Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker.  This is the highlights segment of our conversation with Rajesh Saluja. Happy Listening!

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2: Rajesh Saluja - Highlights - CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors

The International Women’s Day – celebrated worldwide every year on March 8th has come a long way over the century – from women demanding the right to vote to women currently excelling in every field, shattering glass ceilings, leading some of the largest conglomerates to being the epitome of balancing and managing it all – home, career, personal interests. But how do they really do it? How far do we still need to go? Is it even possible to have an added dimension personally and excel at it? We think we got some marvellous insights through our conversations we had with some stellar women CXOs. So, here’s a compilation of three feisty women, one who has run the distance of the earth and may soon be on her way to run it twice over – and she has headed some of the largest fintech organisations. Another went on from being a preschool teacher to being regarded as among the foremost K12 leaders in India and drew much strength from meditation through this rollercoaster journey and yet another, a distinguished Marketing veteran who went on to become a Masterchef Singapore finalist, starting an Indian supper club based on Maharashtrian-Bengali cuisine with her CXO husband. Seeing pink already? Well it’s about time, we say – the Sky Is Pink – Well it very well could be.  Watch out!    We bring to you the remarkable example of Vaishali Kasture, who is part of the Amazon Web Services India Core Leadership Team. She was also the India Country Head at Experian and has headed stellar organisations such as L&T Financial Services, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte India, Infosys BPO, Citibank etc. Vaishali, also a mother and a canine-lover, spoke with us on balancing a high-pressure career and personal commitments apart from following a passion ardently – Vaishali is the first Indian woman to have run all the world major marathons and to think she took to running in her thirties! We bring to you excerpts of our conversation wherein she shares how running above all else, helped her get more honest with herself and gain clarity of what she wants out of life. We also spoke of the challenges women continue to face in a largely patriarchal society and corporate culture, and how it is indeed possible for a woman to taste success on her terms, and append an additional dimension - a dimension only for her to cherish.    Priya Barve, Head of BrandLab, APAC at Google, wears many hats. One such is of a Masterchef! This creative marketing executive also runs a supper club in Singapore, The Bombay Howrah Dining Car, celebrating Maharashtrian and Bengali cuisine. She along with her equally prolific husband, Aniruddha Ganguly, CEO and Co-Founder at Negobot, have hosted several guests. In my conversation with them, Priya spoke about how she began cooking, her takeaways from participating in Masterchef. Humour is a constant companion throughout this conversation. We also elicit amusing reactions of her colleagues when they came to know of her aspirations. Priya shares how she has sought learning, challenges and growth rather than designations to guide her when she chose the organisations she worked with and how success to her is an accumulation of experiences and she hopes to continue to do so.  Lina Ashar, Founder of Kangaroo Kids Preschool and Billabong High International School shared some enriching insights into understanding the human mind, what it means of being in the business of tapping a being’s utmost potential. Her journey from being a preschool teacher, starting with a single preschool in Bandra West to an acknowledged K12 chain, arguably the foremost to bring forth the concept of ‘learning is fun’ , is inspiring. In my conversation Lina speaks how meditation provided her the right compass to give her a sense of reality – one which enables one to tell stories correctly, in a more peaceful manner, approaching it through love rather than fear. She speaks about how the power of meaning and purpose is well within the reach of everyone and the futility of depending on external validators as a measure of success or happiness.  Happy Listening!

1: Women Leaders : Work, Play and Heart(h) - Special Feature - Sky is Pink

Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker.  Happy Listening!

25: Rajesh Saluja - Full Conversation - CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors

Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker. This is the CXO Fun Facts Section with Rajesh Saluja. Stay tuned for the full conversation. Happy Listening!

24: CXO Fun Facts with Rajesh Saluja

Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker.  In this concluding segment, Rajesh shares with us his definition of success and the importance of maintaining balance across spheres of life. He reminisces his journey so far and speaks of his rather admirable trait of handling acute stress and pressure only to go on and excel under those very trying circumstances. This straight forward optimist unsurprisingly is also among the biggest crusaders for 'Health being the biggest Wealth' philosophy. So now, for the umpteenth time. Come on! Get going, Make time work for you coz you are worth it!

23: Rajesh Saluja on Handling Pressure, Wealth & Success - Part 5/6 – When the Going gets Tough, the Tough get Going!

Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker.  In this brief segment, we speak of Rajesh’s recently acquired interest – Poker. Now, Rajesh had always been fond of playing cards since young. However, it was only a  couple of years ago when Poker caught his imagination. He admits to having lost a lot earlier until he read up and gradually developed his own style. He now has a poker group in his residential complex who meet once every three weeks.  Stay tuned!

22: Rajesh Saluja on Poker - Part 4/6 – Raise ‘em or Fold ’em?

Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker.  In this segment, Rajesh speaks about his love for a sport which, even though he began learning for pragmatic reasons, soon turned out to be the one which he derived the most joy from. Now, golf is known to be an ideal networking sport. It is also perceived to be boring, complicated and perhaps a bit snooty? Well, Rajesh tells us how indeed appearances can be deceptive and highlights how golf, invaluably, even helps unmask hidden layers of acquaintances and potential business associates. Rajesh also shares some simple yet effective tips to play golf as per his experiences and hey mind you, you are listening to someone who has been playing it for a little over two decades now! His personal goal is to play a game a week in Mumbai from the three games a month he usually plays when he is traveling and meeting potential clients. We also converse about the lessons, skillsets and synergies Rajesh derives from cricket and golf. Stay put or rather Stay ‘putt’!  Happy Listening!

21: Rajesh Saluja on Golf - Part 3/6 – ‘Putt’ing Mind over Matter

Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker.  Ok! What is it with boarding schools churning out all-rounders? It’s a trend we have spotted far too often now in our conversations! In this segment, Rajesh Saluja too attributes his love for sports to his boarding school regime. Rajesh, who is a right-arm medium-fast bowler, also gets candid, revealing his stance on real-estate investment before we deep dive into his love for cricket! Listen to Rajesh shares how he has evolved into a seasoned-ball player thanks to the inter-school private league matches he plays with his son, representing his son’s school across such tournaments during October – March. We also speak about Rajesh’s most memorable innings, the values he has imbibed from cricket and also that delicate yet powerful father-son bond. Stay tuned!

20: Rajesh Saluja on Cricket - Part 2/6 – No Knock Outs. Life is about being Bowled Over!

Rajesh Saluja, CEO & Managing Partner, ASK Wealth Advisors, has over two decades of experience in the consumer banking, wealth management and private wealth advisory verticals and is well known for his love for golf which he took to in 1999 when he was heading the Priority Banking & Deposits India arm for Standard Chartered Bank. He is also an avid cricketer and represents his son’s school at prominent inter-school-league tournaments, putting in several hours of dedicated practice during the season, typically October – March. That’s not all. Rajesh also enjoys playing Poker.  In this segment you will listen to Rajesh open up about his formative years in Jamshedpur, the key turning points in life including an unfortunate loss he encountered rather early on in life which forced him to ‘grow up’ at once. We also discuss key professional milestones along Rajesh’s 3-decade long career, the broad theme reflecting a yearning for taking roads less traveled & setting up verticals/practices from scratch.  Happy Listening!

19: Rajesh Saluja on Key Life Milestones- Part 1/6 - When Life gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade!

It is 2020 and what better way to kickstart it than by showcasing a brilliant way an organization went about in building passion-based communities for all its employees, taking the concept of work-life balance to a different level altogether. And this, Our very own Bharat Petroleum Corporation! Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present this lovely conversation Sunayana Nair had with Mr. Padmakar Kappagantula, HR Director at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, also known as BPCL. This is the highlights segment of the full conversation. In this episode, we spoke at length on the - ·       iPassion genesis of building an employee talent program, based on Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory. How did it come about? ·       The challenges the team faced to set up varied such communities across the organization, and how they continue to work around them. ·       BPCL's sustained initiatives to recognize, showcase and encourage talent. ·       Primary objectives and vision of the program which simply translates to making an employee more self-aware, more confident, and better equipped. ·       How iPassion also inspired and sparked curiosity within the entire oil and gas industry. How apart from inspiring an employee at an individual level, such initiatives at an organizational level and even at an industry level can come into a thriving self-sustainable ecosystem. ·       Time management and work culture ethos at BPCL and the importance of commitment and creation of abilities at an individual level which will eventually prove to add real and long-term value to an organization as a whole. Happy Listening!

18: Padmakar Kappagantula - Director HR - BPCL - Highlights

It is 2020 and what better way to kickstart it than by showcasing a brilliant way an organization went about in building passion-based communities for all its employees, taking the concept of work-life balance to a different level altogether. And this, Our very own Bharat Petroleum Corporation! Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present this lovely conversation Sunayana Nair had with Mr. Padmakar Kappagantula, HR Director at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, also known as BPCL. In this conversation, we spoke at length on the - ·       iPassion genesis of building an employee talent program, based on Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory. How did it come about? ·       The challenges the team faced to set up varied such communities across the organization, and how they continue to work around them. ·       BPCL's sustained initiatives to recognize, showcase and encourage talent. ·       Primary objectives and vision of the program which simply translates to making an employee more self-aware, more confident, and better equipped. ·       How iPassion also inspired and sparked curiosity within the entire oil and gas industry. How apart from inspiring an employee at an individual level, such initiatives at an organizational level and even at an industry level can come into a thriving self-sustainable ecosystem. ·       Time management and work culture ethos at BPCL and the importance of commitment and creation of abilities at an individual level which will eventually prove to add real and long-term value to an organization as a whole.   Hmm interesting ain't it? Let me also let you in on a secret, as to why this episode is really special and one which I so enjoyed recording. CXO Life will soon be launching a platform promoting talent or passion-based leadership communities. You will hear from us soon regarding that! But for now, stay tuned for a fascinating listen. Have a great day and a wonderful year ahead!

