Vinita Bali: 'Leadership is about what you do and how you do it, not what you say'
- Michelle Jenner
- Jun 18, 2022
- 2 min read
Best-known for her transformation of the biscuit company Britannia, Vinita Bali got her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Delhi and a masters in management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Bombay (now Mumbai) before entering the corporate world.
The initiation for Bali, whose father worked for the ministry of defence, began with the Tata Group company Voltas, before she went on to join Cadbury Schweppes India. She then moved up the ranks at Coca Cola in foreign markets before coming back to India as the boss at Britannia, where she was instrumental in quadrupling the revenue to a little over a billion dollars in the span of a decade.
Bali, who now spends her time on boards that she is passionate about, lives in Bengaluru and is deeply focused on sustainability, nutrition, and the performing arts.
What have you been up to since hanging up your boots?
I don’t believe I hung up my boots – I am just exploring and walking new terrains. The analogy that comes to my mind is that in a full-time operational role, which is what I did for 35 years till 2014, you look at the world through a zoom lens, and what I do now is look at the world through a wide-angle lens. I must also add that I have appreciated the value of mastering the zoom lens, which is so critical for the next innings, or, to come back to the metaphor of boots, I have acquired several new pairs.
What keeps you busy now?
It is a combination of corporate and other boards – both in India and overseas, selective advisories and pro bono work for NGOs working in nutrition and art foundations. It is a portfolio that reflects my areas of competence, interest and conviction, and it is rather eclectic – covering the spectrum of business, academics, food and nutrition and the performing arts.
I have had the opportunity to work globally with some of the best minds on boards such as Syngenta, Smith & Nephew, Bunge, and GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition), which I also had the privilege to chair. Presently, I am on the global boards of Cognizant and SATS Limited, and in India, the corporate boards are Crisil and Syngene International. I am also a member of the board of governors of IIM Bangalore and chair the CII National Committee for Nutrition, apart from active involvement in several performing arts organizations.
On the personal front, I exercise and practise stretching and walking and reading. I also listen to a lot of music and jazz, and enjoy Aretha Franklin. I love opera as well. My all-time favourite is Maria Callas.
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