HOW I MADE IT
‘It is a matter of calculated moves’

FOR Sunil Gupta success "is not just a matter of chance, instead it is a game of calculated moves."

Sunil Gupta Vice- President,  Coke India

Nor does he undermine the role of hard work. "To me success never came overnight, rather it had to be achieved through sustained effort."

Gupta, who joined Coke as a Director in November, 2001, earlier dabbled in the media, both print and electronic.

He worked as the Chief Executive of The Times Of India’s Jaipur edition from 1986 to 1996.

Then, he had a stint with the JVG Times as Editor; he was its Executive Director from 1996 to 1998. Gupta made his debut in the electronic media as the Chief Operating Officer of Jain Satellite Television. He worked there for two years—-1999 to November, 2001.

An MBA with a B.Sc background, he says he is adept at all businesses. It is difficult to pigeonhole him. "I have not confined myself to any particular field. Earlier, I was in the media, today I am in a soft drink company and tomorrow I might be in another field. It was not as if I took a conscious decision to switch over from the media to soft drinks.’’

Gupta is also an avid sportsperson. In the workplace also, he believes in setting high standards for himself and his team, to ensure compliance with goals within a time-frame.

"I would like to give a message to the young that they should take life as a challenge and accept it, face it and win it," he says.

On MBA as a career choice, he says that with the number of management institutes swelling, there are a larger number of professionals to choose from. But the increase in the number of MBAs in the market has devalued the profession. "However, I would be happy if my children also choose the same profession." he says, adding: "This profession teaches you time management, which is the most important thing if one wants to be successful in life." —MKS