Ira Bindra has lived in four countries and eight cities and, by her own count, "God knows how many roles." She grew up in India, studied at Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi, took her MBA at Maastricht School of Management, and joined GE as an intern, a company she stayed with for twenty years. In her late twenties she was sitting on the interview panel for GE India's top HR role when the president of GE India pulled her aside and told her they were putting her on the slate. She got the job. In December 2024 she became President, People & Talent at Reliance Industries, a $125 billion group spanning hydrocarbons, new energy, telecom, retail and media.

In this episode, Ira tells Tiffany Pham about the leaders who took a chance on her before she was ready, what she learned from being the youngest person in a room full of people who had wanted her job, the week she started at Reliance while her father was in surgery, and why she believes the people who tell you the truth are worth more than the people who tell you you're right.

Chapters:

00:38 Four countries, eight cities: from Delhi to GE to Reliance
03:50 Meeting Mukesh Ambani, and the moment the role became real
05:49 The first chief officer seat, in her late twenties
06:36 "With all due respect, I think you've lost your mind"
07:22 Meritocracy, and taking risks on raw potential
08:29 The first person she called
10:05 The leaders and peers who lifted her up
12:03 Getting past self-doubt, and inheriting a team that wanted your job
14:44 Being surrounded by people who tell you the truth
16:22 Her first week: a new company, a new country, and her father's surgery
19:09 The future of work: a tipping point in history
20:20 Building something that outlives you
21:46 Advice for the person one step below the chief officer seat

Quotes:

"You have to take risks on people where you see the talent, where you see the raw potential. Providing those opportunities is how you lift people up."

"A lot of people have had confidence in me even when I didn't have confidence in myself."

"Have people around you who will not just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear."

"Build something that outlives you and outlives the role that you're in. That's the legacy you want to leave."

"If you're doing it only for the title, I think that would run out very quickly."