Laxman Narasimhan’s Post

Finishing strong 💪 Stepping into my new role at Diageo just over a month ago, I knew that it would require me to push myself and achieve more than ever before. As I completed the handover process and prepared to take on the new responsibilities, a few questions lingered in my mind: did I leave my previous role when my trumpet sound was loudest? Did I finish strong? Was I disrupted, or did I disrupt? Well, reflecting on my time in that role, I can confidently say that I gave it my all. My team and I worked tirelessly, and our efforts yielded impressive results in the closing stages of the financial year at Diageo. We achieved our highest-ever market share of 97.1% in the beer category, and a strong market share of 72.1% in spirits. Despite the challenging operating environment, we achieved a +1.5% increase in net sales value compared to the previous year. What's more? Employee productivity was at an all time high, translating to an engagement score of 98%. You may ask, what's the secret sauce ? It's simple: teamwork. Teamwork makes the dream work. We believed in the power of collaboration, and together, we accomplished incredible things. As I embark on this new chapter, I know that by embracing the strength of teamwork, and the eagerness to remain teachable; staying hungry and staying vulnerable, I am convinced that success and greatness are assured. #onwardsandupwards #newbeginings

Last year John Legend and Rajakumari penned the Johnnie Walker/ Walkers & Co anthem to include these words: …There is more to life … …step off that borderline…there is so much we can explore… …you wanna turn it all the way up … ..Let’s Keep Walking, keep on walking …. This rallying cry was as close to my own purpose as it gets (at that time just in the subconscious) as I started my Diageo journey over six years back. It has been an absolute privilege to lead the India & South Asia luxury premium ++ business and iconic brand portfolio cross functionally to unprecedented heights. DIAGEO India gave a broad canvas and I had the privilege of setting an audacious vision of shaping the culture of socialisation while breaking new grounds of growth by premiumisation. In some time, it became the overarching driving force for teams across the organisation and like how… There we were - winning one milestone to the other, cruising through turbulence and tailwinds alike. A lot of what we led with, added hugely to normalisation of spirits as a category overall. Campaigns that won consumers & awards, platforms to celebrate new dimensions of inclusivity (beyond gender), future ready, sustainability forward innovations, growth in multiples and not just in CAGRs, all lines of the P&L brimming with healthy glow! Marked my last days at Diageo this week and spent them well with people who fuel it all. You have all left me with huge gratitude for your partnership in every dimension possible. Teams, stakeholders, colleagues who walk the talk, learn and unlearn , challenge<>equally get challenged and yet prevail. A gigantic thanks for every bit of the enrichment that I leave with. What is next ? A new chapter you say… I say its time for a new book! Very excited for the leap on the horizon... but for now, its all about a wee savour the pause!

Dear network, Several times in my life or in my career, I have been told that things never happen exactly as they were initially planned. Unplanned events are part of our leadership day to day journey especially the past years when you need to manage COVID pandemic, cyberattack crisis, war situation or any team-related critical health case. You learn from those events and become a better manager, a more equipped leader and a more humble professional. And when this is about your personal and family situation, you not only learn on a career perspective but simply as a man. While joining #Diageo in July 2022, I was not expecting at all to go through a rollercoaster of personal and family emotions, situations and tough decisions to be made. After 6 months of a very engaging and very well started journey, I had to step out of an amazing company and focus all my time on my family and come back to France. Leaving a great leader, Cristina Diezhandino, a great team, a great place to work… was very hard and tough decision. This period of « family break » has taught me so many learnings that I will turn into values and principles for the next steps of my professional career : 1) Patience and pace-setting - adapt your professional perspectives to your family and to your personal equilibrium while driving with pace the transformation you have with your teams as they can face currently the same or even worse personal situations you faced in the past 2) « Always On » Alternative plan building - always have plan B or C to avoid rolling back on your personal plans ; going to London for my job at #Diageo was a great plan but I had no plan B or C for the personal and family situation I faced and then had to stop my fantastic adventure to come 3) Resilience - « Why do we fall ? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up ! » - I experienced this situation the past weeks as I had to step down from a company I just onboarded and had to change my plans for the future. This has been the most important source of learnings and also a high dose of resilience for the future in my career ! Now things are getting much better and I will be able to open a new chapter soon. I will announce in few weeks where I am heading to but as you can imagine, there will be people leadership, digital-data-tech-business transformation and cultural change in the new challenges I will embrace. Thanks to everyone who supported me in the past, intense and difficult months on a personal note :-) your friendship, your presence and your kindness have been so inspiring and so motivating ! Take care of yourself and your beloved ones, always !!!

