Pankaj Chaturvedi, Chief Executive Officer of Baskin Robbins graduated from the well-known Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition in Mumbai. He has had stints with Holiday Inn, Domino’s India when it was just setting up operations, before taking over at Baskin
Robbins. Despite his full-time professional career, Chaturvedi is also an accomplished singer, having performed on numerous shows. He was one of those chosen by Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL) when it launched its short-lived 'star hunt'.
Learnings
Working in the back offices in Domino’s has given me a strong belief in systems and processes, and how important they are in running any complex operation.
Success secrets
I have always believed that it is not hard work but smart work that gets you success. At the same time however I believe that one must have integrity in every aspect of one's life – be it work, relationships or responsibilities.
Brand building
The most important and difficult part of any business is often the one which gets the shortest shrift. It is connecting with your target audience, which does not necessarily mean loud and high voltage advertising.
Magic memories
Seeing my son in a movie. He worked in Zindaa with John Abraham. When he won the role he was on cloud 9 for days.
Incredible India
There is an old Chinese saying: “May you live in interesting times”. We are fortunate we are living in a time like this when we can see change taking place before our eyes.
Tastes
Let me borrow one more famous line – “My tastes are simple – I simply like the best”. Quite honestly it’s not brands or luxury which fascinates me as much as ensuring that I get the best. At the end of the day, all my work and success would be pretty useless if I didn’t take time out and just indulge.
Email author: venkatesh.ganesh@hindustantimes.com