Indian entrepreneur | Leena Pishe Thomas | Global Indian

Global IndianstoryMeet Leena Pishe Thomas, the UN-invited speaker who works at mitigating climate change

Meet Leena Pishe Thomas, the UN-invited speaker who works at mitigating climate change

Written by: Ranjani Rajendra

(December 3, 2021) Sustainability campaigner Leena Pishe Thomas was the star speaker at the recently concluded World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) event at Geneva. As founder, Global Business Inroads, Leena was invited to speak about the role of IP in sustainable development and taking green innovation to international markets. Quite the expert on leveraging technology to provide sustainable solutions to mitigate climate change, adopt renewable energy sources, and life sciences, this wasn’t the first time Leena spoke at a UN event. Her first was at the Global Solutions Summit in 2018 in New York.

Thank you His Excellency Hasan Kleib, Deputy Director General of @WIPO for hosting this dinner and discussion with Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to the #UnitedNations, Businesses, Academia on the topic of #Green #Innovation for #Sustainable #Development. pic.twitter.com/3mcMSUjyjN

— Leena Pishe Thomas (@leenapishe) November 23, 2021

What got Leena interested in this field? “Back in1990-2000, there were some truly innovative energy efficient solutions available – but not in India. That got me thinking – I was intrigued why there was no knowledge or action, considering for centuries, we had been following sustainable living practices. Why weren’t we developing sustainable technology?” she questioned. That led her towards sustainable solutions.

Today, she is an expert working with governments and private entities the world over — the European Commission, US government, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka, apart from with some UN agencies. Her work includes cross border innovation collaboration between startups in Europe and India; facilitating collaboration for digital transformation, lead green change and biodiversity projects. “Some of our biggest achievements have been in the spheres of biodiversity and landscape restoration projects in India as well as working with communities here to help digital access to set up sustainable processes for agro forestry product processing,” explains the girl, who was born into a family of entrepreneurs.

Starting in an industry at a time when sustainable business was almost unheard of in India, today, she is a regular face at UN events, introducing various stakeholders to the need to scale technology to mitigate climate change and achieve sustainability goals. Incidentally, she had appeared on BBC on these topics as well.

From Bengaluru to the world

The quintessential Bengaluru girl, chose to study science till high school before switching to a degree in history and economics at Lady Shriram College, Delhi. Determined, she even considered IAS. However, after graduation, she married her then boyfriend, Shibu Thomas. “I gave up an admission for post-graduation in the US, chose marriage,” she tells Global Indian.

Leena was 23 then, and she continued to study and work. International business fascinated her as did environment goals. She landed her first job with the Indo French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also got her MBA from ICFAI, Hyderabad through distance education. Within a few months of marriage, Leena started up with SNL (1999) which focused on international business and environment technology at age 24. Shibu, then a restaurateur, became her angel investor.

Leena at the WIPO event in Geneva

Around this time, Leena also began consulting with the Alliance to Save Energy for United States Agency for International Development (USAID), working with state governments in India to transition to energy efficient solutions to cut costs. “We helped local municipalities work towards energy efficiency for municipal water utilities and streetlights,” she says, adding, “This was probably one of the most impactful projects we worked on as until then local governments didn’t have measures to ensure energy efficiency.”

She could have it all

In 2005, when Leena had her second daughter, she shut SNL and took a 1.5 year sabbatical. Her next role was with the Clinton Foundation, and it turned her perspective towards using technology for climate change mitigation. She was instrumental in starting and establishing Clinton Climate Initiative programmes in India. “I worked with the Foundation from 2007 to 2009 and it was everything I believed in. Motherhood also changed me in a big way. My ideas became clearer, and I became confident. It’s what gave me the push to launch GBI in 2009,” says Leena.

Incidentally, there was a time after her wedding when she had contemplated giving up her career altogether. “I’ve always been very family-oriented and didn’t mind putting my career on the back burner. It wasn’t easy juggling the kids, a home and a career,” she smiles, adding, “That’s when Shibu stepped in and convinced me to continue working. He showed me that I could have it all.”

Global Indian Leena Pishe Thomas

Winds of change

Setting up GBI with her own income, she turned the spotlight on her expertise. “The company has been focusing on discover (discover technology to showcase methods to the community), develop (develop new green tech), develop and then deploy this technology into the market,” explains Leena, adding, “I began GBI as a private sector company to make it a way of life, not just something that governments have to implement.”