Had another enriching session with the incredible Kraft Heinz Dubai team last week, delving into the essence of living a High Performance Lifestyle. It was truly inspiring to witness the team embrace their strengths, understanding how their CliftonStrengths® serve as the vital fuel to recharge internal batteries. Strengths aren't just attributes; they're fundamental needs that must be nurtured to feel energised. It's no surprise that those who prioritise their strengths are 3 times more likely to report an excellent quality of life and 6 times more engaged at work. The corporate athlete understands this concept well—they identify and leverage their strengths daily to achieve peak performance. By creating strengths-based rituals, they propel themselves toward the goals that truly matter. At 2b Limitless we're passionate about collaborating with organisations that value strengths based wellbeing. It's the bedrock upon which high performance is established. Thanks to Ecaterina Ursu and Olivia Marshall for all the organisation that went into this event. It was also great to have Dania Saad Mehmod there as the 2b Limitless intern, loved all of your great questions (you are a natural coach)! Great to have all of you in the room and excited for the next time we meet Passant El-Ghannam, Joanna Salem, Lobna Saad, Jim Santos, Idris Shoko, David Kane, Salma Youssef, Malini Bhatia, Tarek Nahlous, Demir Ergün, Ronaldo Reyes, Stanislav Negodyuk, Amr Ghandour, Hamza Muhammad Ali, Rahul Khiara, Aya Farrag, Rubelyn Tresvalles, Zarana Bakhai, Aiswarya Tomy, Jennilyn Castillo, Dawid Loots, Rahul Suresh, Fatema Karwarwala, Mariam Macatangay, Ani Tankryan, Raj Ranganathan. #HighPerformance #StrengthsBasedWellbeing #CorporateAthlete #2bLimitless #strenghts #executivecoaching

Still remember 10 years ago on this very day entering iconic Cadbury House and starting my career in one of the most loved brands of our childhood. Never thought that I could spend a whole decade in one company because I always believe that “change is the only thing which is constant” but you don’t necessarily need to change company till you get enough challenges which keep you motivated. Some of the things which have kept me “always alive and kicking” are: 1. Experience of different culture and roles across finance vertical (8 roles across 4 different countries). 2. Opportunity to travel Mondelez facilities across globe (From Australia to China, Nigeria, Bahrain, Turkey, Switzerland, France…). 3. Flexibility as you move to different stages of your life (From WFH to moving to my hometown due to my personal need). 4. Mentors and managers who have always supported and guided you in your career. 5. A group of friends who joined with you and are still there after 10 years even though in different parts of the world. Thanks to all my mentors, managers and colleagues without which the journey would not have been possible and looking forward to many more years to come…

I had the opportunity of listening to Mr. Vinay Golikeri, MD of Bacardi, speak on Why and How to Build a Global Career. He provided some insightful information about the success and culture of the firm. He talked about the 3F’s : 1. Fearless - being bold and trying new things. 2. Family - care for one another and hold each other accountable. 3. Founder - entrepreneurial spirit. The major takeaways were •The top management at Bacardi is always focused on creating a legacy for the brand. This means investing in the long term and making decisions that will benefit the company for years to come. •One of the key takeaways from the talk was Bacardi's focus on its people. They don't call their employees "employees" but Primos, which is Spanish for "brothers" or "cousins." •He emphasised on when you join a company it’s not about the job but the impact you leave and to give the brand in a better shape to the next generation and put the brand in a strong place. •Breadth of experience gives you richness. •He talked about the cycle of culture ,purpose & strategy and evaluation. I would also like to thank Placement Committee- BML Munjal University for arranging this insightful session. #corporate #marketing #leadership #mba

