Corporate RAISING THE BAR
Business Today|June 13, 2021
Anand Kripalu’s mandate while taking over the reins of Diageo India in 2014, was not just to turn around the debt-ridden United Spirits, but also drive cultural change in an industry tainted with unscrupulous practices
AJITA SHASHIDHAR
Corporate RAISING THE BAR

A peg of Johnnie Walker Black Label with soda has been his favourite after a hard day’s work. Anand Kripalu, Managing Director and CEO, Diageo India, proudly calls himself a Black Label loyalist. “If you go to a bar anywhere in the world and you hear someone ordering a Black Label and soda, it has to be an Indian. I am a proud Indian who is a diehard Black Label and soda fan.”

At his sprawling apartment in South Mumbai, he effortlessly puts together a colourful whisky-based cocktail, Manhattan. “Earlier, if someone suggested a whisky cocktail, I would tell them not to spoil the whisky by adding other ingredients. The last seven years has enabled me to look at the world of spirits through a new lens,” he says. Not only has Kripalu’s perspective of alcohol consumption changed, the 62-year-old has been instrumental in bringing about an attitudinal change in India’s ₹40,000-crore alcohol beverage industry.

In an industry known for unscrupulous methods of doing business and lack of corporate governance, Kripalu’s mandate when he took over in 2014 was to ensure business was done the ‘right way’. State governments control alcohol sales in over 70 per cent of the states and greasing palms of government officials was the norm. “The toughest battle was doing business the right way,” says Kripalu. “We have walked out of many states, saying we will do business only the right way. In one state from being a market leader, we got wiped out to zero. They told us you either do it or you don’t and we said we will not. There was no other way of saying we have zero tolerance,” he adds. Some of the states, which earlier were not willing to relent to Diageo’s compliance norms, eventually turned around and have started doing business with them.

Esta historia es de la edición June 13, 2021 de Business Today.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición June 13, 2021 de Business Today.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE BUSINESS TODAYVer todo
The EV Craze
Business Today India

The EV Craze

The country’s growing luxury car market is seeing a shift with environmentally-conscious consumers betting on electric vehicles as a sustainable travel option. Though just 6%, the share of EVs in the luxury segment is rising rapidly

time-read
5 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
The Storage Boom
Business Today India

The Storage Boom

Data centres are being built at a frenetic pace in india as companies scramble to meet the ballooning demand from mobile phone users and firms adopting al. Can the country’s energy infrastructure keep up?

time-read
8 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
India Beckons
Business Today India

India Beckons

Owing to rising incomes in India and overall wealth expansion, luxury brands are wooing the country like never before

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
The Pearls of The Sea
Business Today India

The Pearls of The Sea

Caviar, that rare food, is considered the epitome of fine dining. Here is everything that you need to know about it

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
66.Brand persona should define the core"
Business Today India

66.Brand persona should define the core"

I’d say this was a strategic pivot. We had an iconic brand, but had, over time, evolved into diversified lines of businesses that could no longer be represented within the confines of our ‘name’.

time-read
1 min  |
November 10, 2024
Unwind in Style
Business Today India

Unwind in Style

Here is acomprehensive list of top tech picks that help you unwind by blending perfection in performance with luxury

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
A Lifelong Affair with Inspiration
Business Today India

A Lifelong Affair with Inspiration

In my art journey, the diversity of my acquisitions mirrored the expanding horizons of my understanding of art

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Make it Bubbly
Business Today India

Make it Bubbly

Champagne is much more than just a symbol of celebration and success. Know about its nuances beyond the bubbles

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Palatial Splendour
Business Today India

Palatial Splendour

Buoyed by renewed demand, sales of the glitzy mansions of the ultra-rich are surging like never before. Real estate majors are looking to capitalise on this by launching luxury offerings in record numbers

time-read
7 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Of Beaches and Cream
Business Today India

Of Beaches and Cream

GianChand Single Malt Whisky

time-read
1 min  |
November 10, 2024