— As told to Geetika Srivastava
The Job
I absolutely love working in the entrepreneurial startup environment of Bel India. Its really fulfilling to create a brand and business from scratch, especially in food. (I love good food). Bel had hired me as their first employee in India. We have been able to create a great work culture here, where the team is like one big family. The best part is working together with this passionate, inspiring and dedicated team. I feel my purpose is helping them unlock their true potential as we build The Laughing Cow brand here.
The Weekdays
Typical weekdays start by dropping my son to school. After this I get to office by 8.15. I like starting work early, to give some ‘me time’ at work to plan things. Sometimes, I try to cycle to office. It’s a lot better for the environment and good exercise. Being an MNC headquartered in France we work across multiple time zones. Hence, sometimes the days can be quite long. The joy of working in this amazing setup and creating a new category with cheese keeps me excited.
The Weekend
On weekends, I like to disconnect from work. Weekends are about spending quality time with my family over different activities we all enjoy. I love the outdoors – I once hoisted the Tricolor in the Arctic with National Geographic, by winning an adventure reality series called Mission Arctic. In fact, my wife being an army kid and our little son who is 7 also enjoy nature and the outdoors. Weekends are thus about outdoor activities.
The Toys
Believe it or not, I don’t have any fascination for electronic gadgets, or any penchant for owning the latest gadget that came out. We don’t even have a TV in the house! I have a simple phone, where even my work emails are not configured. I am an extrovert and outdoorsy person, who would rather meet people face to face than be on a gadget. Most of my favourite equipment is linked with long trips – all stuff needed to enable these journeys – a portable camping stove, an air pressure pump, camping equipment, some of which is permanently in the car.
The Logos
Some of my favourite brands are Maggi, The Laughing Cow, Skoda Yeti and Columbia.I have been really fortunate to have worked on some of my favourite brands. The Skoda Yeti has been our trusted companion for a decade as we travel in some memorable trips across the length and breadth of the country. It’s super safe and a joy to drive. I remember driving non-stop 24 hours from Mumbai to Chandigarh in it, a day before the Covid lockdowns. Columbia, I think makes some of the most practical, comfortable and rugged clothing that’s been a part of all our adventurous trips!
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