Devraj Sanyal, MD (South Asia), Universal Music says the strategic gamble played with the alternate business model in music was one of the absolute moment for him.

Multi Screen Media's Nitesh Kripalani talks about how presenting a corporate strategy to UK telecommunications giant British Telecom changed his career path. Kripalani also shares what keeps him motivated.

Anoop Prakash has not only put Harley-Davidson ahead in India, but also developed the leisure biking market, a segment that hardly existed when Harley entered India.

Rajiv Mehta, MD, Puma India says he likes working with start-ups as they are a bunch of entrepreuners who are out there to prove themselves.   

The Senior Vice President and General Manager (English Entertainment) of the company says the big break came in 2008 when he was giving an additional responsibility of content and creative in addition to marketing in VH1.

As the first employee of the India operations of British multinational United Biscuits (UB), Jayant Kapre has been instrumental in building the business from the ground up in just five years.

Sarajit's Self Development Plan. That's the headline in bold on an A4 size paper pinned to a soft board in Sarajit Jha's cabin at his Hyderabad office. The 38- year-old, Chief Operating Officer of Tata Business Support Services (TBSS), has set simple rules for himself.

This computer science graduate from IIT Delhi, Prashant Gupta, and his team advise Kumar Birla on strategic and operational issues. He says he loves his job, and regards it as his golden period.

The Managing Director & Head of Macquarie Capital India's ability to connect with his clients and deep understanding of issues have helped Gaurav Gupta strike big deals for the likes of the Adani Group.

It has been a rapid rise for Tanishq's Head of Retail Gaurav Bhuwan since he was picked from the IIM Lucknow campus by watch and jewellery maker Titan in 1999.

Avani Davda, who features in Business Today's eighth listing of the Hottest Young Executives in India, knows how to get her work-life balance right. She has interacted with some of the sharpest business minds in the course of her career at the house of Tatas.

Ankur Warikoo was one of the first people Groupon hired to start and run its India business in 2011. Deal buying was the biggest phenomenon in cyberspace then. Warikoo's breakthrough moment came when he worked out a deal with the Taj Hotels (known for not getting into deal partnerships) in August last year.

Ideas strike Vasudev at the unlikeliest of places. When Vasudev is at a mall in Bangalore with his family, for example, he drops into stores to check on fashion trends and draws ideas from them. Inspiration also strikes at home.

The Morgan Stanley investment banker knows mergers and acquisitions are a long-haul game, and it is better to be slow and steady rather than slog and lose one's wicket.

As part of our eighth listing of the Hottest Young Executives in India, we profile Dunkin' Donuts India COO Dev Amritesh, who found his calling - brands and marketing - after attending a classroom lecture by Santosh Sood, then with Lintas, at IMT Ghaziabad.

Prashant Sarin is one of the most sought-after people in the consulting space.

The big break for Sanyal, who is the lead singer of a band called Brahma, came in 2004 when he joined Percept D'Mark.

As CEO of Reliance Life Insurance, the Anil Ambani-owned life insurance venture, Rau's focus is on ensuring a sustainable and profitable growth. The industry is already experiencing pain due to slowdown and regulatory intervention.

Nishant Rao, Country Manager (India), LinkedIn, the world's largest professional networking site, sees change all around him and revels in it.

Ramchandran achieved the turnaround in attrition levels by rationalising non-salary expenses, creating a flat organisation without hierarchies, and linking remuneration to merit.