Archive

"There are seven Cs to survive a crisis: calmness, confidence, communication, collaboration, community, compassion, cash.” The lesson learnt from his professor at Harvard Business School and successfully implemented in his life was shared by Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea in his talk on "Leading through crisis the Zoroastrian way.” He was addressing the delegates on the third day at the 12th World Zoroastrian Congress  (12WZC) in New York on July 3, 2022.
Having just completed his two-year tenure as president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Bilimoria specified that he would rather not describe CBI as "a lobbying organization” but as "being at the sharp end of business and being able to lead the way. Sometimes we spot the problem and solution way before the government even sees the problem.”
To assist businesses adversely impacted by Covid-19, Bilimoria had persistently pushed for 100% government guaranteed loans. His recommendation was ultimately accepted, bringing relief to 1.6 million small and medium enterprises that availed of these loans. "Entrepreneurs have guts to do business in the first place and they also have guts to keep going when others would give up,” he noted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the request of the Indian High Commission in the UK, CBI was able to instantly rush oxygen cylinders and other medical supplies to India during the second lockdown last year, stated Bilimoria. When Russia declared war on Ukraine this year, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy virtually addressed a joint meeting of the House of Lords and Commons seeking support from Britain to face the Russian attacks. He ended with Shakespeare’s words: "To be or not to be… It has to be, to be.” Once again CBI organized three million ration packs to be sent for the troops in Ukraine and subsequently food packs for civilians. "This is what business can do. Do good way beyond what you are expected to do,” he stressed.
The first president of CBI from the "ethnic minority community,” Bilimoria has been championing ethnic minority participation across all businesses in the UK. Knowing that ethnic minorities constitute 15% of the population in the UK he initiated the program, "Change the race ratio.”
Realizing that entrepreneurship can be promoted by businesses and universities working together, he cited the PhD project at the University of Birmingham where he is chancellor, that resulted in the world’s first retrofitted hydrogen powered train. "Crisis, whether inflation, energy, labor shortage, is temporary; climate change is permanent,” reinforced Bilimoria, reminding the audience that it is in the hands of the human species to determine the biosphere’s fate. He referred to the "Stockdale Paradox” which confirms that odds could be overcome neither by undue optimism nor pessimism but with faith and confidence to confront the most brutal facts of one’s current reality.
He recalled the famous line from the poem Invictus, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” While many faiths place great emphasis on forgiveness of sins, "Zoroastrianism places much more emphasis on action in this life to prepare for judgment in the next… The Gathas speak of a divine spark, good purpose, righteousness, desirable dominion, holy devotion, wholeness, immortality…” Insisting on taking his oath on the Avesta, when 16 years ago he was sworn in as a member of the House of Lords, Bilimoria was happy to report that the Zoroastrian sacred text "now sits in the despatch box every single day. I am confident there will be more Zoroastrian peers in years to come.”
He has also been inspired by the Ubuntu humanist philosophy that says, "I am because we are… To enrich yourself, you have to allow the community around you to improve.” Cobra Beer that he founded was able to weather crises because of three factors: a strong brand, support of family and loyal team, and integrity (the etymology of which connotes wholeness). "Trust is the bedrock of success. People trust Zoroastrians/Parsis. Trust is dependent on three points of a triangle: authenticity, empathy ("Are you in it for yourself or for them?”) and professional capability.”
Acknowledging his "multiple identities as Indian, Asian, British, Zoroastrian,” Bilimoria who is the founder chairman of the UK India Business Council and a founder member of the Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council pointed out, "None of our achievements would have been possible without the host countries allowing us to flourish. We should be grateful, to India, this country (USA), the UK…”
He recalled how he was able to build Cobra from scratch after completing his college education with a £ 20,000 (Rs 18,32,294) student debt! A qualified chartered accountant with Ernst and Young, he graduated in law from the University of Cambridge. Like good entrepreneurs, he was able to spot a gap in the market and thus introduced a beer which their slogan describes as "brut, smooth, for all food.” Proud to have built a brand that has become popular, he revealed that at Harvard, students are taught to be confident but not arrogant. Another winning combination would be humble yet ambitious, for which Bilimoria used the word "humbitious.” 
"To aspire and achieve” is the motto inscribed on the Lord’s coat of arms. It was the same message he sought to impart at the Congress: "To aspire and to achieve against all odds with integrity.”
Congratulating the organizers of the 12WZC he stated, "It is no mean feat to get over 1,000 delegates from all over the world to attend the Congress.” He referred to the efforts of the UK Zoroastrians under the leadership of Rusi Dalal, Dorab Mistry, Malcolm Deboo, Shernaz Engineer and others to host the global conclave of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) in London from July 25 to 29, 2023 and its youth team to organize the 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress five days prior from July 21 to 25.
 
