StepUp Leadership: Recent Episodes
Global Coaching Lab
Hear Anupama Kylash define how Art moulds leadership, sharing valuable insights on talent, fluidity, and the effort of finding clarity.
Anupama Kylash is a renowned Indian dancer and choreographer known for her expertise in Vilasini Natyam and Kuchipudi dance styles. She began her dance journey with Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Guru Jayalakshmi Narayanan, later advancing her skills in Kuchipudi under Guru Uma Rama Rao and Vilasini Natyam under Padma Bhushan awardee Swapna Sundari. Anupama earned her Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. in Dance from prestigious universities in Hyderabad. She has performed in various national and international dance festivals and also teaches the Masters Program in Kuchipudi at the University of Silicon Andhra. Anupama has also authored content for the Kuchipudi dance style syllabus for the Central Board of Secondary Education and curates 'The Thinking Cap Series' for promoting research and interaction in fine and performing arts.
In this interview, Vinutha Raja, a seasoned HR professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry, narrates her challenging journey of becoming compassionately curious towards her team members. Currently, she is the Senior Director- Human Resources at Sony India Software Centre in Bangalore, where she has been working for 11 years. Before that, she held various HR management positions at Samsung India Software Operations and Samsung for almost a decade. With her extensive experience, she has developed expertise in HR strategy, talent acquisition, employee engagement, and organizational development.
Professor, Digital Strategy, Brand Communication and Contemporary Marketing at S P Jain School of Global Management, Dr. Smitha Ranganathan has over 24 years of experience as an advertising and brand communication professional. She has donned various hats in advertising agencies and currently teaches Digital Strategy, Brand Communication and Contemporary Marketing at S P Jain School of Global Management. Dr. Smitha serves among the Board of Governors at IIM Kozhikode Laboratory for Innovation, Venturing and Entrepreneurship. Gain valuable insights on defying trends, authentic storytelling, and personal branding from the eminent Dr. Smitha Ranganathan.
Nidhi Jain is a global HR leader with over 21 years of experience, currently serving as the Global Head of Human Resources for EY Client Technology. Previously, as the Head of Corporate HR for EY India, she worked closely with the leadership team to define and implement talent strategies for all businesses within EY India. Nidhi's expertise lies in talent transformation, organization development, culture and change, DE&I, employer branding, performance and rewards, and building high-performing teams.
EY leader Hensie Bommanahal talks about how everything starts with women understanding who they are as a brand, especially in today's competitive environment. She talks about being inspired by Brene Brown's theory of vulnerability and how she thinks it is an integral power tool for every leader. "Being in the arena versus sitting on the sidelines and passing judgment is a critical part of leadership," says Hensie.
Hensie Bommanahal is the Business Management Lead for the Engineering team in Client Technology at EY. Client Technology drives revenue growth and enables market differentiation for EY through asset-powered solutions. In her role in Client Technology Engineering, Hensie is responsible for financial management, portfolio and performance management, resource management, etc.
Hear EY leader Mary Nisha Thomas talk about the superpower of empathy that every leader needs to have. Mary talks about the rare leadership quality of remaining calm amid the storm and reminds us to focus on what we accomplished instead of what we didn't achieve.
Mary Nisha Thomas, a Global Talent Development Leader in EY Client Technologies, keeps learning to help people get better with the way they treat themselves and the way they treat others through relevant pedagogy and behavioral and organizational transformation. With 22 years of leading talent and organizational development, she has assessed and applied behavioral science through real-time implementation to achieve organizational goals. She seamlessly works with global teams across EMEIA, Americas, and APAC for various organizations that specialize in telecom, insurance, shipping, manufacturing, technology, ITeS, and professional services.
In this interview, Master Coach Vijayalakshmi S talks about the real ways of finding our purpose in life, slaying her inner demons, focusing on fitness and occasionally keeping her inner child alive in our own ways. She tells us how one should remember that "Success doesn't require specific qualifications or experiences -- you can define success on your own terms.”
