NDTV’s new CEO, Sameer Kapoor, is open to adaptation

Sameer Kapoor, the new CEO of NDTV India, has a career that has spanned marketing and sales in various consumer durables companies, such as Singer, IFB Bosch, Bausch & Lomb, Whirlpool and Carrier Aircon; then into a publishing house – Scholastic India – and finally into print media. afaqs! finds out what brought him to NDTV

For Sameer Kapoor, to work with the NDTV Group was a long cherished dream. Rather than waiting for an opportunity, he took it upon himself to call on the boss – Prannoy Roy – and speak his mind. The desire was fulfilled when the group, hoping to give a boost to the sagging market share of its 24-hour Hindi news channel, NDTV India, appointed Kapoor as the chief executive officer of that channel.

Kapoor has taken up diverse assignments throughout his career. His last stint involved setting up Metro Now, the English tabloid launched by Metropolitan Media, a joint venture between HT Media Ltd and the Times Group.

Kapoor reflects on his career, which has spanned marketing and sales in various consumer durables companies such as Singer, IFB Bosch, Bausch & Lomb, Whirlpool and Carrier Aircon, then into a publishing house – Scholastic India – and finally into print media. Here too, he wasn’t content. He wanted to be in the “happening” electronic media.

Kapoor was intrigued by marketing and sales since his school days. “My uncle retired as president of Escorts Yamaha Motors. I always wanted to live his kind of lifestyle, which drew me towards the corporate world,” he says.

After his graduation in economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and obtaining a specialisation in marketing (Master of Management Studies) from Banaras Hindu University, Kapoor’s first job was with Singer. There, he was asked to take charge of a new market of small appliances – taking orders from hospitals – and not the established market of sewing machines.

Life, and marketing, has taught him many things. “I’ve inherited adaptability and the ability to start from scratch. My grandparents and parents came from Pakistan, without anything. They started from scratch and built up a life here. Also, my stint with sales and marketing has taught me to see life closely.”

Dealing with dealers and customers can often be a difficult task. But Kapoor drew from his everyday experience to tackle this. Reminiscing about his learning from the marketing days, Kapoor says, “One thing I learnt was that when you are big, the dealers respect you, and once your company starts doing badly, they ignore you. This has taught me to maintain steady relationships.”

Kapoor narrates an incident that inspires him even now. A paanwala used to put up a small shop outside his house. After the Municipal Corporation of Delhi razed his shack one day, Kapoor thought that it was the end of the paanwala’s business.

However, he was excited to see him back soon, putting up his ware – cigarettes and paan masala – on a cycle at the same place. He saw the paanwala’s children coming to help him in the afternoon, and the former urging them to study. Persistence is something that he values. “These small incidents have helped me learn a lot about life. They have made me realise that there is always a second chance and one has to go on fighting.”

His stint with Metro Now, as president, introduced him to the media world. While the objective of the two parent companies was the same, there were, obviously, differences of opinion, as both companies have different work cultures. He says this did not hinder his working, rather it added to his determination to succeed.

Where NDTV India is concerned, Kapoor feels that his plus point is “being able to adapt easily, to willingly take up new assignments and to look at things from a fresh perspective”. Will his marketing days’ network help him in getting new business? “Only to the extent of giving a call to the person I may know. Eventually, it is the TVRs that bring the business.” However, he warns that it is early days yet, and he’s trying to get comfortable in the new place.

Any regrets? Just two, he says. “I wish, I’d got a better education like a degree from an IIM, and second, I wish I’d ventured into the media world a little earlier.”

If stuck with hurdles, he often turns to his wife, Bela Kapoor, who, he says, “is a more technical person, and being a teacher (she teaches home science), it becomes easier to discuss work with her.”

He likes travelling with his family – his mother, wife and his 18 year old son, and exploring offbeat places. He is quite attached to his mother. In fact, it is concern for his mother’s well-being that has prevented Kapoor from considering any job opportunities outside Delhi.