Leader with an entrepreneurial spirit!
This episode of the podcast is a conversation between Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee Mr. A. M. Naik, Group Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Dr. Pallavi Mody, SPJIMR’s Professor of Economics.
Mr. Naik talks about his 56-year journey at L&T where he started off as an engineer on the shop floor and went on to become the CEO of the company in 1999 and later the MD, Chairman and Group Chairman of the company.
They discuss his first 90 days as CEO of L&T, how he brought about a culture of value creation in the company and why he decided to make L&T an international organization. He emphasizes the importance of a leader to be an entrepreneur with a professional background. He speaks about how he has contested elections from the age of 6 and how that helped him be a people’s man always through his career.
They also discuss the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat, how L&T started it in 1971 by building India’s first nuclear reactor, why India needs to become a matured democracy to ensure its own growth and why every single Indian needs to contribute to the betterment of society overall. They end the chat with Mr. Naik giving a message to young budding managers as to why they need to think about their role to the country and to the society to make India a strong nation.