Nikhil Nanda
Managing Director,
Escorts Limited

At the beginning of the current millennium, he was selected as one of five ‘Indians who are global leaders of tomorrow' by the World Economic Forum (WEF). While it may seem like a ‘nice' tag to have, it also came with huge expectations and responsibilities.

But for Nikhil Nanda it has only being the way of life. Being the third generation scion of the Escorts Group, he already knew what it felt like. But then, expectations come only when there is potential and if you analyse his professional journey in the last fourteen years or so, you would surely end up agreeing with WEF's forecast.

Of course, it is quite fashionable for people with illustrious grand fathers and brilliant fathers to call themselves third generation entrepreneurs. But Nikhil Nanda has more than earned it. He has been the driving force behind the Group's robust and diversified presence in sectors like construction & material handling equipment, railway equipment, auto components and of course, agricultural machinery.

While he may not have ventured into a new business so to speak, he has been at the forefront in creating new market segments and tapping into a wider range of customers with new products and technology. His contribution lies in steering the Group's performance and taking it to the next level.

It has been just about one year since he became the sole MD (since September 2013), but he is already leading a huge transformation at the organisational level towards efficiency and aggressive growth.

By blending the finest of contemporary management techniques with the best practices in engineering and topping it up with innovative ideas on the go, this alumnus of Wharton Business School is now working towards giving a definitive global edge to the Escorts Group. And all this while ensuring that the numbers sing a happy tune even in the most difficult of times.

Personally, this son of industrialist Rajan Nanda (Chairman, Escorts Group) and Ritu Nanda is driven by the power of thoughts as one of the posts on his official blog says: "Think of yourself as a winner cause if you don't, you are insulting your God, because he sent us all here to win and become champions in whatever we choose to do down here……."

Well, Nikhil Nanda surely practices what he preaches.

(Star List 2015 continues on the next page)