By Tony O. Elumelu CON
I have been blessed with many meaningful gifts, not least seven children from a wonderful wife, the opportunity to create and grow businesses, and the chance, at times, to influence attitudes toward my own continent, Africa, for the better. Nevertheless, the one gift that has made a real difference to me is The Creation of Wealth, a book I was given by Professor Tarun Khanna at Harvard Business School. It narrates the history of the Tata family, depicting how they grew and preserved their businesses.
I received this book at an important time in my life: I had achieved success in one field, banking, but the story of how one family, with foresight and resilience, created a business empire that has stood the test of time had a profound impact on me.
This was initially published in Quartz.