Page 10 - Seniorstoday February 2023 Issue
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retail business by buying cheap land in After a rather
Navi Mumbai. He tested the ground with serendipitous start in
his first D-Mart store in 2002, seeing slow print journalism with
growth for almost a decade, opening 25 India Today, Purie
stores in its first nine years. Today, Damani has been the rock
operates more than 200 D-Mart-branded behind the success
stores in 45 Indian cities. of the India Today
group.
10. Uday Kotak, 65, Banker Still very relevant and on top of the latest
“Our Phygital happenings even as his daughter Kalli
strategy finds being named his successor in his media
relevance in today’s business, he remains the backbone of the
day and age of group.
accelerated digital Although he says his exacting standards
transformation”, says were sometimes begrudged by his staff,
Uday Kotak. the staff recognised that “the end-result
He goes on…”GRAVITY! When interest was a good product” and even came up
rates are low and central banks are busy with a friendly nickname for the editing
printing money, equities can defy gravity. process— “Purification”—after him. In
When money gets tighter (QT) and an interview with Harvard Business
deposits give higher rates, gravity comes School, he said: “I always looked at the
back. Every risk investor must be alert to magazine from the reader’s point of view,
the power of gravity,” tweeted Uday Kotak, always asking, “Can I understand what
January 2023. this article is saying?” A lot of journalists
First half of the veteran banker’s tweet write for other journalists, or they write
referred to the peak stockmarket euphoria for politicians. But the common man needs
witnessed till last year when central banks context, needs explanation, needs history,
across the globe kept interest rates low and background. I brought that into it.”
to spur consumer spending after Covid
pandemic battered the global economy. 12. Kiran & Shiv Nadar, 72 & 77,
He went on to tweet, “I do not see systemic Philanthropist / Industrialist
risk to the Indian financial system from Indian IT pioneer
recent events. However, large Indian Shiv Nadar co-
corporates rely more on global sources founded HCL in a
for debt and equity finance. This creates garage in 1976 to
challenges and vulnerabilities. Time to make calculators and
further strengthen Indian underwriting microprocessors with
and capacity building.” five friends.
In a tumultuous economic scenario, Today, his $11.8 billion (revenue) HCL
Kotak remains confident, edgy and Technologies is among India’s largest
relevant. software services providers. Wife Kiran
Nadar is one of the most influential names
11. Aroon Purie, 79, Media Baron in the art world.
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