Leadership Series @ SIIB ( 12th September 2009 )

United Health Group, a $ 70 billion company specializing in health care and services is world no. 1 among Healthcare Insurance companies ranking 21 in the Fortune listing.

Mr Prabir spoke keeping with the theme of SIIB leadership Series "Journey to Success" about the growth of UnitedHealth Group in India and how difficult it was to scale up the function in health care sector with too many regulations by Government. He emphasized on the growing additional working force of 83 million by 2010 and the educational capacity going up to 195 million and thus the opportunities it brings to companies like UHG.

Mr Prabir further explained the recipe for the success of UHG highlighting the fact that the approach should be a bottom up, starting with a motivated individual to good team harmony and co-ordination and moving upto to the organization aligning with the ultimate goal. He explained through equations like CQ + EQ> IQ stating that its actually competitive quotient plus emotional quotient should be greater than Intelligent quotient. He thus motivated students to take up challenges in life and not be scared to innovate and take risk.

Mr. Ravi Kastia













• Designation: Global Head of Aditya Birla Group ,
Managing Director & CEO of Essel Mining & Industries Limited.
• With the Aditya Birla Group for the last 18 yrs
• Has held senior management positions in many of the Group’s companies including Grasim, Indo-Gulf and Indian Rayon.

• Educational B/ground:
o Advanced Management Program from the Harvard Business School.
o Fellow Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

On SIIB Leadership Series dais:
Mr. Kastia started off with showing a small video on Aditya Birla Group and showed how Late Shri G. D. Birla contributed to the independence of the country and social upliftment of the masses. He told how in the late 80’s Shri Aditya Birla took over the reins of the company and started the business in South East Asia which was an open market. Thus, the group had the experience of operating in foreign markets as compared to other companies in the country which helped them the most during liberalization in 1991. In mid 90’s, Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla enthused the company with fresh ideas and outlook.
Mr. Kastia spoke of the company’s operation in more than 50 businesses and how it has divested in some of its businesses and exists in only those businesses where it holds leadership position. The company is also looking at expanding its businesses across the globe and is foraying into the services industry.