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However the one place where friendship takes a backseat is on the football field. With a passion for football the Dempo name has now become synonyms with the sport. Living upto the reputation of his predecessors Shrinivas has invested close to million dollars into the game this year. A figure that expected to rise as Dempo goes hunting for international talent. While his A team is off touring the country making Shrinivas a very proud man; it's the spirit of the Under-18 squad which he feels needs a boost as these young players will soon be a part of Dempo's corporate football strategy.

 

Q: How's life changed for you because you've gone places quite literally and not just with business you've gone places with sport as well; how's life changed for you over the past couple of years? What would you say has been the transformational year for you in that sense?  

 

Dempo: Particularly coming from the sector that we are, business looks great. But there are threats in terms of where the future for our business lies.

 

Q: But is it the regulatory apprehension? The regulatory concerns that's weighing you down or it just a market situation what is the key concern at this point in time?

 

Dempo: The market front is an opportunity. But the key concern in this front is really how the policy is going to drive the iron ore business in general. All we are telling the government is look at countries like Australia. They have a great mining policy, per say, and till today the government is yet to come out with a clear-cut mining policy.

 

India has got plenty of resources. We've high-grade resources and we are trying in our own little way, how to expand beyond Goa.

 

Q: How soon are we actually going to see you get into that or is it just sort off waiting for a regulatory nudge in that sense?

 

Dempo: No, we are in Goa, we are going in a small way. We have a small pig iron unit, which we are trying to value-add trying to get into ductile iron pipes. So that is very much on the cards and we have made quite a lot of progress there. So looks like it's going to happen. So from that perspective we are making an entry into the steel industry but the time has come now when we are looking at projects, which are much larger. Like we are looking at a mining project in Maharashtra, which involves investment of about Rs 1,500 crore. We are looking at a Jharkhand project, which almost involves Rs 1,500 crore so its time now we are looking at...

 

Q: So it's a possible listing?

 

Dempo: Maybe I don't rule it out.

 

Out of the office and away from the aggression of the field Shrinivas enjoys spending time with his family. He acknowledges that his greatest strength is his ability to connect with people.

 

Q: Has that been the most frustrating part of being a new age manager in an old economy company in the sense. The fact that things moved slowly and the changes happened gradually?      

        

Dempo: There is, because particularly in our business even in terms of getting government approvals in terms of getting environmental approvals for the round work to really kick in it is becoming extremely difficult. We are looking very preliminary, at investing overseas. Trying to get mining leases overseas, even countries in Africa look very promising today.

 

Q: And is it easier to sort off get regulatory clearances there?

 

Dempo: It is easier to get although there also, you need a lot liaising with the government. But it's much quicker to get mining licenses to actually start ground operations very soon.

 

Q: So how soon are we going to see you make international investments?

 

Dempo: I wouldn't like to comment a firm date on it. But at least in a small way, by next year we are going to make some beginning.

 

Q: What's the sort off turnover that you are expecting in the next couple of years?

 

Dempo: If our Maharashtra project starts somewhere in the end of 2008 which we are quite bullish about; we are looking at, we are currently at about Rs 1,500 crore as group turnover. We are looking at doubling our turnover say by about 2010.