Ex-Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin urges students to shape future of world business through leadership

He was addressing the students on the occasion of 8th Graduation Day of Indian School of Business Hyderabd on April 4, 2009.
Urging students to have a close look at ever-changing business environment, Mr Sarin remarks, You are graduating at an important juncture in history. The tectonic changes are happening all around you in every way. Embrace this change and shape the world through your leadership. And develop your leadership skills early in your career and enjoy the journey of life.

Expressing his views on the impact of downturn on world economy, he says, At a macro level the world is changing in a very fundamental way at the core and the changes are here to stay. Economic wealth and political influence are moving east. China and India will be the leaders of the world economy very soon. While the current GDP in India is slower than a couple of years ago it is still better than the rest of the world. And this slowdown will abate soon as well.

The world today is a much more interconnected place than even ten years ago and will become even more interconnected in the future. The current financial crisis is felt around the world today and if you recall the Asian crisis of ten years ago, frankly it did not have a global complexity to it. My advice to you is be front-foot and make most of the changes by leading the change that is coming upon us. Understand the differences in the various economies, learn about what makes them tick and then share the innovative and best practices around the world, Mr Sarin comments.

Commenting on the changes taking place in business environment, he adds, At a micro level or a business level, business models are changing and innovation is going to be the key to establishing leadership in the future. Every industry that I can think of is undergoing change and restructuring and will emerge from the current slowdown a different company, a different industry. Technology is changing very rapidly and it is going to be an important ingredient in innovation.

Mr Sarin further suggests students, Become an expert in the area of your interest and then export your ideas and your knowledge and your experience. In summary new business models and ideas will abound and India and you have an advantage in developing and executing on these new ideas, scaling them and then exporting them to the rest of the world. This too will shape the world.

While expressing his views on Indias progress in every sphere, former CEO of Vodafone says, We need to maintain our growth economically, politically and socially, simultaneously for consistent and equitable progress. And frankly much work needs to be done here today. We will require large amounts of capital, large amounts of skilled labor and large amounts of leadership.