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Twinterview

Forbs Life

Mehmood Khan

Former Unilever Global Head of Innovation

Mehmood Khan gave up a high-flying corporate career in London to return to his roots in rural Mewat. The transition - from Unilever House in Blackfriars in the heart of London, to Nai Nangla, a village that doesn't even have a water connection - is not easy. But Khan, formerly the Global Leader of Innovation Process Development at Unilever, is doggedly pursuing his mission to lift his impoverished brethren so that they can have a decent life.

Switching Lanes: From the Fast Track to Dirt Roads
  • Forbes India : Hi all. At 2.00 pm, IST, we're going to be talking to Mehmood Khan. Details at http://business.in.com/conversation/twinterview/mehmoodkhan
  • Forbes India : To keep track of the conversation, you need to follow both us and Mehmood Khan, who is @mehmoodkhan on Twitter
  • Forbes India : If you have questions, tweet them to @forbes_india or @forbesindia and if we have time, we'll use them
  • Forbes India : Please do not tweet to @mehmoodkhan – the format is that we will moderate the session. @mehmoodkhan will not answer direct tweets.
  • Forbes India : Easy way to follow the twinterview: go to http://business.in.com/conversation/twinterview/mehmoodkhan where there's a live feed
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Looking forward to tweet at 1400 hrs
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan we're looking forward to it too! See you at 14.00 hrs.
  • Forbes India : Some links about Mehmood Khan from our pages: http://business.in.com/article/person-of-the-year-09/the-maverick/8142/1
  • Forbes India : http://business.in.com/article/beyond-business/son-of-the-soil/802/1
  • Forbes India : http://business.in.com/article/magazine-extra/mehmood-khans-rural-dreams/1272/1
  • Forbes India : A photo essay: http://business.in.com/slideshow/magazine-extra/the-rural-role-model/1292/1
  • Forbes India : A video clip: http://business.in.com/video/magazine-extra/the-return-of-mehmood-khan/1102
  • Forbes India : We're going to be talking to @MehmoodKhan in a few minutes
  • Forbes India : so, welcome to the second Forbes India Twinterview!
  • Forbes India : A reminder: you need to follow us and @mehmoodkhan to see the Twinterview unfold on your screen
  • Forbes India : Or you could go to http://business.in.com/conversation/twinterview/mehmoodkhan where there is a relay of the chat on a web page
  • Forbes India : please pardon typos and irregular upper case - we're typing live, without our ever-vigilant desk to keep on eye on errors
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Good afternoon. You're just back from a trip into the interiors and heading off again tomorrow. Thanks for making time for us.
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india My pleasure
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan We'll try not to take up too much of your time. You must be tired. Let's start with the questions.
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan What do you think of the potential of rural India?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Huge2/3rd of GDP.If rural Indis grows India will grow
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan What are the key aspirations of the village people?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Very simple.Good education,Good job(work),healthy life,Dignity and respect
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Village folks seem to have a natural risk-taking ability despite their poverty, but surprisingly ...
  • Forbes India : ... we don't have too many experiments like Nai Nangla. How can we make free-market based solutions work in villages?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india More people have to believe that rural India is big business opportunity and find collaborators to work and co-create
  • Forbes India : mehmoodkhan Nai Nangla villagers know that you are one of them.
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan But still, it should have been difficult for you to convince them to change traditional beliefs, ..
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan ..especially those relating to the status of women. How did you pull it off?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india If you educate one girl(woman),you educate a family and improves lives of the whole family....
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india So for wholesome development of India we need to keep focus on women development
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan from @gurvinderphoton but still getting girls in would have been difficult due to villagers beliefs eg gal shld work @home only
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Yes it was a challenge in the beginning.Now we got a critical mass as we have 86% girls in age range of 6-14 in school....
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india However we are faced witha new issue now.78% of the girls after 5th grade are dropping out. reason is lack of sepaarte toilets
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan that is a problem even in the cities. how are you planning to face this?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india As a country we have laws for separate toilets for girls but boils down to implementaion.We will build toilets & show be examp
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Villagers now seem to aspire for the good things in life that people in cities enjoy. ...
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Companies are vying with one another to take products to them. Some say the villagers have the right to choose, ...
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan while others say they'll end up buying things they don't need and get into a debt trap.
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan How do you think this whole development should be handled?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Absolutely.Villagers we very smart.They value their money so will buy only what they think is good for them........
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Democracy & competition and two pillars which will ensure right choice and quality
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Conitue to support democratic institutions and create fair competion.Continue to remove discrition fron Babus
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan The microfinance industry is caught in the dilemma between the ability to scale (which only a profit-led model will bring)...
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan ...and the need to keep the social focus (which restricts the MFI's expansion). What is the way out?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india This is big issue.The Micro-Credit and Finance Minister need to sit together and work on sustainable model ..........
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Because there few lending institutions at village level this gives lots of power to local bank manager who exploit this
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan How do the village youth of today differ from the village youth of, say, two decades ago?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Through the ages there is always generation gap.Today's youth is lookng for instant results due to instant information
  • Forbes India : Everyone who wants to send questions to @mehmoodkhan - we're moderating questions, so send them to @forbes_india please.
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan RT @avin_law unskilled labour is often associated with villages.how can we capitalize on human resources if they r not skilled?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Training is very important element of empowering rural India.we are working on this area with all our collaborators
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan RT @Bali_Nagpur how are you providing health care facilities to rural population in your area of operation?
  • Forbes India : Hi All. There will be a short (unscheduled) break. @mehmoodkhan is in Gurgaon at the moment, and he's just had a power outage.
  • Forbes India : ...and he's back! hurrah for inverters and UPSes! :)
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india We have very unsatisfactory situation right now.This area is like orphan child no body cares.
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india We find collaborators nd work on specific health issues eg contract operations.We have done over 1000 operations in 3years