17: Padmakar Kappagantula -Full conversation - Director HR at BPCL

It is 2020 and what better way to kickstart it than by showcasing a brilliant way an organization went about in building passion-based communities for all its employees, taking the concept of work-life balance to a different level altogether. And this, Our very own Bharat Petroleum Corporation! Here's presenting a lovely conversation Sunayana Nair had with Mr. Padmakar Kappagantula, HR Director at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. on setting up talent-based employee communities for inspiring employees, enhancing the ease of communication across ranks, job functions, and team building. In this concluding segment, Padmakar shares benefits and challenges one perceives in nurturing and promoting talent, given the technological advances and how confidence-building might just prove to be the game-changer in this ever-dynamic world where disruption is the order of the day. The ability then to quickly adapt and reinvent ourselves will be of paramount importance and therefore multiskilling and versatility will be the most valuable employee attributes. Though it won’t be easy to build upon, we discussed. We conclude on a keynote - the importance of staying committed and the simultaneous creation of abilities at an individual level which will eventually prove to add real and subsequent long-term value to an organization. Stay Tuned.

16: Padmakar Kappagantula - Part 6/6 - Staying Relevant amidst Disruption - Confidence Building, Multiskilling & Versatility

It is 2020 and what better way to kickstart it than by showcasing a brilliant way an organization went about in building passion-based communities for all its employees, taking the concept of work-life balance to a different level altogether. And this, Our very own Bharat Petroleum Corporation! Here's presenting a lovely conversation Sunayana Nair had with Mr. Padmakar Kappagantula, HR Director at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. on setting up talent-based employee communities for inspiring employees, enhancing the ease of communication across ranks, job functions, and team building. In this segment, listen to Padmakar speak on time management, the work culture at BPCL the weightage accorded to a wholesome personality when it comes to recognizing leadership potential and the benefits of pursuing and learning new skills and interests. we also speak about Padmakar's perspectives on how developing a personal interest can be of tremendous help to a CXO. Happy listening.

15: Padmakar Kappagantula - Part 5/6 - Correlating Leadership Potential & Commitment to Overall Self-Development

It is 2020 and what better way to kickstart it than by showcasing a brilliant way an organization went about in building passion-based communities for all its employees, taking the concept of work-life balance to a different level altogether. And this, Our very own Bharat Petroleum Corporation! Here's presenting a lovely conversation Sunayana Nair had with Mr. Padmakar Kappagantula, HR Director at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. on setting up talent-based employee communities for inspiring employees, enhancing the ease of communication across ranks, job functions, and team building. In this segment, Padmakar shares how the primary vision of iPassion is to make employees understand themselves better, make them more self-aware and thereby generate more confidence, by showcasing talent through multiple spaces. He shares how communities can be build up in an organization, around such individual creative pursuits. The industry subsequently and therein become, a self-sustaining thriving activity in itself. He also discussed the representation of women in this program. Happy listening.

14: Padmakar Kappagantula - Part 4/6 – Developing Employee Self-Awareness & Self-sustainable Talent Communities

It is 2020 and what better way to kickstart it than by showcasing a brilliant way an organization went about in building passion-based communities for all its employees, taking the concept of work-life balance to a different level altogether. And this, Our very own Bharat Petroleum Corporation! Here's presenting a lovely conversation Sunayana Nair had with Mr. Padmakar Kappagantula, HR Director at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. on setting up talent-based employee communities for inspiring employees, enhancing the ease of communication across ranks, job functions, and team building. In this segment, Padmakar shares some of the renewed insights and attitudinal changes he witnessed across BPCL post the iPassion rollout. He recounts a particularly significant instance when an employee approached him and thanked him for ‘bringing me back into my world’ – to put it in his own words - powerful words there isn’t it, which must stay with one forever? Padmakar also shares how quite a few of his senior colleagues were surprised to see the talent of their own team members, most of whom they had known for years. We also discuss the initiatives BPCL is currently undertaking to showcase the talent of their employees, encourage other employees to come aboard, ways of rewarding employees who show sustained interest in developing their talent, and ways of studying and showcasing behavioral evolution whilst unraveling aspects of functional learning. Happy Listening!

13: Padmakar Kappagantula - Part 3/6 – Inspiring, Showcasing, Rewarding Talent & its Impact on Employee Productivity

Listen to some of the biggest minds in business reveal their innermost aspirations that drive them to excel across all aspects of life. Talk CXO Life will feature series of inspirational conversations with business leaders who have not only established themselves at the work front but have an equally passionate interest they pursue. Be it running or painting or collecting art.. CXO Life (www.cxolife.com) is an endeavour to chronicle varied pursuits of CXOs that empower them to dream differently and look beyond the rigmarole of a corporate life, while also inspiring professionals, aspiring to make it to the C-suite, achieve success on their terms. So, listen up as some of the most prominent leaders TAlkCXOLife. Do you know of a business leader who leads life at many fronts? Nominate your champion! Write to us at getintouch@cxolife.com

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