"When you take away the sole pursuit of money and think of it as a chance to make a meaningful contribution to the world at large it starts to become an evolving adventure."
For the past 15 years, Rajan Nazran has traveled to over 58 countries and taken on big conversations that also re-defined the human experience. He is a Chief Explorer at Global Indian Series. His appetite for exploration, inside know-how, and the truth, has seen him voyage to the edges of the Amazon Rainforest to meet with struggling sugar workers and tribal chiefs, battling Cat-5 hurricanes in the Caribbean whilst uncovering the Citizenship by Investment industry, being taken hostage in Eastern Europe, through to facing Ebola in West Africa and witnessing possibly the biggest humanitarian scam in our lifetime! He travels off the beaten road, to some of the most beautiful, dangerous, and politically sensitive regions.
Rajan’s experiences have provided him with a rich network of some of the most fascinating people on this planet; from former and current heads of state, members of royalty, high-profile entrepreneurs, social activists to those on the fringes of society. His work has been featured in The Miami Herald, TIME, The Indian Express, Capital Magazine, and national papers and television in the countries he travels to. At the start of Covid-19 and forced with lockdown, he continued the journey online via www.globalindianseries.com, and it has now become an award-winning platform that redefines our perception of humanness and identity. With the support of his dear friend Kulvinder Ghir, a global movement of liberal minds and discussions was developed, often taking audiences through fly-on-the-wall conversations that unmoor you on what you thought you knew.
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Table of Contents
Thank you so much for giving us your time! Before we begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers and take us through what exactly your company does and what your vision is for its future?
Rajan Nazran: We are a platform that connects stories and communities. Reshaping our collective understanding on subjects such as identity and rediscovering countries that are home to people of Indian origin. Our vision is to be a mooring ground for our community to come to, to have open discussions that reshape the way we look at each other and the planet.
NO child ever says I want to be a CEO/entrepreneur when I grow up. What did you want to be and how did you get where you are today?
Rajan Nazran: There was a deep moment in my life growing up that I wanted to be a monk. living in the mountains and living this idealist life, something very far removed from my home of Handsworth, Birmingham (UK). However, even though the pursuit of giving up worldly possessions changed, it did prepare me for my journey to understand more about the planet on which I was born. I guess it was the seeds of wanting to explore deep, to experience, and to understand more that eventually evolved into the movement that we have created today with the Global Indian Series. The attributes that I took from my youth was this combination of natural wanderlust that I believe we all share as human beings and combining it with a sense of Global custodianship, to promote content that inspires purpose, passion, and a true sense of community.
Tell us something about yourself that others in your organization might be surprised to know.
Rajan Nazran: We have over 23 Global Ambassadors who support our work worldwide from members of Royal families to former Heads of state, Activists, high-profile performers, and entrepreneurs. Combined we speak over 50 languages and have a reach into 27 countries. What surprises most people is that despite our perceived differences, people around the world have joined together on a project that courageously tackles deep social issues. What we have done is a first in modern-day history for our community and speaks volumes about the need for change.
Many readers may wonder how to become an entrepreneur but what is an entrepreneur? How would you define it?
Rajan Nazran: An artist who enables themselves to weave their natural curiosities into the physical realm of business. When you take away the sole pursuit of money and think of it as a chance to make a meaningful contribution to the world at large it starts to become an evolving adventure.
What is the importance of having a supportive and inclusive culture?
Rajan Nazran: It’s vital, a bedrock for your foundation of success. If your supporters, staff, and suppliers feel valued and validated by the work you do and in an environment that does not pay lip service but demonstrates that all are welcome. They become the best Ambassadors for your business. For us, it goes deeper, especially when you consider the work that the Global Indian Series does in bringing to the surface the deeper concerns globally, which means we become more acutely aware of how we need to treat all members of our ecosystem.
How can a leader be disruptive in the post covid world?
Rajan Nazran: By placing their human experience in the foreground of the business. It allows one to not only create deeper empathy with what your potential clients are going through but also keeps your fingers on the pulse of changes in consumer behavior and needs. I know it sounds awfully common sense, but unfortunately, common sense is everything but common.
If a 5-year-old asked you to describe your job, what would you tell them?
Rajan Nazran: I explore the world to understand more about how we understand each other and the planet that connects us. I then write stories, produce conversations and bring people together. Having a 2 year and 7-year old, I go through this on several occasions 🙂
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Rajan Nazran: To set the scene – We only work with socially conscious brands and it’s a commitment I made right at the start of the voyage. Don’t get me wrong, we need the finances, however, I would never do anything that does not stand the test of our investigation and commitment to making a better world and every part of the ecosystem must be in synch. We were approached by a tourism agency of a specific country who were looking to use our services.
The figure they presented was a substantial amount, however, it would mean that I would have to turn my eye on the ethics we stand for and this particular country had an appalling record in human rights. I made a clear commitment and rejected the partnership, many thought I was crazy to do so. When word started to spread about my decision, I started to receive messages of support from people who were inspired by my actions. Not only did it connect us closer to our audience, but I believe it cement us as a brand of action and not talk. We have had several similar incidences since with media partners and sponsors. My belief is simple, its good to be good and business is extraordinarily persona
Leaders are usually asked about their most useful qualities but let’s change things up a bit. What is your most useless talent?
Rajan Nazran: I love this question – I would like to think all my talents are useful, especially my self-proclaimed miming skills that my young children adore, to the cringe of my wife and colleagues alike. So with a double edge sword of sorts, it would be that… my miming
Thank you so much for your time but before we finish things off, we do have one more question. If you wrote a book about your life until today, what would the title be?
Rajan Nazran: “Live from the heart”
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Rajan Nazran for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Rajan Nazran or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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