Mr. Go-getter

Going by the popular notion about an Indian CEO, Gowri Shankar Subramanian should either be a venerable old gentleman close to retirement, or a cranky fusspot. But unlike other CEOs, Subramanian created history when he became the CEO of Aspire Systems at just 27.

Age does not have much to do with position...

...however, the experience one gains, and how that experience plays a role in grooming the person, is important. The virtue of having been with the company from the beginning, the willingness to forego other opportun-ities,and also the willingness to relocate to India (when it wasn’t fashionable to do so) have played a major role in my transition.

Maturity comes from listening to people...

If we encourage an environment where people can openly discuss mistakes, correct those mistakes and accept responsibility, maturity automatically develops.

Great experience accrues to those who choose the path less traveled. I firmly believe success will be theirs sooner or later. At my age, I believe there are many, many others who have gone much farther.

Mr. Pacemaker

Undaunted by challenging situations, 34-year-old Harsh Chitale, Managing Director,Honeywell Automation India Ltd. is raring to take everything in his stride. “The experience of having handled multiple situations is certainly valuable.

However, that is no longer the only critical factor for business success, as businesses are becoming less and less predictable. Even large global organisations have only 6-7 levels.

Also, global competition is driving in high performance orientation and meritocracy in all companies. One fallout of this is that there are cases where people are seen to be rising to the top position at a fairly young age,” feels Chitale.

While he was leading teams with older team members, he confesses that he must have got on to some people's nerves, “I have always been a little impatient and it reflects in my behaviour. But I have learnt a few things and I have toned down.”

He feels that, in a knowledge industry, how seriously you are taken by your peers depends upon what value you add to their job and is not just a function of age or hierarchy. But does he think that he has shouldered too many responsibilities too early?

“Not really. I think the entire credit goes to my organisation for investing time and energy towards grooming and `risking' themselves by hiring young MDs like me,” jokes Chitale.