Books for Entrepreneurs: The CEO Factory - Management Lessons from Hindustan Unilever by Sudhir Sitapati

We are starting the Books for entrepreneurs series where we invite the authors of awesome business books to share about their experiences, why they wrote these books, what are the takeaways for founders, and their own journey of writing a book. publishing and distributing the book. 

For the 1st episode of this series, we were delighted to have Sudhir Sitapati, Executive Director & VP, Foods and Refreshment, Hindustan Unilever, and author of The CEO Factory.

image credit: HUL

About The CEO Factory:

For six decades Hindustan Unilever has remained among India’s top five most valuable companies. No other corporation in the world has done so well for so long. Its brands sit in most Indian homes (nine out of ten Indians use an HUL product every month), its financial indicators are among the best in Dalal street and it is famously a factory for CEOs. 

For the first time comes a book that decodes how this great business works – from a director of the company who has spent his whole career there. 

Why are there so many CEOs across industries in India who are ex-Unilever people? What is the company’s secret management training sauce? Why is marketing at the heart of every business? Why is it easier to create a new market than to grab a slice of an existing one? How is it actually smarter to stock your product in smaller quantities in a store than to aggressively push orders? And why you should never, ever believe that pricing down your product will get you more customers. 

Sharp, insightful, and entertaining, the CEO factory is an MBA course in a single book.

You can watch my conversation with Sudhir below.

https://youtu.be/wpKaLifHc-c

You can buy this book from Amazon.

Startup Stream

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"I have evolved from role of Community Builder to Startup Consultant to Startup Ecosystem Enabler to Angel Investor and now launching a Venture Studio and eChai has been a catalyst in my overall journey as Startup Evangelist since 13 years."
Mehul Shah - Co-Founder at Counselvise & Ivy Growth
Mehul Shah
Co-Founder at Counselvise & Ivy Growth
"We found eChai to be a force multiplier throughout our startup journey. Through it, we connected with folks from DevX, Allevents, Plutomen, and more - many of whom became friends of IndiaBizForSale.com and even part of our clientele."
Bhavin S Bhagat - Co-founder of Indiabizforsale and IBGrid, TiE Ahmedabad President
Bhavin S Bhagat
Co-founder of Indiabizforsale and IBGrid, TiE Ahmedabad President
"The eChai platform has been super valuable for me - it has helped me gain a deeper understanding of domains in the startup and tech ecosystem. What stands out most is the celebration of knowledge, professional growth, and entrepreneurship - it’s one of the best for the Indian ecosystem. Along the way, I’ve also been fortunate to make some great friendships and connections too."
Shalin (Shawn) Parikh - Founder, MyCPE One
Shalin (Shawn) Parikh
Founder, MyCPE One

eChai Partner Brands

eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner - working together to explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.