?I have never struggled professionally?

He is a man of many parts. Forty-year-old Subhinder Singh Prem, managing director, Reebok India, loves what he does, whether it is steering his company or spending time with his family, reading or simply meeting people. ?I love doing things differently,? he says. ?That makes life exciting.?

This thirst for excitement has driven Prem in a number of ways. Professionally, the company he heads has edged past its rivals in the last few years. Reebok, Nike and Adidas were brands one would take in the same breath a few years ago. Not any more.

Reebok?s growth can be gauged from its retail presence in India. It has 710 stores as of now to Adidas?s 300 and Nike?s 150-160-odd. ?And the number is still growing,? says the alumnus of Shriram College of Commerce, New Delhi, who went on to pursue his master?s in business administration (MBA) from IMT, Ghaziabad.

Prem has a smile on his face when he rattles off these figures. Why wouldn?t he? He has after all worked hard to take the brand forward. Prem, for the record, joined Reebok in 1995. He took over as MD of the company in 2003. By that time he was living and breathing the brand, quite literally. ?I am a fitness freak. Of course, it was part of my routine before I joined Reebok. But being exposed to a sports wear brand like Reebok compels you to stick to certain things like keeping to your workouts, for instance. I like to run. I try doing it at least 20 days a month.?

This tendency to push himself to bring out the best?something that is passionately exhorted by Prem?s favourite author Robin Sharma?is helping him in his current position as MD of Reebok India. He pushes his team as well to constantly innovate, to bring out their best. This is showing in not only the number of stores but also the range that is on display at Reebok outlets. ?We have something called better-than-before (BTB) meetings at Reebok everyday,? says Prem. ?We hold these meetings at all levels to understand how we can improve upon our last performance.?

Though men are the key consumers of Reebok products, the company is diversifying into newer areas such as women?s and kid?s wear. The women?s line, in particular, is an important one. The company has 15 standalone stores dedicated to women. ?We will be taking this tally up,? he says.

Prem knows the importance of focusing on women. They are at the forefront of this boom in health and fitness. Reebok has even diversified into areas such as dance wear within the women?s category. That?s a clear innovation. Prem enjoys it. ?These out-of-box solutions are great. We are not only into providing the best sports shoes. We do a lot more,? says Prem. ?These are a few steps in that direction to becoming a one-stop shop,? he reasons.

Prem has no desire to stop here though. ?The foray into kid?s wear cannot be wasted. We have to capitalise on it as well,? he says. The company is doing this by launching stores dedicated to children even as it keeps its focus on women. ?It?s important to give space to kids,? he says.

The reason for this is because kids have become an important consumer segment over the last few years. ?They are no more passive,? says Prem who himself has two young children Reba and Raunaq.

Prem spends a considerable amount of time with his family whenever he?s not jetsetting across the globe or devising strategies to push his brand. ?Weekends are devoted to my family,? he says. So he can see for himself how demanding children have become. ?They have become alert and conscious. There?s no denying that. You can?t fool them.?

Clearly, the media explosion has caused this. Children have information on their finger tips today. This is also pushing many of them to take up sports actively. ?They know the side effects of just sitting idle,? says Prem. This again could be linked to the fitness boom that has swept the country in the last few years. Middle class parents in particular are pushing their children to pursue extra curricular activities especially sports in their quest for all-round development of their young ones. ?Parents don?t want their children to be couch potatoes. They want their kids to be active. So do I,? says Prem, who plays cricket with his son regularly. ?I feel relaxed that way.?

Of course, kids want the best in terms of sports wear. ?They have become brand conscious,? says Prem. ?That?s where Reebok steps in,? he smiles.

The kid?s range is growing by the day. Prem is proud of the collection. Even his son swears by the brand. ?It?s all in the family,? he says. Wife Rovika, a lecturer at Sri Aurobindo College, New Delhi, is a pillar of strength to Prem, who has done time at Ranbaxy and Mescos before joining Reebok.

?Muktesh Pant (formerly managing director of Reebok India, who went on to become chief marketing officer of Reebok International in 2001 before quitting in 2004) was an inspiration to me,? he says.

Prem, among many others, was part of the team headed by Pant in 1995. Pant was appointed as managing director of Reebok India in 1994-95. Prem attributes his success at Reebok to the leadership and decision making skills imparted by Pant. ?I learnt a lot from Mukesh,? says Prem. ?And I have never struggled professionally,? he adds.

With bosses like Pant, it was natural for Prem to find his feet quickly at Reebok, which had just set up its Indian office back then. It could have been chaotic had Prem not found a mentor in Pant. The latter was accessible to his team, perpetually driving and motivating them to bring out their best. Clearly, Prem draws from his experiences with Pant during his initial years at Reebok, when guiding his team today as MD of the company. ?It?s fun. I have a great brand and a great team. So, what more can I ask for?,? says the man who detests those who nag and complain too much. ?I am not one whose the complaining sort. So why I should tolerate those who do,?

he says. This tendency to take life as it comes has held Prem in good stead. As a young executive at Ranbaxy, his first posting was at a small place outside Lucknow. Far from being demoralised, Prem took it up joyously. ?I took it as a challenge. I didn?t want to lose heart for being posted in a small town. You can?t learn that way,? he says. Prem retains this enthusiasm for life to this day. It?s helping him at Reebok, it?s helping him also to be a good father and husband.