She feels that sustainable living is two pronged: environmentally-friendly and lasting, and that electric vehicles are going to define the next decade for the world and India. “The focus is going to be on green mobility in the years to come. India is coming up with a lot of homegrown innovation in the EV sector. When GBI detected this trend five years ago, we began to support innovators working in the space.” GBI has now developed and launched an online portal for technology collaboration – www.globaltechinterface.com too.

On the path to success

Today, 12 years since its inception, GBI is a company that is scaled for growth. Two years ago, in 2019, they began going international, setting up offices in Europe, US and UK and project teams in Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Shibu, her husband, who co-founded GBI, is actively involved in managing the business aspect of GBI and focuses on the company’s international expansion.

Leena and Shibu at GBI’s Europe office in Bulgaria

For Leena, her entrepreneurial instinct stems from her upbringing. Her grandfather Pishe Narayan Rao, who was orphaned early in life, would sell safety pins on the footpath in Bengaluru’s MG Road to survive. “He worked his way up, and soon set up his first store at that same spot. Today, PN Rao Suits is well-known across the country, and has branches in several cities,” she adds. Her father and mother too led by example. “My mother opened several doors for me, and encouraged me to try so many things. It helped me build the resilience to do a lot in a day and make it count,” says Leena, who loves to unwind after a long day by cooking and watching global cinema on OTT platforms.

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Published on 03, Dec 2021

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Dancer Aparna Satheesan is taking Indian classical art to new levels

(April 26, 2024) When she lost her father at the age of 15 in a car accident, the one motivation that kept her going was his wish that she would become a great dancer. Living his dream, 32-year-old, Indian classical dancer and choreographer, Aparna Satheesan has won several awards over the years. The Thiruvananthapuram native, who is settled in the US for the past 10 years, Aparna is an expert in seven Indian classical dance forms, including Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Ottam Thullal, and Kerala Nadanam. "My mother loved dancing, but my grandparents didn't allow her to learn. So, she wanted me to train in classical dance forms," shares Aparna during an interview with Global Indian. The dancer, who recently received the prestigious Abhinandan Saroja National Award 2021 by the National Institute of Indian Classical Dance, believes that her career, spanning 25 years, has been blissful. "I am blessed to have learnt from several eminent dancers, including Regatta Girija Chandran, Padma Bhushan Dhananjayans, Smt Vyjayanthi Kashi, Sri. Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri, Smt. R.S Lekshmi, and Smt. Chithra Mohan," she adds. Young prodigy Starting her journey at the tender age of three, the dancer shares that the more she understood Indian classical

ncers, including Regatta Girija Chandran, Padma Bhushan Dhananjayans, Smt Vyjayanthi Kashi, Sri. Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri, Smt. R.S Lekshmi, and Smt. Chithra Mohan," she adds.

Young prodigy

Starting her journey at the tender age of three, the dancer shares that the more she understood Indian classical dance forms, the more she wanted to learn. Growing up with an elder sister in Kerala, Aparna says that her family was her biggest support throughout her life. "My father especially was always encouraging and supportive. I can hardly express how happy he would get watching me perform on the stage. Unfortunately, I lost him very early," Aparna shares.

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A post shared by Aparna Satheesan (@aparna_satheesan)

Having won several awards right from a young age, the brilliant dancer also worked as a video jokey at leading television channels during her school and college years. "I had a busy childhood, apart from the school and regular dance classes, I also hosted several shows for the channels like AsiaNet, Soorya TV, Kairali, and AsiaNet Plus. I briefly also worked as a radio jockey and even as a dubbing artist for Malayalam movies," shares Aparna.

Moving to the States

In 2011, after finishing her under graduation, Aparna moved to United States of America to pursue Masters in Software Engineering, at the Ball State University, Indiana. However, in the States people did not know much about Indian classical dance forms. "They thought that Bollywood dance was Indian classical," she shares. To showcase the Indian culture Aparna decided to take part in the University events. And from there started her journey of pursuing dance professionally.

"While I was at the University, I got several opportunities to perform and won many awards. Although I had a degree, I was sure then that I cannot leave the stage ever. So, I started choreographing my performances with a mixture of various dance forms, which was highly applauded. Later, I was even able to collaborate with many artists. My first dance production “Krishna" was premiered at The Sangam event, organised by Eli Lilly Corporation, Indianapolis. I played the main role as Krishna, which got great appreciation from the artist community," she says.

