PEOPLE IN THE HEADLINES Who gained, who lost, who made the front page, who set new trends, who raised the bar, who departed — portraits from

the first decade and a half of the 21st century

PIONEERING SPIRITS FIRST-GENERATIONSTARS

EYE OF THE STORMS

VIKRAM AKULA

His market-basedmicrofinance model madeSKS Microfinance employeesmillionaires when it listed;he lost control in an internalbattle

RAHUL BHATIA &RAKESH GANGWAL

The promoters of marketleader IndiGo redefinedthe low-cost aviationbusiness model in India,being the only listedairline to make a profit inrecent years

VIJAY SHEKHARSHARMA

The creator of mobile-based payments inIndia is getting ready tolaunch a paymentsbank by March 2016.

NANDAN NILEKANI

The Infosys co-founder’ssuccess with thegovernment’s mammothunique identificationprogramme is changingthe dynamics of subsidydelivery

BABA RAMDEV

The yoga guru seamlessly

graduated from Ayurveda to

FMCGs under his Patanjali

brand, causing

multinationals

heartburn,

especially after

BJP came to

power in 2014

RAJAT GUPTA

The first Indian-bornmanaging partner ofMcKinsey, once feted bythe rich and powerful, isserving a two-year prisonterm for insider trading

RAMALINGA RAJU

The feted promoter ofSatyam Computers fudgedaccounts for seven yearsbefore he confessed inJanuary 2009. Thegovernment took chargeand sold the company toTech Mahindra

VIJAY MALLYA

The king of good timesfalls on bad times as hisairline folds, he losescontrol of USL, India’slargest spirits maker,and banks struggle torecoup ~ 5,000 crorefrom him

A RAJA

As telecom minister,the Dalit leader fromDMK steamrolled allopposition in 2007,including from PrimeMinister ManmohanSingh, to allocateinexpensive spectrumon a first-come, first-served basis

SUBRATA ROY

The Sahara chief spent all of2015 in Tihar jail. He hadaccess to conference roomfacilities to negotiate withbuyers for properties to raise~ 10,000 crore for bail. Nodeals were struck and he isback in his cell

NIIRA RADIA

Lobbyist extraordinaire withReliance and Tata groups, tapes ofher phone conversations in 2009exposed the nexus betweenbusinessmen,journalists andpoliticians

P S SUBRAMANYAMThe UTI Chairman whose arresthelped destroy the institution’sreputation as a haven for middleclass investors

R K PACHAURI

The head of climate think tank Teriwas accused of sexual harassmentby a colleague but remains incharge via a court stay orderdespite being found guilty by aninternal committee

GORUR RAMASWAMYGOPINATH

Launched India’s first budgetairline, Air Deccan, in 2003; soldto Kingfisher in 2007; launchedfirst cargo express airline, Deccan360; closed in 2011

R C JUNEJAHaving worked with Lupin,Juneja started MankindPharma in 1995 andbecame a big player withhis prescription drugs, andOTC and FMCG products. Hasone of the largest armies ofmedical reps

LALIT MODIOnce king of the Indian PremierLeague, now a fugitive as Indianinvestigative agencies scrutinisequestionable financial deals

\TULSI TANTI

Global headwinds made India’s wind

energy pioneer default on debt raised to

buy REPower; asset sales and equity from

Dilip Shanghvi breathed life into Suzlon

KISHORE BIYANI

Founder of the Future Group, he is

considered India’s Sam Walton. Often

dismissive of internet-led business, he is

focusing on an omni-channel to tackle

online and offline competition

SACHIN BANSAL

The poster-boy of Indian e-commerce,the chief executive of Flipkart, co-founded in 2007, has been at the top ofthe sector for eight years

K RADHAKRISHNAN

As chairman of Indian Space ResearchOrganisation from 2009 to 2014, he madeIndia a leading provider of low-costsatellite launch technology

TARUN TEJPALThe editor of Tehelka, which built its reputation on

exposés, created his own tehelka in 2013 when a female

employee accused him of sexual assaultPETER MUKERJEAThe former Star TV CEO’s

controversial exit from NewsXpales beside his and hiswife’s involvement in themurder of a stepdaughter hesaid he thought was hissister-in-law

SUDIPTO SENArchitect of one of Bengal's biggest financial frauds, the

Saradha group chairman defrauded thousands of small

depositors with illegal money pooling schemes that

promised huge returns

JIGNESH SHAH

Promoter/creatorof high-techcommodityexchanges. It allblew up whenfraud surfaced atthe National SpotExchange Ltd

PHANEESH MURTHY

Once known as the “other Murthy” inInfosys, he was fired in 2002 for sexualharassment; became CEO of I-Gate but wasfired in 2013 on similar charges; is nowplanning an online health marketplace

KETAN PAREKH

Chief mover of the ICE bubble (1999-2000).Ran a circular trading scheme involving 10stocks. Banned by Sebi until 2017

