The January-March 2016 Times

AN IN-HOUSE MAGAZINE OF VOL. 7 No.01 | PUBLISHED FROM

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Sharekhan turns Goregaon branch Heart-to-heart with 16 in style! bullish on 2016 Sheru Ajith Rao Dear Sherus, The March 2016 Times AN IN-HOUSE MAGAZINE OF SHAREKHAN VOL. 7 No.01 | PUBLISHED FROM MUMBAI Hi, hello and namaste! It is good to talk to you again. I am sure you used the long weekend to recharge your batteries and are now ready to take on the new financial year! Well, financial year 2017 is going to be crucial for us.

Our company is poised at the threshold of a very defining moment and all set to embrace the promising future that is about to unfold. We are looking forward to scaling new heights of success and taking the opportunities presented to us in the coming days. We will, among other things, have more resources and a wider product range at our disposal to ensure the tiger roars and rises to the top.

Tiger roars at the NSDL Meanwhile, what else is cooking? Well, Sharekhan is collecting awards for one. On awards ceremony pages 3-5 our cover story talks of Sharekhan’s superlative performance at the NSDL

Sharekhan turns Goregaon branch Heart-to-heart with 16 in style! bullish on 2016 Sheru Ajith Rao Star Performer Awards 2015 in December last year.

Then, in keeping with our focus on educating clients, our Goregaon branch organised a seminar on market outlook for its clients recently. We have a report on page 6.

Their job is to protect us and our family and it leaves them little time to do financial planning for their family. Read how Hemendra and his team are trying to help army men out on page 7 and then on page 8 find Hemendra squeezed in a nutshell.

Mutual funds are the smarter way to invest in equities was the message of the seminar conducted by our branches in Delhi in alliance with Reliance Asset Management Committee a few months back. Our report on page 9 has the details.

All work and no play makes Sharekhan a dull tiger. That is why Sharekhan partied hard when it turned 16 in February this year. For all those who could not make it to the birthday party we captured the best moments of the party on pages 14-17 .

Within a few weeks of Sharekhan turning 16, some branches in its Vadodara cluster Speak celebrated their 10th anniversary in a noble way. Read their story on pages 18-19.

A thriving and growing business needs a larger place and so it came as no surprise when our Opera House branch shifted to a bigger and better place in Mumbai itself. Turn to pages 10-11 for the photographs of the house-warming party.

Talking of photographs, enjoy on pages 12-13 a heart-to-heart with Ajith Rao, who is an amateur photographer and whose work you may have often seen in this periodical.

On page 20 we remember young, warm-hearted and soft-spoken Sheru Ketan Lakhani, who was snatched away from us prematurely by a sudden illness recently.

Turn to page 21 for a brief report on a health check camp organised by our Human resource department in Mumbai recently.

We have an interesting quiz on page 22. A gift voucher of Rs1,000 could be your reward if you crack it. Meanwhile the three lucky winners of Business Quiz 46 are Mihir Koralwala, Leena Chawande and Dhiren Gala. Congratulations, dear winners! You will receive your prizes shortly.

Before taking your leave, I would like to thank all those who helped us in bringing out this colourful edition. You may send me your contributions for the next edition of the Sharekhan Times at [email protected].

Happy reading and take care!

Priya

2 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Cover Story

ector, of NSDL , a nd Rajesh Doshi, sr. executive dir with GV Nageswara Rao, CMD , Jason Rodney and Joby John From L to R: Sharekhan's Pravin Darji

On December 5, 2015, National Securities Depository Ltd Tiger roars (NSDL) announced the NSDL Star Performer Awards 2015 in Mumbai and being the leader in the industry (in the non- banking space) Sharekhan won big time at the award at the NSDL ceremony with two major honours. awards It was declared a winner in the "Top Performer in New Accounts" category for opening the second highest number of accounts. It won the second award in the Go Green Initiative ceremony category for making optimum use of Speed-e, a common Internet Infrastructure that enables Depository Participants (DPs) to provide depository services to their clients, and of SPICE, a facility for auto pay-in of securities using the infrastructure of SPEED-e and IDeAS.

The achievement underlines the importance of team work as the dedication and hard work of several teams, including Marketing, Operations, Compliance, Customer service , IT and Sales teams, made it possible.