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A post shared by Aparna Satheesan (@aparna_satheesan)

With an idea of giving back to the society, Aparna started a non-profit organisation Samyoga Foundation India, in 2015, in memory of her late father. "Princess of Travancore inaugurated the foundation, Her Highness Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi. We have conducted several fundraising events for the welfare of society under the project "Transforming Life through Dance" in India and abroad since 2015. However, we weren't able to organise any event in the last two years due to the pandemic."

The show goes on...

Living happily with her husband, Hari, and a one-year-old son, in Indianapolis, Aparna is gearing up for a performance - Amma – which she considers very close to her heart. "I am a new mother, so I understand that the journey is not all cheerful. A new mother also struggles to cope up with the new phase of her life. There is a lot of mood swings, loneliness, anger and irritability that she deals with. While we always show the happy side of motherhood, we often skip these things. However, I wanted to highlight them too. The 45-minute-long dance production will premiere in Atlanta in summer. I am quite excited about that," shares the dancer, who enjoys travelling and reading during whatever little she gets between dance practice and playing with her son.

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Reading Time: 5 mins

Indian social entrepreneur Dr Ruha Shadab – How her Led By Foundation gave India its first incubator for Muslim women

(January 7, 2022) A physician and medical professional who entered the halls of public policy and healthcare in India to augur change, Dr Ruha Shadab today champions Muslim women empowerment through her organisation Led By foundation. The Indian social entrepreneur brings rejuvenated depth as a doctor to public policy which often gets waylaid by the lack of on-the-ground knowledge. The Harvard-educated girl comes with a wealth of experience from her time at NITI Ayog, the Clinton Health Initiative and the Gates Foundation, which endowed Ruha with the tools to spearhead social entrepreneurship. From Saudi Arabia to India The Saudi Arabia born’s shift to India as a child brought her in touch with a starkly different cultural landscape – from being a majority to a minority. After finishing her MBBS at Lady Hardinge College in Delhi, she worked at the Clinton Health Initiative, and at Government of India think-tank NITI Ayog. She then went on to Cambridge, MA, for master’s in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School (2019-20). The amalgamation of these key roles saw Shadab hone the skills to lead and emulate. It nurtured a philosophy steeped in giving. The more Ruha searched, the less she found Muslim women represented

, the less she found Muslim women represented in the Indian work force. Not to mention an abject lack of opportunities, learning and foundation, imperative to growth.

[caption id="attachment_18565" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Indian Social Entrepreneur | Dr Ruha Shadab | Global Indian Dr Ruha Shadab with her Led By foundation team[/caption]

“I grew up as a middle child in a family of five. I have an elder and younger brother who are arguably my closest friends. They are my biggest supporters and cheer leaders - I love them to absolute death,” smiles the 31-year-old Indian social entrepreneur. Ever grateful for her parents support, the daughter adds, “They continue to be supportive of my educational and professional decisions when I moved from medical sciences to public policy and social entrepreneurship. I think they have great faith in me and my moral compass. They are my guiding north star.”

The physician turned towards public policy and healthcare, studied at Harvard on a public service fellowship, and was the first Indian to be awarded the Harvard Kennedy School women’s leadership award. “The experience was fantastic as it opened up and widened my exposure, dramatically. I was able to learn from other movements, and other successful social endeavours. It was one of my biggest learnings, which I was able to bring back home to start Led By foundation,” Shadab tells Global Indian.

As the first Indian to receive the Barbara Johnson Women’s Leadership Award, Ruha is grateful for the appreciation of her hard work. “The award has five criteria – to build a community at the school which I did by organising the largest student-run conference, the India Conference at Harvard. Next was furthering issues of public importance outside the school, where I spoke about the inclusion of Muslim women in India. The third was being an example of a potential role model for other women aspiring to be leaders. I was humbled as they thought my work was that of a potential role model. Fourth, was displaying excellence in academic achievement (through grades),” explains the Muslim woman social entrepreneur who was selected for other leadership programmes while there. The fifth - being able to leverage leadership to advance gender equity in unprecedented times, Ruha continues to address with LBF.