Vijayalakshmi S is a Management Consultant, Master Coach & Mentor (MCC from International Coaching Federation and MP from European Mentoring & Coaching Council). She has over 20 years of industry experience across Coaching, Management Consulting and Human Resources with a background in Law. She is an accredited Mediator. As an experienced coach, she has expertise in partnering with businesses, teams and individuals.
Tech leader Neha Monga believes that the journey from having an identity as a leader to creating that relevance is a long one. Authenticity is a very important virtue in this process because if someone isn't their authentic self, they may appear irrelevant and that may not be long-lived. So sustainable leadership comes from creating authenticity. She shares her beautiful perspectives on how she lives by the motto of "First deserve, then desire" to build her deservability, challenge boundaries, create relevance and be humble in a space where things are constantly evolving.
Neha Monga is the Area Business Group Leader - Cybersecurity, Data Governance, Risk and Compliance, Asia Pacific, Microsoft Corporation. Neha has earned the well-deserved “Gold Club“ recognition for her consistent high performance within her organization. Neha strongly believes that there should be no limits to one’s ability to aspire and grow.
In this interview, Janani Prakaash, Global Head of HR for Quantela Inc, talks about building a fearless organisation, evolving with the times, being accountable as an individual and also leading a focused life. She tells young women to work towards nurturing their inner drive and find ways to ask for support.
A human resources leader with an Engineering background, a leadership development coach, a certified yoga instructor, a trained vocalist and veena artist as well as a teacher, Janani Prakaash is currently the Global Head of HR for Quantela Inc. At Quantela, she is responsible for all aspects of HR including but not limited to Talent Acquisition, development, engagement, retention, culture building, and change management owing to business model changes and mergers and acquisitions.
In this interview Rajasekharan shares some coaching anecdotes and how he coaches across the different layers of the organisation. He provides his perspective on internal coaching and how he wishes to contribute to the future of coaching.
Rajasekharan or Raj as he likes being called is the Founder and Chief Consultant of BusinessClinique, an organisation that helps solves business problems with the help of renowned experts. He is also a certified coach for senior management and business leaders and a mentor for entrepreneurs at the IIT Incubation Centre. Raj worked with ITC Ltd. for 32 years before retiring as the CEO of the Matches & Agarbatti Division in 2018. Additionally, he was also the Chief Executive of the Safety Matches Business since 2010. He modelled and ran both businesses on the principles of lean management and aggressive market expansion. Raj was also the Chairman of the CSR committee of Madras Chambers of Commerce for two years from 2016. He was instrumental in promoting sustainable development projects in collaboration with several State Governments.
In this interview, Ekta Singh talks about the lessons she learnt over the last 30 months. She discusses the importance of transparent communication, challenging conversations and open dialogue as being the drivers of change. She shares her perspectives on DEI, succession planning and why HR is not for everyone.
EKTA SINGH is a HR Business Leader with more than two and half decades of progressive experience in Strategy, Organisational Design and restructuring, M&A, Employee Relations, Business Partnering, Benefits, Compensation, Talent Management, Talent Development and Recruiting. Ekta is also a Board Member in End Now Foundation, which promotes internet ethics and digital well-being. Prior to AGS Health, Ekta has worked in Capgemini, RBS and Deloitte to name a few. She is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt and a Certified Coach. She is a Diversity and Inclusion champion and is a leading facilitator for several policies and programs.
In this interview, Philippe talks about the journey that led him to create Global Coaching. He talks about his books and how leaders can use them. He also shares coaching stories, coaching at different levels and avoiding the advice trap.
Philippe Rosinski is a world authority in executive coaching, team coaching, and global leadership development. He is considered the pioneer of intercultural and global coaching, and is the author of two seminal books, Coaching Across Cultures and Global Coaching. Harvard Business Review chose his book Coaching Across Cultures (which is available in 10 languages) as its featured book recommendation in the category of business leadership. He has also co-authored numerous books and is a professor at Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business in Tokyo, Japan. He is the first European to have been designated Master Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation.
In this interview, Phek talks about responsible coaching, the difference she has made to coachees and how to avoid the advice trap. She believes that all coaching in the end is cultural coaching and coaches can bring about great results with this approach.
