-paying jobs to find a role in the media and entertainment business. And after working for 9 years he set up a specialized insights consulting firm for the entertainment industry. To help test content, track consumer preferences, and forecast if a movie will be a hit or a dud.Shailesh shares insights and lessons from his fascinating journey including valuable tips on building a truly great place to work.Listen in. Learn. And get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Shailesh Kapoor - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SV Nathan - Partner and Chief Talent Officer at Deloitte India joins me in this week's episode of Tales from Heads. He is the author of “The Heart of Work”, and as you will discover, a fabulous story teller. “I am not a very clever guy. I just don't give up” says Nathan. Listen in as Nathan shares stories, lessons and advice on self-belief, humility, finding the right job, how to look at compensation, learning from seemingly insignificant roles, and enjoying the marathon called life.My favourite line from Nathan? “Water cuts Rock”. Persistence pays. Don't give up.Listen in. Learn. And get inspired! Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn SV Nathan - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining me in this edition of Tales from Heads is Sandeep Ghosh, the Group Country Manager for India and South Asia at Visa.  In a career spanning over three decades Sandeep has worked across industries and geographies. Serving up valuable career advice for young leaders out there, Sandeep shares his views on the role of luck, on being a Jack of all trades and a master of none, making choices, being balanced, managing adversity, and the importance of being an authentic leader. Do listen in to his insightful responses to the rapid fire questions towards the end.  I enjoyed the chat with Sandeep. And I hope you do too.  Listen in. Learn. Get inspired! Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Sandeep Ghosh - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chetan is the co-founder of The Himalayan Writing Retreat. He is a best-selling author, and the former CEO of HCL Learning.In this episode of Tales from heads, Chetan shares his journey from getting laid off to living the life of his dreams. He talks of the choices we make, the mistakes we make, how a layoff is an opportunity and not a curse, how not to let the workplace determine your self-worth, how to handle getting laid off, and why you must think again before chucking it all up and heading to the hills.There's loads of wisdom, and practical, actionable advice from a man who today makes less money, but is a lot happier. He tells us what we can all do to find happiness in our lives, so that at age 70, we aren't saying “I wish I had done that!”Listen in. Learn. And get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Chetan Mahajan - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sebi Joseph is President ,Otis India. In a three decade stint at the elevator company, Sebi worked in the Philippines and the Middle East  before becoming the head of the India business. In this episode of Tales from Heads, Sebi shares his thoughts and learnings on leadership, decision-making, the role of culture, and the challenges of synthesising cultures in an M&A scenario. “Humility is a measure of a leader's confidence.” “Culture is the secret sauce of great organisations.” “Follow your heart.” Those are just some of the many bits of advice you will encounter in this episode.  Listen in. Learn. And get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Sebi Joseph - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining me in this episode of Tales from Heads is W V Raman - former India cricketer, commentator, coach and a best-selling author too. We talk about his early cricketing career, how a chess playing kid became a bowler before turning into a stylish left handed batter. The lessons learnt as a player, and his experiences as a coach too.I asked W V what he'd look for in a potential leader. His response was direct: Someone who is not selfish. And someone who doesn't take decisions to please others.Great advice for leaders. On the field. And off it too.Listen in. Learn. And get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Krish Shankar is Group Head - Human Resources at Infosys. An HR industry veteran, Krish is the author of “Catalyse”. He is also a past president of the National HRD Network. In this conversation, Krish shares tiny stories and nuggets of wisdom. You'll hear a powerful lesson he learnt from R Gopalakrishnan - who told Krish to stop behaving like his teen-aged daughter. You'll meet Miss Daphne. And you'll hear about ideas like jobs to be done, niceness is not greatness, what organisations can do to nurture talent, and giving people a second chance. And my favourite line from Krish: Who you are is more important than what you do. Listen in. Learn. And get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Krish Shankar - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saugata Gupta is The Managing Director and CEO of Marico Limited, a home-grown MNC that has been giving the big boys of the FMCG business a run for their money. In this conversation with Prakash, Saugata shares tiny nuggets and powerful lessons that can help you punch above your weight and become a better leader. He talks of learning early lessons in frugality, the difference between an ownership mindset - and a tenant mindset, and what organisations can learn from Ronaldo and Messi. Saugata also talks about his relationship with Harsh Mariwala - and how their partnership has helped make Marico a scaled insurgent.  Listen in. Learn. And get inspired! Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Saugata Gupta - LinkedIn WYN Studio - LinkedIn For brand partnership, collaboration and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wynstudio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supria Dhanda is a business leader who was until recently the Vice President and Country Manager of Western Digital. She spent two decades in Human Resources across organisations like GE, Alcatel Lucent and Sandisk/Western Digital before transitioning into a business leadership role. And in this conversation with Prakash, Supria shares stories and nuggets from a fascinating life and career. Tales of growing up in a small town in Punjab, meeting Jack Welch (and the lesson she learnt), how to engage teams (no, you don't engage teams!), breaking stereotypes, and the power of going slow to go fast. Listen in, learn, and get inspired! Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Supriya Dhanda - LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio. Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lloyd Mathias is an angel investor and technology thought leader who has built brands and businesses across product categories and countries in a storied career.  In this conversation with Prakash, Lloyd shares powerful stories and lessons on standing up to competition, the importance of attention to detail, how to be a good client, how to build a great team. And how to make your next appraisal your best appraisal.  