Jeethendra Babu

The Dynamic and Humane Indian Professional

-by Surya &Ncm

For Mr.Jeethendra Babu, FCA, CIA, CISA, CRISC (DGM for Kuwait operations of multi-faceted retail giant, Landmark Group) work philosophy is simple, “ Our Attitude determines our Altitude” he says that action speaks louder than words. 

Born in a business family from Chennai, his father Mr. Narasimhalu was working as a jeweller while his mother Mrs. Dhanalakshmi was a perfect homemaker.

Jeethendra Babu did his primary schooling from Vivekananda Vidyala but due to sudden financial sickness that struck the family business, he had to join a Government High School to pursue his secondary school education.

His sound academic acumen was acknowledged by one and all when he passed the secondary school examination with flying colors; he stood second in the School. Being from a business family, the urge to learn the relevant intricacies was blossoming in him and despite guaranteed seat in science stream he chose to study commerce and again proved his mettle by securing second rank.  

Chartered Accountancy certification (even today) was one of most respected and difficult one to achieve during those days. Challenges always enticed him and so he decided to give it a shot, he enrolled for a degree in Corporate Secretariat in an evening college in order to pursue the coveted Chartered Accountancy during the day time.

In no time he finished his graduation and also achieved his goal of becoming a Chartered Accountant. He moved to Mumbai to pursue his career as the financial capital offered a good opportunity. He created a footprint in the organization he had joined in a very short-time and moved on to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to follow more challenging assignments that would also develop his management quotient. He took his first overseas assignment as a Chief Accountant in Sulaiman Al Othaim Group of Companies, a major manufacturer and retailer in Jewellery.

After putting in great efforts in his previous organization that included processes reengineering and putting in place fool-proof hygiene checks in the financé department, he shifted to Dubai where he worked with Al Hathboor Group, reputed FMCG giant as an Internal Auditor.

After impressing the management with his domain knowledge and implementation skills his next move was with Alphamed Group, a top FMCG & Pharmaceutical retailer. He joined them as Group Internal Auditor and was responsible for ensuring financial compliances across the group companies

His stint with organized retail started when he decided to return to Saudi as Senior Finance Officer in Al-Hokair Group. It was here where his man management and administrative and strategic thinking skills got noticed when he facilitated and anchored the successful launch of its first IPO and embraced the Oracle ERP platform.

“Believe in your abilities, focus on your job and success would follow” is one of the principal values which he swears by, this always worked for him also as he kept getting rewarded for his performance.

The big break came when he was offered to join Landmark Group (one of the largest retailer in the region) as Head of Finance for one of their Greenfield project, this was Q-Home Décor, a high-end home furnishing brand. Opportunities kept haunting him and within a short period  of joining the group he was promoted as Deputy General Manager for their operations in Kuwait.

In Middle East, the Landmark’s Group’s turnover is about USD 3.5 billion and currently employs more than 35,000 people having humongous presence in more than fourteen countries.

In Kuwait, the group operated some of the most respected and followed brands namely; Centrepoint (7 stores), Home Centre (4 stores), Max (7 stores) and a host of standalone brands.

Successfully discharging such huge business responsibilities at such a young age, Mr. Jeethendra Babu have proved to the world that attitude of a person makes a telling difference. In Jeethendra Babu’s own words “Landmark group creates a homely atmosphere for its employees and draws strength from their experience and dedication”. He attributes the success of the group to the motto of the company, “We create Value for the money”.

How does he start of his day at office? The first fifteen minutes in office are crucial for the day’s planning of activities and he sticks to this rule steadfast. While in office he is with office, he dedicates all his time and energies to work when in office and there is no room for anything else. Any deadline should be honored at any cost and that is his top priority.

His problem solving skills are unique, he says “when you face a problem just detach yourself from it and work objectively” he never gets emotionally attached to the events.  He gives room for the employee to think of the solution themselves and he only directs their thinking.

He firmly believes in giving back to the society which has given them a reason to exist, the group has embraced Corporate Social Responsibility and has initiated “Beat Diabetes” campaign across the GCC & India to increase the awareness of diabetes.

Continuing with their CSR commitments, Landmark Group also organizes “Blood donation camps” and “Health check camps” along with the Ministry of Health, Dasman Institute & Indian Doctors’ Forum (IDF).

Jeethendra is a voracious reader, his other hobbies include Shuttle, Cricket and of late he is also into Golf. He says the game of Golf has taught him to stay focused. He is a regular yoga practitioner. At personal level he aims to adopt a village in India and work for its betterment. He also has plans to pass on his experience in business to people who are interested horning their business skills.

 

 
  
IFL  - Kuwait 2024