In this episode, I interviewed the renowned business leader Shiv Shivakumar to uncover the fundamental principles and pivotal moments in his illustrious career.
Shiv has held top leadership roles at iconic companies like Aditya Birla Group, PepsiCo India, and Nokia. He shares the importance of preparation, the power of mentorship, and the value of benchmarking oneself against industry leaders. He also discusses how he navigated defining moments in his journey, from being recognized as a future CEO to building a strong organizational culture focused on transparency and coaching. Learn his perspectives on the strategic role of supply chain management and the opportunities for Indian brands to go global.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Shiv Shivakumar is the Operating Partner at Advent International, located in Gurgaon. Before his role at Advent International, he was Group Executive President, Corporate Strategy at Aditya Birla Group. Before joining Aditya Birla Group, Shiv served as the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer at PepsiCo Holdings Private Limited in India. Additionally, he has held the position of CEO for emerging markets at Nokia in his previous professional endeavors.
Shiv started his career as a management trainee in the Consumer Products Division at Hindustan Ciba Geigy before shifting to Hindustan Unilever Limited, where he spent 19 years in sales, marketing, and general management positions. In 2003, he moved to Philips, India, as Chief Executive Officer of the consumer electronics division.
As of January 2018, Shivakumar has joined the Aditya Birla Group as the Group Executive President of Corporate Strategy. Aditya Birla Group is one of the largest Indian conglomerates, with businesses in 36 countries in telecommunications, cement, chemicals, mining, textiles, financial services, retail, and e-commerce.
Shiv agreed, in principle, to join Advent International on 18th January 2023. Advent International is one of the best PE firms for Diversity and Inclusion in 2022. Advent has about 125 Operating partners globally.
Questions I Asked:
- What were the key inflection points in your career?
- How have you used supply chain management as a strategic advantage in your organizations?
- How should CEOs and supply chain leaders align their perspectives and expectations?
- Why is building global brands important for India’s economy over the next decade?
- How do you see the PE environment in next 24 months?
- What advice would you give new graduates aspiring to become CEOs?
Show notes:
- [2:24] Looking at your illustrious career, what would you say were the key inflection points for you?
- [7:43] As you’re building your career, are there other potential avenues in which you can, almost consciously as a professional, benchmark yourself and get glimpses?
- [9:11] In a market like India, distributors are very important. They see many area sales managers and many regional managers. They can distinguish between someone who is committed to their growth versus someone who is committed to their own growth, so they are able to respond accordingly.
- [12:49] How do you actually build a culture? Because you’ve done it—a successful culture, right? You’ve built organizations on a massive scale. Are there any principles that you have always consciously applied?
- [18:10] Today, many HR leaders and CEOs are distracted by tactics like free pizza or disco nights. These are promotions, not culture. True culture is the core of your company, and if you focus on that, the tactics will follow. Don’t mistake perks like pizza or working from home for actual culture.
- [20:53] From a CEO’s perspective, what are some ways you have used or mostly utilized the supply chain as a key strategic advantage in your organizations?
- [21:25] I want to go back to two of the big buzzwords in today’s organizations, which many consultants are capitalizing on: agility and resilience. Agility refers to an organization’s ability to collaborate horizontally. Resilience, on the other hand, is the backbone of an organization; it means if I fall, I will get up and participate again tomorrow.
- [26:16] Where does the dynamic of CEOs needing to see the value of the supply chain fit in? How should value be shown, and who does what and in which sequence?
- [27:14] A supply chain game should quantify its impact—whether sourcing can bring in $10 million or moving can bring in $5 million. Often, weak organizational thinking sidelines the supply chain, but it’s actually the backbone of the system. A CEO who recognizes this will use it effectively.
- [29:31] Why should India focus on building global brands, and how is this crucial for the Indian economy over the next decade, given the significant progress made in the past 10 years?
- [31:22] India has historically focused on trading, import substitution, and affordability. Indian entrepreneurs made money through trading and arbitrage, and brands were built with a focus on substituting imports and keeping products affordable. To succeed globally, India needs to prioritize design, sensory experience, and multicultural appeal.
- [35:00] How do you see the PE environment from a deal-making perspective in the next 12 to 24 months? Do you think there will be more deals happening, not necessarily at the scale of Mars and Kilonova, and obviously not PE-driven? How do you see the overall environment moving 12 to 24 months down the line?
- [35:20] So I personally believe that in the next 10 years—not just one year—private equity has a hell of a lot of business coming its way. That’s my personal opinion.
- [39:43] What would be one or two pieces of advice for people who are graduating and stepping into the workforce with the hope of one day becoming a CEO or a leader in a large company?
- [39:56] Whatever you do, don’t mourn and groan. Whatever you do, don’t turn cynical, and whatever you do. Don’t stop learning.
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About the Host:
What a great discussion I had with Shiv Shivakumar. I am your host, Radu Palamariu, Group CEO of Alcott Global, working on C-level and top management executive search assignments with Top Fortune 500 companies and local conglomerates in value chains for manufacturing, logistics, transportation, supply chain management, and e-commerce and also the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”.
Alcott Global provides Executive Search Solutions for key positions at all pillars of the end-to-end value chain: planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, e-commerce, and overall supply chain operations.
In our Makers & Movers face-to-face events, we bring together value chain executives to connect, collaborate, and innovate – a forum focused on business value creation.
Join us on September 12 to celebrate the Top 30 Leaders in Supply Chain for their achievements in digitizing operations, decarbonization, and sustainability and in creating a diverse and equitable environment for supply chain teams to thrive and excel.
Related Episodes:
#192: Bechtel and SCM in the EPC Industry
#193: Holistic Sustainability for a Greener Supply Chains
#194: Transforming Dairy Supply Chains and Overcoming the “Perfect Storm”
