Business

In 1986, I was selected to represent the country as a paper-writer at the XIII World Congress of Accountants to be held in Tokyo in 1987. The World Congress of Accountants is held every 4 years and is organised by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) My co-paper writer was Warren Allen, a partner of…

In 1994, Shishir Bajoria became the President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. Shishir’s brother Mahendra was my classmate in school and their father Late B P Bajoria had a particular fondness for me. The winds of liberalization, which began with the dismantling of the license raj on 24th July 1991, was gaining gale force…

In the January/February issue of 2013, the Harvard Business Review ranked Subir Raha #13 among the 100 Best Performing CEOs of the world. Subir, unfortunately, could not rejoice in this remarkable achievement. He had passed away on February 1, 2010 at the age of 61. Subir Raha was a paradox. He was a daring entrepreneur…

At a dinner in Dhaka in 1986, I first met Ebrahim Dahodwala. He was the then the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan. In fact, he was the first President of the Institute from the profession, a position always held previously by the Secretaries to the Federal Government of Pakistan. He was…

Every global consulting company today has digital studios swarming with creative people in outlandish dresses, strange hairstyles and non-conformist thinking. In 2015, I visited the studio of Übermind, Inc which was acquired by Deloitte Consulting and rechristened Deloitte Digital. The CEO of the company was Shehryar Khan who did his schooling in Lahore, Pakistan. Their…

I had met Russi Mody at social occasions before but I did not know him well. In 1992, I was in my office in Price Waterhouse, when I received a call from him directly. He said, “Mr. Roy, I would like to discuss with you the Tata-Korf accounts, can I come and see you?” This…

The culture and values of an organization pass on from one generation to another. Neither brick and mortar endure nor people remain forever. But institutions which are built on solid values with a sustainable purpose, last a long time. The culture and value fabric of an organization are woven by anecdotes, stories, important events, inflexion…

In May 2002, I was on a family holiday in Switzerland when I received a call from the Shri Amiya Gooptu, the President of the Bengal Club. The matter was urgent, he said. The General Committee (i.e. the Board of Directors) had decided to invite me to be a member and I should sign and…