[caption id="attachment_18567" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Indian Social Entrepreneur | Dr Ruha Shadab | Global Indian Dr Ruha Shadab with the CEO of Gates Foundation[/caption]

How vaccines can change the world

In a world where Covid strains continue to paralyse nations and people in 2022, Shadab, during a project at Yale, (while doing her master’s at Harvard) worked on the ethics and inequities of vaccines - most pertinent to current pandemic times.

“I was working at Yale while a student at Harvard, as co-chair of the India Conference at Harvard, as first author for a medical ethics paper, and later I interned at the Gates Foundation on a global health strategy framework on cervical cancer. It was extremely interesting that we were discussing global inequities of vaccines. Our argument was on how to address global inequity of vaccine supply for cervical cancer, which is the only cancer that can be cured by a vaccine right now. Once you get infected with the HPV (Human papillomavirus), you can develop cervical cancer at any point in life. So, it’s important to get the vaccine before you ever get exposed to the virus - it prevents you from getting the cancer,” enthuses the public policy expert.

Addressing the lack of supply, she elaborates, “It’s also the most expensive vaccine which is a part of the immunisation protocol. With limited supply, and an expensive vaccine, how do we ensure that this gets to the developing world where it is needed the most?” thus resonating with current Covid inequity.

The team looked at the problem scientifically and ethically. “Ethically, it is about minimising inequities, and scientifically, the two doses versus one. You can start to sense these conversations are even more relevant in Covid. The whole argument about the ethical framework for addressing vaccine inequity is applicable to the Covid vaccines. Having all the thinking done by the most senior scientific advisors, and knowledgeable experts of HPV, and to be with them for a year discussing the problem, and also seeing how our answers adapted to a Covid and pandemic world was interesting. It felt worthwhile to be able to contribute to address global inequities for healthcare,” the Indian social entrepreneur avers.

[caption id="attachment_18568" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Indian Social Entrepreneur | Dr Ruha Shadab | Global Indian Dr Ruha Shadab at WHO[/caption]

When medicine led to an authority on healthcare

Her NITI Ayog role was where Ruha first broke ground. She was entrenched into the world’s largest government health insurance scheme. “It was a fantastic experience. I understood the personal pressures of a government, and the nuances of public policy making,” says the girl who loves donning her jogging shoes to go for a run. If not that, then it’s baking which relaxes the Indian social entrepreneur.

Her focus has evolved - to promote a cohesive, respectful and inclusive economy emphasising on eliminating entry and retention barriers for underrepresented women.

At the Clinton Health Foundation, was her first non-medical role. “A very senior doctor who worked in government relations and stakeholder management and I were the only doctors. I was the only young doctor, fresh medical graduate, that Clinton at that point had ever hired in India,” says Ruha who underwent a massive cultural shift from working in a hospital with no concept of weekdays and weekends to working in a structured corporate setup. “It helped hone my quantitative skills. It was arguably my first heavy step towards public health and policy,” she adds.

How to lead by example

Ruha started the Led By foundation in 2020 to champion Muslim women in India. The Cheng Fellow started it as the first leadership incubator for Indian Muslim women which provides experiential leadership to under-graduates and post-graduates, and connects them to mentors, even aids with capital.

“Our goal is to represent Indian Muslim women in the work force. We are currently 8 percent of the population but less that 1 percent of any leadership roles. There is work to be done. It is also important to find root causes of different access and work towards solving those root causes through Led By,” the Indian social entrepreneur explains. Through its incubator, LB foundation has supported a large number of women dream bigger, apply for dream jobs, get coached and nurtured through the core team, with over 150 advisors.

“We’ve had women nurture entrepreneurial dreams, today, one is a co-founder of a multi-million dollar ed tech startup which recently got funded,” says Ruha. Jobs, colleges and entrepreneurship guidance aside, the aim is to, “help move the need-alone workforce participation of Indian Muslim women.”

[caption id="attachment_18569" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Indian Social Entrepreneur | Dr Ruha Shadab | Global Indian Dr Ruha Shadab[/caption]

The fellowship aided 24 women in 2020, and has coached a total of around 60 fellows. Led By has also worked with over 5,000 women since inception. Executive coaches like Kit Pappenheimer, Leadership in Motion and Dr Shreya Sarker-Barney, founder & CEO, Human Capital Growth among others mentor the girls.

Policy matters to Ruha who is often seeing pouring over the Economist.

