Ishwar Subramanian, MD, Cerebral Consultancy Services & Former MD, Akzo Nobel Coatings, In.

Ishwar Subramanian, MD, Cerebral Consultancy Services and Former MD, Akzo Nobel Coatings, India

Served with E&Y and the erstwhile Arthur Andersen for 5 years. Then as CFO with 3M in India for 4 years where I successfully completed a public offering of shares.  And then with Akzo Nobel first as CFO for Indian subcontinent for 4 years and then as CEO for 11 years.

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“As long as you’re sitting in a reasonably comfortable place, it’s very difficult to think of something new”- Ishwar Subramanian

In this episode, Ashutosh engages in an insightful conversation with Ishwar Subramanian, MD, ‘Cerebral Consultancy Services’ and Former MD, ‘Akzo Nobel Coatings, In’. Ishwar, the corporate virtuoso, is a CA and a very successful entrepreneur. Ishwar reminisces about his early life and lesson and shares some valuable insights. He meticulously explains the role of a CEO and a CFO in a company. He explains with great interest why he decided to become an entrepreneur. “When you’ve been the CEO of a company for 11 years before an employee opens his mouth you know what he’s going to say”- the experienced professional says with a smile. He tells the story of his journey as an entrepreneur. He then proceeds to talk about his startup. The man who has mentored several CEOs explains the pros and cons of having a co-founder versus going solo. He remembers the people who influenced his life and molded him.

Served with E&Y and the erstwhile Arthur Andersen for 5 years. Then as CFO with 3M in India for 4 years where I successfully completed a public offering of shares.  And then with Akzo Nobel first as CFO for Indian subcontinent for 4 years and then as CEO for 11 years. During this time had responsibility for parts of Anglophone Africa and other regions for some business lines.  Also, was responsible for the integration of acquisitions, the main one being ICI (India).

In 2010 stepped out of corporate life to set up a private equity fund called Forum Synergies. First fund invested by early 2015 and also few exits made. Remain on the investment committee and as chairman of the board of the fund management company. Have side stepped from active role in early 2015.  Parallely set up a consulting business focussed on helping mid-sized companies and their owners/CEO’s.

Co-founded mSupply eCommerce Pvt Ltd an e-commerce B2B market place for construction materials in April 2015 and was involved full time in the business as Executive Chairman.  Exited in June 2017, by which time the company had scaled and been adequately funded.