Xerox India's MD Rajat Jain shares his firsts in life

Rajat Jain, MD, Xerox India

My first role model/guru
My father. His mentorship framed my past, has carved my present and will push me towards a brighter future

My first job
At Hindustan Lever (now Hindustan Unilever). It taught me the fundamentals of sales and people management, and helped me understand the meaning of professionalism and meritocracy

My first boss
He was a taskmaster! The first few years of my career were rigorous. In hindsight, those were years of great learning, a blessing in disguise

My first promotion
It came after over five years, was long awaited and I think, well deserved. Those five years of pushing the boundaries, addressing the challenges and giving my best did pay at the end

My first disappointment
A 'strategic' document I had worked very hard on was turned down by one of my early managers without even being looked at. It was frustrating and demotivating

Photo and text by Vivan Mehra