Mr. Impeccable

AJAY SRINIVASAN – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT ADITYA BIRLA CAPITAL LIMITED TELLS US ABOUT HIS WORK, INTERESTS AND PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE THAT KEEPS HIM FOCUSSED!

- Kanika Dhawan

Out of the many questions we pose to Ajay Srinivasan, we ask him to share five interesting things in his office with us. His list is a refreshing change from the vintage bric-a-brac, Objets d’art or expensive pressies that grace priceless teak tables of CEOs. There’s a bat signed by master blaster – Sachin Tendulkar, a cricket ball signed by the fastest bower of all times – Jeff Thomson, a broken tee of Tiger Woods from a tournament that he walked with the famous golfer, a picture of Srinivasan from a game at Lords, and his collection of Ganeshas.

Clearly, he is a man of sport who knows his game well. He played serious cricket in school and college but didn’t pursue it professionally. In Hong Kong, he picked up golf after realising that his “cricketing days were numbered.” When he’s on the course, in the company of friends, he simply tees off and doesn’t typically use the game to network. Over the years, he has played a variety of sport, which includes cricket, hockey, football, tennis, squash, swimming, golf and board games like scrabble and Sudoku.

During one such game of cricket, he happened to meet a bunch of guys who were appearing for the IIM entrance exam; he also decided to give it a shot. Srinivasan cracked IIM-Ahmedabad and decided to pursue management. Hence, sport is very close to his heart, as it literally shaped his career.

Actually, it has been an integral part of his life. From his schooling years at Delhi’s St Columba’s followed by college at St Stephen’s, his time was always well divided between academics and the entire range of sports. “I ended up taking part in competitive swimming, hockey, soccer and of course my favourite, cricket. I also continued my interest in cricket at St Stephen’s.”