Hriday Mittal

General Manager - Chairman’s Office, RPG Enterprises

Please take us through your journey at RPG.

In 2015, after completing my MBA from the Indian School of Business (ISB), I joined RPG in the Group CFO’s office. Here, I got the opportunity to work with the Corporate Finance team and anchor a couple of critical M&A deals for the Group, and also partake in investor relations.

I then moved to the Chairman’s office and have since been involved in a wide spectrum of areas such as investing and portfolio management, strategy projects, transaction and shareholding structuring, financial planning and corporate governance.

The journey here has been enjoyable beyond work as well, with unique experiences such as representing the Group at B-School campuses, getting a chance to interview Ajinkya Rahane, interacting with leading cricketers at the CEAT Cricket Ratings, amongst other things.

What are some key experiences that have shaped you or left a lasting impression?

I believe there have been multiple key experiences. In my first job with the Essar group, I learnt to evaluate critical business processes and drive improvements, leading to tangible profitability outcomes. As a young Chartered Accountant, I found it intellectually stimulating.

In my next job, I took charge to lead client engagements as a consultant, helping large companies with financial planning, restructuring businesses globally and raising private equity. I learnt firsthand about customer centricity, ethics, and lateral thinking.

Another pivotal moment was the opportunity to work with the Chairman’s office at RPG. It has allowed me to be close to the think tank and learn from the senior leaders at the Group. Amidst this goldmine of insightful learnings, a few key ones have been on how to develop better emotional intelligence, initiative, and reliability.

Among the values of the Group, which are the ones you most relate?

It is a pretty tough choice to answer with one value. I’d like to talk about the two that I feel have become second nature to me.

The first is integrity. I feel trust is the most fundamental building block in all relationships, including at work – whether it is with the organisation, our colleagues or business partners. In testing times, I try my best to put trust first and build relationships for the long haul. Integrity is the key to establishing that trust. Doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, always helps!

The second is passion. I believe that nothing great can ever be achieved without passion, and I try to be passionate about everything that I do