Dialogue on “Ingredients of Entrepreneurial Success” at the Romanian-Indian Studies Center of the Romanian-American University
The Romanian-Indian Studies Center at the Romanian-American University, in partnership with the Embassy of India in Bucharest, organized a meeting on the topic “Ingredients of Entrepreneurial Success.” The event, featuring Mr. Jaggannath Shekhar Asthana, a successful businessman and investor in Romania in forest products, as well as in real estate developments, logistics, and port operations, attracted students from various faculties within our university.
The dialogue with the students focused on Mr. Shekhar Asthana’s extensive life and entrepreneurial experience. Mr. Shekhar Asthana, the director and shareholder of Ferco Group of Companies that operates in various sectors in Romania and Cyprus, has an extraordinary success story as a foreigner in Romania. Having worked for over 30 years with young and adult professionals in our country, he considers them to have very open minds, enthusiasm, inclusivity towards other cultures, a constant eagerness to learn and grow in their careers, and a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. Mr. Shekhar Asthana declared himself “the best Ambassador of Romania”.
Our guests shared with the students that he started working at a young age in the hotel industry in India, rapidly becoming a hotel manager within 6 months. He then utilized all his experience from the hotel industry to venture into the pharmaceutical industry, naval transport, and port operations. Before turning 30, he was already a successful individual who dared to enter into new project development areas, project financing, and learned about the entire process of managing large-scale projects, including real estate investments.
Working in different business sectors from a young age and extensively traveling for business purposes, Mr. Shekhar Asthana was exposed to and gathered diverse experiences and perspectives from various countries, accumulating a vast business experience. Recruited by a group of investors from Singapore in the hotel and real estate industry, he came to Romania in 1992 and over the course of 5 years, developed various business opportunities in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. Over the last 20 years, alongside trustworthy partners, he has developed his own successful business in processing and exporting of forest products from this region, as well as in logistics and port operations.
Mr. Shekhar Asthana encouraged young students to embrace diverse experiences in their professional journey and in entrepreneurship, stating that “You don’t need money to develop a business; you need your own career experience and courage. Every experience is valuable and can be useful in evolving. Unpleasant experiences are also valuable because you can learn from them and grow.” He also emphasized the importance of developing honest and trustworthy relationships with people you work with, as it helps in advancing in one’s professional life.
At the end of the event, our guests concluded on the importance of having ambitious plans and courage, stating that any dream is achievable with hard work, dedication, and fearlessness.
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