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GLOBAL INDIANSANSHU JAIN

The former co-CEO of Deutsche Bank AG was accused

of misleading the German central bank on market

manipulation, but was later absolved of all charges

NIKESH ARORA

The 47-year-old was once the most powerful Google

executive after the founders, but quit suddenly to

join SoftBank and invested $483 mn in the company

AJAY BANGA

Mastercard’s CEO since 2011, he was the only

Indian among the top 100 CEOs in Harvard Business

Review’s list of Best Performing CEOs in the world

this year

ARUN SARIN

As the CEO of Vodafone from 2003 to 2008, he

pioneered its move into emerging markets in Africa

and Asia. Sarin was instrumental in getting Vodafone

to India with the acquisition of Hutchison Essar

RAKESH KAPOOR

The BITS, Pilani and XLRI alumnus became the first

Indian chief executive of Reckitt Benckiser plc in 2011

SUNDAR PICHAI

Handpicked by Larry Page to head Google, the firstIndian to head the search engine giant tookcharge in August 2015 as part of an organisationalrestructuring

VIKRAM PANDIT

The first India-born CEO of Citigroup,he took charge of the crisis-riddenbank in 2007; resigned in 2012 aftera boardroom putsch

SUNITA NARAIN

Her Centre for Science andEnvironment’s advocacy ofCNG in Delhi’s publictransport became a globalmodel for urban pollutioncontrol

MEDHA PATKAR

The heroine of the anti-big dam movement,Medha Patkar shrugged off hersqueamishness about power politics andjoined the Aam Admi Party, becoming thecandidate for Mumbai North East. She lost theelection and has since quit AAP

KAILASH SATYARTHIThe child rights activist,who influenced ILO’schild labour guidelines,

won the 2014 NobelPeace Prize withPakistan’s MalalaYousafzai

ARUNA ROY

As part of the NationalAdvisory Council (NAC) Roygot the rare chance to re-enter the system she hadexited as an officer of theIAS, but this time as arepresentative of an NGO.Drove the Right toInformation law

VINOD RAI

As Comptroller & AuditorGeneral from 2008 to 2013,Rai raised questions on theallotment of telecomspectrum and coal mines,forcing the government toswitch from allocation ofnatural resources to auctions

INDRA NOOYI

The first India-born CEOof PepsiCo. Herstewardship since 2006has seen steady revenuegrowth and Pepsi’s stockprice rising after severalflat years

SATYA NADELLA

In 2014, he became thefirst Indian to beappointed CEO ofMicrosoft, the world’slargest software maker

MANMOHAN SINGH

The two-term PM’sstewardship of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal (2005)put India back on theglobal map but thecoming year could bechallenging as the courtcase examining his role incoal block allocationscontinues

MAMATA BANERJEE

Her rowdy brand of politicsbrought down the Left Front inBengal after three decades inpower and forced Tata Motors toabandon its showcase Nanoproject in Singur

K V KAMATHHe grew ICICI into the

country's largest private

bank, brought in theretail bankingrevolution and created

a whole generation ofleaders for India'sfinancial sector

ARUNDHATIBHATTACHARYA

The first woman to beSBI Chairman, she hasmanaged to improveasset quality at thecountry’s largest bankand has made rapidstrides in digitalbanking

NAVEEN PATNAIK

The first Odisha chief minister toserve three consecutive terms, hisparty has won all other electionsas well – from Lok Sabha tomunicipality and panchayatelections

DEEPAK PAREKH

Apart from his sterlingwork in HDFC andHDFC Bank, he hasplayed a crucial rolein many crisescorporate India faced– be it theturnaround of UTI orthe saving of Satyam

ARVIND KEJRIWAL

The obstreperous bureaucrat’s rise to

Delhi’s chief ministership became the

harbinger of a new cult of

accountability and a

redefinition of Centre-

state relations

SONIA GANDHI

As president of theCongress, she re-established the party as apowerful force with acogent ideology for twoterms in power; nowyearning to see her sonRahul settled in aleadership role

NARENDRA MODI

The former Gujarat chiefminister and current primeminister surpassedexpectations by leading theBharatiya Janata Party to ahuge majority in the LokSabha, the first since 1984

THE CHANGE AGENTS

TRAILBLAZERSIN POLITICS

SSOOLLOO PPLLAAYYEERRSS

BANKING ON LEADERSHIP

CHANDA KOCHHAR

She took charge of ICICI Bank in 2009and led a remarkable transformationat India's largest private lender,which faced major setbacks after the2008 financial crisis

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DEPARTED

THE ENTERTAINERS

DHIRUBHAI AMBANI

The former petrol pump attendant who founded Reliance

and changed the rules of the game in Indian business died in

2002. A year after his death, his two sons started a long-

drawn battle over ̀ ownership issues’

