1. As the Founder and CEO of Tristar since its inception in 1998, your leadership has shaped the company's global success. Given your diverse personal and professional journey, how has your heritage played a role in your approach to leadership, decision-making, and corporate values?

Reciprocity has always been a foundational value for many of my personal, professional, and societal relationships. Building on the premise that positive action generates corresponding positivity helps creates cycles of amity and accord. I have imbibed this culture in my early years – at home, school and overall upbringing in my home city of Bengaluru – but I continue to learn its lessons and experiences in everyday life.

At its core, reciprocity is the simple idea of treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves. From this simplicity grows a web of interactions and expectations with both, symbolic and instrumental value. It is universal. When we promote fairness and cohesion, or give empathy and support, we are more than likely to benefit from it. In business and in corporate governance, reciprocity reinforces the idea that long-term success depends on shared benefits. In global affairs, nations that engage in reciprocal cooperation have built stronger alliances.

In business and in corporate governance, reciprocity reinforces the idea that long term success depends on shared benefits. In global affairs, nations that engage in reciprocal cooperation have built stronger alliances.”

In our personal and professional lives none of us are under any obligation to be the same persons we were a decade ago – or even a day ago. We are here to better ourselves, and while doing this, our actions create a web of effects.

2. Leading a company in a highly regulated and competitive industry comes with its share of challenges, from economic downturns to industry disruptions. Could you reflect on some of the toughest moments you faced and the strategies that helped you steer Tristar through them?

We belong to a highly regulated and fiercely competitive industry, and this is compounded by the fact that Tristar has four business verticals, and operations in over 30 countries – each posing distinct and evolving challenges.

If we look back at Covid-19 as one of our toughest situations, I am proud of the Tristar business model which balanced caution with action, and response through resilience. We formed a steering committee even before the WHO declared it a pandemic, and a crisis management committee just after it did, and the approach was multi-fold – from updating business contingency plans to ensuring safety protocols and providing emergency care in each location. There was no reason to take extreme steps like laying off people or cutting their salaries. Our strategy was a simple but complex transition from a Just in time model to a Just in case model. In Covid -19 years was the mammoth task of ensuring there were no disruptions in service to all our global customers, under the daunting conditions of border closures, quarantine delays, and several other hiccups in the supply chain.

In both instances, I am particularly glad we could proffer them such a strong sense of support and confidence. It was no easy task, but we did everything we could do to earn that trust.

3. How do you ensure a 'values-driven ethos' across Tristar's global operations?

Our approach and clearly articulated mission is to transcend profitmaking, by linking actions to larger societal or environmental goals. Similar to a values driven ethos, we have ethical principles embedded across our global operations to be viewed dependably and favourably as a business for purpose.

Tristar's 'Business for Purpose' framework is designed to inspire all our stakeholders – from leadership to employees and associates – to operate with a shared sense of purpose that goes beyond financial gains. Embedding this into everyday processes such as training, reporting, feedback mechanisms, and reputation and crisis management protocols reinforces our commitment. It also calls on our leaders in different locations to be consistent in modelling these values, and ensure that decision-making, communication and engagement remain aligned even in the face of challenges or crises.

4. As a company known for its commitment to sustainability, how is Tristar integrating ESG principles into its operations, and can you share a recent milestone or initiative that reflects this commitment?

We established our ESG Framework more than five years ago, and sustainability principles and processes are embedded into most aspects of our operations. It is not restricted to time, situation, or geography.

We recently commenced work on a large project in Sri Lanka, as we begin rebranding a country-wide network of 150 retail fuel stations, under a contract awarded by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Petroleum and Energy which incidentally supports the government’s Keep Lanka clean campaign by refurbishing all rest rooms across all our fuel retail outlets in the country. Shell's entry back to Sri Lanka after a gap of over 60 years marks a milestone in their energy sector with the introduction of global best practices, superior service standards, new jobs and innovative energy solutions that directly benefit Sri Lankan consumers and their economy.

5. Safety is at the core of Tristar's values. Can you provide an example of how the company has reinforced a culture of safety and operational excellence?

Safety is the literal bedrock on which Tristar was built. Our Safety Framework incorporates unified policies, principles and golden rules and serves as the foundation for all entities in the Group. This framework is in line with globally recognised safety standards, and fully complaint with various local and regional, without any compromise on any of our core safety values.

For us, safety is a top-down approach. Even as every employee is trained to uphold the highest health, environmental and compliance standards, leaders with different responsibilities in different geographies play an ubiquitous role in enforcing safety across all levels.

6. Climate change is a universal challenge, impacting every industry and region and calls for immediate action. How does Tristar align its business strategies with the urgent need to combat climate change?

To this point, much of the focus of climate change – activism, policy and even technology – has been on mitigation. This is undoubtedly important, and must continue. But it looks like where we are now, resilience and adaptation must become at least equal priorities.

We are acutely conscious of this, especially in disciplines like risk management and business continuity. Whether it is extreme weather events, sea level rise or resource scarcity, it is a recurrent undertaking to assess any vulnerabilities to these risks, and analyse all potential disruptions. Building resilience is directly related. Strengthening our ability to withstand and recover from any climate-related shocks includes diversification, innovation and new investments, alongside contingency plans.

7. What role do you believe the private sector, particularly in logistics, should play in addressing climate change?

Regardless of size or sector, most logistics entities are able to reduce their environmental impact with sustainable infrastructure, decarbonisation of operations, and greater collaboration. This covers wide ground, be it the phased transition to alternative fuels, using data analytics and smart systems for optimised operations, adopting energy-efficient practices, or investing in on-site renewable energy solutions. Working with both suppliers and clients to reduce emissions, consolidate shipments, and promote multimodal transport also contributes to lowered carbon footprints.

Coupling these actions with robust tracking, transparent reporting and setting science-based targets can reinforce any company's commitment to addressing climate change while driving overall operational efficiency.

8. Decarbonisation is a significant priority for the logistics industry. What steps is Tristar taking to reduce its carbon footprint?

Tristar has a strategic and systemic approach to developing a roadmap for reducing carbon emissions. This plan is aligned to Science Based Target Initiatives (SBTi), and in compliance with requirements of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and other global climate standards.

To this point, much of the focus of climate change – activism, policy and even technology – has been on mitigation. This is undoubtedly important, and must continue. But it looks like where we are now, resilience and adaptation must become at least equal priorities.

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