His mantra of excellence is not an act, but a habit and Tarun Ghulati is a man who has perfectly crafted the art of excellence. The Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Squared Watermelon Ltd, Tarun’s unique career path is truly revolutionary.
Dubbed by one of UK’s top wealth magazine as the ‘master of reinvention’, Mr. Ghulati’s inimitable career in the world of finance and business began in India at Citibank where he managed the entire credit cycle for consumer banking, and enhanced the banks distribution reach as Head of Sales & Distribution. Within the 5 years he worked at Citibank India, Mr. Ghulati went on to Head Credit & Risk for the bank, and set up two companies for Citibank in India where he transitioned the collections system and other related aspects.
His expertise and excellence in the world of banking and finance, saw him headhunted by HSBC India, where he was responsible for their Investment Bank’s Financial Institutions Group for Eastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Though the remarkability of his career is not in the titles of the leadership roles he undertook across Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, but the level of responsibility and consistency in producing the uppermost of outstanding results. “If you’re going to do something do it well or don’t do it at all”, believes Mr. Ghulati.
As the first Indian to be selected onto HSBC’s elite and select group of International Managers, Mr. Ghulati took off to Hong Kong where he became the Credit Manager International, assessing the Credit & Risk for 14 countries for HSBC across Asia Pacific, to ensure the risk and rewards were both acceptable and in line with credit policies of the bank. “I would see deals worth USD Hundreds of Millions at any time coming from various countries and would review and analyse them to ensure asset quality and profitability are acceptable across countries,” he told Asian Voice.
As Operations Manager International, Mr Ghulati was responsible for 15 countries across Asia Pacific ensuring their profitable functioning. He was involved in the USD 33 billion consolidation of Marine Midland Bank USA and HSBC Bank USA. A man who does not stop, his past roles have included being vice chairman of a listed bank, Head of HSBC Premier managing over USD 40 billion, Head of HSBC international Personal Banking and CEO UTI International Ltd among others. Now living in the UK, Mr Ghulati alongside co-founder Preeti Rana have created Squared Watermelon Ltd specialising in marketing, business development, PR, branding and financial services. His advice to young aspiring entrepreneurs -“build a plan, have a vision and be prepared to work very hard”, further stressing the importance of building alliances, partnerships and networking.”
Speaking on Brexit and its affect on his businesses, Mr Ghulati said, “For Squared Watermelon Ltd that has both local and international reach, Brexit does not concern us. We are a diversified business which includes financial services providing solutions for both businesses and individuals. We work directly with over 160 funders, enabling our clients to obtain the most competitive funding terms to meet their financial needs” he concluded.
What is most authentic about Mr Ghulati, is his humble nature, despite the empire he has built and working in several countries, he says has helped him realise and appreciate he is not the expert in everything, “don’t think you know it all, rely on people around you, build teams, motivate and lead people. Keep morale high, know your strengths and weakness and be willing to learn from your mistakes”, he advised.
With a work ethic second to none and a mindset built on positivity and brilliance, Mr. Ghulati overcame challenges by seeing them as opportunities and not problems. “The challenges were many. The mantra is to build your personal brand and reputation as perception is key, Try the unchartered and break barriers, If anyone can, you can. Keep the belief and faith, Take your chances, be fearless, take hard decisions, push the envelope, go the extra mile, Lead from the front, provide inspirational and intellectual leadership. But the fact that you have a reputation where people trust you over the years and recognize your ability to find solutions for them – that is important,” he said.
His transition from running financial services businesses and banks at the highest level, sitting on over 30 boards, to setting up a several startups and ensuring they are recognised, Mr Ghulati said, “to be quickly recognised in the sectors and fields I think it is a tremendous achievement and a source of satisfaction. It is never an easy journey, but because one has always held the mindset of being entrepreneurial in thinking and thinking of change as a constant, innovatively creating solutions as opposed to pondering over a problem. That mindset helps you to galvanize and propel yourself forward in a manner which others may find pretty daunting.”
For further information about Squared Watermelon Ltd please visit http://www.squaredwatermelon.com/
