First Principles

Harsh Mariwala, at 72, shares his diverse weekly routine involving Pilates, strength training, aqua therapy, meditation, intermittent fasting, and golfing. He emphasizes continuous learning, personal growth, and the importance of fitness for stress relief. The podcast also delves into Marico's acquisition triumph, enhancing meeting effectiveness, seeking innovation feedback, and integrating industry insights into business education.

Chetan Maini, the co-founder and Chairman of Sun Mobility has done a whole lot in his life. He’s been forever a tinkerer as you’re bound to find out if you read his father Dr.S.K.Maini’s book REVA: India’s Green Gift to the World.Chetan’s raced solar cars, built his own car company REVA and is now building a pay-as-you-go energy infrastructure for a greener future with Sun Mobility. You’ll see in this a proper evolution of owning the chain of control as well.Well, it has to be said this is not fully intentional. Because in a world where REVAs are speeding down the road left and right you’re not gonna see Chetan going out and building a BaaS, battery as a service business. But it was 2001, and India, and most of the world, was not ready for electric cars.Chetan, however, persevered even under the shadow of the Mahindra Group and made strides in their electric mobility aspirations before leaving in 2015.He took a break of two years, observed the EV market across the globe and when he saw the opportunity back home, came back with his expertise and took charge to create what we know today as Sun Mobility. The vision is bigger this time around and time is on his side as well. The only thing left to see out: Execution.And they are not pulling any punches on that front either.Additional reading: this edition of Green Margins published way back in late 2022 to understand how, here.Welcome to Season 2, episode 44 of First Principles - A weekly leadership podcast from The Ken. First Principles has been named one of the best shows of 2025 on Apple Podcasts India! Every listen and every share is what keeps us going. We get to dive into these conversations because you show up for them. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Check out all other episodes here.

Girish Mathrubootham, CEO of Freshworks, shares insights on decision-making from his childhood, openness in sharing growth strategies, and his involvement in SaaSBoomi. He emphasizes the importance of reflecting on actions, giving back to the community, and the evolution of software products in organizations.

Sometime in the early 1970s a young Harsh Mariwala joined Bombay Oil Industries, a company set up by his grandfather in 1948, just a year after India’s independence. The company would trade in spices, oils and chemicals.Over the next two decades Harsh learnt the ropes of the family business. Till in 1991 - two decades after he had joined Bombay Oil - he left it to start his own company, Marico.He had already seen the power of quality and brand in a category that was still almost entirely commoditized and unbranded. For instance, the huge 15 liter tin cans of Parachute coconut oil Bombay Oil sold to shopkeepers were resold in smaller quantities at much higher prices. Harsh rightly wondered, why should someone else capture the margin and premium for my product? The company that Harsh founded - Marico - had two powerful brands at its core - Parachute Coconut Oil and Saffola cooking oil. That is true even today, 33 years later. Nearly 1 in 3 Indians use Parachute oil, our research tells us. Of course, a lot else has changed since then. Marico, which went public just 5 years after being founded in 1991, today boasts a turnover of over 1.2 billion dollars. And Harsh is 72, but still learning, exploring, experimenting and unable to take it easy.Earlier this week, I had the chance to speak to Harsh about his entire (and might I add still evolving) professional journey!It’s a long time, but Harsh talks about the day Marico was separated from Bombay Oil just like it was yesterday. He talked about how in 1991 they attracted talent by positioning themselves as the disruptive outsiders. Sample one of the headlines from Marico’s ads: 200 employees walk out of Bombay Oil. Harsh had a lot of stories for me – from creating differentiation in consumer products even when the market is crowded, to how he fought back and won against the much larger Hindustan Unilever when it wanted to acquire Marico. And then he switched back to the present – and how he’s focussing all his learnings, experience, attention into cultivating innovation in India. This is an episode packed with anecdotes and lessons – you’ll hear Harsh talking about a ‘right to win’ in the market, strategizing acquisitions, and making ‘a difference without expectations’ to the shareholders. All in the context of Harsh’s years at Marico, the Mariwala Health Initiative, Ascent foundation and Marico Innovation Foundation! Let’s go!This is episode 42 of First Principles–a weekly leadership podcast from The Ken. First Principles has been named one of the best shows of 2025 on Apple Podcasts India! Every listen and every share is what keeps us going. We get to dive into these conversations because you show up for them. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Check out all other episodes here.

