PRIDE OF KUMAON
Muktesh 'Micky' Pant has been elevated as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Reebok worldwide .This would make Mr. Pant as one of the most powerful executives in the company . Pant will now directly report to Reebok Chairman.
(Courtsy : Economic Times ,Naveen Pant)
Muktesh Pant belongs to Kumaon . He did his schooling at Saint Joseph’s, Nainital. His father, who worked with the Uttar Pradesh government, was posted in
Nainital. His mother, Shivani, is a famous Hindi novelist. The only son and the youngest of four children, Pant excelled in school.
"Since I wanted to do chemistry, I was told that the IITs were the best place to study. So I took the entrance
exam." He joined the IIT and got his degree in 1976 in Chemical
Engg. In the summer vacation at the end of his fourth year at IIT, he went to Nocil for industrial training.
"That’s when I realised that engineering by itself would get me nowhere. Engineers are given a pat on the back and the best employee award, while it’s the marketing and finance guys who rake in the moolah." So, when some months later, Hindustan Lever came to the IIT campus to recruit engineers, Pant knew what he didn’t want.
"I asked them if it was possible to accommodate me in the marketing
department." Pant wasn’t too hopeful of getting a positive response. In fact, by then he had already secured admission at
IIM, Ahmedabad, paid his fees, and had even been allotted a roll number. But Levers invited him to Mumbai for another round of interviews. Reminisces former Levers marketing chief Siddhartha ‘Shunu’ Sen, who was on the panel
that interviewed Pant: "It was unusual in those days to appoint someone in the marketing department who didn’t have an
MBA degree, but he clinched it in the interview."
That was the end of chemistry. At Levers, he led Surf’s fight back against Nirma in the early ’80s. "The Nirma battle taught Levers’ detergent division not to ignore the mass market, and showed us the opportunity we had lost." He spent 15 years in the company, from 1976 to 1991.
"Hindustan Lever,is the most pre-eminent company in India. It ingrained in me the very best
management practices " says Pant unequivocally.
But what he learnt most there, he says, was integrity. "For me, at the end of the day, integrity is the driving force. I know it sounds biblical, but I believe it always comes back to
you." There are many who would vouch for his obsession with honesty. Recalls Sen: "In the late ’80s, he was about to join Pepsi, and had already given in his papers at Levers. Then it was discovered that one of his junior managers at Levers’ exports division had been committing fraud. Even though he didn’t need to, Pant returned his offer letter to Pepsi, decided to stay back and sort things out at Levers. That showed character." Pant eventually joined Pepsi for a four-year stint in 1991, where he headed the exports division, and later its bottling operations.
Says Reebok dealer Subhash Gupta: "He sticks to every verbal commitment he makes, even if he finds out later that it would cost Reebok. Honesty is the principle he lives by." But it hasn’t been easy. "Delhi is full of touts who are always offering to get you licences and government clearances. It’s difficult to steer clear," Pant admits.
His move to Boston is the direct result of what he has achieved in India in four-and-a-half years. With a relatively
meager investment of $4 million, Reebok has achieved numero uno position among the three big international sportswear brand (the others are Adidas and Nike ) in India.
Now Pant is CMO of Reebok worldwide . Can we expect same trend world wide ?? Only time can tell us .Whatever the trend will be we are proud to have Muketesh Pant in our kumauni
fraternity.
(Courtsy : Outlook).