Phek Yen NG is passionate about helping leaders develop their global leadership competences, to make business work globally. She is a leadership coach, facilitator and trainer with extensive experience. She is COF Master Certified (Rosinski & Company) and is also a Certified Coach from Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching. Phek is a champion for diversity, inclusion and cultural transformation and provides consultancy services on DEI to organisations. She is the co-author of ‘Positive Psychology Coaching in the Workplace’. Prior to her coaching career, Phek was the Finance Director and Qualified Accountant for China Mobile.
Anil Sachdev is the Founder and Chairman of SOIL or School of Inspired leadership.
Inspired by a ‘Higher Purpose’ and thanks to the blessings of mentors and a loving family and the teachings of a great spiritual Master, Anil feels blessed to have been made an instrument for the creation of Eicher Consultancy Services, Grow Talent Company and the School of Inspired Leadership – all dedicated to making our world better. Anil has served on the Global Board of Shizenkan University in Japan, the Academic Council of CEDEP in Fontainebleau, World Compassion Council based in Seattle, Advisory Board of Schneider Electric and as Managing Trustee of Chinmaya Mission in Delhi.
The world recognizes Anil Sachdev as an individual who has filled his heart with love to serve human kind. His deep desire to transform individuals and define “Inspired Leadership”, motivated him to start The School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL). Anil’s life and career experiences across multiple decades is a rich repository for leaders to learn and imbibe from.
K V Rao is the Resident Director ASEAN of Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. He is a distinguished Alumnus of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade India and specialized in International Business, K V Rao has led enterprises across industry sectors, worked with the Singapore Civil Service and ran a Consulting Business. He has a wide global experience of working across cultures, and network in over 45 countries. He is also a key note speaker, blogger and columnist.
In this interview, Sreekanth talks about the values that have made him the leader that he is today, how he develops leaders at scale, how he keeps up with change and how smart leaders carry their organisation along.
Sreekanth Arimanithaya is the Global Talent and Enablement Services Leader at EY Global Delivery Services (EY GDS). He leads business and HR transformation programs which focus on strategic change management, people supply chain management and digitalization of Talent. He is passionate about driving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and is part of the EY Global Diversity and Inclusiveness Steering Committee. He is also a certified Six Sigma Master Blackbelt and Agile Coach. He believes his purpose is to leave a legacy in family, community and organization.
Srikanth Seshadri is the founder of Agile Growth Partners, a coaching firm that serves small and mid-size businesses. He coaches the CEOs to achieve their aspirations, accelerate growth and build long lasting companies without burning out. He is a certified coach in the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching process and has a PCC from ICF. He is also an authorised Challenger Advisor and has a Six Sigma Blackbelt from GE. Prior to starting his coaching business, Srikanth or Sri as he is called, worked in senior finance and strategy roles in Fortune 100 companies including GE. He has worked with a variety of clients in Asia, Australia and North America.
In this interview, Srikanth talks about how he found his calling as a CEO coach. He shares his perspectives on the changes he is seeing in organisations and how he is using the 'Agile Growth System' to help mid size companies grow. He throws light on how leaders can balance empathy with accountability and even touches upon collaboration across generations and how we need more women in sales.
You can see the full interview on our YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/9yI26d2wbQ0
ANNA ONG is a storyteller, coach and entrepreneur. After spending 15 years working in the financial services sector, Anna felt her passion lies elsewhere and decided to move to Buenos Aires and then to New York to do Improv. She finally discovered that storytelling was her passion and decided to build a business around it. Through Wysh, Anna coaches teams and individuals to identify their stories and narratives using various frameworks. She consults with companies, helps develop and maintain their story banks and creates a culture of storytelling. She also uses theatre techniques and improv games to coach individuals/teams on how to deliver their stories/presentations with confidence, agility and style.
