Kunal Shah: ‘Understanding humans is core to great businesses’

Rajesh Srivastava earned his engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, in Kanpur, and studied management at the Indian Institute of Management, in Bangalore. He has over three decades of experience creating value in fields as diverse as the alcoholic beverage industry, food and commodities, personal care, lifestyle industries, education & publishing. He has conceptualised, launched, and nurtured over fifty products which enrich the lives of Indian consumers’ every day. Brands he has promoted include Bagpiper, McDowell Signature, Royal Challenge, Blue Riband, Blue Riband Duet, Captain Cook, Park Avenue Personal Care Products.

In 2002, he was named President of J. K. Helene Curtis Ltd, a Raymond Group Company. Over the next three years, he steered it to a 33% revenue growth (CGR) and doubled profits, despite operating at a time when the FMCG industry was recording a near-flat growth.

Mr. Srivastava also writes for journals and appears in broadcast media on topics of market analysis and trend recognition. His articles and columns have been published in Mint, Telegraph, Outlook, Mid-Day. He has also been interviewed as a business and marketing analyst on BBC World, Aaj Tak, and CNBC.

He has been invited as a keynote speaker, by premier schools, business schools, hospitals and corporates such as IIM Calcutta, IIM Bangalore, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Nagpur, IE Business School, Spain, Jamna Bai Narsee International School, Mumbai, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Godrej & Boyce, Tata Telecom, Indian Oil Corporation, ICICI Bank, Crompton Greaves, Alstom India, Marico’s Ascent Foundation, AGC Networks Limited, Valmont Corporations, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, S&P Global, BSH Home Appliances and John Deere.

He has also been conducting customised workshops for many of the finest corporates including Mercedes Benz, Siemens India, Reliance Industries Ltd., Citibank, and Credit Suisse.

In 2011, he was named the Chief Operating Officer of S. P. Jain School of Global Management - Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney. He has been awarded the Best Professor Award for two consecutive years - 2009 & 2010. He also served as Adjunct Faculty at IIM Indore between 2008 to 2015.

He practises as an Independent Consultant and coaches CEOs.

Penguin Random House has published his two books, ‘The New Rules of Business’ & ‘The 10 New Life-Changing Skills’. Both have become national bestsellers.