Inside the Mind Of India's Leading CEOs At Entrepreneur India's 2025 Summit in Delhi, leaders of large size conglomerates shared what it takes to scale and lead successful businesses in India

A leader is a dealer in hope, said Napoleon Bonaparte, former French statesman.

For any business to thrive, leadership is the key to success. At Entrepreneur India's 2025 Summit in Delhi, top bosses of large size conglomerates shared what it takes to be a leader. It's not always about innovations, numbers or scale. It's more about people and the support system around.

"Learning is a continuous process, a boss should keep learning from the people they hire. It's important to be a life long learner, because that's what drives new ideas, and makes you wake up in the morning and walk a path of innovation," said Akarsh K. Hebbar, president, Vedanta Ltd, a company working across the mining, metal, oil and gas sector. The conglomerate is also working on technology projects and a strong backer of startups and MSMEs, the backbone of the country.

When you think of successful leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, or Barack Obama, the primary commonality between them is oratory skills. Strong communication allows leaders to clearly define their visions in a way that inspires and empowers the people around them, whether politically, personally, or professionally. Effective communication is vital to efficiency in leadership because it helps to generate rapport, build trust, and encourage collaboration towards a common goal.

Sharing a similar view, Jyoti Malhotra, MD, Volvo Cars India, said, "As a leader, I think one of the important things is communication. Communication with all stakeholders, whether it is your peers, headquarter or your whole organization, communication makes a big difference. It binds teams together and ensures productivity."

Under Malhotra's aegis the global company launched electric vehicles (EVs) in India along with strong Make In India plans. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping the company's growth in India.

Despite significant investments in training employees, organizations are left wondering why their people don't consistently grow or drive meaningful change. The truth is too many of these programs skip a crucial first step: self-discovery. Without a clear understanding of who a leader is—their strengths, blind spots, and behavioral patterns—development becomes misaligned and ineffective.

Nipun Marya, CEO, iQOO phones believes leadership is all about self-discovery. "Self-discovery isn't just helpful—it's foundational for leadership roles. I think the first step that any leader needs to undergo is self discovery and self-realization, because if you can manage your own self you can manage any business or any team," said Marya.

IQOO phones is a sub brand of smartphone leader Vivo. Vivo holds the top market share in India's smartphone market, with a 21 per cent share in Q2 2025, according to Canalys, a market research firm. IQOO is gaining ground with its top tier technology that has been shaping the smartphone gaming industry.

Leadership is vital for business because it provides direction, sets a vision, and motivates employees to achieve strategic goals. Effective leaders foster a positive culture, guide decision-making, encourage innovation, and help the company adapt to challenges, all of which are essential for driving growth and overall success.