Global Business Academy

Meet the cast

Mr. Rathore

Mr. Rathore is the CEO of the Indian office. As a young manager, he worked in an India where there was little foreign exposure. With more foreign companies establishing themselves in India, he has learnt to adapt. He is an old-style manager, but good at his job to get this CEO position at a foreign multinational. Anirudth, Rohini, Ranjan and Ashwin all report directly to him. Mr. Rathore represents the old style manager in India. Managers aged 45 and above are generally seen as old style in India.

Anirudh

Anirudh is the Sales Manager of the Indian office. He reports directly to Mr. Rathore. He has two teams reporting to him. His sales team includes his star performers Karishma and Risha. He also manages a small technical sales support team of which Kartik is his most important staff member. Anirudh represents the new style managers.

Rohini

Rohini is the Marketing Manager. She reports directly to Mr. Rathore, the CEO. She is on the same level as Anirudth. Rohini has a small team in India. Rohini works with both the Marketing and also Product Managers in the European and US offices.

Kartik

Kartik works in the sales team as technical sales support manager. Kartik is from a small town, English is not his first language and he is a techie. This combination makes him very smart, dedicated but also insecure and soft spoken. Kartik is good at his job, but not so good with people demands and pressure. Kartik represents the older style employees. He reports to Anirudh.

Karishma

Karishma works in the sales team as an account manager. She is young, ambitious, outspoken and represents a changing India. She is seen as the new style employee. In western multinationals in India, Karishma would be regarded as top talent. She reports to Anirudh.

Risha

Risha also works in the sales team as an account manager and reports to Anirudh. Like her colleague Karishma, she is young, ambitious, talented and outspoken. This makes the two of them vie for the number 1 position within Anirudh's team.

Andrea

Andrea is one of the global Product Managers, based in the UK. She has successfully introduced a new product in Europe and has been tasked by her boss to investigate market opportunities in Asia Pacific. Andrea has been with the company for 1,5 years and has not worked with Rohini or any of the other APAC colleagues before.

Richard

Richard is a Global Account Manager based in the US. He has been working on a large global deal for almost a year and is about to win the account. This is a major win not just globally but also for the India office. Anirudth and Richard have worked together on another account in the past.

Meet the professionals

Ashok

We are pleased to introduce you to Ashok Sharma. For over 36 years he has been working for an Indian multinational and currently looks after Marketing, Strategy and other critical functions. Working in the field of heavy engineering, he was part of the growing strength of this Indian industry. In developing a company from its inception to a recognised source of critical supplies, he worked with central government, business leaders, local regulators and business organisations. Comparing the Western and the Indian way of doing business, Ashok really appreciates time discipline and clarity in communication from a Western point of view. On the other hand, he sees inflexibility as a Western feature that impedes getting more from an Indian partnership. He participated in this project because he believes he can play a role in bringing better understanding of human and business behaviour to people on both sides of the table.

Ashwini

We are pleased to introduce you to Ashwini Chube. She has worked in investment banking for eight years, holding management positions at Morgan Stanley for three years and RBS for five years, working in research and M&A as well as corporate advisory. She was also on a short-term assignment with RBS London as a part of the Corporate Advisory London Team. In 2016 she decided to follow her passion in training and motivational speaking. She started her own training firm, Unicorn Insight, for leadership, behavioural and soft skills training. According to Ashwini, Westerners are courteous, professional and output oriented. The difficulty she experienced in working with Westerners was in breaking the ice. Once she got to understand their expectations, she found it much easier to collaborate with them. She participated in this project because she believes this is a way to lift communication barriers by bridging the cultural gap between India and the West.

Rajiv

We are pleased to introduce you to Rajiv Naik. For the past 10 years he has been working in the field of law and arbitration. Since 2014 he has been connected to the offices of Mr Parikh, a Senior Advocate who is renowned for his arbitration cases. Rajiv works as an independent counsel focussing on domestic and international arbitration. Rajiv worked with several law firms in Mumbai and New Delhi before switching to counsel practice. In the summer of 2011 he was elected to do a summer course in private international law at The Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands. Many of his clients are impressed by the way Rajiv is able to turn something complex into something understandable. Clear communication with people with different perceptions was one of the things he mastered during his international experience. He participated in this project because he hopes to help Westerners understand the Indian perspective and make the right choices to benefit teamwork across borders.

Tehmina

We are pleased to introduce you to Tehmina Sharma. She holds a senior position with a global consultancy firm. She is hard-working, dedicated and focused, which has led to her impressive career growth. After having lived in the US for quite some time, she began to see the real differences between the West and India. Westerners are very results-oriented, yet she clearly sees the same qualities in Indian professionals. It is a matter of knowing how to create an environment in which they can grow and develop. Her frequent travels to Western countries have given her a broad understanding of international business. She considers the clear communication of Westerners as something positive, however she is sometimes concerned by the lack of understanding and insight that can create unnecessary problems. She participated in this project because she is committed to increase the understanding between the West and India. In her opinion, this programme will help Westerners in exactly that area.

Aditya

We are pleased to introduce you to Aditya Baheti. Aditya has been working in banking for four years as a Management Associate. He earned his degree at the respected Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. As the youngest professional in the programme, Aditya is conscious of the differences between older Indian managers and the younger workforce. Although young Indian managers are more modern in their approach, it is difficult to disconnect from the still very prevalent, conservative Indian business mentality. His experience in banking gave him access to global teams. According to Aditya, Westerners are professional and willing to give responsibility more quickly. On the other hand, the hierarchy and the way conflicts are resolved differ a lot between India and the West and can damage the understanding between the team members. He participated in this project because he believes that more insight into knowing how Indians communicate and collaborate benefit teamwork as a whole.

Payal

We are pleased to introduce you to Payal Singh. In 1999 she started her own boutique removals company with offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In 2005 her company was bought by a major global player. She was appointed President and manages several offices and close to 200 Indian staff. Payal is a strong believer in human capital. Being flexible, adaptable to change and decisive are key factors to success. Although business objectives have to be kept in mind, it is key to deal with people with compassion and sensitivity, whether clients or colleagues. Her business career gave her a broad understanding of international business. She considers the results-oriented approach of the West as something positive. However, she is concerned by the lack of understanding of Indian business behaviour that often leads to miscommunications and frustration. She participated in this project because she hopes that her insights can help Westerners make maximum use of human capital.

Introduction video

Welcome!

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