There is another angle to this feat. Sharekhan has won the “Leader in Go Green Initiative” award for the second time in a row. What's more, NSDL started the Go Green Initiative award in 2014 and we have won the award in 2014 as well as 2015. So next year we hope to score a hat trick! S

3 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Cover Story

ya ra and Shankar Vai la swara Rao, Jai d p ee A o r Fro m L t Go R: V Nage NSDL honours Sharekhan for achieving 10 lakh demat accounts

Close on the heels of the NSDL awards came another feather in Sharekhan's cap. On Tuesday, February 2, 2016, the chief executive officer and managing director of National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), GV Nageswara Rao, came to Sharekhan’s Ruby office in Mumbai to honour Sharekhan for achieving the target of 10 lakh demat accounts with the depository. At the end of a brief meeting with Shankar Vailaya and Jaideep Arora, Mr Rao handed a memento to the two directors of Sharekhan, expressing his appreciation of the achievement.

Mr Rao was accompanied by Rajesh Doshi, senior executive director of the depository, and Prashant Vagal, senior vice president of the depository, and the gentlemen were visibly impressed with Sharekhan’s performance. In the non-banking financial services category, a tally of 10 lakh active accounts is an achievement by any standard. It shows that in a country where equities are still not the asset class of choice of most, Sharekhan has succeeded in introducing a good many of the retail population to the benefits of equity investing. More importantly, it reflects Sharekhan’s expanding presence through 2,300 share shops in over 575 cities of the country that reach out to over 1.3 million customers. S

4 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Cover Story Shortly after the awards ceremony, the Sharekhan Times team quizzed a group of Sherus, including those who represented Sharekhan at the awards ceremony, on the achievement. Excerpts from the interviews are presented below.

Sharekhan Times (ST): NSDL honoured Sharekhan for opening the second highest number of accounts at the NSDL Star Performer Awards 2015. Tell us what made this feat possible. Kalyanaraman: I attribute the success to five fingers which make a hand or a fist: Marketing, Operations (including Compliance), Customer service, IT support and Sales.

Kalyanar nama

ST: How do you feel about Sharekhan bagging two awards at the NSDL Star Performer Awards 2015? Pravin Darji (PD): It’s a proud moment that we have repeatedly delivered. I feel good that our efforts are appreciated. ST: This is the second consecutive win for Sharekhan in the “Go Green” category. How do you feel about it and will we get a hat-trick next year? PD: We are committed to the idea of “Go Green” and it will definitely be our endeavour to n Darji Pravi take our Go Green initiative to the next level.

ST: Were you confident of winning at the awards show? If yes, how many awards you had in mind? Joby John (JJ): We were confident of winning at least one award. The extra effort and hard work put in by all employees of Sharekhan enabled us to win multiple laurels for the company. This was fantastic team work.

ST: What initiatives did you take to ensure that Sharekhan won the “Go Green” award again? byJo John JJ: We have been working continuously to bring down the paper usage at work making use of the latest products and technology. NSDL has recognised our initiative the second time in a row and such recognitions encourage the team to become more efficient and save cost.

ST: To what or whom do you attribute this success? Jason Rodney (JR): Sharekhan is one of the few organisations that provides an environment where team leaders can feel free to utilise in the best possible way the knowledge of its team members. My experienced and knowledgeable seniors guided, motivated, and provided confidence and endless support to me and my team. The credit also goes to my entire team who undoubtedly gave their 100% to make this achievement possible.

Jason Rodney ST: What was your reaction when Sharekhan was declared a winner in the "Highest account opening" category? Also, what are your expectations for the next year? JR: The team was ecstatic! No doubt we were the winners but there’s more to be done. Last year we were on top and we need to get back to the number one position. We will be back with a bang!

5 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update

Power portfolio launched in Goregaon branch

Sherus at the Goregaon branch of Mumbai, led by Nikhil Shah, had organised a seminar on market outlook and Sharekhan products exclusively for their clients. The event was held at Ceremonia Banquet Hall, St John’s Universal School on December 19, 2015. The main speakers of the event were Hemang Jani, who discussed the market outlook, and Abhijit Panchal, who made a presentation on Top Picks and Power Portfolio, a newly launched Advisory product.

The seminar started at 06.00pm and ended at 07.45pm with a fruitful question-and-answer session followed by a sumptuous dinner.

In all, 120 clients were invited out of which 81 clients attended the seminar. The branch had a pre-closure collection of Rs43.50 lakh in Top Picks. It also received commitments of Rs29.60 lakh in Top Picks and that of Rs65.00 lakh in Power Portfolio. Mr Shah thanked Devang Kamdar, cluster head, for his guidance and advice due to which the event was successful as well as for launching Power Portfolio at the Goregaon branch. S

6 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update

What was Sharekhan doing in an army campus?

