Startup Founders Can't Be Batman, Superman, Mandrake Combined: Shivakumar

His just-released book, The CEO Mindset, focuses on leadership qualities in a complex world. Shiv Shivakumar, operating partner at Boston-based $500 billion private equity (PE) major Advent International—who has straddled various companies from Hindustan Lever to Aditya Birla group—talks to Surajeet Das Gupta in New Delhi about management challenges and business models. Edited excerpts:

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What is your assessment of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on Corporate India?

AI will take out aggregator jobs—for example, the executive who prepares the minutes of board meetings is gone. Most of these roles lie in middle and lower management, but decision-making roles held by senior management will remain, as AI cannot make those decisions. The challenge will span industries, and the jobs that will continue and grow are those requiring personal contact and human touch—like nursing, gym instructors, chefs, or hospitality workers.

So, one-to-one reporting will disappear, and companies will outsource much more. Will jobs be more fulfilling? I think not. Will they be more truncated? The answer is yes. What I fear AI will do is push people into roles one level below their pay grade.

Will it impact the role of the chief executive officer (CEO)?