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan RT @Uday_Gill How does mehmood compare the Emotional intellegence of rural folk with what he experienced at corporate world
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Dear Uday Emotionally I find rural folk stronger as they live with many issues from childhood and learn to cope with hardships
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan @mehmoodkhan NREGA the rural job scheme is changing the face of Indian villages. Have you had a first-hand experience of this?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Yes I see NREGA in action
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan do you agree that it is being effective
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india On NREGA,thinking and planning is good,issue is implementation
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan @avin_law wantt to know: what about the corruption in implementation?how can we curb this? poor villagers suffer coz of this.
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india My position is that we need to have zero tolerance on corruption.I sack people .
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan RT @avin_law how can students do something significant to help the rural population(practically feasible ways!)?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Come and work with us.Help us to teach English and computers
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan this is from a reader. Do you identify yourself with development work? ...
  • Forbes India : I think it's a community that talks big, does work only for appreciation and lives in an unreal world which is idealistic.
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india I am Practical Manager.I do not believe in any ism.Just do my bit to add value to make a difference to rural lives
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Most of us are worried about the ghetto mindset that is gripping modern India on the lines of religion.
  • Forbes India : How difficult is it for a predominantly Muslim village to lift itself out of poverty and join the national mainstream?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Education,Training,Democracy and preparing for competition is way out.This quite universal
  • Forbes India : If you've just tuned in: we're in a twinterview with @mehmoodkhan - catch up at http://business.in.com/conversation/twinterview/mehmoodkhan
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Not all initiatives you implement succeed. How do you evaluate whether something is worth the effort at all?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india We see results in comparision to the original objectives.For example the girls literacy was just 2%.Now it is 86%,
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan What are some of the challenges of working in rural India?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Finding trained talent who can work in rural areas is the biggest challenge.All others minor niggles
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Development has its own periods of disillusionment. I am sure you have had your fair share. Can you share some with us?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india In my case the nature has been kind to me.I have moved from Voluntary,cooperatives and corporate sectors comfortably
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Why do cows excite you? :)
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Cows are healthy.If you feed cow 50 rupees fodder,they give 150 rupees milk ,300ROI per day
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan RT @HyperActiveX What learnings from your previous role are relevant to what you do now? How would you leverage them?
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan What are the key learnings you made at Unilever that came in handy while taking up this work at Nai Nangla?
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan (to be more precise)
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Professionalism,Living Code of Business Principles,Doing 360 degree treatment to any ideas
  • Forbes India : This next question from Dr Trevor Davis, Global Subject Expert, NPDI in Consumer Products, IBM UK, via email
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan In your work at Unilever you were a great champion of global working. How does that translate to the village context?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Dear Trevor:It is same.Villages are of the Globe.Education,Training,Democracy& Competition prepares villages for Globalisation
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan RT @ChrisEFrost Having worked with MH over past 9 years, he's still inspirational!
  • Forbes India : How can others, unable to leave job, offer help to others?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Dear Chris We help ourselves by helping others
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan How successful has Unilever been in adoption of Open Source Innovation?
  • Forbes India : What kind of cultural change did it necessitate in the organisation?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Unilever is very successful in open sourcing.Many people do not know that Unilever has lived with open sourcing for long time
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan RT @Bali_Nagpur: What was the most challenging task at Unilever?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Unilever is quite heavenly organisation for some body like.I really do not remember any thing whih I can call most challenging
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan How is the 'not invented here' syndrome managed within Unilever?
  • Forbes India : We'll be wrapping up soon. any more questions for @mehmoodkhan ?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india This was an issue in early 1990s.I do not think this is a big issue now as we have rationally Globalised Unilever.
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan What are some of the principles of innovation that you learnt during your stint at Unilever that you've applied at Mewat?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Lot of principles and values which practiced in Unilever,Iam using now eg Lots of ideas,honesty,integrity,hard work,diversity.
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan For someone who worked with well defined processes, planning cycles for close to 40 years ..
  • Forbes India : ..how easy is it to adjust to a rural setting where nothing is certain?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Yes one needs to make adjustments in terms of physical needs but the mission makes it worthwhile to learn to cope
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan from @davistruk: do you see certain nations more willing to help rural India than others?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india Yes.There are countries which hve seen India's potential are more willing then others eg UK
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india I mean UK,USA have understood India's potential well
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan Many professionals would like to contribute to their native places but without giving up their careers. Any advice?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india They can do this virtually,by ocassional visits,spreading word and so on
  • Forbes India : @mehmoodkhan last question!
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan As you work in a place that is low on almost all the development indicators, do you miss corporate life, life in London?
  • Mehmood Khan : @forbes_india No I do not miss London. I am very happy here.Sleeping under sky and seeing stars clearly is heavely
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan That sounds like a perfect place to say thank you for your time
  • Forbes India : @MehmoodKhan hope it was as interesting for you as it was for us.
  • Forbes India : Thanks for listening in, folks, the archive for the chat with @mehmoodkhan is at http://business.in.com/conversation/twinterview/mehmoodkhan
  • Forbes India : We hope you enjoyed our second Twinterview
  • Forbes India : We tried to include all reader questions, but apologies if we missed any in the flurry
  • Forbes India : But @MehmoodKhan is a very accessible gentleman, so ping him directly, and he'll get back to you
  • Forbes India : If you have any questions for us, you know where to find us :)