When it comes to doing something innovative, Sharekhan is always at the forefront, as was proved by Hemendra Agarwal, Mradul Verma, Atul Verma and the Bareilly team some time back. On December 04, 2015, Hemendra and his team made a presentation on financial planning to around 1,000 junior commissioned officers at an army campus. Prior to the event Atul had been in touch with a few officers for creating accounts and had met Col J Jacob and Commander Sameer Bhadauria to understand their requirements. Not only that, after two to three meetings, they were allowed to make a large-scale presentation by the commander of the unit.

The objective was to teach these junior leaders how to create wealth for the long term. The team from Sharekhan also explained the benefits of investing in mutual funds and discussed the growth story with the army men. The team took a week to make a disciplined and compelling presentation, which kept the young guns asking for more. The event couldn’t have been possible without the consent of Commander Bhadauria.

The time and efforts put in by Mradul, Nishant Mittal, Ajay Sharma, Mohammed Rafee and Shipra Pahuja in making a Hindi- English presentation to maintain the local flavour have started paying fruits with eight accounts in the process of closing and another ten looking to close in a few weeks. The branch is hopeful of making a repeat presentation to another set of cadets while Atul expects to add 40-50 accounts soon.

The event was such a big hit among the cadets that Hemendra and his team got a special request to make a presentation to another 1,000 cadets. So on February 1, 2016 the team visited the campus again and this time they also distributed 1,000 Sharekhan SIP calculators among the cadets. The overall event added a lot of value to the Sharekhan brand. Kudos to the entire team! S

7 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Sheru in a Nutshell

Hemendra

FOOD FOR MIND • Magazine: Business Today, Forbes • Website: Google, Firstpost, Value Research • Newspaper: Economic Times, Business Line • TV channel: Sony and History Channel STRESS BUSTERS • Music: Sufi songs and select Punjabi songs • Movie: “Sholay”, “In Pursuit of Happiness” • TV programme: “CID”, “TechGuru” • Hobby: Interacting with people FITNESS MANTRA • Eat: Eat little at regular intervals • Drink: Vegetable soup and apple juice • Exercise: Regular walk and stretching exercises • Avoid: Oily and chilled food as well as over thinking NOTHING MORE THAN FEELINGS • Fear: Of being unfair to anyone • Joy: With family and kid • Frustration: When things don’t meet expectations • Pride: Fatherhood, which has taught me about unconditional love and how to be a better person A MATTER OF TASTE • Beverage: Frothy tea and Sprite • Dish: Rajma, yellow daal, grilled sandwiches • Dessert: Cakes and freshly baked savouries • Restaurant: United Coffee House, 21 Salute AS I LIKE IT • Colour: Yellow, red, white • Season: Spring • Smell: Rose, chandan • City: Varanasi, Nainital YESTERDAY ONCE MORE • As a child I collected: Photographs of cricketers and cartoon stickers • I played: Basket ball • I watched: “Chanakya” and “Malgudi Days” • I read: Enid Blyton and Chacha Chaudhary • I dreamt of: Unfolding the mystery of stock markets Strictly for internal circulation

8 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update

Delhi SIPs in the opportunity of mutual fund

In line with Sharekhan’s focus on mutual funds, our Sherus in the Delhi circle had conducted a seminar on mutual funds along with Reliance Asset Management Committee (AMC). In the past, many such seminars had been conducted at a smaller scale at various branch offices and the offices of the collaborating AMCs, but these had never translated into valid sales. The event in Delhi, however, was held at a large scale and saw the participation of the Pusa Road, Barakhamba, Laxmi Nagar, Noida and Ghaziabad branches. From a list of 350-400 clients, around 130 were rigorously followed up and out of these 70 attended the seminar.

The seminar was held at Hotel Emerald, Connaught Place, Delhi on December 19, 2015. Gaurav Kapoor started the seminar with a corporate presentation, later Nitin Srivastava from Reliance AMC delivered a very interactive presentation, and finally Nishant Mittal (manager of Sharekhan's branch in Ghaziabad) ended the seminar with a presentation on the market outlook followed by high tea.