Ruha, the girl with a plan

The Indian social entrepreneur's love for India has grown since she moved as a child. Having lived and worked in the US, the sights, sounds and hubris of India inspire her.

“What I love about returning to India every single time is having these physicals markers of my memories - the story of my life was written in the streets of Delhi and NCR, no place feels like home like this city. India is home, you love your home because of the sheer reason that it is your home. The resilience of India as a country, as a people and as individuals amazes me. That inspires me every day, that’s why I love India,” says Ruha, who is ready to move forward as a torchbearer for Muslim women empowerment as she continues leadership fellowships and accelerator programmes in 2022, adding, “Inshallah, I hope to have 10,000 women benefit from our programmes very soon.”

Follow Dr Ruha Shadab on Twitter and Instagram

Reading Time: 8 min

Meet the couple serving dhaba-style food in New Zealand

Find out why the food cooked by Janesh Kumar Kharbanda and his partner Bhawna have people travelling for two hours to get to their dhaba. (February 4, 2024) Sometimes, a hero’s journey takes roads that make all the difference. Just as it was for Janesh Kumar Kharbanda, or Jay as he is popularly known. And his story of how he ended up in Hamilton, a city in New Zealand, is intriguing. In an exclusive interview with Global Indian, he recalls, “I came to New Zealand in 2006 for my post-graduation in business management. After completing my studies, I got a job at a well-known Indian restaurant as an assistant manager. From 2007 till 2016 I worked with brands in the hospitality business from the Taj Group of Hotels to chains like Nando’s, Denny’s, and La Porchetta; most of which are world famous.” I Did It My Way With an entrepreneurial spirit lurking within, in 2014, Jay also started his own company called Life Corporation Ltd. He manufactured hygiene products like alcohol-free hand sanitisers, toilet seat wipes, clean and wipe tissues, etc. Due to back surgery, he shut down the business for a while but plans to restart it soon. He

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With an entrepreneurial spirit lurking within, in 2014, Jay also started his own company called Life Corporation Ltd. He manufactured hygiene products like alcohol-free hand sanitisers, toilet seat wipes, clean and wipe tissues, etc. Due to back surgery, he shut down the business for a while but plans to restart it soon. He says, “Due to my work, I used to travel to various cities across the country. I realised something was missing and people were getting bored of eating the same type of food which was less authentic and mild. During that time, I also launched and produced the Senior Best Chef Show in 2015 on local TV channels, which was inspired by Masterchef. The beauty of my show was that contestants had to be over 55 years of age; this was to encourage senior citizens to come forward with their hidden recipes so that the younger generation could know more about their grandparents’ secret recipes.”

Food | Global Indian

Between the insights gained from his travel and the show, he decided “to open an authentic Indian boutique restaurant, especially for Indian kids growing up in New Zealand, so they could see how we used to eat and our experiences when we were children.” And instead of Auckland, Christchurch, or Wellington, more popular cities of this tiny island nation, he and his partner Bhawna decided on Hamilton, a city in the North Island, with a population of less than two lakh people, because it is a gateway to all other major cities and a tourist attraction as well as a stopover point while travelling.

Highway on My Plate

It is mostly a self-managed operation, and Jay and Bhawna have even designed and executed the décor of the place including the painting and furniture. However, they had to face several challenges when they launched. Bhawna reveals, “Initially, it was on the highway where there was no local grocery shop, bus stop, and no local community. We had to travel every day to buy fresh groceries, and pick up and drop staff. Our restaurant is secluded from the main locations, so it was not in a safe area.”

Food | Global Indian

They aptly named it Dhaba on Highway and gave it a dhaba-like feel – the kind we see dotting Indian highways. Even the décor is similar. About the menu, Jay says, “We decided to make those dishes which are always in demand, but the real taste is missing, like Delhi style chhole bhature, Mumbai vada pav, misal pav, and pav bhaji, Punjabi paratha, and the all-India favourite, kadak chai, etc. Being in this industry for the last 26 years coupled with my interest in cooking since childhood with my grandmother, we created all these recipes which are authentic and inspired by her. We freshly grind our spices, add no colours or preservatives, and we don’t freeze any cooked food. Luckily, Bhawna had similar interests. We buy locally every day, and though it is extra hard work, it retains the freshness and taste of the food. Finding the right staff with the required skills is a real challenge, as most of them have no experience in this industry. It took a lot of pain and time to train and educate them.”

