The 2 most important C’s in Nitin Saluja’s life: Chaayos and cycling

Chaayos CEO is preparing for the longest bike trail in the world.

By Glynda Alves, ET Bureau | Updated: Aug 21, 2018, 11.41 AM IST

All work and no play is not the way Nitin Saluja likes to live life. For the CEO of Chaayos, like the perfect cup of tea, it’s all about the right balance between his personal and professional commitments.

Like Uber's Travis Kalanick, these CEOs also suddenly went missing in action

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Text: Apoorva Puranik| ET Bureau

CEO, Uber

After a turbulent few months, Travis Kalanick took a leave of absence as Uber CEO before resigning on Wednesday.

Kalanick is not the only top executive to have taken time off or, in some cases, forced to.

Text: Apoorva Puranik| ET Bureau CEO, Uber After a turbulent few months, Travis Kalanick took a leave of absence as Uber CEO before resigning on Wednesday. Kalanick is not the only top executive ..

CEO, United Airlines

It was a sudden heart attack on his way back to his apartment in Chicago that got the CEO of America’s largest airline to take a break and undergo a heart transplant in October 2015.

The near death experience occurred on Munoz’s 38th day as United’s CEO. While he was sent on medical leave after his transplant, Munoz returned to the job after just over two months.

While United was criticised for asking Munoz to join so soon, a regulatory filing by the company said once back at work, Munoz would be behind his desk — or else.

However, a footnote also said that if he put in six straight months at the office, he’ll get a bonus of $10.5 million.

CEO, United Airlines

It was a sudden heart attack on his way back to his apartment in Chicago that got the CEO of America’s largest airline to take a break and undergo a heart transplant in Oc..

Chairman, Richemont

In 2013, the chairman of Swiss luxury goods Richemont, best known for brands like Cartier and Montblanc, announced that he was taking a year off to read books and travel to the South Pole for a "grey gap year".<

"After 25 years, I think I have the right to just take a break," he told the press. "I just want to be the master of my own time."

Rupert, South Africa’s second richest man, with a net worth estimated at $6.9 billion, picked up the reins of the company a year later.

Chairman, Richemont

In 2013, the chairman of Swiss luxury goods Richemont, best known for brands like Cartier and Montblanc, announced that he was taking a year off to read bo..

CEO, Temasek Holdings

Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings’s Ho Ching, who is also the wi fe of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, decided to go on a three-month sabbatical or, what she called, a "part-time leave" in April 2015.

Ching extended the leave till October, which, she said, was to attend to "a couple of long-standing things" and catch up on sleep.

And while speculation about her absence gave rise to Temasek’s hunt for a new CEO, she made a quiet comeback towards the end of October.

CEO, Temasek Holdings Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings’s Ho Ching, who is also the wi fe of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, decided to go on a three-month sabbatical or, what she ca..

CEO, Lloyds Banking Group, London

The workaholic CEO of the banking group was asked to take a break in 2011 following a grueling few months, during which the chief was fatigued and over-worked .

The Portuguese-born banker, who spent a week in the Priory clinic, admitted he "could not switch off" after he "focused too much on too many details".

However, his leave came at the worst possible time for the bank, whose shares were in free fall. Concerns were expressed about a "leadership vacuum", after which the board appointed an interim CEO.

Horta-Osorio spent his break recuperating at a sleep clinic, and joined the ranks back in January 2012.

CEO, Lloyds Banking Group, London The workaholic CEO of the banking group was asked to take a break in 2011 following a grueling few months, during which the chief was fatigued and over-worked . Th..

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“Work as well as family and a social life are essential and cherished aspects of life. I often go cycling with my close group of friends on a Sunday morning. Equally or more enjoyable is the time I spend with my daughter and wife.” Saluja makes sure that cycling features in his daily routine as it helps him focus and clears his mind.

The power of 30! How these top bosses overcame stress, ennui to make it big

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New beginnings, fresh ideas, lots of stress and stray depressing moments. Here’s what this bunch of 40 Under Forty achievers remember when they look back to when they were 30-year-olds.

Here: Viren Rasquinha (left) and Namita Thapar (right).

I had just moved back to India from the US. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur and I had just graduated from MBA (Wharton School). I didn’t know, specifically, what I wanted to do but I knew that the journey would begin by moving back to India. It was where my friends and family were. I had been away for 12 years, so it was time to come back. I moved back in 2006 and in 2009, I co-founded Faering Capital and the rest is history.

I was sitting at home, planning my next idea. I had quit my job at ICICI Bank and was pondering my next move. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try something of my own. I was, literally, at home for a year. That’s how I came up with the idea for Citrus Pay (acquired by PayU). There were dull, depressing moments, but I persevered.

It was close to the London Olympics. I was with the Olympic Gold Quest and preparing for our first Olympics. It turned out to be fantastic. I never think too much ahead and have never been someone who thinks too much. If you do good things, good things come.

At 30, I was still discovering myself a bit. I don’t want to sound cliched, but at 30, one has just had kids and is trying to settle down and figure out ways to move forward. Now I’m way more secure, at peace. Steve Jobs once said, “Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown your own inner voice.” That comes true as you turn 40. Turning 40 is a beautiful, beautiful feeling and I hope to feel even better when I’m 50.

I was just about setting up IIFL. I was at Kotak Mahindra Wealth Management and had put in my papers. There were eight of us who decided to start IIFL. We wanted to do something entrepreneurial. It was a time for new beginnings. I was very adventurous and got lot of support from my wife Shilpa. She was keen that I do something on my own and it worked out extremely well. If I think about it now, it seems much more adventurous than it seemed at 30.

I was two years into BankBazaar. We started when I was 28. I was in Chennai, after having moved back from the US. The first few years were tough because I went from being in a well-paid job in New York City to being back in my parents’ house in Chennai. It was a big change and also a very stressful time because you are worried about so many different things. How is the company going to grow, will customers accept it, will banks be happy about it, will government regulators support it? It was very stressful at 30.

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Currently, Saluja is working on his fitness levels too so that he can attempt the longest bike trail in the world — the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

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The 2 most important C’s in Nitin Saluja’s life: Chaayos and cycling

Chaayos CEO is preparing for the longest bike trail in the world.

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