That the event was successful is evident from the fact that it got about Rs2.5 lakh assets on the spot (a mix of lump sum and SIP investments). Till now, the count is Rs5.5 lakh in lump sum and 42 clients have started monthly SIP of Rs85,000 each. The branch hopes to collect another Rs12-15 lakh in a few days. Clients were very happy attending the event and the branch feels that the seminar started a wave of SIP and expects a good number of SIPs to be enrolled over the next few days.

When you think that’s all, Gaurav says that they are bullish on 2016 and have lined up more such seminars in Lucknow, Gurgaon, south Delhi and Faridabad in association with different asset management companies.

We need to applaud the efforts of the Sherus behind this event. Way to go, Gaurav Kapoor, Shipra Pahuja, Abhinav Nanda, Nishant Mittal, Avinash Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Manish Verma, Mayur Agarwal and Hemendra Agarwal (their mentor who has been guiding and encouraging them for the past several years)! S

9 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update Opera branch shifts to BKC

When your business is growing and everything seems to be getting bigger, you need a larger and better place to move in. And that’s what Sherus from our Opera House branch have done. The Opera House branch, which was among the first few branches to be opened by Sharekhan, recently shifted lock, stock and barrel to ONE BKC building in the Bandra- Kurla Complex (BKC), a planned commercial complex in the suburbs of Mumbai, on January 4, 2016.

On March 18, 2016 the branch threw a house-warming party of sorts to which it invited its high net worth individual clients from the diamond industry, retail clients and potential clients as well as the top executives of Sharekhan and BNP Paribas. The office was decked up for the occasion with flowers et al.

10 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update

Rajiv Javeri, the soft-spoken manager of the branch, took some time out of the celebrations to speak to the Sharekhan Times. We present excerpts from the interview below.

Sharekhan Times (ST): What was the reason behind moving the branch to BKC? Rajiv Javeri (RJ): With changing times and ever changing business scenario like shifting of diamond trade from Opera House to BKC, the need of the hour was to move out of the comfort zone, think differently and make things happen. The focus as of now is on being in proximity to big diamond merchants and catering to their needs of wealth management through proper guidance.

ST: How do you expect the new location to aid the business? RJ: The BKC area as of now boasts of being the address of big corporate giants like oil companies, banks, hospitals and above all, , which has all diamond merchants operating from a centralised location. The location offers immense growth opportunities and our presence here would aid our business in the coming years. S

11 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Heart-to-Heart with Ajith Rao

Our guest this time is someone who literally loves to work behind the camera. All the photographs of the branch events in the south are Ajith Rao’s clicks.

Ajith joined Sharekhan’s branch in 2002 and was present when the company started its operations in . He started as a dealer, but as part of an excellent management policy that rewarded the performing and hardworking employees, Ajith was promoted to the post of Branch Manager, Kochi branch in 2007. Now he takes care of the branches in the Kerala region.

Ajith did his post graduation in commerce from Kerala University. Ajith Rao During his graduation days at St Paul’s College, his commerce professor spotted his interest in the stock market and advised him to take it up as a profession. The professor also directed him to the , where Ajith started his career in the stock market as a sub-broker on the outcry trading floor in the early 90s. Though he says that he has seen many ups and downs, and good and bad events in the stock market, yet till date Ajith thoroughly enjoys his profession. He defines his job as very challenging and exciting.

If not in the stock market, he says, he would have been a photographer, which talks about his passion for photography. He takes pride in saying that all the branch meet photos published in the Sharekhan Times are borne out of his clicks.

Besides work, Ajith loves to give much more to the society than he has received. He is associated with several non- government organisations that help the economically weaker section and senior citizens. He supports these organisations by providing education and medical assistance.

Channaraj, cluster head, Chennai, has a long list of qualities when it comes to describing Ajith. He says Ajith is aggressive, motivating, disciplined, bold and hyperactive. Ajith shares a good rapport with clients and organises lunches for them every year on the auspicious occasion of . He also celebrates all the major festivals and functions with clients and branch colleagues. And just when you think that’s all there’s to him, he takes it a notch higher: he even takes his team and their families for a day trip every year.

To sum it up, Ajith feels he’s very lucky to be associated with Sharekhan and enjoys the support, care and love of all his colleagues in Sharekhan. In a recent interview to the Sharekhan Times, he talked of his interests, likes and much more. We present excerpts below.

