Send us Fan Mail

What if the most powerful force in business is not capital, technology or strategy, but the simple human act of one person truly reaching another?

In this episode of Money Majlis, Suvo Sarkar is joined by Sally Susman – advisor, advocate and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of “Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World” – for a masterclass in how leaders can use words to move people, build trust and change outcomes in a world that is increasingly sceptical of institutions. For 18 years, Sally served as Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer, guiding three CEOs through proxy battles, leadership transitions, political firestorms and the most scrutinised vaccine launch in modern history, after senior roles at American Express, Estée Lauder and in the Clinton administration.

Together, Suvo and Sally explore why communication is not a “soft skill” but a rock‑hard competency that multiplies every other leadership skill, and why so many boards still underestimate its strategic value. Sally explains what separates game‑changing CEOs from the merely competent, how she built enduring partnerships with leaders like Albert Bourla, and what it really takes for a Chief Communications Officer to have the courage for candour while always serving the institution, not the individual ego.

The conversation dives into the global trust deficit, the collapse of traditional media and the rise of hyperlocal, creator‑driven influence. Drawing on the COVID‑19 vaccine rollout, Sally shares what she learned about communicating under radical uncertainty, why facts alone rarely shift behaviour, and how barbers, grandmothers and college students sometimes move public opinion more than politicians or celebrities. She is frank about the temptations of silence, “greenhushing” and performative authenticity – and why all three are dead ends for modern leaders.

In the final stretch, the episode becomes more intimate and reflective. Sally talks about the personal values that have guided her – courage, curiosity, empathy and a deep belief in equality – and how coming out to her family shaped a lifetime commitment to living and leading authentically. She reflects on the importance of humour, ritual and friendship in sustaining a high‑pressure career, her love of art, ideas and public life, and why, in her “Act III,” she is focused less on titles and more on mentoring, giving back and leaving the campsite better than she found it.

This is not just a conversation about corporate communication; it is a conversation about how to live, work and speak in a way that feels true.

Produced by : Poddster

Giving partner: Goodworld

Visit moneymajlis.com to join our giving movement and get your USD 50 complimentary GiveCard.

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when one of India’s most successful private equity investors walks away at the peak of his career to spend the rest of his life building the country’s human capital?

In this episode of Money Majlis, Suvo sits down in New Delhi with Ashish Dhawan – founder of ChrysCapital, Ashoka University, Central Square Foundation and The Convergence Foundation – to unpack a remarkable journey from Wall Street returns to nation-building outcomes.

Ashish reflects on India’s dramatic rise as a core allocation in global private equity, why buyouts and high-quality exits are finally deepening the market, and how global capital is rotating out of China and into India’s growth story without diluting discipline. He explains what it takes to generate real alpha in a crowded PE landscape, why the best firms are now judged as much on governance and institution-building as on IRR, and how private capital can be a quiet force for better managed, more ambitious Indian companies.

The conversation covers India’s next frontier: deep tech and human capital. Ashish lays out why India cannot become a developed country on apps alone, why the new deep-tech fund-of-funds architecture could be as catalytic as Israel’s Yozma moment, and which themes in biotech, semiconductors, AI and advanced manufacturing he finds genuinely investible over the next decade. In parallel, he argues that India’s true superpower is its people – 23 million births a year – and explains why fixing foundational literacy and numeracy, expanding quality skilling, enabling labour mobility and unlocking women’s economic participation will determine whether “Viksit Bharat” (or “Developed India”) becomes a reality or stays a rhetoric.

Suvo and Ashish dive deep into the playbook behind The Convergence Foundation’s portfolio approach to nation-building, Central Square Foundation’s work on NIPUN Bharat and FLN at scale, and the bold experiment of Ashoka University as a collective-philanthropy, liberal arts-led “full university” rooted in Indian context yet globally benchmarked. Ashish is candid about the bumps on the road – from regulatory constraints in education and the debate over for-profit models to the tightrope of academic freedom and political reality – and shares the leadership lessons he would offer India’s new billionaires as they design their own philanthropy.

Along the way, we also meet the Kolkata schoolboy, the Ivy League dealmaker, the would-be travel guide and the relentless optimist who believes India can sustain China-style growth while remaining grounded in ancient wisdom and a renewed sense of purpose.

Produced by : Poddster

Giving partner: Goodworld

Visit moneymajlis.com to join our giving movement and get your USD 50 complimentary GiveCard.

Send us Fan Mail

What if one man’s voice could change the way we hear music, eat food and celebrate life?

In this special Money Majlis XTRA episode, Suvo Sarkar is joined by Padma Shri awardee Shankar Mahadevan, singer, composer, Grammy‑winning frontman of Shakti and co‑founder of the South Indian resto‑café brand Malgudi. Together they trace a remarkable journey from a Tamil Iyer childhood in Chembur and veena lessons at five, to becoming the “Shankar” of Shankar‑Ehsaan‑Loy and reshaping the sound of modern Hindi cinema with albums like Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho.

Shankar opens up about the surreal moment of walking onto the Grammy stage with Shakti and why, for him, the biggest award is simply sharing a platform with maestros like John McLaughlin and Ustad Zakir Hussain. He revisits the making of Breathless, the three‑minute marvel that began as an experimental meter in a composer’s office and went on to become a generational anthem that refuses to age after twenty-seven years.

The conversation dives into craft and technology as Shankar reflects on how his early career as a software engineer now shapes his studio process, from composing inside a DAW to thinking of plug‑ins as creative partners. He explains how rigorous Carnatic and Hindustani training built the grammar that lets him move effortlessly between classical, film, fusion and folk, and why he believes folk music, born from life’s milestones, sits even “above” classical in its raw power.

From there, Suvo steers the discussion into food and entrepreneurship. Shankar shares the manifestation story behind Malgudi, how a chance meeting with Chembur friend Ramakrishnan turned a foodie’s dream into a fast‑growing chain in Mumbai and Dubai, and why they obsessed over every element, from the exact texture of the idli to the signature Malgudi sambar and filter coffee. He reveals his plans to turn Malgudi into a cultural brand with live music, spiritual mornings and curated experiences that blend sound and flavour.

Along the way, you will hear about his global tours, the healing power of music, his 15‑year‑old digital academy reaching students in 90‑plus countries, and his clear‑eyed view on AI as a powerful but ultimately subordinate tool in the creative process. This is an episode about excellence, humility and celebrating life, whether on stage, in the studio or over a hot dosa.

Produced by : Poddster

Giving partner: Goodworld

Visit moneymajlis.com to join our giving movement and get your USD 50 complimentary GiveCard.