Viren Prasad Shetty is a man of few words. It’s difficult to draw him into a free-wheeling conversation, even regarding his goals for the company. He says that he doesn’t like to talk about himself, he would rather let his work speak for itself.
One of the directors at Narayana Health, Viren (30) is the first born of Dr Devi Shetty and Shakuntala Shetty. He graduated from RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru with a degree in Civil Engineering, and later earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, California.
He joined Narayana Health in 2012 and holds the post of Senior VP – Strategy and Planning. But this is not his first stint at Narayana. He has worked at his father’s hospital in 2004, in the Engineering Services department. “I joined Narayana 10 years ago, working part time in the maintenance department while I was finishing my civil engineering degree,” he says.
His goal in life is to see his father’s dream fulfilled and make Narayana Health the largest healthcare provider in the world. “Currently, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) is the largest for-profit operator of healthcare facilities in the world. They have 30,000 beds and we would like to top that,” he shares.
About the roadmap to reach the goal, Viren Shetty says he would put all his efforts in to it. “My goal is to enable my father’s dream in whatever small capacity I can,” says Viren. “We would expand using all the tools at our disposal including mergers, acquisitions etc. With a combination of both greenfield and brown field projects,” he adds.
You would wonder if he knows more than he’s letting on. He does not articulate the actions needed to make progress but yes he does speak the language. “We are looking at several locations like Africa, Middle-East and Philippines. But nothing is decided yet and we will know in due time,” he says.
| Dr Devi Shetty speaks |
| On his role as a father It’s a great experience being a father. It’s great to see your kids grow in front of your eyes and transform into professionals. I have four kids. I am very grateful to my wife because she has single-handedly brought-up the kids, I was not around much but yes, my children define my existence. |
| On Viren’s entrepreneurial skills Viren is a very able leader. He has been groomed to lead. When he was in his engineering college he was managing the maintenance service of the hospital. He is well aware of the purpose of this hospital (Narayana Health) and he has been involved with the working of the hospital. His education at Stanford has really helped him understand how the business runs |
| On conflicts with Viren I wouldn’t say we have conflicts or confrontations but yes we do have difference of opinion. I believe different point of view is good in running a business as it allows you to contemplate and come up with the best strategy. If you have same opinions and views then it becomes redundant. |
| On leaving behind his legacy Most important thing is passion and commitment. We grossly underestimate the power of purpose. My children know the principles and values this hospital was built on. They have seen how we have achieved the goal of providing world-class facilities at low cost. I’m sure when i’m dead and gone they will continue the great work that started with me |
He thinks talking about his feelings for his father on a social platform is pointless. “Whats the point in all this,” he asks. After much probing he says it is humbling to be born to a great personality like Dr Shetty. “You get a lot of attention and it’s a humbling experiences,” he says. “It’s inspiring on one hand to be aligned with someone with such sense of purpose and mission, and humbling because you realise the enormity of the problem you face,” says Viren.
Without talking about his relationship with his father, Viren points out that being a successful person’s son is an enormous responsibility. “There is a lot that needs to be done, it (30,000 beds) is not an easy target,” shares Viren.
Healthcare is a difficult space for business, thinks Viren. “Everything is a challenge in healthcare. What isn’t?” he asks. On second thought he says, “Healthcare is a good industry but not an easy business space.”
He has been around hospitals his whole life. Although he does not share any vivid memories, he does remember his father working at a hospital in Kolkata. He was 10 years old when Dr Shetty worked at BM Birla Heart Research Centre and Viren remembers walking past the hospital corridor as they lived in the same building.
On his siblings, Viren says they have a tough life. “It’s not easy to be a doctor in our time. It takes a special kind of person to be a doctor these days,” he opines. His brothers, Varun and Anish, have chosen this vocation. While Varun is doing his cardiac surgery DNB, Anish is just finishing his MBBS and Ameya is completing her college.
Viren does seem determined to leave his mark in his father’s business as he talks passionately about innovation in healthcare. “Healthcare is not about solving easy problems. The other aspect to healthcare is thinking innovatively,” he says. Information technology, cell phones have been enormously disruptive. He intends to turn this disruptive technology to his advantage. “We are working on creating softwares to change the way healthcare is delivered today,” he shares excitedly. “We are also looking at enabling medical and allied education using information technology and develop sector specific skills,” Viren concludes.