Come, listen in, learn and get inspired. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Lloyd Mathias - LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Ganesh Natarajan is the Founder of 5F World, a platform dedicated to investment and mentoring of start-ups, skills platforms and social enterprises. He is also Chairman of Honeywell Automation India Ltd. and a Director on the board of the State Bank of India.  He is a distinguished alumnus award winner of IIT Bombay and NITIE and completed the AMP at Harvard Business School Ganesh is credited with building and growing two corporate success stories: first APTECH and then Zensar. Listen in as Ganesh shares his leadership and success mantras, grabbing the opportunity that education provides, the importance of communication skills, why ego is the enemy, building teams and scaling up businesses (with love!). And how we can all enrich our lives with his 5 F framework! Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Ganesh Natarajan - LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deepak Jayaraman is a Leadership Coach and host of the popular podcast “ Play to Potential”. He is a double MBA (IIMA and London Business School) and has worked in Consulting and Search in India and overseas.  Listen in to get nuggets of wisdom around showing tough love, managing transitions, being a learner, listening to your inner voice and finding happiness at work and in life. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Deepak Jayaraman - LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have for your 21-year-old self? That's a question I have asked many of my guests on this podcast.  So for this episode of Tales From Heads, I decided to ask myself the same question. Here then are seven bits of advice that I would give to my younger self. Listen in. And tell me. What's that one piece of advice you would want to share with your 21-year-old self? Follow: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Tales from Heads, Prakash is in conversation with, Partho Chakrabarti, the Managing Director of Faber-Castell India. Listen in to the fascinating story of a ‘back-bencher' who went on to become a top-notch Finance professional and then a CEO.  Partho shares nuggets and insights from his life as he talks about empathy, reading books, transitioning from finance to general management, being a global leader and the importance of taking risks. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Partho Chakraborty - LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest in this episode of Tales from Heads, is Damodar Mall, the CEO of Grocery Retail at Reliance and the author of the bestselling book Supermarketwala. In this conversation with Prakash, Damodar shares hitherto unknown personal tidbits and insights from his life and career. Damodar talks about curiosity, intuition and insights, productivity and efficiency (and why they aren't always good), strategy (and why companies get it wrong), and trusting and inspiring teams. And he also talks about relaunching himself after a serious illness and choosing to play big. Listen in. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Damodar Mall- LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Tales from Heads, Prakash is in conversation with Harit Nagpal, the MD and CEO of Tata Sky. Harit has over three decades of experience across industries. He was a part of the Pepsi army at the peak of the cola wars in India, and then headed Marketing at Vodafone when pugs and zoozos became a part of our daily conversations. For the last ten years, Harit has been at the helm of Tata Sky. Sharing nuggets and insights from his experience, Harit talks about bosses and colleagues, hiring for attitude, empowerment, decision-making, and building large, consumer-centric organizations. This is Harit. Unplugged! Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Harit Nagpal- LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Tales from Heads, Prakash is in conversation with Tarun Rai. Tarun is currently the Chairman and Group CEO - South Asia of Wunderman Thompson. He is a Media and Communication professional with three decades of experience across both industries.  Through insightful, personal nuggets from a stellar career, Tarun shares some very interesting behind-the-scenes stories of some of India's iconic brands and the people who created the magic. Be it the story of working with Aamir Khan or the late Mr OP Munjal of Hero cycles, or how he almost didn't join HTA, you will find stories that bring a smile to your face. And leave you with a lesson to remember. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Tarun Rai - LinkedIn For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting your career and you don't know if you should switch jobs or stay at one place? Or maybe you're thinking about making a risky investment with your hard-earned money? Wouldnt it be great if you had a mentor, someone who's seen it all, to guide you through it? To tell you his own stories of failed investments and working at different companies? In this episode of Tales From Heads, Prakash is in a conversation with Rajat Jain. Rajat started his career with Hindustan Unilever and then moved on to working in sales, marketing business operations, experiencing different parts of a company. He has been a part of iconic brands, MD of Xerox India, MD & Global SVP of Disney India, EVP & Business Head of Sony and is the founder of PadUp Ventures. He talks about his early life, costly mistakes, his time at Sony Max and Disney and much much more. In the conversation, he also talks about his mentors and some of the bits of advice he got in his career which he now is passing on to people starting in the field. For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio.  Tales From Heads is a Production of WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. Follow Us: Prakash Iyer - LinkedIn Rajat Jain - LinkedIn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine. You are sitting next to a successful business leader on a long flight. And she - or he - is sharing stories from their life. Stories of struggle, perseverance and success. The lessons they have learnt. The advice they'd like to share. The mistakes they made - and what you should avoid. How cool - and life changing - would that be? The Tales From Heads podcast brings you up close with corporate honchos as they share stories of their personal experiences to shed light and discuss their triumphs and failures to the path of true success. This show is all about never heard before and raw - stories, plenty of advice, insights and wisdom. And actionable tips too to help you in your journey, your career, and your life. The show is hosted by Prakash Iyer, former CEO of Kimberly Clark and former Executive Director of PepsiCo among other roles during his three decades in the corporate world. He is a motivational speaker, Best Selling Author and Leadership Coach. For brand partnerships, collaborations and sponsorship opportunities, send us an email at hi@wyn.studio   The show is brought to you by WYN Studio. Find us at http://wyn.studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.