Anand Kripalu is an Indian businessman best known as the managing director and global CEO of English Premier League-backed Blackstone.
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Wiki/Biography
Anand Thirumalachar Kripalu was born on Thursday, 2 October 1958 (age 64 years; as in 2022) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His zodiac sign is Libra. His early schooling took place in London, as his father was posted there. When he was nine years old, he came to India with his father and joined St. Columba’s School, New Delhi. In an interview, he had said that he had difficulty in getting admission in a school in India because he could not speak Hindi properly. His classmates in school used to make fun of his accent. In 1970, due to his father’s posting, he completed his 9th and 10th class from the boarding school La Martiniere College, Lucknow. He stayed in boarding school for a year and later, moved to his uncle’s house in Lucknow and completed his studies as a day scholar. Talking about his boarding school in an interview, he said,
It was a tough boarding school, run by a retired army colonel. Each of us was expected to behave like army cadets – when marching for food, as soon as the person sitting at the head table puts down his knife and fork, you have to put down your knife and fork too, Even if you haven’t finished the meal.
When he was a day scholar, he would cycle to school and travel 13 km each way in the summer, which taught him discipline and adaptability. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras from 1975 to 1980. From 1981 to 1983, he pursued an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. In 2004, he pursued an advanced management program at The Wharton School, Pennsylvania. Anand was born in a middle-class family where his family worked as government officials. He had a very strict family which taught him two mantras – if you want to be successful, work extremely hard and do it the right way.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 8″
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
parents and siblings
Anand’s father’s name is Thirumalachar Kripalu, but he is a retired Brigadier. His mother’s name is Ammanni Kripalu. His brother’s name is Vinod Kripalu, who is the founder of PCI and DMRT.
Anand Kripalu’s father
Anand Kripalu with his brother
wife and children
Anand is married to Sukanya Kripalu, who is the director of Sukanya Consulting. His wife studied with him at IIM, Kolkata. He is on the boards of UltraTech Cement Limited, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited (formerly known as Pantaloons) and Huhtamaki PPL Limited.
Anand Kripalu with his wife
They have two sons, Saurav Kripalu and Abhinav Kripalu.
Anand Kripalu with his wife and sons
Address
Spring Leaf, Flat No. G, 3rd Floor, No. 6, First Cross, Brunton Cross Road, Bangalore 560025
livelihood
Early in his career, he worked in the sales department at DCM Data Products and sold computers there. He did not like working there, so he took the Common Admission Test entrance exam and got admission in IIM Calcutta. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award at IIM, Calcutta while he was pursuing his MBA. After completing his studies at IIM Calcutta, he started working in the sales team at Ponds India. In 1983, he became part of the sales and marketing team at Hindustan Unilever, Mumbai. In 2004, he was appointed as the Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever, Nairobi, Kenya. In 2005, he joined Cadbury, Mumbai as Managing Director. In 2008, he became Cadbury’s Asia Chairman and left the company in 2010. In March 2010, he became President of India and South East Asia of Mondelez International, Mumbai. In 2007, he became the non-executive director of Marico Limited, Mumbai and worked there until 2017. In 2013, he was appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of DIAGEO India. He was also a member of the Diageo Global Executive Committee. In 2014, he became the chief executive officer of liquor company United Spirits. In March 2019, he was appointed as a member of the Board of Governors at the Indian Institute of Management Jammu and Kashmir. In October 2020, he was appointed as the chairman of Royal Challengers Bangalore. In August 2021, he joined as the Managing Director and Global CEO of EPL Limited, Mumbai.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- 2021: Lifetime Achievement Award at IMA
Anand Kripalu wins Lifetime Achievement Award at IMA
Salary
In 2016-17 he earned Rs. 12.78 crores.
Facts/General Knowledge
- In an interview, he said that when he was working in Hindustan Unilever, Mumbai, he used to travel by train to sell products and ride a cycle rickshaw to reach the station from the hotel.
- When he joined Hindustan Unilever, Nairobi, Kenya, he found it difficult to adjust to the company as people in the organization were not very comfortable working with him. He often asked why he needed an Indian to run the company because he felt that Indians had taken over his business.
- He was responsible for 25 percent of Cadbury’s growth as the company had very little growth before he joined. To save the company, they began to cut down on promotional costs and after the company saw some improvement, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk chocolate bar was released. While he was working at Cadbury, he was in charge of the Cadbury Dairy Milk campaign “Shubh Aarambh”, which won the 2010 AB’s ‘Grand Prix Award’ and the ‘Gold Standard 2011 Apple Awards’ in Singapore. The company showed growth from Rs. Revenue in 2005 was Rs 880 crore. 4,066 crores in 2012.
- In an interview he said that when he was offered to work with DIAGEO he was not completely convinced because it was a liquor company. He thought that after working with multinational companies, if he worked with a liquor company, it would tarnish his image. However, he joined the company because it was one of the leading companies in India at that time. While he was working at the company, he made some changes, including hiring women to work in the liquor business. According to him, there were no women working when he joined the business. He faced some difficulties due to government policies in the liquor business as he wanted to run a clean business and did not agree with the government regulations which he felt were not right.
- In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, his company Diageo India donated 5,00,000 liters of Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) to the sanitizer industry. He donated around 150,000 masks and Rs 100,000 to five public health departments for doctors, nurses and caregivers. Health insurance cover worth Rs 3 crore for bartenders in the Diageo World Class program in India.
- In an interview, Kripalu said that after becoming the chairman of RCB, he came to know the importance of fitness. He said that he has learned a lot from Virat Kohli and never skips workouts. He also learned a lot about cricket from cricketers. In an interview, he talked about his appointment as the chairman of RCB and said,
Royal Challengers Bangalore is an integral part of Diageo India and behind the scenes I have been a part of the team’s journey for the last 6 years. As the new season begins, it will be an exciting new chapter with Virat, Mike Hesson and Simon Katich leading the team from the front and we are looking forward to the adventure. I would like to thank Sanjeev for his tremendous contribution to RCB and Diageo and wish him all the best in his new role.
Anand Kripalu with Virat Kohli
- In an interview, he talked about his appointment as Managing Director and Global CEO of EPL Limited and said,
I am excited to lead EPL, an extraordinary company with global leadership in its sectors and leaders in innovation and sustainability. It is one of the most successful multinational consumer companies headquartered outside India. I look forward to working closely with Blackstone, who has a strong track record in the B2B2C sector, the Board and EPL’s talented and dedicated staff. We are committed to creating value and delight for all our stakeholders – customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders.
- According to a media report, he likes to drink black label whiskey and soda.
- He serves as the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC), an alcohol company.
Anand Kripalu appointed as Chairman of Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn