Meet Avani Davda, the youngest CEO in Tata Group
At 34, Avani Davda is the
youngest CEO in the Tata Group. But, age or balancing a family, hasn't stopped
this young leader from reaching great heights. Under her guidance, the 50/50
venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages Limited
celebrates the opening of the 50th Starbucks outlet in India. We get chatting
to Davda about the future of Starbucks, her work-life balance and how she
prefers not to begin her day with a caffeine kick.
Age no bar
I never thought of myself as the youngest CEO. The culture of the group is not such that you keep tabs on age. Earlier, the leaders were relatively older but today there are so many young leaders in the company. I respect that they have given me a task that requires responsibility. My goal is to deliver on that trust.
Diversity matters
If you look at the Tata Group, you will find a lot of women in leadership roles across fields. Starbucks especially is a world of equals, according to me. Howard Schultz (Starbucks CEO) has pushed for team spirit and diversity.
On increasing competition
We are not in the coffee business serving people; we are in the people business serving coffee. We are the Third Place, between work and home. What sets us apart from the rest is that we have a human touch. Customers today crave simple human connections. Starbucks stores have always been community gathering places where people can connect over a cup of coffee.
Cheers to... milk?
I wasn't exposed to varieties of coffee earlier and only discovered the beverage during my training for this job. I drink about two cups a day and I love vanilla latte. The Kenyan and East African blends, which are spicy, are some of the coffees I enjoy. However, I start my day with a cup of chilled milk. During the day I drink green tea. I am hooked to Oprah chai.
The future of Starbucks
Something the consumer can look forward to soon is food pairings and coffee. I recently tried the India Estate Blend coupled with sweet potatoes with a dash of lemon and I was blown away.
Travel tales
My husband is a big coffee lover — even though I make a better cup of coffee. We love to travel as well. I've been saving up to visit Spain and France. Italy has a great coffee culture — it's where the Starbucks story started. When I was there I understood what Howard (Schultz) must have felt so many years ago when he tried that first shot back in Italy.
Learnings from my professional journey
Age no bar
I never thought of myself as the youngest CEO. The culture of the group is not such that you keep tabs on age. Earlier, the leaders were relatively older but today there are so many young leaders in the company. I respect that they have given me a task that requires responsibility. My goal is to deliver on that trust.
Diversity matters
If you look at the Tata Group, you will find a lot of women in leadership roles across fields. Starbucks especially is a world of equals, according to me. Howard Schultz (Starbucks CEO) has pushed for team spirit and diversity.
On increasing competition
We are not in the coffee business serving people; we are in the people business serving coffee. We are the Third Place, between work and home. What sets us apart from the rest is that we have a human touch. Customers today crave simple human connections. Starbucks stores have always been community gathering places where people can connect over a cup of coffee.
Cheers to... milk?
I wasn't exposed to varieties of coffee earlier and only discovered the beverage during my training for this job. I drink about two cups a day and I love vanilla latte. The Kenyan and East African blends, which are spicy, are some of the coffees I enjoy. However, I start my day with a cup of chilled milk. During the day I drink green tea. I am hooked to Oprah chai.
The future of Starbucks
Something the consumer can look forward to soon is food pairings and coffee. I recently tried the India Estate Blend coupled with sweet potatoes with a dash of lemon and I was blown away.
Travel tales
My husband is a big coffee lover — even though I make a better cup of coffee. We love to travel as well. I've been saving up to visit Spain and France. Italy has a great coffee culture — it's where the Starbucks story started. When I was there I understood what Howard (Schultz) must have felt so many years ago when he tried that first shot back in Italy.
Learnings from my professional journey
Working closely in RK Krishna Kumar's (Director, Tata Sons) office gave me immense exposure in business strategy and planning. The key learnings that I live by are:
- Being honest, at work or with family. Being truthful and setting right expectations at both fronts always works.
- Finding people who share your common values. In the long run, this is the core that will work to reach the heights that you have together set out to achieve.
- If you have the determination and passion, you will find the way to accomplish your goals. It is not easy and takes courage.
By Glynda Alves, ET Bureau | 30 Jul, 2014,
10.25AM IST
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