Promoting India Latin America Collaboration

Indra Nooyi: sueños cumplidos

Profile of Indra Nooyi in the Bs.As. daily La Nacion
lanacion.com

Los títulos, como una larga alfombra roja, parecían antecederla de una manera pomposa y ceremonial: “La ejecutiva más poderosa del mundo”, según la revista Fortune. “Una de las 100 mujeres más influyentes de los Estados Unidos (puesto 28)”, de acuerdo con Forbes. “Una de las 100 personalidades más influyentes de la actualidad (por arriba de gente como Steve Jobs, fundador de Apple)”, para Time. Si fuera por los rankings, la distancia entre ella y un humano de a pie sería abismal. Tal vez lo sea.

Finalmente, ella entra. No como lo haría alguien famoso. Como lo hace alguien poderoso. Aparece en la sala como si estuviera ahí, alta, firme y silenciosa, sin haber atravesado nunca la puerta. Tiende una mano enérgica, pregunta dónde se tiene que sentar y, mientras deposita erguida su metro ochenta y cinco en la silla, habla de lo que no había que hablar: pide, ruega, que no le hagamos una foto tan horrible como la de la revista brasileña. Las miradas se cruzan. Las sonrisas se congelan. El aire ya espeso se vuelve intragable. Justo antes de que la gente que la acompaña inicie un suicidio en masa, ella se ríe. Y lo hace con una carcajada tan abierta que hace que el aire vuelva a circular.

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi
tiene 52 años. Es presidenta y directora ejecutiva de Pepsico (la empresa dueña de marcas tales como Pepsi, Lays, Quaker o Gatorade) y es quien logró cambiar el modelo de la compañía, llevándolo de los snacks y las bebidas gasificadas a otro, más consciente de la salud y del impacto en el medio ambiente.

Pero, sobre todo, es una extraña excepción en el universo empresarial americano. Primero, por ser mujer (no es un ámbito muy transitado históricamente por el género femenino, y Nooyi es la primera ejecutiva nacida fuera de los Estados Unidos en comandar la empresa). Luego, por su origen: hija de un contador y una ama de casa, nació en Chennai (antigua Madrás), en el sur de la India. Y, por último, por su estilo: desenvolvió un modo muy particular de liderazgo que busca atraer, entrenar y retener a los mejores empleados. Así como dirige una potencia multinacional con ventas por 39 billones de dólares al año, operaciones en 200 países y valor de mercado de más de 100 billones de dólares, Nooyi es esposa, madre y, dice, ama de casa.

Todos quieren escuchar a la mujer que unió dos puntos que nunca
estarían tan juntos. Que supo tomar nota de los mandatos y transitó el
insospechado camino desde su India
natal hacia la cima del mundo. A la mujer que, con la dedicación y la
concentración de un malabarista, supo lanzar sus sueños al aire y
atajarlos sin que ninguno llegara a tocar el suelo.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Why India Offers ‘An Extraordinary Opportunity for Spanish Investors’

Some good insights that can be used by LatAm investors and biz executives as well.
Knowledge@Wharton

In an
interview with Universia-Knowledge@Wharton, Jyoti Gupta, professor of
finance at the ESCP-EAP business school in Europe and former dean of
the Asian Institute of Technology, analyzes India’s business ties with Spain and Latin America, focusing on the legislative efforts India has made to provide a maximum level of security for foreign investors.

UK@W: What image do Indian companies have of Spanish companies?

J.G.: They have a very positive view. There have never been any political problems between India and Spain. In addition, India feels culturally close to Spain, through its art, literature and architecture. Many Indian students go to Spain, and they like Spanish fashions, as I explained earlier. As a result, Indian entrepreneurs show no reluctance to accept the arrival of Spanish companies or reach commercial agreements with them.

UK@W: How do Spanish executives think about the way companies function in India?

J.G.: Generally speaking, I believe they have a positive view, especially after those companies are already here [in India] although Spanish executives clearly are apprehensive about the enormous lack of infrastructure that exists in India for developing their businesses. They also can’t count on having a sufficient number of qualified personnel.

UK@W: Could you provide some practical advice for Spanish executives who want to do business in India?

J.G.: The best advice I can give Spanish executives is to keep an open mind when they decide to move into India. Unlike countries such as China and Japan, doing business in India is not “ceremonial.” The formalities that prevail at a business meeting in China, where people distribute business cards according to a specific system of rules, do not exist in India. The fundamental factor is the close, informal character of meetings. For example, it is not common to wear neck ties. The Indo-European culture is very well entrenched so the differences are minimal. Nevertheless, doing business in India requires you have a flexible concept of time, and not to reveal any sense of urgency.

Finally, it should be stressed that the success of any agreement between India and Spain is not based on a formal legal document but on personal relationships that reflect a friendship and confidence that all parties believe in. For that reason, it is very common for a deal to be closed, not in a restaurant, but in the home of the Indian executive, and in the presence of his wife and children. You should not be surprised to receive an invitation to have dinner with his family in a private home. On the contrary, this is a sign of being on the right road to closing a commercial agreement. You have to accept such an invitation immediately, and show your appreciation.

UK@W: Culturally speaking, what are the main differences and similarities between India and Spain? In what ways is it possible to have a greater number of misunderstandings that might make commercial relationships more difficult?

J.G.: As I explained earlier, one difference is the way doing business involves informality and closeness. In Spain, executives will close a commercial agreement over lunch at a good restaurant but never in their own home and with their children. Personal relationships are something left on the sidelines; in India, they are the key. When it comes to similarities, we are much closer culturally than we believe, especially if we compare ourselves with a Communist country like China.

In India, as anywhere else, respecting the culture of the country is a complicated thing, and it can lead to frictions. India is an enormously free and open country. Clearly, it has many traditions, but its peoples are not so traditional. The communications, media and business worlds have no reluctance to openly criticize politics, religion or other aspects of the country. They are also not offended if a Spanish executive openly exposes his fears or those aspects that he likes least about India. Criticism is viewed as something particularly normal and common in a democratic society.

UK@W: Can you comment on the relationship between Indian companies and Latin American companies?

J.G.: The relationship is good. We have no political problems with these countries, so we are targeting them for investments. India already has a presence in Brazil and Mexico. Like India, Brazil is an emerging country and we have a lot of business interests there. However, trade relations are still not very strong.

UK@W: Looking at the future, do you believe that it will be the Indian companies that make acquisitions in Latin America, or the Latin Americans who move into India?

J.G.: The case of ArcelorMittal (the world’s largest steelmaker) provides a good example of how Indian companies can wind up surprising us. India is especially interested in buying Latin American companies because of their potential in Spanish-speaking markets. Our interests are focused, above all, on the service sector, heavy industry (steel), pharmaceuticals (generic drugs), and software companies. The future will surely provide us with major surprises from India.

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