Enhancing excellence
"Do you wish to be a successful entrepreneur? Do you wish to learn how to create value? Do you wish to give back to the community? If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of the preceding questions — Attend!” read the introduction to the session "Making the Impossible Possible: Enhancing Global Zoroastrian Excellence Through Entrepreneurship.” This session on the third day of the 12WZC on July 3, sought to give an overview of the WZCC that "strives to create economic, social, intellectual value and maximize domain overlap through networking and collective action to make the impossible possible.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The session commenced with an introduction by Capt Percy Master, global president of the WZCC, who mentioned that an entrepreneur is able to visualize an opportunity which others do not see and pursue the opportunity beyond resources available. An entrepreneur is a doer and not just a dreamer. He or she is able to take a courageous decision, work with a passion to find a solution, take calculated risks and visualize escape routes, bring purpose, passion, providence and persistence to each enterprise and create intellectual, economic and social value. Unless loans are paid back, success will be impossible. The ultimate aim is to marry personal success with happiness for society.
Of the six panelists, Drs Poras Balsara and Daryush Mehta brought in intellectual value, Piruz Khambatta and Jehaan Kotwal, economic value, Ruyintan Mehta and Mira Mehta, social value. As reminded the moderator Dr Farrokh Mistree, "Entrepreneurship is in the DNA of the Parsi community.” Holding the L.A. Comp Chair at the University of Oklahoma in USA, Mistree serves as coordinator for the Zoroastrian Faculty Network’s monthly webinar series introduced by WZCC to facilitate guidance for students seeking higher educational opportunities overseas.

Intellectual value
Professor of electrical engineering and vice dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, Balsara is known to challenge the status quo and look for opportunities to innovate, preferring not to settle for incremental improvements. "I have changed my research areas several times,” said Balsara who is a consultant with considerable knowledge of power electronics, energy-efficient systems and application-specific architecture. Having seen his father work in an honorary capacity in his housing society until the age of 92, and his mother permitting the youngster bhang-tod (breaking and assembling) of gadgets, the values Balsara cherishes are pursuit of excellence, service, gratitude and humility. "The passion — the fire in the belly — working irrespective of hunger or thirst, day or night,” most defines an entrepreneur. While MBAs (Master of Business Administration) tend to think "mané badhu aavréch (I know everything) we need to give them the right tools and environment and then get out of their way to let them flourish,” advised Balsara who also serves as a Zoroastrian priest in the North Texas area.

 

 

 

 

 

Director of the Voice Science and Technology Laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital Voice Center, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and consultant to InnoVoyce, a start-up that delivers innovative solutions to treat patients with voice disorders, the legacy that Daryush Mehta would like to leave behind is to speak softly, and be passionate yet compassionate when empowering others. Inspired by his illustrious grandfather Dastur Navrooz Minochehr-Homji who epitomized scholarship and inclusivity, Daryush teaches religious education to Zoroastrian children in the Greater Boston area and serves as Zoroastrian chaplain at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His mother Nahida being an educator and father Dinyar, a hotelier in Orlando, Daryush referred to his father’s humility in undertaking mundane assignments whether changing tyres for a total stranger or engaging in meal packing to assist his staff. "We are the sum of our parts,” he believes.

 

Economic value
A third generation owner-entrepreneur, besides heading Rasna, Piruz Khambatta who is chair of the Rasna Foundation and trustee of the Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust, remarked, "Of course we are making money but we are also impacting society at large and contributing to the development of India.” Unable to attend the Congress, in his speech relayed at the session, he referred to his organization’s efforts to promote health, education and employment, and sponsoring community centers by reserving 10% of the profits for corporate social responsibility. Controlling 85% of the soft drink concentrate market with 12 manufacturing plants in India and two overseas exporting to 53 countries, Piruz is known for his hands-on management and innovative marketing. Active on the boards of various government and nongovernmental organizations, he is associated with the All India Food Processors’ Association, the Confederation of Indian Industries, Indo-UAE Business Chamber and the Atmanirbhar Bharat Benevolent Trust. They also partner with the government for the Make in India program, import substitution, augmenting farmers’ income, and promoting events like Vibrant Gujarat. When functioning in different capacities, an entrepreneur can be "a lion in a zoo, a lion in a jungle or a lion in a circus… We should keep the brand identity and have the fortitude to never give up,” he asserted.

