Earlier this year, SVenkat, Practus’ Founder and Chief Growth Officer, had the opportunity to sit down with Sambasivan Ganesan – bibliophile, marathoner, Sanskrit scholar, translator, and CFO of Tata Play – for an in-depth look at what makes him tick. Pay-TV subscriber numbers have declined from 151 million in 2018 to 111 million in 2024, according to a report by EY and the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF).
Amidst this downturn, Sambasivan’s role as the CFO of one of India’s largest DTH entertainment brands requires a combination of sharp industry knowledge, technology expertise, and empathy-driven leadership. He and SVenkat discussed the way forward amidst industry-wide transformation, what’s hot on Samba’s bookshelf, his incredible health and fitness journey, his enthusiasm for poetry, translation, and chess, and, of course, his goals as he eyes a new phase of life. An edited transcript follows:
Samba: Professionally, this is one of the most challenging periods in my 35-plus-year career. The industry is going through turmoil, and my biggest challenge is keeping people motivated when the industry itself is struggling. We still maintain our position as industry leader, but external factors are largely beyond our control.
The key is having a great team that’s been with me for the last 10 years. They rally around the company’s mission even during difficult times, and we continue contributing to improving the balance sheet. The biggest leadership challenge is maintaining team motivation when circumstances are challenging.
The CFO as Storyteller
Venkat: You’re known for your storytelling ability. How important is this skill for a CFO, and how do you use it to align leadership teams?
Samba: Storytelling became crucial early in my career. Our finance strategy has four key pillars. First, becoming a true business partner: understanding the business deeply, not just the numbers. Second, leveraging data analytics and insights through the latest technologies. Third, strategic planning and priorities. Fourth is storytelling itself.
Every presentation slide must cover three aspects: What is the story the numbers are telling? Why is this happening? And so what: what actions follow from this analysis? You need to explain what the data means, provide root cause analysis, and outline clear next steps.
This approach transforms finance from a reporting function to a strategic advisory role.
Goals and Succession Planning
Venkat: What are your major professional and personal goals right now?
Samba: I have one clear professional goal: I’ll be retiring in 2027. My focus is on ensuring we have a successor ready to occupy this chair. We’ve identified candidates, and I’m actively grooming them. That’s my single professional priority.
I have three personal goals. First, I want to make Sanskrit more accessible by translating materials into Tamil. Second, I plan to join my friend’s Foundation, which positively impacts over 2.5 million children in education. Third, teaching and coaching; I want to mentor others in leadership and life skills.
This is what gives me happiness: seeing others succeed and contributing to their growth. I generally want people to be happy.
The Passion for Learning
Venkat: You have over 10,000 books and continue taking courses. Where does this thirst for knowledge come from?
Samba: Through self-analysis, I learned that there are four types of seekers: happiness seekers, money seekers, power seekers, and knowledge seekers. For me, knowledge seeking is predominant. I recently completed AI and machine learning courses, including Python coding basics. Being able to write code helps tremendously when discussing technology with professionals.
I’ve read three life-changing books recently. First, “Hacking Health” by Mukesh Bansal. Second, “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker. Third, “Outlive” by Peter Attia.
One statement from Attia hit me: “The number of hours you save by keeping an alarm and waking up early is the number of days you will die early.” That day, I stopped using my alarm after 30 years. I now wake up naturally: sleep the same hours, but without the pressure.
The Health and Fitness Transformation
Venkat: How quickly did you progress from zero running experience to your first half-marathon?
Samba: Barely four months. I had never run anything in my life, not even 100 meters. When I told my trainer I wanted to run the half-marathon, he was skeptical, but I was determined to prove him wrong.
I finished in about three hours, though I spent the next four hours in the medical center recovering!
I wanted to become fitter and initially planned to stop after one full marathon. But I continued because of peer pressure and the energy of running with younger people.
I noticed my insulin requirements decreasing over time. Eventually, it became zero. I’m still on tablets, but the dosage has decreased significantly.
What’s powerful is that most people need more medicine as they age, but it’s possible to reverse this trend. It’s mind over matter: if your mind is committed, anything is achievable.
Parenting Philosophy
Venkat: What core principles have you taught your three daughters?
Samba: I’m a list person, so I created five principles to teach them when they were young:
- Read all the books in our home library
- Don’t be afraid
- Be courageous – the complement to not being afraid
- Have the habit of giving
- God is great
These become guardrails that they can hold onto throughout life. It’s easy to lecture children, but you need to present principles they can easily remember and implement.
Poetry and Sanskrit Translation
Venkat: Tell us about your latest passion: translating Sanskrit epics into Tamil poetry.
Samba: During COVID, I began reading Tamil literature again after losing touch with it for years. I realized my Tamil skills were still strong and started translating.
I began with smaller works: Thirumanthiram, then the Thirukkural. Then I moved to Kambaramayanam with 10,000 verses. Now I’m working on Valmiki Ramayanam with 24,000 verses, which is much more challenging because I impose artificial constraints: it must be metrical, maintain the meaning, and rhyme properly. Each poem becomes an equation to solve!
Final Thoughts
Samba: Everything is possible, and it’s never too late in life. I started my fitness journey at 47-48, and began serious Sanskrit translation recently. The question isn’t about age: it’s whether you’re passionate enough to prioritize something, bring it to the center of your universe, and give it consistent time and attention.
Success in multiple fields requires humility, groundedness, and the willingness to be a better version of yourself every single day.
cruX: X-Factor Leadership Stories with SVenkat is an ongoing podcast series where SVenkat discusses life, leadership, and learnings with some of India’s top business heads. You can view the entire series on our Expert Voices page.
By Practuas Expert
