Indian CEOs Share Resilience Strategies for Turbulent Times at Fortune India Awards

Leaders at Fortune India’s Best CEOs 2025 awards in Mumbai shared critical strategies for navigating economic turbulence. The panel discussion, titled ‘Leadership in Turbulent Times,’ highlighted agility and a customer-focused approach as vital for business resilience.

C.K. Venkataraman, Managing Director of Titan Company, explained how the company adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic by focusing on the growth potential of the elite and affluent segments. He emphasized a shift to becoming a 'Bharat-centric' company, expanding reach to smaller towns, and fostering innovation through a franchise-led model with over 1,000 entrepreneurs.

Satish Pai, Managing Director and CEO of Hindalco Industries, stressed the importance of focusing on controllable elements, especially for manufacturing companies in volatile commodity markets. His advice was to "run safe operations, and take care of your customers and employees," suggesting this approach leads to outperformance over time.

Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director and CEO of Auto and Farm sectors at Mahindra & Mahindra, spoke about their entry into the Electric Vehicle (EV) space. He highlighted the need for humility, recognizing what the company knows best, and outsourcing the rest, coupled with agile decision-making to succeed in the dynamic EV market.

Abhishek Lodha, Managing Director and CEO of Lodha Developers, shared his perspective on India's economic transition from low-income to middle-income. He linked real estate and housing to the creation and benefit of the middle class, advocating for low leverage while staying attuned to aspirational customers and a growing economy.

Impact

These insights offer valuable strategic perspectives for investors, helping them understand how leading companies are adapting to uncertainty. Focusing on adaptability, customer needs, and understanding broader economic trends can inform investment decisions. While not directly moving stock prices, these strategies shape future company performance and market sentiment. Rating: 5/10.

Difficult Terms Explained:

• Agility: The ability of a company to quickly adapt and respond to changes in its environment or market.
• Customer-centric focus: A business approach where the primary goal is to understand and satisfy customer needs and expectations.
• Resilience: The capacity of a business to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties and disruptions.
• Turbulent times: Periods of significant instability, uncertainty, and rapid change in economic or political conditions.
• Bharat-centric: Tailoring products, services, and business strategies to the needs and realities of the Indian market, often reaching beyond major metropolitan areas.
• Franchise-led company: A business model where independent entrepreneurs operate under a company's established brand and system.
• Commodity market: A market where raw materials or primary agricultural products are traded.
• EV space: Refers to the sector related to Electric Vehicles.
• Leverage: The use of borrowed money (debt) to finance investments or operations, with the expectation that the income or capital gain from the investment will exceed the cost of borrowing.