From battlefield to boardroom: Mapping veterans' corporate transition on 75th Republic Day

India’s top military veterans have transitioned from their command positions to become corporate titans after retiring.

Over the decades, India’s top military veterans have transitioned from their command positions to become corporate titans after retiring. These heroes, who put their lives on the line for years on end, are now navigating the intricacies of the business world with the same precision and dedication that defined their military service.

As India celebrates its 75th Republic Day, Moneycontrol sheds light on how these former warriors are bringing a unique set of skills and leadership qualities to boardrooms across the nation.

Having devoted 15 years to the Indian Naval Special Force, Marine Commando, and trained with America’s famed SEALS, Rajesh Kumar played pivotal roles in operations such as 26/11 Operation Black Tornado at the Taj and contributed to Operation Prakram.

On December 26, 2004, which happened to be Kumar’s wedding anniversary, he was abruptly sent to Sri Lanka with his team after the devastating tsunami. Amidst the grim task of clearing dead bodies at Galle Harbour, he learnt new lessons in resilience and teamwork.

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“Enduring 15 challenging days, we tackled debris and dead bodies, extending the operation to three months. Despite the initial chaos, three months later, we found solace in Sri Lanka, symbolising hope, and recovery,” said Kumar, who is currently the Security Leader for GE Aerospace in Bengaluru.

This ordeal significantly influenced Kumar’s corporate approach—maintaining hope amid adversity, valuing teamwork, and understanding that leadership requires a positive demeanour.

Overall, his guiding principle in every environment remains clear adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs). “In the special force, it meant safety from bullets; in the corporate world, it signifies process-driven teamwork,” Kumar added.

‘Pre-planning’

During the pandemic, Colonel Gursharn Deep Singh Bajwa was posted as Administrative Commandant at a large military station with a population of approximately 60,000-70,000 combatants and civilians, immediately after the first wave of COVID-19.

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Later, the second wave engulfed the nation. “Due to meticulous planning, strict ingress and egress control at the gates, followed by a vaccination drive, I could ensure that the death count in the station was negligible,” Bajwa said.

Retiring in May 2023 after 30 years in the Indian Army, the same experience is helping him supervise emergency support as Director of Operations at Yodda Elder Care Technologies.

In the corporate world, Bajwa’s skills in analysis and planning came in handy in his role, especially during agitations, festivals and traffic jams. This was necessary as Yodda offers a community-based platform to assist seniors during emergencies.

‘Ownership of decisions’

Since retiring from the Army, Colonel Gaurav Dimri has served in leadership positions in the human resources (HR) departments of two large organisations: Trident Group and Sharda Group, his current employer. Although he feels the principles of leadership in uniform and the corporate world are largely similar, the transition has brought a few new lessons as well.

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“A military leader is trained to make quick decisions in a dynamic operating environment, thereby requiring a very high tolerance for ambiguity. This also involves issuing orders and ensuring their time-bound execution. These are equally applicable for a corporate leader, while working in a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) environment,” said Dimri, who is Director of HR at Sharda Group.

Other aspects of a military leader’s character include adherence to ethics, ownership of decisions, empathy for all, and acumen to distinguish between “error of intent” and “error of judgement” while dealing with mistakes.

According to Dimri, these facets enabled him to prevent disciplinary action and the possible sacking of a junior employee when an error resulted in material and financial loss. “The incident was the result of an error of judgement and not an intentional act. Analysing the incident brought out the right corrective measures instead of laying the blame on one individual,” he said.