Three words for entrepreneurs - Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai
- Integrity, excellence, and sustainability – these are the three most important words that Mike Nithavrianakis offers to new entrepreneurs. Till recently British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, Mike explains the three words:Integrity – Any company should be such that people are able trust it. Integrity is very important, whether you are in public service or in private sector, whether you are a multinational or whether you are an aspiring startup.
- Excellence – Strive for continuous improvement, though there is no perfect company or perfect entrepreneur.
- Sustainability – India is about long-term, not about making a fast buck. Don’t fear failure. If you don’t succeed for the first time, you can come up with another idea. Success may not necessarily happen in three years, five years, or seven years; it is about leaving a legacy for decades to come.
India
Indian growth story is strong, though there are the challenges of inflation, low growth, and declining rupee. The youth of India are very focused on fulfilling their potential and coming up with ideas suited to the Indian scenario.
Media
There is fast growth of media, in terms of more magazines, more newspapers, more online material, and users of social media. The Asian College of Journalism is extremely good.
What is important is that editors and media persons should see what is in public interest, when reporting. It has to be transparent, factually correct, and reliable.
Memories
Over the four years of my stay here, from 2009 to 2013, the relations between the UK and India have been enhanced, with more visitors. I travelled widely in South India; Chennai is my place! I am very sad to be leaving because the people here are warm and friendly. But it won’t be a good bye for long, because I will look forward to coming back. There are so many places still to visit.