If you want to watch the full interview, click on the link below -
https://youtu.be/SpTpSPgWgvU
Storytelling #BusinessStorytelling #ThoughtFactorybyGCL #Storytellinginbusiness
MARCEL DAANE is the founder and CEO of Headstrong Performance. His critically acclaimed book by the same name is about improving mental performance with nutrition, exercise and neuroscience. Marcel is a certified life and leadership coach and the Recipient of the 2016 Global Coaching Leadership Award and the 2012 Global HR Excellence Award. Marcel holds a postgraduate degree in the Neuroscience of Leadership and an Undergraduate Degree in Complementary Medicine coupled with advanced certifications in fitness, sports, and performance coaching.
If you would like to see this interview or any of our other Thought Leadership interviews, then visit our YouTube channel -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48bUDDK5wvR3eWMJE_WvBw
ThoughtFactorybyGCL #Intuition #Neuroplasticity #Leadership
Mohammed Zeeshan is the CEO and Co-Founder of MyCaptain. He is featured in Forbes India 30 under 30 2021 list as a special mention in education. He's also inducted in BW Education 40 under 40 list of 2020. Zeeshan currently leads a 200+ Team at MyCaptain, having trained more than 120,000+ Students across India and has been awarded by the SDSN as amongst the top 50 youth led solutions in the world, working on Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth. Under UC Berkley's Startup with Purpose Program, Zeeshan was also invited to Amman, Jordan to facilitate Entrepreneurship Development amongst young students there. Zeeshan is a GSEP scholar and a 4 times TEDx speaker and has delivered guest lectures at esteemed Colleges like IIM Bangalore, Symbiosis Pune, amongst others.
To see the full video interview, click on the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZCfJDYn1ZI&t=2s
ThoughtFactorybyGCL #youngCEO #Forbes30under30 #Entrepreneurship
In this podcast, Ramesh Shankar who calls himself the 'Chief Joy Officer', talks about sustainability not just in business but in nature as well. He also discusses the future of the HR function and coaching.
Coaching has come a long way and today there is increasing awareness of the potential benefits of building a coaching culture within organizations. Along with this acceptance has come the inevitable need to establish clear ROIs. We are headed in the right direction but what does the next wave look like for coaches and the coaching profession? On this podcast, listen to 3 expert Coaches - Venkataraman Subramanyan, Ram Ramanathan and Ram Gopalan, who are spearheading organizations that have ‘Coaching’ at its heart, discuss the future of coaching.
PREETHI SRINIVASAN calls herself a ‘Cripple who is Whole’! A national-level swimmer, state-level cricketer and excellent student, Preethi suffered a spinal cord injury at the age of 18 which left her paralysed below the neck. Despite losing her sense of identity in a split-second, Preethi re-emerged like a phoenix to become the founder of "Soulfree" (www.soulfree.org) a public charitable trust that is working to improve the quality-of-life of persons living with Spinal Cord Injury in India. She is an award-winning disability-rights activist working to create an inclusive India, a public speaker, writer, agent of change and currently a PhD scholar at IIT Madras.
Yuvan is a writer, naturalist, educator and activist based in Chennai, India. His interests include reimagining Earth-centric and child-centric education in schools and the reciprocity between languages and ecologies. He writes on ecology, education, alternatives and activism. He has been travelling the past 2 years documenting stories along the Indian coastline.
GAURI DAS is an engineer turned HR Professional with a keen interest in Human Psychology. She calls herself a ‘Possibilitarian’ and helps organisations and individuals discover possibilities where they see none. Gauri has received many awards and accolades, which include TAPAI and Economic Times Young HR Leader – top 70, LinkedIn person of the year 2020 and HR 100 under 40. She is a passionate speaker and has spoken in many national and international forums.
LAUREN HOUGHTON is an accomplished leadership strategist and master executive coach. She has over 27 years of corporate management experience designing and implementing innovative people and performance enhancement strategies. Lauren works closely with Senior Business & HR Leaders globally to build and implement culture, leadership talent and organization capability solutions that support market responsive business strategies. In this interview, Lauren talks about her journey as an Executive Coach, managing talent across cultures, the blind spots that companies are facing during the pandemic and the future of coaching.
You can see the full interview here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwSqVYM45cI