Network Capital Network Capital

In this episode you will learn the following:

1. The importance of conducting micro-experiments towards shaping a meaningful career

2. The art of being a contrarian

3. The power of multi-disciplinary learning and clear thinking

An author, politician, and former international civil servant, Shashi Tharoor straddles several worlds of experience. Currently a third-term Lok Sabha MP representing the Thiruvananthapuram constituency and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, he has previously served as Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India. During his nearly three-decade long prior career at the United Nations, he served as a peacekeeper, refugee worker, and administrator at the highest levels, serving as Under-Secretary General during Kofi Annan's leadership of the organisation.  In the first episode of this exclusive multi-part Network Capital podcast, Dr. Tharoor shares how he followed his curiosity, defied conventional norms and chose to pursue a career in international relations.

Anirudh Suri is a venture capitalist, technology entrepreneur and policy advisor. He is the managing partner of India Internet Fund, a US and India-based technology venture capital fund, and author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations (HarperCollins, 2022). Previously, he worked with the Government of India in Delhi, McKinsey and Co. in New York, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC, and Goldman Sachs in London.

​Anirudh completed his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. He studied Economics and International Relations at the London School of Economics and Haverford College. He has served on the global board of the Harvard Alumni Association and was the president of the Harvard Club of India from 2017–19.

In this episode you will learn -

1. Principles of building communities by combining design, storytelling and empathy

2. The core purpose of architecture

3. Unpacking traditions and fusing with modern architectural constructs

Priyamwada Singh, founder of common Ground practice, a New Delhi India based firm, believes that Architecture and Design are a medium to create an equitable society. Some of her well known projects in India include - Renew centre for IIT, Delhi, Ashoka University, Harappa Learning, Heliotropism inspired residence in Jorbagh, Delhi amongst others.

Prior to establishing common Ground practice in 2013, she trained with prominent architects and artists around the world, including B.V. Doshi, Tobias Rehberger, Skidmore, Owens & Merrill (SOM), amongst others. She is a senior faculty at Anant University, Ahmedabad and teaches and leads collaborative research between AnantU and Pratt Institute, New York, USA. Ms. Singh completed her M.Arch. at Columbia University, USA receiving the Honor Award for Excellence in Design and the Kinne Fellowship.

In this episode you will learn -

1. Emotional, psychological and financial cost of being diagnosed with cancer

2. Principles of building a community  of cancer survivors and caregivers

3. Processing suffering and becoming anti-fragile



Samira is an entrepreneur working at the intersection of design, healthcare and technology. Using the power of human-centered design, she is tackling one of the most pressing problems of our generation - mental health, isolation and burnout. Together with a group of talented individuals, Samira co-founded a venture that helps individuals better manage their emotional wellbeing.

She has been a part of 2 different technology startups and a consultant at McKinsey & Company. She brings a unique blend of design, operations and strategy to all her projects. She earned a Master's degree in Engineering, Design at Stanford University, a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering and art history from MIT and Wellesley College respectively.

As an avid scuba diver and a red belt in taekwondo, Samira spends her time exploring beautiful places.

In this podcast you will learn - 

1. The art of meaningful career transitions. 

2. How to become a dreamer and a doer.

3. Frameworks of ‘zooming in & zooming out’. 

4. The importance of nurturing talent and empowering new leaders. 

5. Insights on multi-generational leadership in managing work, home and society.

Indra K. Nooyi served as CEO and chairman of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2019. Her prescient strategic thinking, insight into consumer behaviour  and wisdom on managing a vast, global workforce make her one of the world’s most sought-after advisors to entrepreneurs, executives, and governments. She is also revered as a role model for women and immigrants, and celebrated for her empowering messages on inclusivity.

At PepsiCo, she was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, the company’s mission to deliver sustained growth by making more nutritious products, limiting the company’s environmental footprint, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves. She has been awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, the U.S. State Department’s award for Outstanding American by Choice, and 15 honorary degrees. She is married to Raj Nooyi and has two daughters, Preetha and Tara.

What do you do when you are rejected for your dream job and can’t deal with one more person telling you to be strong? What stops you from asking for that big role at work when you know you have a shot at getting it? For most of us, the world of work isn’t easy to navigate and life’s challenges rarely have simple answers. In this book, Radhika Gupta, the only female head of a major asset management company and creator of the viral YouTube video ‘The Girl with a Broken Neck’, offers straight-talking advice on how you can multiply your chances at achieving success.

A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a hedge-fund manager and an entrepreneur, Radhika Gupta has been included by Fortune in 2020 and Business Today in 2019 and 2021 in their list of India’s ‘Most Powerful Women in Business’ and by Economic Times in their list of ‘India’s Hottest 40 Young Business Leaders, 2020’. She is among LinkedIn’s Top Voices 2020: India and Top Voices 2020: Global (Finance &Economy). Her video ‘The Girl with a Broken Neck’ has inspired lakhs of viewers.