Transformational Leadership

Excerpts from Mr Anand Kripalu’s speech on Transformational Leadership during the launch of ‘Kripalu Chair for Transformational Leadership’  on 17th July 2023.

The full speech can be viewed here: Kripalu Chair launch video

I wanted my contribution to IIT Madras to be unique and relevant to my personal experience, so I chose something that represents the ability to rewrite realities and change the world - Transformational Leadership.

There is generally a norm that people follow while naming chairs and other contributions after specific individuals. But, when I thought about the name for this chair, I felt there were several ‘Kripalus’ who have demonstrated the power of making a difference in some form or shape and are examples of transformational leadership. These are the people that influenced my life and the decisions I have made till now.

Starting with my father, the ‘original’ Kripalu, who wrote two books on his life about how he rose from abject poverty in a small village in Southern India called Kollegal and went on to become a commissioned officer in the Indian Army in 1947. Through his efforts of literally rising from the ashes, he has transformed the entire lineage of Kripalus; we wouldn't be standing here today without his perseverance and persistence. That is a true example of transformational leadership.

My Mother, as an army wife, never once engaged in leisure activities like kitty parties, cards etc like so many others. She sacrificed a lot to get me and my brother to where we are today. After I came to IIT Madras, she started working at a school in Delhi to make ends meet, since my brother was going to Medical college soon. She was the driving force behind me becoming an engineer, and she was the one who convinced me not to move to the US and do an MBA over here instead. And thanks to her, I met my wife, Sukanya, at IIM Calcutta while pursuing my MBA.

My wife, Sukanya, has really been the driving force in my own journey by being there every step of the way and supporting me. She pushed me and insisted that I could do better; She never once hesitated when I said that I wanted to contribute a bit from the family savings towards giving back to IIT Madras.

Finally, both of my sons, Saurav and Abhinav, who came in all the way from Singapore and New York to attend this event. They now have the responsibility of being beacons of change and carrying forward the Kripalu name.

Transformational leadership can change the face of countries, communities, businesses, educational institutions, and technologies. I have experienced what transformational leadership can do in business. I have seen the difference that leaders make, whether it's in turning around underperforming companies or taking a company that's doing well and accelerating that performance. There are also so many leaders who have created multi-billion-dollar corporations pretty much from nothing.

With a compelling vision of what they wanted to achieve and transformational leadership to make it happen, people have changed the course of history. If you go back into history, people like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Lee Kuan Yew; they transformed India, South Africa and Singapore. It was transformational leadership at the end of the day that made the reality of these three countries and so many more happen.

Closer home, all the accolades of IIT Madras being number one ranked for so many years in a row is about transformational leadership. Achievements like this do not happen without Visionary and transformational Leadership. I absolutely look forward to the occupier of this chair being a leader in their own right but leading transformation in whatever be their chosen field - whether in management or technology.                                                                                                                              Mr. Kripalu's Father
Bio:

Anand Kripalu is presently MD & Global CEO of Blackstone backed EPL Limited (formerly Essel Propack Ltd), the global leader in laminated tubes. Till recently, he was MD & CEO of United Spirits Ltd (Diageo India) and a member of Diageo’s Global Executive. He was also Chairman of the IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Earlier, he was President, India and South East Asia at Mondelez International, President Asia and MD of Cadbury India, and a member of Cadbury’s global leadership team. Prior to that he worked at Unilever for 22 years.

In a career spanning nearly 4 decades, Anand has led businesses and regions for the last 18 years in three different stages. Starting with turning around Unilever East Africa which had not grown and made losses for a decade, resulting in sustainable profitable double digit growth in the first year itself. Accelerating Cadbury India’s performance with a sales and profit cagr of nearly 25% over 8 years. To completely transforming United Spirits (USL) post acquisition into a much respected subsidiary for Diageo.

His approach has been built around sharp prioritisation and focus (Less is More), growing businesses and brands through innovation, transforming sales and the route to consumer, driving significant cost and productivity, while building an organisation with the right structure, talent and culture. Significantly, he has worked with centre and state governments in a highly complex and regulated industry leading to enhanced corporate citizenship and reputation.

Anand has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from both IIT Madras and IIM Kolkata. He completed the Advanced Management Programme from Wharton Business School and is currently on the board of IIM Jammu. Anand serves as an Independent Director on the Board of United Breweries Limited. Earlier, Anand chaired the CII National FMCG Committee and CIABC (Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies), and has been a member of the Managing Committee of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also served on the board of Marico Ltd for 10 years.

Anand was recently honoured with the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 8^th edition of the Indian Marketing Awards (IMA) by exchange4media.

Linkedin Profile: linkedin.com/in/anand-kripalu-a21521a