Food | Global Indian

The restaurant was launched in 2016, and from Members of Parliament to famous YouTubers like Karl Rock and famous chefs and their families have dined here. The most popular dishes here are the parathas, served with a massive dollop of white butter, Chhole Bhature with lassi and samosas. Lots of desi ghee is also used in the food. Bhawna manages the entire kitchen operation and does the cooking too.

Staying Ahead of the Game

Bhawna reveals why she thinks her food is so popular, even with the locals. “We make everything fresh from scratch, so it is very easy for us to cater to their bland palate, apart from a few dishes that need prep beforehand. We make our own white butter, and we use desi ghee to cook the main dishes. All our dishes were first served to our family, kids, and friends for a while and once everyone approved, we put these dishes on our main menu. Our food doesn't make you feel heavy after eating it, and people travel 200 km to 300 km especially just to dine at our restaurant.”

Food | Global Indian

With Dhaba on Highway becoming successful, Jay and Bhawna have recently launched another outlet inspired by “the Vaishnav dhabas on Indian motorways.” Named Beeji Dhaba after Jay’s grandmother, the food here is sattvik without onion and garlic. Jay adds, “We have several vegan dishes that cater to a large vegan audience that is increasing rapidly day by day. It’s ten minutes away from the first restaurant and has a more dhaba look and feel, where people can experience roadside dhabas like the ones back in India. With an increasing number of Jain, Swaminarayan and other religious belief customers who don’t like to eat onion and garlic, serving all dishes without them was a bit challenging in the busy rush. So, we decided to make this outlet completely Vaishnav or sattvik.”

Next on the anvil for Jay and Bhawna is the launch of their new dessert brand, which is his grandmother’s recipes made from jaggery, natural ingredients and healthy; free from preservatives. They chose desserts since their handmade kulfis are already popular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6GheW0qfEs

Jay believes in serving fresh and natural food and according to him, global food trends too are moving in that direction. “People want more plant-based, healthy, and natural food, as after COVID, people start realising that health is more important than anything else.”

With their sattvik and vegetarian dishes popular with people from varied cultures, can a cookbook be far behind? Apparently not as it is one of Jay and Bhawna’s cherished goals. And, seeing how much they have accomplished in less than a decade, a cookbook doesn’t seem out of reach either.

When they travel, Jay and Bhawna like to eat at:

Kashkan by Ranveer Brar, Dubai: Dal, Shikanji, Dum Aloo
Indian Accent, New Delhi: Six-course vegetarian meal
Kle, Zürich, Switzerland: Six course meal
Gaa, Bangkok, Thailand: Baby corn and jackfruit dishes
Yellow, Sydney, Australia: Pumpkin and Papaya with Wattleseed and Mulberry and Honeydew Sorbet

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Reading Time: 7 mins

Caroline Mulliez: Helping luxury homeowners in India make a profit at The Blue Kite

(July 2, 2024) It was just in passing that Caroline Mulliez, CEO of The Blue Kite, had told her husband that there is a lot of potential in renting the homes that are being built by Vianaar Homes (his organisation) and that she would be happy to take on the challenge. That's how The Blue Kite came into being and was started by Caroline herself. "As a joke I told Varun (my husband) one day when I’m pregnant I’ll help you rent the homes that you are building. There is a lot of potential there and that’s exactly what happened. The Blue Kite, the hospitality arm of Vianaar (a luxury home developing company based in Goa) was created in 2017 to ensure homeowners could generate income from their holiday homes without having to worry about managing guests and maintenance themselves. [caption id="attachment_52799" align="aligncenter" width="508"] Caroline Mulliez[/caption] Early days Mulliez was born in the North of France and moved to Belgium when she was six and went on to do her undergraduate studies Belgium, and as she couldn’t choose between Political Science and Economics did both Economics during the day and Political Science at night. She then spent six months in

ng>Early days

Mulliez was born in the North of France and moved to Belgium when she was six and went on to do her undergraduate studies Belgium, and as she couldn’t choose between Political Science and Economics did both Economics during the day and Political Science at night. She then spent six months in Baltimore in the USA and had an offer to do her masters in France at one of the top business schools or the London School of Economics (master’s in public administration). “I chose LSE as I wanted to make a difference in the world. During this time, I got an opportunity for an internship in Pretoria South Africa for GTZ, a development agency. I then went to Singapore for my second year of master’s and worked for Google for six months and I loved it.” From there, she worked at Bain & Company, which first brought her to India, after a two-and-a-half year stint in London. “After that, I decided to join Decathlon (a family business) in India as at that point they were trying to make sport accessible for all. It was very exciting as a project,” she says. After six years of growing Decathlon from four stores to 60 stores she had done it all.

