"He knew how to nurture talent"
Remembering R. Ravimohan, By Roopa Kudva, MD and CEO, CRISIL
Print Edition: Jan 24, 2010
I will always remember my first meeting with R. Ravimohan. Two years after I joined CRISIL's Bangalore office in 1992, I was visiting the Mumbai office when I saw a commotion as staffers thronged to see the new CEO, R. Ravimohan. I was a junior analyst then and was excited at the prospect of catching a glimpse of the man. As I waited, a middle-aged colleague asked me why I was hanging around. I told him I was waiting to meet Ravimohan. He said "OK" and promptly left.
After an hour, when some other employees came out from a nearby room, I requested one of them to identify Ravimohan for me. He pointed towards a person. To my utter surprise, it was the same gentleman I had spoken to just an hour back! Over the years, I realised this was so typical of the man. He always believed that people would find their own answers one day.
In his 14-year stint in the rating agency, Ravimohan transformed it into a leadership position. He quickly built on the strong foundation laid down by his predecessor, Pradip Shah. One of his first major decisions was to tackle issues regarding our compensation package.
Salaries were low in those days and he immediately corrected them. This helped him to retain talent and take the organisation to the next level. As a leader, he had many other sterling qualities. He always pushed us to think differently and come up with innovative ideas. He also believed in grooming younger executives to take on bigger responsibilities one day.
In short, he knew how to nurture talent. His other big contribution was engaging with the global rating agency, Standard and Poor's. He made numerous trips to the US to seal an alliance with S and P, which later got converted into an equity partnership. When Ravimohan left CRISIL, it had already earned a global name, with half the revenues coming from the overseas market.
His joining the corporate sector (Reliance Industries as an Executive Director) came as a surprise and when I asked him about it, he said: "My work in CRISIL is done." I remember meeting him last on December 23, when I hosted a dinner for Subir Gokarn, Chief Economist (Asia Pacific), S and P, who had just assumed the role of Deputy Governor at the Reserve Bank of India. Ravimohan came early and stayed on till the end. I saw him mingling with others and laughing at jokes. He was in a familiar environment with former colleagues.
We never thought that it would be our last meeting with him. Without doubt, he made an everlasting impact in our professional and personal lives.
After an hour, when some other employees came out from a nearby room, I requested one of them to identify Ravimohan for me. He pointed towards a person. To my utter surprise, it was the same gentleman I had spoken to just an hour back! Over the years, I realised this was so typical of the man. He always believed that people would find their own answers one day.
In his 14-year stint in the rating agency, Ravimohan transformed it into a leadership position. He quickly built on the strong foundation laid down by his predecessor, Pradip Shah. One of his first major decisions was to tackle issues regarding our compensation package.
Salaries were low in those days and he immediately corrected them. This helped him to retain talent and take the organisation to the next level. As a leader, he had many other sterling qualities. He always pushed us to think differently and come up with innovative ideas. He also believed in grooming younger executives to take on bigger responsibilities one day.
In short, he knew how to nurture talent. His other big contribution was engaging with the global rating agency, Standard and Poor's. He made numerous trips to the US to seal an alliance with S and P, which later got converted into an equity partnership. When Ravimohan left CRISIL, it had already earned a global name, with half the revenues coming from the overseas market.
His joining the corporate sector (Reliance Industries as an Executive Director) came as a surprise and when I asked him about it, he said: "My work in CRISIL is done." I remember meeting him last on December 23, when I hosted a dinner for Subir Gokarn, Chief Economist (Asia Pacific), S and P, who had just assumed the role of Deputy Governor at the Reserve Bank of India. Ravimohan came early and stayed on till the end. I saw him mingling with others and laughing at jokes. He was in a familiar environment with former colleagues.
We never thought that it would be our last meeting with him. Without doubt, he made an everlasting impact in our professional and personal lives.