 

 

Current youth director of WZCC and mentor to young entrepreneurs, Jehaan Kotwal who is "super passionate about business,” admitted that an entrepreneur’s pathway is "anything but easy.” Acknowledging that he never liked studying when at school, being the naughtiest child in class he was made the disciplinary secretary. Currently heading his family business JFK Transporters that provides end-to-end logistics support, he mentioned how his father started the business with 10 trucks that he scaled up to 110 trucks. He took pride in reporting that while originally their trucks would be involved in two or three accidents each year, their core competency now lies in safe transport with their fleet fitted with the most advanced safety features in the country. His social venture startup, Good Mind, uses artificial intelligence to save over 250 lives daily in road accidents. He is also a director of HumSafer Driver Safety Foundation working for the welfare of drivers. While some say entrepreneurs are born and others say entrepreneurs are made, the journey comes with a lot of risk, he cautioned. He urged parents to have faith in their children and empower them after imparting the right values.

 

Social value
Describing himself as "a serial entrepreneur in the plastic manufacturing industry,” Ruyintan Mehta mentioned that after his graduation from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay and multiple graduate degrees in the US he started his career in the corporate field. Within 15 years "I was restless to be my own boss.” In the next 25 years he employed over 1,000 people at his enterprises in USA and Canada, and empowered them to give back to the communities where they operated. He sold his last company in 2013 to become a full-time social entrepreneur involved in non-profit activities in India by promoting excellence in higher education, and addressing issues of water and sanitation, maternal and child health. "I strongly believe in trust, integrity, loyalty and harmony though I am not a religious person,” stated Ruyintan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I always wanted to be the best in both academics and athletics,” declared Mira Mehta. Competitive sports molded her character and taught her the value of team effort. Having studied at the reputed Brown University and the Harvard Business School, she had many career opportunities. In her first job at BlackRock Inc investment firm she realized that winning for the sake of winning did not make her happy. Her next assignment at Clinton Foundation brought her more fulfilment but it was only when she launched Tomato Jos, a social enterprise in Nigeria, that she found her true career. Contributing to a 10-fold increase in the productivity of smallholder farmers she buys tomatoes from them to make high quality products. "Never give up when facing adversity,” she has learnt.
The session synthesizer Dr Karishma Koka stressed that successful individuals should make a commitment to give back to the community. The UK coordinator for the Zoroastrian Faculty Network, along with her mother she co-founded BaHumata, a webinar series increasing awareness of Zoroastrianism. She has also introduced other webinars to create awareness of the religion at interfaith events. With her knowledge of neuroscience, learning and development, she has co-founded The Ultimate Achievements Academy. Make others happy to keep your business growing, she stressed. She referred to prayers from the Zoroastrian scriptures that could guide entrepreneurs. The Ashem Vohu prayer that speaks of righteousness is a reminder to have good intentions and order in one’s business. The Yatha Ahu Vairyo prayer brings in the concepts of shyaothenanaam and vastarem that refer to a caretaker entrepreneur. Yasna 30.2 and 30.3 remind us to listen, reflect and decide with discernment that should help us take calculated risks. Additionally the seven Amesha Spentas that represent wisdom, good mind, order/purity, strength, benevolence/devotion, holistic perfection and immortality can inherently lead us towards frasho kereti where an individual could progress with righteousness.

 

 

Inviting Bilimoria to give his closing remarks, Mistree introduced him as "creating economic value through his company Cobra Beer, furthering social value through his service in the House of Lords and promoting intellectual value as chancellor of the University of Birmingham. Some of the aphorisms shared by Bilimoria were: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever… Be the best in the world for the world… Follow your passion, not your pension… Luck is when determination meets opportunity...  Managers do things right; leaders do the right thing … When you are going through hell, keep going… Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment…  Always go the extra mile.”

Reports on other sessions at the 12WZC will be carried in forthcoming issues of Parsiana.