Career cues

Working in South Africa, Singapore, London, France and India Mulliez admits that she has learnt the art of patience, trusted the process, and has a positive mindset about everything that life brings her way. It has also given her the ability to adapt to different people and different styles of working which comes in very handy. “As a fellow team member and the CEO of The Blue Kite, I dedicate 90% of my time into managing human or digital challenges. My focus spans across various technological aspects such as the apps for homeowners, the team app, our CMS, and different channel integrations. Time spent on Price Labs and other tools significantly enhances our efficiency, thereby helping us generate more revenue,” she explains.

The other significant portion of her time is devoted to addressing human challenges. She closely collaborates with the Head of Revenue and various Heads of Operations for different zones. “My involvement includes understanding how they are training and motivating their teams, measuring their success and results, and ensuring there are people in the pipeline ready to take on more responsibilities. This hands-on approach is crucial for maintaining our operational excellence and fostering a motivated and capable workforce,” she adds.

Staying motivated

Caroline Mulliez | The Blue Kite | Global Indian

The career trajectory of the different people who have worked with her is a motivator. She explains, “a team member joined us as a check-in agent and made an X amount of salary. Today, they are managing a team of 10 people, 1-2 Cr of business. Making certain lakhs of profit for the company. Earn a certain amount of salary for themselves and their families. I have changed a little bit of their lives positively and that drives me. I want to give them more responsibilities and make them proud of what they do every day. Making them feel empowered to answer any problem that comes their way, be it a guest or homeowner, is very motivating for me.”

For someone who is constantly learning to overcome challenges, she admits that the best way to overcome challenges is to work together as a team. “Your first response is usually to freeze but as a team, you can sit down together with the problem. Brainstorm on possible solutions. Who is the best person to address the problem or who has a good idea of how to address it and eventually you will manage to overcome it,” she adds.

Corporate Path

Her varied roles have shaped her into the thorough professional that she is. Her role at Bain & Company taught her that there is no limit to how many hours one can put in to get the work done. “Every analysis is possible and every Excel formula can be found on the internet. I may need a lot of hours to do it but I know that everything is possible. On the other hand, Decathlon taught me a lot about human beings. Giving responsibilities to people and seeing them grow and knowing that the person closest to consequences- what we call Subsidiarity lets the person facing the brunt make the decision. When a guest has a problem every guest relation executive can decide if we are to give a refund/compensation or if the guest is being unreasonable. That person knows the best and they will come up with the best possible solutions,” she says.

Looking ahead

Caroline Mulliez | The Blue Kite | Global Indian

Mulliez plays one hour of sports every day, whether it is the acrobatic sport, Silk Aerial, kitesurfing, or swimming. “Sport is an important part of my life and it has shaped my personality. For example, if you can’t do something, then you train more and train harder until you finally learn how to do it and then you become better at it. Second, it has taught me teamwork and a spirit of leadership,” she says. That apart she loves to spend time with her two children and is also involved in my family business (Decathlon) as well. “I have recently been elected on a family board that decides where we will make investments for our future generations and who will sit on the board of each company. It is important to me as I want to leave it as a legacy for my children,” she says.

She plans to expand The Blue Kite to Delhi and other locations, have more team members, grow her team members in Goa, and give them more responsibilities. “One of the splendid things about India is that even when there is no hope there is always hope. If you keep fighting hard and you keep doing the right thing, eventually it will pay out. It might not be immediately, but being consistent in your efforts pays off. If you care about the people you work with and are consistent in your messaging you will succeed,” she concludes.