12 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Heart-to-Heart with Ajith Rao

Sharekhan Times (ST): When and how did you begin your career? Ajith Rao (AR): I started my career in the stock market during my graduation days as a part-time Straight sub-broker at the Cochin Stock Exchange, thanks to from the my commerce professor who had spotted my interest heart in the stock market. ST: Share your memories of the first day at Sharekhan. AR: I joined Sharekhan as an equity dealer in 2002. I was a little nervous during the initial days, but was ÜWhat’s the last book you read? determined to prove myself. “Life of Swami Vivekananda” by Eastern and Western Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. ST: What do you like to do in your free time? ÜWhat is your favourite television show? Cartoon shows. AR: As a member of an NGO, Seva Bharati, I do ÜA movie you can watch over and again? involve in social activities to provide education and “Munna Bhai MBBS”. medical aid for the deprived class. ÜIf you could pick anyone in the world to be your neighbour, who would you pick and why? ST: What's been your most memorable moment at Anyone who works hard to protect his family, value and Sharekhan so far? culture, and helps the society and the poor. It will help me improve. AR: It was receiving the “Best performing branch” ÜIf you wanted to change your name, what name would you award from Tarun Bhai in 2011-12, the worst year for change it to? I don’t want to change my name as I believe Ajith Rao is the the stock market in recent times. best available name in the world. ST: Can you advise our readers on how to pick up a ÜWhat’s the one thing about you that nobody would ever guess? winning stock? That I am a very hard nut to crack. AR: Do invest for long term, pick a stock with good ÜAs a child what did you think you were going to be when you grew up? fundamentals and with research support, be ready to A cricketer like Kapil Dev. exit if the stock is not performing as expected. And ÜDo you believe in God? remember, never marry a share. Of course, what I am now is only because of God. ÜWhat are your best memories of college? ST: Do you remember your very first trade? Did you Bunking classes to play cricket tournaments. make a profit on it? ÜWhat are your worst memories of school? AR: Sold 200 Satyam Computer physical shares Standing in front of principal’s room as punishment. received in IPO at Rs18 in early 90s. I made Rs1,600 in ÜYou have a natural talent for? Making good friends and convincing people. profit. ÜWho is your role model and why? My parents, because they have struggled a lot to make me ST: You love working in the stock broking industry happy, especially my father who taught me to care of the because…? society and the poor along with my family. AR: It’s very challenging, each day is new, lot of new ÜWhat is your favourite holiday spot? Any village or hill station in India. things to learn every time and you can be in touch ÜOn a scale of 1 to 10 how happy are you? with the world every minute. No other job gives that 10, for me happiness is at every level. opportunity. ÜWhat is your take on the rising rate of crime against women? We have to teach the society to respect women and need very ST: Message to all other Sherus… strict laws against crimes against women. S AR: Always be ready to take up new challenges, keep on implementing new ideas to improve yourself, be trustworthy, simple and responsible. S

13 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update Sharekhan turns 16 in style!

Sharekhan’s birthday is an event that all Sherus look forward to. Every year it is celebrated at the headquarters as well as the branches with a lot of enthusiasm. This year as Sharekhan turned 16, Sherus across the country celebrated the milestone by cutting cake and distributing sweets. As always a big party was thrown in Mumbai, Sharekhan’s birth place. The birthday was celebrated at the Kamal Amrohi Studio in the Jogeshwari suburb of the city two days in advance, ie on February 6, 2016, which happened to be a Saturday and hence was perfect for partying. Those who attended the party later bragged to their near and dear ones about the regal entrance with red carpet and all that made them all feel like stars.

Life-sized cut-outs of Sharekhan posing at iconic tourist attractions of Mumbai had been installed at strategic points to allow Sherus to take a selfie with the Tiger himself and sure Sherus made good of the opportunity to get in the same frame with Sharekhan. It was a fun-filled evening all along and the excitement could be felt in the air, with Sherus flying kites, playing cricket and experiencing the thrill of live casino games like roulette and teen patti that had been organised for them. What’s more, there were counters for funfair and other entertainment games which too were a great hit with all. Many of our colleagues from Ruby and Kanjurmarg offices also performed dances in the evening which kept the rest of us enthralled. As they say, no party of Sharekhan can end without some mouth-watering food. So, several lip-smacking cuisines were spread across the table and Sherus could be seen having their fill. Get a glimpse of the birthday party in the photos below. S Look who’s arrived

