For more than 3 decades, Pragati Leadership has been instrumental in recognizing, shaping and celebrating corporate leadership in the global corporate arena. Our unwavering focus has been on promising and delivering on the four-pronged goal of Purpose, People, Planet and Profit. And it excites us to rub shoulders with some of the most inspiring and successful leaders from around the world.
We instituted the Pragati Inspiring and Successful Leadership Awards to honor and celebrate these individuals who have led their organizations to business innovation and growth. Its second chapter recognized stellar leaders from the Manufacturing & Supply Chain, IT & ITeS, Banking, Financial Services & Insurance, Pharma & Chemicals, and Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector.
A tough, unbiased selection criterion helped us evaluate excellence in leadership across these sectors. The jury of experts, each a prominent business personality, partnered with us as we identified this year’s deserving winners. We were glad to work alongside experts like Pradeep Mallick (Chairman, The Listening Post, and Former MD, Wartsila India), Dr. Niloufer Aga (Facilitator, Consultant, Coach at Pragati Leadership), Ninad Karpe (Founder & Partner at 100X.VC), and Dr. Apoorva Palkar (Vice Chancellor, Maharashtra State Skills University).
The trophy for the “Innovator in the Infrastructure Sector” went to Pirojshaw Sarkari, a visionary leader, affectionately called Phil. Over the years, he has left an indelible mark in the infrastructure sector and he is credited with steering Gati toward remarkable success within no time at all. Surprisingly, his decision didn’t elicit the expected responses initially. After a successful stint at Mahindra Logistics, his peers were a little skeptical about this career move since Gati was almost bankrupt. For Phil though, a 25-year veteran in the logistics industry, Gati made complete sense. He remembers the brand fondly as one “all logisticians would look up to”.
A profound believer in the power of teamwork, technology, and process-led growth, Phil said, “An important aspect of a leader is to create a movement in an organization when it is down.” He drew a parallel between Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and what he hoped to achieve at Gati. “It is important to take everybody along with you.” He demonstrated that adequately with a simple but powerful slogan – ‘Let’s make Gati great again’ – and that movement led to results.
Phil went on to talk about setting a vision for Gati. He was particular to emphasize that every organization must change and set a new vision every five years. “You cannot keep one vision forever.”, he said. “Yes, purpose is forever”, he added. Phil also advised the audience that care must be taken when setting the vision. It must be clear, and it shouldn’t be “airy-fairy”. In Phil’s opinion, when you achieve your vision, people must know that you’ve achieved it. In keeping with his philosophy, he set a simple vision for Gati – ‘Let’s become 3000 crores in 3 years’. And that, he believes, enthused everybody to move forward toward that.
Lastly, Phil spoke about his views on growth. He said that he understands the challenges of moving forward when you’re already at the top. According to him, there are two ways to do it. “One approach is to keep rising at the top. And the second is to look around and see if there’s something else you can bring to the top.
”Phil’s strategic leadership at Gati-Kintetsu Express Private Ltd (GKEPL) has resulted in substantial revenue growth, coupled with transformative initiatives and a strong focus on digitalization. Phil’s vision for Gati’s future, marked by ambitious growth goals, underscores his unwavering commitment to excellence. His dedication to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, particularly in areas such as green logistics and quality education, further demonstrates his leadership qualities.