M S OBEROI

The Indian hotelier, who died in 2002, put India on the

global map of luxury hospitality long before economic

liberalisation

C P KRISHNAN NAIR

The founder of the Leela chain of hotels died in 2014 at age

92. He started the hotel business, named after his wife,

when he was 65. The hotel chain, however, is deep in debt

BAL THACKERAY

The Shiv Sena chief, who died in 2012, gave Maharashtra a

new model of politics – as the state retreated, Shiv Sainiks

traded the political support of common citizens in return for

largesse from the grey zone of power and cronyism

P V NARASIMHA RAO

The man whose contribution to putting India back on its feet

after the financial crisis of 1991 was enormous, died lonely

and unsung in 2004, ironically the year the Congress formed

a government with another non-Gandhi at its helm

MUKESH AMBANI

The head of India’s largest listed private company set up theworld’s largest green-field oil refinery in record time butcontroversies over an offshore gas-producing joint venture havedominated the second decade

KUMAR MANGALAM BIRLA

When he took over in 1995 at age 28, the turnover of the AdityaBirla Group was $2 bn. It is at $41 bn now and operates in 36countries. In 2014, however, The CBI filed a case against him in acoal mine allocation controversy

SAMIR JAIN

Built Bennett Coleman, which publishes Times of India andEconomic Times, into India’s largest media marketingconglomerate

G M RAO

One of the most aggressive players in public-private partnershipsin infrastructure, his GMR Group’s entry into airport privatisation inDelhi and Hyderabad set a high standard, but high debt remains aproblem

Y C DEVESHWARITC’s longest-serving chief executive took charge in 1996,

in the throes of a battle with BAT, stabilised the company

and drove the tobacco major’s diversification agenda PRATHAP C REDDYHe corporatised healthcare with the Apollo chain in 1983.

His four daughters now jointly run India’s largest network

of hospitals

RAHUL BAJAJThe ebullient chairman of the Bajaj group managed a

peaceful split of his automobile and financial services

empire between his two sons and presides over both with

a light touch

SHIV NADARMade HCL one of India’s most successful IT enterprise

companies and transitioned it to a professionallymanaged conglomerate to focus on philanthropic causes

in education

JYOTI BASU

India’s longest servingchief minister, hisstewardship left Bengalin a state of decline thathis successor struggledunsuccessfully to reverse

VERGHESE KURIEN

When the father of OperationFlood, the world’s largestagricultural developmentprogramme, died in 2012, milk-deficient India had become theworld’s largest producer

RATAN TATA

Three years after his retirement from the Tatagroup, which he made a global conglomerate,the former head of India’s largest corporategroup lives a busy life as chairman of two mainTata trusts, and as an investor in start-ups. In2015 alone, he invested in 15 start-ups

SUNIL MITTAL

Once denied a Maruti dealership, he becameIndia’s largest telecom operator and expandedinto Africa, but couldn’t replicate his success inretail and airport development

AZIM PREMJI

The Wipro chairman raised the bar on corporatephilanthropy by signing “The Giving Pledge”, andhas given away almost 40% of his stake in Wiproto charity

A M NAIK

Larsen & Toubro’s longestserving chairmantransformed theengineering company intoone of India’s largestconglomerates, but lack ofsuccession planningproved a big drawback

ANJI REDDY

Former IDPL employee,he was at the forefrontof the Indian genericscharge, dabbledunsuccessfully with newdrug development andpaid a heavy price for anexpensive 2007acquisition in Germany.

BRIJMOHAN LALL MUNJAL

Cycle maker from Ludhiana, hepartnered Honda to become India’slargest motorcycle maker. Hondaran the show, Munjal focused onrelationships – with dealers andvendors. Maintained leadershipeven after Honda exited in 2010

A R RAHMAN

The “Mozart of Asia”won the Oscar forSlumdog Millionaire(2009) but the journey toglobal recognitionbegan with AndrewLlyod Webber’s BombayDreams (2002)

M S DHONI

The wicketkeeper from the smalltown made it big after winning the2007 ICC World Cup Twenty20. Then,came the 2011 World Cup; and Indiabecoming the no. 1 Test team. He isalso Vice-President India Cementsand owner of Indian Super Leagueteam Chennaiyin FC

AMITABH BACHCHAN

With Mohabbatein and Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000, the Big Bstaged a comeback like none other, going on to star withLeonardo diCaprio in The Great Gatsby (2013) and being bestowedwith the Padma Vibhushan in 2015

IRRFAN KHAN

Till he became Mian Maqbool inthe 2003 adaptation ofShakespeare’s Macbeth, Khan wasan unknown actor — but sincethen he has starred in some of thebig hits in India and abroad, suchas The Namesake (2007), SlumdogMillionaire (2009), Life of Pi (2012)and Jurassic World (2015)

PRIYANKA CHOPRA

After winning the 2000Miss World crown,success has kissedPiggy Chops, as she isaffectionately called,with a slew of awards,successful songs andnow the central role inAmerican TV dramaQuantico

CHETAN BHAGAT

Called the “biggest selling

English language novelist in

India’s history”, Bhagat has

ruled the bestseller charts since

his first book, Five Point

Someone (2004)

LIVING LEGENDS

N R NARAYANA MURTHY

Infosys’ co-founder steppeddown as chairman in 2011,only to return in 2013 at theboard’s behest as ExecutiveChairman and AdditionalDirector, a position herelinquished in 2014 tobecome Chairman Emeritus

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