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5 ISB students chosen as Young Leaders at The Economic Times B-School Edition Awards 2015

ISB alum in World Championship of Public Speaking

McKesson appoints ISB alum as Director

ISB Leadership Summit


Mahesh Joshi
PGPMAX Founding Class






Tell us a little about your family background/ history. How has it influenced you?

I was brought up in a joint family in Jalgaon, Maharashtra. My biggest leadership lessons in life came from my upbringing: 1) the quality of “sharing” was deeply embedded in me as a child. In my experience this is one trait which is very difficult to acquire at a later stage in life; 2) understanding different perspectives- vital in a joint family; 3) conflict resolution – part of everyday lessons in a joint family; 4) difference in leadership by nomination or right, vis a vis leadership by execution (very often, you see this in a joint family, where the actual leaders who drive business or have the trust are different than officially bestowed with leadership positions). Apart from this, the joys of teamwork/ team-building as part of family weddings, festivals, etc., are unparalleled. I believe that all of these things have positively influenced me, making me a people’s person.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects).
In the year 2000, I decided to embark on a journey in the field of Emergency Medicine, a specialty which was unheard of. Not many believed in the potential and importance of this field. By 2010, Emergency Medicine became a recognised specialty and now there are more than 1000 qualified Emergency Physicians in India. I am happy that, somewhere, I played a role in making this happen. I have been able to guide and mentor over 100 young physicians personally and they are now the torch bearers, saving lives in this country.

In 2010,the Royal College of Emergency Medicine conferred its prestigious Honorary Fellowship of the College of Emergency Medicine (FCEM ) in recognition of my efforts to establish this specialty in India.

I am proud to be associated with Savelife Foundation (a not-for-profit organisation) as a trustee. We have been able to garner the significant attention of policy makers in the field of Road Safety. The Good Samaritan Guidelines rolled out by the Hon’ble Supreme court were largely the result of our PIL in the SC, asking it to address this missing link in the Chain of Survival.

I have pursued my passion for music alongside this and have been fortunate enough to have done over 400 performances across India.

In 2013, I received the Kalakriti Award for Achievement and
Excellence, given to individuals who have contributed to any area
that brings forth a spirit of excellence, achievement and human refinement.

My wife, Varsha, is a very accomplished radiologist and we
have two lovely sons, Hriday (11 years old) and Saransh (9 years old).

Tell us about your profile prior to attending ISB and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
I was heading the Emergency Department for Apollo Hospitals group. I was leading a team of over 200 people across different locations. Over the years, my role slowly shifted from core clinical to largely administrative/ mentoring. The majority of skills beyond the clinical domain, like the man management, P&L, and performance review/ appraisals, were largely learnt on the job.

My intent to join ISB for PGPMAX was primarily to get an outside perspective beyond healthcare, and some formal training in management. Having domain knowledge and expertise is fundamental, however, not having a broader vision or thought process can limit ones ability to grow beyond a point. It is with this thought, of transitioning from a domain lead to a larger leadership role in my career, that I chose to be a part of PGPMAX program.

In PGPMAX at ISB, I was humbled with the kind of peer group we had in the class. Physicians usually are demi-God’s within a hospital. It is only when you come outside your comfort zone that you realise there is so much more to learn, and influence many more people. The majority of my batch mates were from non-medical backgrounds and these people were way smarter than I was.

My greatest learnings during my tenure at ISB were from the organisational behaviour sessions; I gained a lot in terms of marketing, strategy and negotiation skills.

My thought process became much broader. I started viewing things from a holistic perspective and was able to conceive/ understand the larger picture better (instead of being restricted to the area of my clinical expertise).

Over the last 18 months, I have taken on the responsibility of establishing the new vertical for the Apollo group – Apollo Homehealthcare, and am the CEO of this company. We are aspiring to become a dominant player in this field at a global level, beginning our journey from India.

How do you think your time at ISB has contributed to your career and personal growth?

ISB has definitely played an important role in transitioning me from a domain expert into a generalist leader with domain expertise in healthcare. ISB has also provided me with the opportunity to network and learn from my peers, who are a bunch of outstanding leaders in their own fields.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?

Drawing from scratch on a canvas without any reference, but on the basis of your belief, knowledge and vision. Then, enjoying the fruits of successful execution or learnings from everyday small failures.

Also, in this field, the kind of gratification we get when we are able to get a grandson to have his grandmother alive and smiling at his wedding when nobody expected her to be there, is indescribable.

Briefly describe a typical day at work, in a way that illuminates the kind of challenges and opportunities your role involves.

We are a start-up company and looking at aggressive expansion in the coming months. There are a lot of things happening simultaneously- reviews, recruitment, training, site preparation, technology integration, relationship building, family meetings, attending a clinical call for a sick patient, etc. And then suddenly a call from school – reminding us about a parent teacher meeting for my sons! Loads of stuff!

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in?

Home healthcare is undoubtedly going to be a big game changer in the Indian Healthcare industry. With a win-win for all-better ARPB (Avg. revenue per bed) and lesser LOS (Length of stay) for hospitals, lesser worries and lesser cost for patients and their families, better compliance and outcomes for illnesses, reduced outgo for health insurance companies, home healthcare industry in India will see a big boom. Technology will enable people to scale rapidly in this field however comprehensive care, clinical excellence and outcomes will determine sustainability of these providers.

Are there any trends that you can identify?
Elder care and NRI dependents will be the prime focus. A lot of investment is being directed toward this area and quite a few international players, like HCAH and Bayada, have already invested in this field.

I foresee a rapid growth of small to medium-scale organised providers very soon. In the next couple of years, there will be a consolidation in this space with a few major players with strong fundamentals and foot prints acquiring others.

We will also see a sell out of some start-ups in this field who are trying to establish a wider footprint using technology and digital medium.

What was the main highlight or most memorable aspect of your programme at the ISB?

My tryst with the Quantitative methods! Staying at the executive hostel and the struggle with project submissions! Above all, the interactions with my colleagues during the academic sessions and during the GALA DINNERS!

If you could offer a word of advice to the current class at ISB, what would it be?

Learning is a continuum- learn everyday from everyone.
Life is limited- enjoy everyday with everyone around.
Your ISB colleagues are an asset- nurture this relationship.

How do you feel you can contribute to ISB?

I am available to ISB for any assistance however the biggest thing would be for me to create a legacy, about which people can proudly say ‘an ISB alumnus played an important role in this’.

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