Join Girish Mathrubootham, CEO and Co-Founder of Freshworks, as he dives into the art of heart-led leadership and its profound impact on workplace culture. He shares his unique journey from a product manager to a visionary CEO, emphasizing that success isn't just about numbers. Discover his insights on navigating change, the evolving landscape of VC-backed startups, and how Freshworks cultivates a nurturing environment for its employees. Plus, Girish reflects on his deep connection to Chennai, blending heritage with innovative business practices.

Vaibhav Gupta, Co-founder and CEO of Udaan, navigates the thrilling yet chaotic waters of hyper-growth startups. He discusses the delicate dance of making high-stakes decisions without relying on patterns. Listeners will hear about Udaan's warehouse innovations, maintaining intellectual honesty in valuations, and the need for transparent leadership. Gupta also shares insights on adapting to an evolving B2B landscape while balancing professional ambitions with personal life, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and feedback.

Exploring how 5 founders prioritize patience and trust in building company culture. Topics include empowering teams through delegation, embracing work as a game, fostering constructive feedback, long-term dedication, selfless leadership, and intentional leadership styles. Each founder shares insights on navigating early business challenges, markers of effective leaders, and the virtue of patience in organizational success. They emphasize the hands-on approach founders take in shaping company culture over time.

Aneesh Reddy, CEO and Co-Founder of Capillary Tech, reflects on his leadership journey shaped by challenges and transformation. He shares how being labeled a 'bully' prompted him to seek executive coaching and embrace vulnerability in leadership. Aneesh discusses the profound insights gained from Vipassana meditation, emphasizing resilience and personal growth. He also touches on his transition to a healthier lifestyle while balancing parenting and business, revealing how these experiences have redefined his understanding of success and purpose.

Vaibhav Gupta, CEO and co-founder of Udaan, discusses evolving from a marketplace to a first-party business, Udaan's culture pillars, and daily conversations within the leadership team. They also explore Udaan's mission to transform India's trade ecosystem, challenges faced by retailers and traders, and how Udaan improves access and efficiency in wholesale purchasing.

Welcome back to Episode 37 of First Principles.If you’re here to find our latest edition of the First Principles Newsletter, here you go!A few weeks ago, we had a wonderful conversation with Viren Shetty – the executive vice chairman of Narayana Health.  Narayana Health – formerly called Narayana Hrudalaya – is a hospital network that’s also listed on the stock exchanges. Today’s episode is the second part of our conversation with Viren. In part 1, Viren talked about healthcare in India – something he described as an “assembly line.” If you remember listening to it, you’ll know that Viren has both intricate knowledge and undeniable intuition about the healthcare landscape in India. We discussed Viren’s ambitions to fix healthcare in India and where Narayana Health is headed. That led us to why Viren holds this mission so close to his heart, in this second part of our conversation.What led him to healthcare? What drives him to wake up and do this, day after day? In our opening, you heard about Viren’s innate pattern recognition superpower, which is very different from his father Dr. DeviShetty’s.So, how did he build this intuition? And how does he use it to run a vast hospital network?Viren answers all of these questions with stories from his life, career and even from the hospitals where he grew up. This is episode 37 of First Principles—The Ken’s weekly leadership podcast.P.S. Please recommend your favourite books for the First Principles community here! First Principles has been named one of the best shows of 2025 on Apple Podcasts India! Every listen and every share is what keeps us going. We get to dive into these conversations because you show up for them. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Check out all other episodes here.