Asif Adll
Cheers to Good Life! Asif Adil must be the luckiest man in the world! His office resembles a very swanky bar, with bottles of the swishiest spirits stacked enticingly in the background but, alas, he is stone cold sober and I don't drink. Still, it's an interesting scenario and the ultimate tippler's fantasy! In case you're intrigued about what's on offer, the selection is impressive: Haig Gold Label, J&B, Baileys, Johnnie Walker (Red/Black/Gold/Blue Label), Shark Tooth, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold Rum, Gordon's Gin (world's No. 1 London Dry Gin), Smirnoff Black No. 55, Ciroc (vodka from France), Talisker, and more. Then there's also the Bottled in India variety of brands: Smirnoff, Black & White, Vat 69, Gilbey's Gin, Archers Peach Schnapps. Besides which there are wines and Guinness stout and single malts. Go on, get your glass! He persuades me to partake of a large bowl of popcorn that has just arrived at his desk, fluffy and warm, and concedes that life as a liquor baron isn't too bad. Asif is Managing Director, Diageo India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of one of the largest alcoholic beverage companies in the world. He has, previously, been a partner at McKinsey & Co., and had an early career with PepsiCo. He starts to explain what Diageo means: Dia is day and Geo is global. "Our motto is: Everyday, Everywhere, Celebrate Life!" Not a bad tagline for the start of a new year. So, what brings him to where he's at? "The great brands I'm working with have brought me here. They're relatively unexploited in the Indian market and I want to create two things: a company that can beacon to the rest of the world, and a legacy like a rose garden that I'll leave behind because it's a huge opportunity to be able to develop the vision for my organisation." Business has been good, what with India in a celebratory mood! "Our focus has been to develop marketing programmes, which create cultural landmarks, through which we target our consumers," he explains. He talks of the Johnnie Walker Race Day, Polo Day, and the Johnnie Walker Life series which brought Ray Charles to India, as examples of upper-end events that they've created around their brands. In the process, the advantage has been Diageo's as their share of the scotch category in India is 80 per cent! So, have Indians started drinking more? "Perhaps not," he counters, "but they've certainly stopped buying from the bootlegger! A lot of people are switching to Johnnie Walker as, at about Rs. 1400 (in Bombay) per bottle, its good value." Where's the biggest market? "Duty free sales," comes the reply. "We also retail through liquor stores, five star hotel banquet rooms, restaurants, and some Johnnie Walker select stores. Sometimes, smaller cities like Nashik and Pune surprise us with their consumption! But we do pretty well all over the country, actually." What does he enjoy drinking? "Johnnie Walker Black and Smirnoff with Tonic Water. I also like a good Sauvignon Blanc." With drink, can food be far behind! "I live to eat," Asif beams. "I just love food. Favourites include Lobster Thermidore, salmon as an appetiser, a good steak, sushi, biryani, dal gosht…"
Locally, he likes Trishna for its prawn koliwada, pomfret curry and tandoori crab. "At home I eat pretty simple food," he reveals. "My wife is a Sindhi, so we eat a bit of both her cuisine and mine (Bohri). I particularly like Sindhi curry and tuk. But I'm quite happy with dal, rice and subzi too." With tough work schedules, entertaining has taken a bit of a beating. "Earlier, we used to have about a dozen people over for sit-down dinners at home. But that's no longer as frequent." Among the best parties he's ever attended is easily the McKinsey 'Winds of Discovery' dinner at Algarve in Portugal. "This was in 1995," he recalls, "and all the partners were invited. It was held in an amphitheatre and each of the guests had to perform in the opera! It was amazing." There has been lots of travel, including memorable family holidays. "When both our sons were younger, we did one European country every year. Our favourite has been Italy, especially Florence. We enjoyed taking about three weeks off and driving all over. Then, when I was based in the Philippines, we did all of South East Asia: Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan. I'm now keen to go to Chile, Argentina and Brazil. In India, I enjoy Rajasthan a lot." Having grown up in Bombay, graduating from St. Xavier's College (and later going to Cornell for his MBA), he misses some of his earlier haunts in the Bombay of yore, especially two discotheques, Slip Disc and Bullock Cart! But he's comforted by the fact that an old favourite, Khyber, still stands! |
Home Page