Kraft Foods MD on his life, work and dreams

Vishal Tikku is easy to spot thanks to his big moustache. Jet-black with the tips impeccably styled to point skywards, Vishal's handlebar is very often an icebreaker at parties. "It definitely helps start conversations and people remember me by it,'' says the Managing Director of Kraft Foods Middle East and Africa for the GCC Shared Services.

But his moustache is not the only reason he's well known. A man who firmly believes in giving back to the community, last year Vishal helped organise a charity event where 150 employees put together 5,000 food packages to help victims of the devastating famine and floods in Somalia and Pakistan.

The packages included things like breakfast drinks, cheese and biscuits and were distributed by the UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA), a key partner in the company's community-related efforts.

"Part of being a global corporate business is being a global corporate citizen. Giving back to the community has always been part of the company's culture and mission, and we are keen to make a difference in our communities," he says.

Vishal was born and raised in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. After earning a degree in marketing, he worked at advertising agency Ogilvy India before moving to Dubai in the late Eighties and later joining Unilever Arabia as a Management Trainee.

Vishal lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for five years before joining Kraft Foods Middle East & Africa in Dubai as Marketing Director in December 2004. Three years later, he was promoted to Managing Director, Saudi Arabia then became the Managing Director – GCC and ME Shared Services.

"I love the world of marketing and believe that to succeed in this field it is important to understand the needs of people and work to deliver those," he says. "I think marketing begins with innate curiosity and is much more than plain communication. It's about understanding why people do what they do and getting into someone's mind to see how things work from their point of view," Vishal says. "Only after that kind of empathy can you work to fulfil the needs of people."

Vishal strongly believes we need to recognise and honour women who are helping improve society. "We have partnered with UN Women - the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women globally - for the 2012 edition of Philadelphia Spread Some Inspiration campaign.'' Of all the strong, inspirational women, three are recognised by the campaign each year. This year - on March 8, International Women's Day - the well-known social worker and founder of the Dhaka Project and Maria Cristina Foundation Maria Conceicao was awarded $10,000 (Dh36,731) to support her cause. The runners up - Reem Shaath, who raised funds for charity causes and Suad Al Feraih, the author of My Life with Celiac and founder, Kuwaiti Celiac Patients Support Group - will each received $5,000.

"During July-August, Philadelphia Cream Cheese will be donating eight per cent of its sales towards UN Women projects in the region. These funds will be channelled to developing women's opportunities for leadership and socioeconomic empowerment,'' he says.

"I was very inspired by the stories of many women who have found time to dedicate to others and who work selflessly in society. We are now in our third year of honouring women who are working on community projects in the region,'' he says.

Vishal appears to have found a work-life balance. "It's all about keeping the big picture in focus, but at the same time taking time off to appreciate the smaller pleasures in life such as playing golf, spending time with my pet dog Snoop, an Irish Setter, or photography,'' he says. Vishal also enjoys unwinding with family, including his wife Reena and his sons Varun, 19, and Vishnu, 15.

Friday sat down with him to find out more: 

Work

For a few years while I was in college, I wanted to pursue law because I enjoyed arguing. But once I started to learn more about marketing I began to develop a passion for it and gave up the idea of becoming a lawyer.

I've always been flexible, communicative and an extrovert. Being the youngest in a family of three brothers, I learnt the art of peaceful negotiation. It was imperative in order to avoid getting beaten up and bullied. I learnt the basics of communication and marketing at home - and it's not about the hard sell.

I believe, if you truly understand the needs of a group of people and deliver those goods or services to them, you do not need to be aggressive about selling it.

I did my MBA at Lucknow University, specialising in marketing and went on to learn the basics of my profession at Ogilvy Advertising in New Delhi. I moved to the Middle East in the early Eighties and worked in marketing with a few firms before I joined Kraft Foods in 2004.

At work I am an easy-going person. My strategy is about giving space to everyone and allowing them to do things their way. I think one of the myths we often believe is that the guy who is running the business knows best. That's not true. I think it's the team that knows how to work things out. I am just a sounding board, tweaking their working styles, making some suggestions.

The guys who actually do the work out there in the field know the most. As a leader I provide them with a wider perspective and guide them. I would say I am privileged to have a good set of people working for me.

The other principles I believe in are forming a bond of trust with clients, keeping things simple and uncomplicated at work and maintaining a balance between your head (reason) and heart (emotion). I believe in doing the right thing at all times and I definitely don't believe in agendas.

Living and working in Saudi Arabia was a humbling experience. I got the chance to closely see the life of Arab families and realised they have a strong community-living experience. Having this deeper understanding of Arab culture helps me plan strategies for marketing and advertising my products in the region.

I believe it is important to be innovative and to constantly keep pushing the boundaries to stay ahead of the competition. To that end I have worked on many strategies on products such as Tang, a fruit flavoured breakfast drink, by introducing new flavours and changing the packaging to make it more attractive to people here among other things

Play

I was greatly influenced by my father who had to leave his hometown Srinagar in Kashmir when he was in his 30s with just a few belongings following the violence there at the time. He and his siblings settled in Lucknow and were forced to start again from scratch. Never a man to give up easily, he worked hard to earn his flying licence and then joined the state government as a pilot flying VIPs. I learnt a lot from him - determination, adaptability and to rely on your inner strength to take you forward. He helped support the family and managed to get his sisters married even as he was setting up his own family. He died at the age of 80.

I came to Dubai in 1989, the year I got married. I've spent 23 years here and about five years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I've known my wife since we were teenagers. Her sister was my classmate and was the smart one in our class, so I used to go to her place to borrow notes, clarify doubts and I met Reena there.

My idea of leisure is spending quality time with my family or playing golf. That is a game where the strategy matters more than your skill. Examining the course, and planning your shots unwinds me completely. It is like playing against yourself and so I'm constantly trying to improve my game, which is a good thing. I have been able to make many friends at the Emirates Golf Club where I play and am working hard on lowering my handicap, which is 15.

Being associated with a company that markets some of the most popular brands around the world, I truly understand food. But good food for me is not always about gourmet stuff. Even today, my dream dinners are still from the streets of Lucknow where you get the world's best Mughlai food - kebabs, biryani and korma!

I love photography and although I haven't wielded a camera for a long time, if I had the choice of an alternate profession I would really fancy a job as a photographer, maybe for National Geographic, and go on assignment to Africa!

Dream

It has always been my dream to leave a mark on whatever I do in life. I would like to take my business in this region to another level. I would like to work on our export model and make it more hands-on than it is now.

I would like to plan more marketing strategies to consolidate and expand our reach here by understanding the needs of the consumer and also working on developing a bigger regional presence.

On a personal level, my dream is of getting my golf handicap down.

I do have a few dreams for our children - want to see them grow up to be well adjusted, happy people who contribute to society.