From the Bookshelves
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Ravi Wazir on restaurants in the age of social media and food delivery platforms
What does it take to run a successful restaurant? Why do so many F&B ventures fail? What qualities do successful restauranteurs have? Ravi Wazir, a seasoned strategist in the food and beverage industry, who has worked with popular restaurants like Olive, Izumi and Swati Snacks, answers these questions in his new book Beyond the Menu: A Restaurant Start-Up Guide. In conversation with Divya Shekhar and Pankti Mehta Kadakia, this episode features interesting anecdotes and insights about the business of food
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Verity Harding on how AI can mimic the best and worst of humankind
AI is already part of our day-to-day life. Technology, including AI, "will only serve society in the best way if we have checks and balances", Verity Harding, director of the AI & Geopolitics Project at Cambridge University, tells Divya Shekhar in April. It is important, she adds, that regulators and the people building AI listen to people already vulnerable to this technology, and take into account diverse viewpoints. Her new book, AI Needs You, takes a historical and intersectional perspective to help us navigate and understand AI
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Titan MD CK Venkataraman on why the biggest business lessons come from the trenches
What does it take to build an iconic jewellery brand for the ages? CK Venkataraman, the managing director of Titan Company, attempts to answer this question in his new book The Tanishq Story. It is an insider's account into the people, ideas, situations and challenges that went into building one of India's biggest jewellery brands. Venkataraman, a Titan lifer, is candid about missteps in building the company, why his self-identity does not come from his job, and why philanthropy is on his mind as he retires in 15 months
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Madhumita Murgia on the good, bad and ugly of artificial intelligence in our daily lives
In her new book 'Code Dependent', Madhumita Murgia brings voices and stories of people from across the world to describe how AI is impacting our work, our health, our body, and our freedom in various ways. Murgia, who is the artificial intelligence editor of the Financial Times in the UK, tells Divya Shekhar that while AI is still considered as a futuristic technology, it has started impacting our lives in ways we cannot imagine
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For businesses, sustainability should be a leadership challenge, not a cost problem: Rajeev Peshawaria
In a world where ESG is often reduced to box-ticking and greenwashing by businesses, Rajeev Peshawaria believes that sustainability is a leadership challenge, and entrepreneurs and CEOs should instil a culture of accountability top-down. In his new book Sustainable Sustainability: Why ESG is Not Enough, Peshawaria, the CEO of the Temasek-backed non-profit Stewardship Asia Centre in Singapore, talks to Divya Shekhar about the shifts he sees in global business behaviour in addressing climate and sustainability concerns, and what more needs to be done
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How two-time world champion Shane Watson overcame fear and retrained his mind to play the short ball
The two-time World Cup-winning Australian all-rounder talks to Divya Shekhar and Kathakali Chanda about his new book The Winner's Mindset. He talks about a tragedy that triggered a fear of the short ball, how he overcame his anxiety, why it's important to train the mind, and what he wants to do next after a successful career as a cricketer and now commentator. He also discusses what young players have in stake ahead of the T20 World Cup, and how they can cope with the pressure
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Shane Watson on captains MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, and building a champion's mindset
The former Australian cricketer and CSK star talks to Forbes India about his new book on leadership and building mental skills, and life lessons he's learned from cricketing legends such as Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni, on From the Bookshelves
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Has India resisted timely financial sector reforms? Rajrishi Singhal weighs in
In his book 'Slip, Stitch and Stumble', senior journalist Rajrishi Singhal takes a broad-scope look into the evolution of financial sector reforms in India. From Manmohan Singh's landmark July 1991 Union Budget speech to the current complicated relationship between fintech companies and regulations, the book takes stock of the various events, stakeholders and motivations that propelled financial sector reforms in India at different stages, as well as the roadblocks along the way
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Former P&G India CEO Gurcharan Das on life, leadership and doing business in challenging times
Gurcharan Das believes that reliving your life is better than living it. In his memoir 'Another Sort of Freedom', he reflects on 80 years of his life. The author talks to Divya Shekhar about how he fled his home during the Partition, stumbled through various academic disciplines—from engineering and literature to philosophy and Sanskrit—survived doing business during the License Raj and scaled the corporate ladder, only to let go of it when he reached the top, all because he wanted to find his life's purpose
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Vijay Govindarajan on fusion strategy and why India should focus on high value manufacturing
To compete in the new age, companies need to fuse the physical and digital to create value, says Vijay Govindarajan. The Coxe distinguished professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, his new book 'Fusion Strategy' is all about how companies need to use technology and real-time data to turbocharge their products, strategies and customer relationships. He also talks to Divya Shekhar about why AI should be 'augmented intelligence' and why India should focus on high-level manufacturing to get the most out of its demographic dividend
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Former Tata Motors CEO Ravi Kant on the merits of leading from the back
We've heard about "leading from the front". It means taking the lead in making decisions and showing people the way. But Ravi Kant, former vice chairman and CEO of Tata Motors, believes that business leaders should no longer aspire to lead from the front but instead aim to lead from the back. Why does he say that? What does he mean? And is this something organisations will even be open to implementing? Let's find out. In this episode, Kant discusses his new book 'Leading from the Back', which he has co-authored with bestselling writers Harry Paul and Ross Reck