Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai is a renowned Indian author, leadership expert, and academic. He is best known for his work on Chanakya, the ancient Indian philosopher and strategist. With 24 bestselling books to his credit, Dr. Pillai has a wide readership across all age groups and countries. His first book, Corporate Chanakya, became a record-breaking bestseller. He has since written several other acclaimed titles, including Chatur Chanakya for children and his recent release, Chanakya’s 100 Best Sutras, which won the Crossword Bookstores’ Most Popular Book Choice Award.
He is the Founder and Director of the Chanakya International Institute of Leadership Studies (CIILS) at the University of Mumbai. The institute is known for launching the world’s first Master’s program in Leadership Science (MA-LS), which integrates ancient Indian wisdom with modern leadership education.
Dr. Pillai has delivered over 1,000 lectures at leading institutions such as the National Defence College (NDC), Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), National Stock Exchange (NSE), Adani group, Municipal Corporation (MCGM) and Aditya Birla. He also teaches as a visiting faculty at various universities and institutes in India and abroad.
As a leadership and strategy advisor, he has worked with more than 500 organisations, including major corporations, government bodies, and non-governmental organisations. His clients include Indian Oil Corporation, HPCL, BPCL, Tata Group, Reliance Industries, Aditya Birla Group, Mahindra & Mahindra, Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and various police academies.
Dr. Pillai has received several prestigious awards, including: ● Aavishkar Research Award (Governor of Maharashtra Fellowship) ● Sardar Patel International Award for contributions to industrial development ● Rotary International Award in Education ● Lokmat Award for Best Teacher of Philosophy ● Litofest Award at the House of Lords, British Parliament.
He has also contributed to several national and international projects with the Government of India. He served as the chief convenor of the first International Yoga Day Academic Conference in the USA, organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Hindu University of America (HUA) and the Consulate General of New York.
He has presented academic papers in over 20 countries. Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai has been recognised as one of India’s Top 50 Management Thinkers by Thinkers50.com. He is committed to bringing the timeless principles of Indian knowledge into modern leadership and management practices.
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Transforming Leadership | Dr Radhakrishnan Pillai, Abhijeet Mukherjee and Dr Srinath Sridharan | OCLF
On 23nd Nov 2025 02.00 PM TO 02:40 PM
This thought-provoking OCLF panel brought together three leading voices on leadership, strategy and organisational transformation. Dr Radhakrishnan Pillai, Abhijeet Mukherjee and Dr Srinath Sridharan joined moderator Dr Puja Bang for a powerful conversation on building leaders who can think deeply, innovate boldly and plan sustainably.
Dr Radhakrishnan Pillai connected timeless Chanakyan principles with modern corporate and entrepreneurial challenges, showing how ancient texts continue to guide leadership choices today. Abhijeet Mukherjee discussed innovation as a mindset shift and shared how entrepreneurial thinking builds adaptability. Dr Srinath Sridharan highlighted the role of governance, clarity and structured succession in ensuring continuity across organisations and family businesses.
Together, the speakers explored behavioural leadership, decision-making, leadership accountability and the importance of blending tradition with forward-looking strategy. Audience questions added depth, touching on entrepreneurship, business responsibilities and long-term planning.
The session closed with a clear message: leadership thrives when ancient wisdom, innovation and succession planning align to create sustainable growth.