25 years (Born 18 October 1973); 165 cms (5’5"), fair, presentable; B.B.M.(B’lore), M.Sc.(Strath); Key Account Manager, SmithKline Beecham; only son of Agamani and Niranjan Ghosh of Rajlaxmi, 88/1 Raj Krishna Chatterjee Road, Calcutta 700 042, India. Tel: 91-33-442 1224 Email: Ghosh@nagar.com.
Family Background
Ayan Ghosh is a scion of the Ghosh’s of Dasora, Kulin Kayasthas of Saukalin Gotra, who trace their origins back to approximately 350 years when one Kamala Kanto Ghosh migrated from Bikrampur’s Shologhaur to settle in Dasora, Manickgunge - all within the confines of East Bengal’s Dacca District. In the early years of this century the family were minor landowners when one of their members, Jagadish Chandra Ghosh, became well known for his transliteration of the Bhagvad Gita.
A cousin and contemporary of Jagadish Chandra was Ayan’s grandfather Ashutosh Ghosh. Rai Sahib Ashutosh Ghosh was Assistant Deputy Director General of Posts & Telegraphs, Government of India, married Niharbala (daughter of Rai Sahib Man Mohan Bose) and was survived by two sons, Panchugopal and Niranjan. Ayan’s uncle, Panchugopal Ghosh, was the first Indian executive of the erstwhile GEC of India Ltd and retired from that company as Manager-Coordination, Air Control Division. Former Chairman of the Fan Makers’ Association, he is a bachelor, and the two brothers live together in the family’s properties in Calcutta and Rajarhat-Gopalpur, near Dum Dum Airport.
Niranjan Ghosh, Ayan’s father, started his career in the Indian Air Force but joined Philips India Ltd in mid-career. There his rise was rapid until he voluntarily retired as Manager-Sales, Consumer Electronics Division, to become a consultant. In January 1973, Niranjan Ghosh married Agamani (daughter of Sushil Kumar Basu Roy Chowdhury). A Calcutta University postgraduate in political science with accomplishments within and outside the household, Ayan’s mother is a home-maker of distinction.
The Basu Roy Chowdhury’s were erstwhile zamindars of Sreefalltala in Khulna. At their zenith, they bore the titles of Roy Chowdhury Khan Sarbadhikari, but with the reduction in their circumstances, their honorifics have also been suitably circumscribed(!). The present family of five sisters and three brothers (Ayan’s maternal aunts and uncles) are well settled, one of the latter being a Doctorate, another a manager with Hindustan Lever Ltd.
Educational Background
The formative years of Ayan’s education was spent in Patha Bhavan, Calcutta, and St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Bangalore but after a move back to Calcutta in 1989, he passed the ICSE and ISC examinations from St. James’ School, Calcutta in 1990 and 1992, respectively.
After leaving school, he returned to Bangalore, to join Christ College for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management (B.B.M.). In 1995 he was awarded the degree with a First Class by Bangalore University.
Having spent a year in gaining practical experience at Unilever’s foods subsidiary in India (the erstwhile Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd), Ayan went to Glasgow with a small scholarship to join Europe’s largest academic marketing department at the University of Strathclyde in 1996. At Strathclyde his team was awarded a prestigous prize from Scottish Trade International, the Scottish trade promotion body, and in 1997 he received the degree of M.Sc. in International Marketing.
Personal Interests
During his academic career, Ayan flourished as a public speaker, writer and child artist. He won 19 prizes in all, at the inter institution level, the bulk being for his debating and writing skills. He represented Bangalore University in Public Speaking; featured on the electronic media and his written work was published in management journals and The Statesman.
The only outdoor sport that Ayan is interested in is swimming, and this physical lethargy accounts for the rotundity of his present appearance although whenever possible, lengthy walks continue to be another favoured past-time.
An avid listener of music and a bibliophile, Ayan’s possesses catholic tastes in music, reading and in cuisine. One of the main reasons why he elected to work in Singapore was because of the variety of cuisines available on the island, and the ease of eating out, all of which makes his domestic arrangements admirably simple!
As a Libran, Ayan likes harmony and balance, and decidedly likes the good things in life. He admires beautiful things - be it paintings, porcelain, or members of the opposite sex!
Professional
Ayan started off his career with Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd (BBLIL) (since merged with Hindustan Lever Ltd) even before his B.B.M. results were announced. What began as a two-month long traineeship, ended up with him staying on with the company for a year, and towards the end of his tenure he was responsible for the visibility and promotions function for Wall’s Ice Cream, managing a budget of Rs. 10 million and overseeing 16 suppliers. Over the same period his remuneration went up by 150% (perhaps because the initial figure was so modest!).
History repeated itself when SmithKline Beecham (the Anglo-American multinational that manufactures Horlicks, Panadol/Crocin, Ribena, Eno and Aquafresh among other other things) offered him employment before he completed his M.Sc.. He initially came to Singapore for his Master’s Degree dissertation which took the form of a consultancy project with the company; subsequently a special post was created for him to implement what he had recommended earlier. He was first promoted in 11 months’ time and promoted again 5 months later to assume his current position. In his present job, Ayan is responsible for the company’s business operations with some of its major customers, accounting for about 15% of SmithKline Beecham’s consumer business in Singapore, and managing a quarter of the company’s sales force.
What of the future? While it is always unknown, there are two clear possibilities: one, where Ayan follows the career path of a life-long expatriate; the other, where he returns to work - and more important, live with his family - in India. The decision when it comes to be made in 3-4 years’ time will obviously be impacted considerably by the person who becomes Ayan’s wife.
The Soul-Mate
What kind of a person will be happiest with Ayan? A balanced, middle class Bengali no doubt, but also one who should be able to
A last word. Ayan is lazy, impatient, easily irritated, extremely sensitive and usually no help at all around the house. He has a congenital aversion to ‘nyakaas’ and ‘nyakaami’. These are some of the known ‘manufacturing’ defects: others may be revealed with the passage of time. If, in spite of this, you want to give the proposition a ‘trial run’, do get in touch.