Anand Kripalu is an Indian businessman best known for his role as managing director and global chief executive of Premier League-backed Blackstone Group.
Wiki/Biography
Anand Thirumalachar Kripalu was born on Thursday, October 2, 1958, in Mumbai, Maharashtra (64 years; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Libra. He completed his initial studies in London, where his father was posted. When he was nine years old, he came to India with his father and was admitted to St. Columba’s School in New Delhi. He said in an interview that he found it difficult to get into schools in India because he could not speak correct Hindi. His classmates made fun of his accent at school. In 1970, on his father’s posting, he completed his ninth and tenth classes at La Martiniere College, a boarding school in Lucknow. He stayed in boarding school for a year and later moved to his uncle’s house in Lucknow to complete his education as a day scholar. In an interview, he talked about his boarding school and said:
It’s a tough boarding school run by a retired Army colonel. Each of us was expected to behave like an Army cadet – marching to dinner, the moment the person at the head table put down his knife and fork, you had to put down yours too, even if you hadn’t finished your meal. “
When he was a day student, he often cycled to school, 13 kilometers each way in the summer, which taught him discipline and adaptability. From 1975 to 1980, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in electronics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. From 1981 to 1983, he studied for an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. In 2004, he enrolled in the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania. Anand was born into a middle-class family, and his family members were all government officials. His family was very strict, which taught him two mantras: If you want to be successful, you have to work very hard and do it the right way.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Anand’s father’s name was Thirumalachar Kripalu, but he was a retired brigadier general. His mother’s name is Amani Kripalu. His brother’s name is Vinod Kripalu, the founder of PCI and DMRT.
Anand Kripalu’s father
Anand Kripalu and his brother
wife and children
Anand’s husband, Sukanya Kripalu, is a director at Sukanya Consulting. His wife had studied with him at IIM Kolkata. She is a member of the Board of Directors of UltraTech Cement Limited, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (formerly Pantaloons) and Huhtamaki PPL Limited.
Anand Kripalu and his wife
They have two sons, Saurav Kripalu and Abhinav Kripalu.
Anand Kripalu with wife and son
address
Spring Leaf, Flat G, Third Floor, 6 First Cross Road, Brunton Cross Road, Bangalore 560025
Profession
In the first days of his career, he worked in the sales department of DCM Data Products where he sold computers. He didn’t like working there, so he appeared for the Common Entrance Examination and got admitted to the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. While pursuing his MBA, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIM Calcutta. After completing his studies at IIM Calcutta, he started working in the sales team of Ponds India. In 1983, he became part of the sales and marketing team at Hindustan Unilever, Mumbai. In 2004, he was appointed Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2005, he joined Cadbury Plc, Mumbai as Managing Director. In 2008, he became president of Cadbury Asia and left the company in 2010. In March 2010, he became president of India and Southeast Asia for Mondelēz International in Mumbai. In 2007, he became a non-executive director of Marico Limited, Mumbai, where he worked until 2017. In 2013, he was appointed Managing Director and CEO of DIAGEO India. He is also a member of Diageo’s Global Executive Committee. In 2014, he became CEO of alcohol company United Spirits. In March 2019, he was appointed to the Board of Governors of 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 started serving as Managing Director and Global CEO of EPL Limited, Mumbai.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- 2021: IMA Lifetime Achievement Award
Anand Kripalu receives IMA Lifetime Achievement Award
salary
In 2016-17, he earned Rs. 127.8 Crores.
Facts/Trivia
- He said in an interview that while working at Hindustan Unilever in Mumbai, he used to take a train to sell products and then take a rickshaw from the hotel to the station.
- When he joined Hindustan Unilever in Nairobi, Kenya, he found it difficult to adjust to the company as people in the organization were not comfortable working with him. They often say why they need an Indian to run the company because they think Indians have taken over their business.
- He was responsible for 25% of Cadbury’s growth, as the company’s growth was very low before he joined. To save the company, he began cutting back on promotions, and after the company showed some improvement, the Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk chocolate bar was launched. While with Cadbury, he was responsible for the Cadbury Dairy Milk campaign “Shubh Aarambh” which won the 2010 Abby Award and Singapore’s 2011 Gold Standard APPIES Award. The company has grown from Rs. Revenue in 2005 was Rs 8.8 billion and in 2012 it was Rs 4,066 billion.
- He said in an interview that when he was asked to partner with Diageo, he wasn’t entirely convinced because it was an alcohol company. He felt it would damage his image if he partnered with a liquor company after working with a multinational. However, he joined the company as it was one of the leading companies in India at that time. While he was working at the company, he made some changes, including appointing women to the liquor business. According to him, there were no women working at the company when he joined. He encountered some difficulties due to government policies in the liquor industry because he wanted to run a clean business and disagreed with government regulations that he felt were incorrect.
- In 2020, his company Diageo India donated 500,000 liters of extra-grade neutral alcohol (ENA) to the disinfectant industry amid the Covid-19 pandemic. They also donated around 150,000 masks to five public health departments for doctors, nurses and paramedics and donated Rs 100,000. Diageo India’s World Class plan provides health insurance coverage of Rs 3 crore to bartenders.
- Kripalu said in an interview that he only understood the importance of fitness after becoming RCB chairman. He said he learned a lot from Virat Kohli and never missed a single training session. He also learned a lot about cricket from cricketers. In an interview, he said of his appointment as RCB chairman:
Royal Challengers Bangalore is an integral part of Diageo India and I have been involved behind the scenes in the team’s journey for the past 6 years. As the new season begins, it will be an exciting new chapter with Virat, Mike Hesson and Simon Katich leading the team’s frontline and we look forward to a bold campaign. I would also like to thank Sanjeev for his immense contribution to RCB and Diageo and wish him all the best in his new role. “
Anand Kripalu and Virat Kohli
- In an interview, he discussed his appointment as Managing Director and Global CEO of EPL Limited, saying:
I am delighted to lead EPL, an extraordinary company that is a global leader in its segment and a pioneer in innovation and sustainability. It is one of the most successful multinational consumer goods companies headquartered in India. I look forward to working closely with Blackstone, the Board and EPL’s talented and dedicated employees who have a strong track record in the B2B2C space. We are committed to creating value and happiness for all our stakeholders – customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders. “
- According to media reports, he enjoyed drinking Black Label whiskey and soda.
- He serves as the Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC), an alcohol company.
Anand Kripalu appointed President of Federation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education