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Gopichand Thotakura: Meet India’s first space tourist

(September 13, 2024) The 'majestic blue ball' is how Gopichand Thotakura described Earth as he saw it for the very first time from space. The 30-year-old scripted history by becoming the first Indian space tourist as he took off in Blue Origin's New Shephard from a private ranch in West Texas a few months ago. He was the only Indian among the six-member crew that left for Earth's gravity. "Every Indian needs to go to space to see what it looks like," he said in an interview, adding, "I cannot describe it, it has to be seen, it has to be lived in the moment, and then it will change you forever." Gopichand is behind the creation of Preserve Life, a wellness centre worth millions, which is taking shape on the outskirts of Atlanta, USA. It was last year that he became a part of Blue Origin's NS-25 mission, becoming the second Indian chosen for a space mission after astronaut Rakesh Sharma. Recalling his 11-minute space flight experience, he said, "The experience is indescribable, an exhilarating journey of weightlessness and awe-inspiring views. And I didn't realise it until I got the first glimpse of the curvature of the majestic blue

of the majestic blue ball, and then I realised that we are missing on something, it is to realise how fortunate we are to be living, standing, playing, sleeping here on this planet."

[caption id="attachment_55829" align="aligncenter" width="706"] Gopichand Thotakura | Global Indian Gopichand Thotakura returns to Earth[/caption]

Love for aviation

The Vijayawada-born relocated to the US to pursue business opportunities after Covid-19 hit people worldwide. "My roots remain firmly Indian, with my family, schooling, and early career all in India," he told a daily. Growing up, he pursued schooling in various Indian cities, owing to his dad's business travels. This exposed him to varied cultures and he found his love and passion in aviation. However, it was while flying in KLM Royal Dutch Airlines that he first visited a cockpit, which gave him the idea of becoming a pilot. To translate his dream into reality, he ended up enrolling in aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, USA.

Pursuing his passion, he became both a medical and commercial pilot, flying a range of aircraft, including vintage World War II planes. It was in the US that he undertook training, and after five years, he returned to India and moved into medical evacuation. Back in 2010, he always aspired to go to space. "This meant either going via NASA or being a U.S. citizen and these were barriers for me. Blue Origin opened up opportunities," he said.

Gopichand Thotakura | Global Indian

Visiting space as a tourist

So, when the opportunity for travelling to space as a tourist showed itself, Gopichand grabbed it with both hands. "I was hell bent on getting aboard a manned mission. It is a desire to carry Indian blood (ethnicity) to space." But it did require the crew members to undergo training - physical as well as mental. "Can you handle the shock? The awe? The potential for freezing under pressure? These are just some of the considerations."

However, Gopichand believes that more than the resources, it's determination that people need so that they can work on their dreams. But he equally emphasised how governments, investors, and private venture capitalists can play a big role in sending more people to space. He is of the opinion that India has made its mark in space exploration by successfully landing Chandrayaan-3 on the moon's South Pole at a fraction of the cost compared to agencies like NASA. "We don't need foreign agencies. We have agencies in India that can buy foreign agencies that are investing. By bridging the gap between innovative minds and entrepreneurs, India can surpass expectations," he said.

The entrepreneur and pilot, who returned from his maiden flight, can't emphasise enough the importance of space tourism. "Experiencing space firsthand is essential to truly understand its importance. You need to go up there to see what it looks like. And unless you do it, no movie or no globe on your desk will ever be able to convey its importance to you."

[caption id="attachment_55831" align="aligncenter" width="639"] Gopichand Thotakura | Global Indian The six-member crew of NS-25 mission[/caption]

Space tourism

Space tourism is rapidly emerging as a new frontier in human exploration, offering ordinary people the opportunity to experience the wonders of space firsthand. With companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic spearheading commercial space travel, the once-unimaginable dream of venturing beyond Earth is becoming a reality, and Gopichand is proof of it.

The development of reusable rockets and advanced technology has significantly reduced the cost of space travel, making it more accessible to those outside of government space programs. This burgeoning industry not only fuels curiosity and innovation but also has the potential to inspire future generations to explore the unknown and push the boundaries of human achievement. As more private companies invest in space tourism, the dream of making space a regular travel destination draws nearer, expanding the horizon for human experience and understanding.

His dad always pushed him to dream big, and he wants more people to chase after their dreams. "I want to show that you have to have a dream and it is not really important if you are a scientist, engineer or a pilot to be able to go to space," the Global Indian said.

Gopichand Thotakura | Global Indian

Gopichand Thotakura is a trailblazer in this new era of space tourism, becoming the first Indian space tourist and inspiring others to follow suit. From his roots in aviation to his ventures into wellness and space travel, his journey embodies the power of ambition and perseverance. His spaceflight experience, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit, reflects his desire to bridge the gap between dreams and reality.

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