I completed an incredible 14 years at PepsiCo today. These years went by in a breeze, and I'm super proud of what I have achieved. I am sharing a few lessons I learned in the last 20 years of my career journey. > Focus and consistency can make your idea come alive. > Stay focused and prioritize what's important and what's not. > You will not have all the answers and solutions to all the problems but you will find the right people who can give you the solutions or guide you so don't hesitate to ask for help. > Don't waste too much time on what others are doing rather build something which reflects your values and has your essence because no one can take that away from any founder. > When things go wrong or go slow, stay calm. Know that it's happening for a reason and you can only take the right decision and turn things around when you are in a calm state of mind. > Stay true to your purpose, Keep doing your work with 100% honesty and focus and no one can stop you from making a positive dent in the universe. > Celebrate small victories and aim for bigger ones. > Don't react but reflect.

Here are 5 key lessons I've learned since stepping into my KAE role one year ago: ✅ Trust is the key element to build and maintain solid relationships with your clients. You can’t build trust in a week or two - it is a lengthy process taking time, effort, consistency and empathy but that at the end of the day will pay off. ✅ Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Planning ahead is fundamental to drive results, but most importantly to bring value-added solutions and meet changing market conditions. Mapping route to clients and daily tasks, agreeing on upcoming price promotions and trade marketing expositions are all actions that if done in advance will make a positive impact in your role. ✅ Don’t be afraid to fail. Sharing both successes and failures with the team will help drive personal and professional growth. No matter the age or the experience in the role, every experience is a treasure from which we can learn from. ✅ If you want to learn it grow, you must invest in yourself. Receiving feedback from your colleagues, from your boss, attending training sessions or reading an article on the latest industry trends are all actions that will allow you to become a better version of yourself. For example, participating in an acceleration program within Coca Cola HBC is allowing me to grow  on skills such as customer management and public speaking. ✅ Having a plan A is good, but but having a plan B and possibly C is even better. There will always be unforeseen circumstances. That is why I learned the importance of staying adaptable and flexible in my approach, quickly adjusting strategies to meet client needs and market requirements. Thanks to my great team and especially to massimo mulazzi, Camilla Egalini, Domenico Punzo who have helped guide me in this role. I am looking forward to another exceptional year with Coca-Cola HBC. Onward and upward 🚀

This past year has been one laced with growth. It's been one year since I joined Pernod Ricard and certainly, the first couple of months came with a potpourri of emotions: moving from settling into my new role to self-doubt, from pushing myself to eventually getting a hang of the demands of the role. Joining at a time when the organisation was going through a series of transformations, it appeared my teething phase lingered longer than I'd anticipated. Struggling to find my rhythm meant I occasionally doubted my abilities and contemplated throwing in the towel a couple of times. To get past this stage, two things worked for me. Firstly, in my subconscious, I was convinced that if I could endure, be consistent, push myself, and not give up, I'd come out stronger. Lastly, I had the support and cheering of those that mattered the most; my family and colleagues. Munirat Yahaya was that one person who kept believing in me. In fact, she opened my mind to cracking what I had thought impossible, and this was the beginning of me getting my groove back. I also enjoyed the immense support of my line manager - thank you, Bode Omosagba, for seeing the potential in me and for providing the required support all the way. I'm elated that the efforts I put into turning things around didn't go unnoticed as I clinched two awards at the FY23 company retreat and awards ceremony. Having won the CEO award and the "Deliver through collaboration" award, I'm motivated to continue to give my utmost best to contribute to the growth of the business. As I continue to put in the work, I'm excitedly looking forward to what the future holds. #workanniversary #resilience #appreciation