14 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update Let’s play

Kai po che

Strike a pose

Attention, please

15 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update

Disco deewane

In rapt attention

16 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update

Treat your taste buds

Shake a leg

No mean Feat Back to books and how! Most people won’t think of getting back to studies once they start earning a living. While some say that it is hard getting back to books, there are those who hate the thought of mugging up pages of piles of books in order to pass an exam. But in order to excel in any career you need to learn new skills. Thus, education is the cornerstone of success. We have a Sheru who loves to keep himself updated and feels education is the best way to stay ahead. Sheru Neelakantan, Senior Manager – Commodities and Currency (Tamil Nadu), recently successfully completed his PhD in Management “Behavioral Finance–A Special Study on Investor Psychology”. Neelakantan’s association with Sharekhan is more than a decade old, he had joined Sharekhan as a relationship manager and rose gradually to the post of regional manager — Commodities and Currency. His recent success proves his thirst for knowledge. What’s more, by completing 7 Certification of NCFM/NISM modules, he has proved that he is a keen learner too and likes to keep himself up to date. By now Neel must have already drawn up plans to take up something new. Congratulations, Neel! S

17 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation No mean Feat

Ten years and going strong

March 1, 2016 will be etched as a glorious date in the history of some branches of Sharekhan in the Vadodara cluster. Completing 10 years of successful operations is a proud moment for all the Sherus working in the Ahmedabad Navrangpura, Ahmedabad Online, Maninagar and Mehsana branches of the Vadodara cluster. In the past 10 years, Sharekhan has grown extensively in Ahmedabad with stable business and operations. While the Vadodara team swears to live up to the expectations of the management, they also expect the coming years to be a glorious era for them.

This is what Kunal Sheth, branch head, Ahmedabad, had to say about completing 10 unbeaten years: “We have grown here from immature kids to matured managers and we thank the organisation for the same. The Tiger has always stood by us in our ups and down. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support and blessings of all the seniors and mentors.”

While this was the time for them to celebrate, the Sherus in Ahmedabad thought why not celebrate the occasion in a simple and noble way. To celebrate this milestone, the team organised a blood donation camp in association with an NGO, Prathma. What a way to celebrate! More than 30 Sherus from the Ahmedabad branch donated their precious blood, which would help the needy. And if you think that the blood donation camp must have kept them dizzy and in need of some rest, you’re wrong. By evening, all the Sherus were on their toes to shake a leg at the DJ party. Besides dancing, the Sherus filled their tummies with a scrumptious spread of Kathiawadi cuisine.

Kunal feels that pulling off this feat wouldn’t have been possible without the constant guidance of Anahita Vora, head of the Vadodara cluster, and the hard work put in by the entire team of Ahmedabad. Recently Kunal and Anahita spoke to the Sharekhan Times. Excerpts from the interview are presented here.

Sharekhan Times (ST): What’s that one thing that has motivated you and your team for these 10 years? Kunal Sheth (KS): Constant guidance from superiors and work culture has motivated the team to work at this place for more than 10 years. Sharekhan has always stood by us. We have grown in this company as individuals a s well as a unit.

ST: Did you have any targets? Did you achieve them? KS: When I took over branch in 2012 I always had a target (Dream) that branch should achieve Top 10 position, because Ahmedabad deserved its share. With the grace of God and my mentors and colleagues, we are able to achieve it in the financial year 2015-16. Also, the entire credit of this successful journey goes to the team of Ahmedabad. It was their efforts that made the wish come true. Thanks for being such a wonderful team. LET’S DREAM AGAIN!!!

ST: As a cluster head, how do you feel about a group of branches in your purview completing 10 years of operations? Anahita Vora (AV): I am elated and proud to see quite a few of my branches completing 10 years this year. We have survived the ups and downs of the stock market in the last 10 years when several broking houses have had to shut down their shops during the same period. I am happy to have quite a few old team members who have been with us since the inception of these branches and who have helped us to stay ahead and survive in all kinds of situations. I would like to thank each one of them for making Sharekhan a very important player in their cities.

18 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation No mean Feat

To survive one has to be ready to adapt to change and I think the ability of the team to adapt to different situations and adapting to selling various products have helped us being in the market for long. I hope and pray that this successful journey continues.

ST: How have you motivated the team during hard times? AV: I believe that effective communication with one's team helps to do well in all situations. As leaders we need to have foresight and prepare our team members fo r the unexpected . By continuously updating them and guiding them to adapt to change, they have been taught to face difficult situations. H ence , they don’t feel stressed but are ready to meet challenges. Involving them in important decisions, having regular team meetings, discussions, presentations, various marketing activities and award functions have helped in motivating the team.

