CEO’s Presidential Passage to India

0

Deepak Chopra, the chief executive of OSI Systems Inc., was born in northern India, so he often travels there. But last month, Chopra traveled to Mumbai and New Delhi as he never has before: He accompanied President Obama.

Chopra, whose Hawthorne company recently made headlines as the primary manufacturer of full-body scanners for airports, was among 150 delegates on the president’s recent trip to India. The delegation, made up of executives mostly from security, transportation and engineering companies, met for four days to promote trade.

“It was very interesting but very hectic,” Chopra said.

Chopra didn’t meet Obama in person, but he was in the room with him during the delegation’s meetings. His only complaint: There weren’t enough opportunities to socialize.

“I think the U.S. Embassy could have done more for the U.S. delegation because we spent a lot of our own money to get there,” he said. “It would have been nice to have a cocktail party or tea.”

But Chopra found time for a little partying on his own. He celebrated his 60th birthday with his wife, Nandini, on the last day of the trip.

“I spent my birthday in India with President Obama, not that he got a cake for me,” he joked.

Happening at the Zoo

Amanda Massucci spent a recent Friday at the zoo, but the Ernst & Young partner wasn’t playing hooky.

The accounting firm shut down its L.A. office for EY Connect Day, during which more than 600 of its professionals volunteered at local non-profit organizations. Some helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity while others took local kids to the California Science Center.

“That was actually the first time we had closed the office down to have a day like that,” said Massucci, 40, a partner in the firm’s fraud and investigative dispute services practice.

A self-professed conservation activist, Massucci opted to lead a group of about 20 colleagues in building hammocks out of recycled fire hoses for use in gorilla exhibits at the Los Angeles Zoo. The day was a success, she said, even if it was way out of the ordinary.

“On a typical Friday,” she said, “there’s going to be much more laptops and notepads and pencils and pens, as opposed to drills and bolts and nuts and wire cutters.”

Bowled Over

When Steven Foster switched places with one of his employees, it reduced him to tears.

The chief executive of L.A.-based Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge, a chain of upscale bowling alleys, was the main character in the Nov. 14 episode of “Undercover Boss.” The CBS reality show takes top executives from their offices and puts them to work as rank-and-file employees.

For the show, Foster, 62, wore a wig, grew a beard and pretended to be an entry level worker at the Lucky Strike in Houston.

“I was surprised at how challenging the jobs were,” he said. “I’m a person who succeeded by sheer effort, but in this case no matter how much effort I exerted, I was struggling.”

Foster waited tables, cleaned floors and dressed up like a giant bowling pin to bring in customers from the street. He admits that he performed so poorly he probably couldn’t get hired at his own company.

The other big surprise: In spite of his subpar performance, his co-workers were friendly and tried to help.

“It’s nice to meet people in an unguarded way and find that they are kind,” he said.

At the end of the episode he revealed his true identity, a moment that prompted him to cry on camera.

“This has been a moving and meaningful experience for me to see the heart and soul of Lucky Strike in our employees,” he said. “It has already changed me. I take more time to listen.”

Staff reporters Natalie Jarvey, Richard Clough and Joel Russell contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

No posts to display