Page 39 - Avendus Huran Flipbook 2026

Growing up with Vijay and Anand Sankeshwar as role models, Your family name is synonymous with reliability and discipline in
which specific childhood memory most shaped your view of
business, risk and customer trust?
Growing up, I had been part of most of our pan-India senior
management meetings, where all our area heads were present.
One thing I consistently learned from these meetings was
how firmly my grandfather and father stayed aligned with their
ethics and values. Whether it was maintaining strong financial
discipline, not over-promising customers or always being fair
and transparent with our drivers, labour and staff, the focus was
always on doing what is right in the long run.
Some of these decisions back then probably felt less
convenient, but over time they compounded and proved to be
the most valuable ones. Watching this over the years shaped my
perspective completely and taught me how long-term thinking
ultimately builds confidence and trust across all stakeholders.
You took leadership roles relatively early. What personal traits,
experiences or mentors helped you step into those roles, and
how did you earn credibility among senior stakeholders?
One of the traits that helped me step into these roles early is
having the humility to question things and learn from people
who have been in the system for decades. I never hesitated,
and still don’t hesitate, to ask even the most basic or simplest
questions, because understanding something properly is more
important to me than pretending to know everything.
Apart from this, just because I am in a leadership position
doesn’t mean I enforce decisions. I prefer to hear everyone’s
point of view and then mutually arrive at the best conclusion
together. Over time, this approach has created a sense of
mutual respect and naturally helped me build credibility.
transport. How do you personally handle the weight of that
legacy, and what do you hope to add to it that will bear your
individual signature?
When people talk about the weight of legacy, I don’t look at it in a
stressful way. I actually see it as a privilege, because I am aware
of the responsibility that comes with what has already been built
before me. In fact, my father is my biggest inspiration. He joined
the business at 15 and has been working for 36 years, and in this
journey, being the second-generation, has created his own identity
within the business while carrying the legacy forward.
For me, being only 24, I don’t think too much about ‘my
individual mark’ yet because there is a lot of work ahead. Right
now, my focus is to keep learning, keep improving and do the
right things under the guidance of my family. If I stay consistent
in the right direction, whatever my individual mark is meant to be
will naturally reflect over time.
Who outside the immediate family, a board member, industry
mentor or a senior executive, became the most influential
sounding board for you, and what one piece of advice from them
still guides your decisions?
Outside my family, someone I really admire and learn a lot from
is our Executive Director, Mr. Ramanand Bhat. He has been with
the company for more than three decades and has driven a lot
of innovation in vehicle maintenance, IT and operations.
One piece of advice from him that has stayed with me is: “In
life, knowing what not to do is more important than knowing
what to do.” It has helped me think very clearly while taking both
personal and professional decisions. Even when something fails
badly, it still teaches you what mistake not to do or repeat the
next time, and this mindset has been very helpful for me.
Uth Series 2025 • U30 Business Leaders | 37