Encouraging them to celebrate their achievements and implement new ideas has also helped in motivating the team. S

19 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation In Memoriam

Ketan Lakhani (14.7.1977 - 7.4.2016)

Come rain or motormen’s strike, he would always be there;

And yet, today he is no more.

Friends, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the loss of Sheru Ketan Lakhani, who lost his battle with cancer on April 7, 2016.

Ketan was just 38, in the prime of his life, doing well in his profession and making a difference to all around him in his own quiet way. An HNI relationship manager, Ketan was known as much for his punctuality as for dedication to work.

In the nine years that he spent at Sharekhan, he was always the first to report and the last to leave the HNI Cell. But today his desk wears a lost look. True, soon the desk will be occupied by another but nobody can fill the void that Ketan’s untimely demise has left in the heart of his near and dear ones.

Ketan’s soft-spoken nature and smiling face had endeared him to his colleagues and that is how they would like to remember him always.

Devangg Kamdar, his mentor, remembers Ketan as one of the most sincere, punctual and hardworking team members, and shares, “Ketan was soft- spoken and believed in Jain philosophy. Apart from following food restrictions as per his religion, he believed in not hurting any person by even harsh words or thoughts. I still remember his smiling face and will miss him.” His colleagues from HNI cell had this to say of Ketan, “He was dedicated and committed to work. He was a good team player and participated in all team activities. He was hard-working and enjoyed his work. He was a true friend and we will always remember him as an excellent human being. We all miss you a lot, Ketan.” Ketan is survived by his mother. We Here Ketan (in centre) is seen with his mourn Ketan’s untimely demise colleagues (L-R), Amit Phadnis, Mihir Shah, Shashank Shetye, and Nilesh Vasudeo and pray his mother finds the strength to bear the irreparable loss.

We miss you, Ketan! S

20 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Event Update

Health is wealth

A timely health check is very important as it helps in diagnosing diseases early. Yet sometimes due to work pressure we are unable to take out time for this very important task. The good news is that thanks to an initiative of our Human Resource department, Sherus in Mumbai now get regular health checks at their work. Thus, a health check camp was arranged for Sharekhan employees at Ruby office from 11am to 4pm on January 18, 2016. Sherus availed of this facility in large numbers. The extensive list of health checks included checking body mass index, blood pressure, random blood sugar, doctor’s consultation and ECG, if recommended by the doctor. Besides, eye and dental check-up were also offered. Hope all the Sherus are in good health; if not, do pay heed to the doctor’s advice! S

21 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation Time-pass Corner

This edition's quiz will test your general knowledge and tell you how attentive you are while browsing through the newspaper in the morning. All complete and correct entries received before April 30, 2015 will be eligible for a draw and three lucky Sherus will win a gift voucher of Rs1,000 each. So put on your thinking caps and roll (contest not open to the contributor, his friends, relatives and neighbours at Sharekhan). You may address your replies to [email protected]. S # 47

1) Everyone loves to write on walls because of this company. a) Orkut b) Twitter c) Foursquare d) Facebook

2) People call him the “King of Good Times”; we know him as: a) Anand Mahindra b) Richard Branson c) Vijay Mallya d) Warren Buffet

3) He’s known as the “Missile Man of India”, who is he? a) Manmohan Singh b) APJ Abdul Kalam c) Verghese Kurien d) Raghuram Rajan

4) They call him the “Oracle of Omaha”, his name is: a) Elon Musk b) Mark Zuckerberg c) Jeff Bezos d) Warren Buffett

5) He’s a shy, value investor and owns D-Mart: a) Ramesh Damani b) Rakesh Jhunjhunwala c) RK Damani d) SP Tulsian

6) They call him the Warren Buffett of India, do you know him? a) Ramesh Damani b) Rakesh Jhunjhunwala c) RK Damani d) SP Tulsian

Answers to Business Quiz #46

1. Chanda Kochhar 4. Arundhati Bhattacharya 2. Anand Mahindra 5. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw 3. Anil Ambani 6. N. R. Narayana Murthy

SHAREKHANSHAREKHAN QUIZQUIZ ## 4646 WINNERSWINNERS

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Mihir Koralwala Leena Chawande Dhiren Gala

22 The SHAREKHAN Times | Jan-Mar 2016 Strictly for internal circulation