He has lived and worked in India, the UK and Saudi Arabia. He began his career in 1967 as a computer analyst with Hindustan Lever. He worked in the marketing function before moving to general management. During his years with Unilever, he was based in Jeddah as CEO of the Arabia unit; later, he was managing director of Brooke BondLipton India and then vice-chairman with Hindustan Lever. He has been president of the All India Management Association. He is married and has three children.[6]
Publications
Gopalakrishnan, R (2009). The case of the bonsai manager : lessons from nature on growing. Penguin, Portfolio. ISBN9780670081318.
— (2011). When the penny drops : learning what's not taught. Portfolio Penguin. ISBN9780670082964.
— (2013). A comma in a sentence : extraordinary change in an ordinary family over six generations. Rupa Publications India. ISBN978-8129129772.
— (2015). What the CEO Really Wants From You: The 4 As for Managerial Success. HarperCollins India. ISBN978-9351365211.
— (2015). Six lenses : vignettes of success, career and relationships. Rupa Publications India. ISBN978-8129135872.
— (2017). A biography of innovations : from birth to maturity. India: Penguin. ISBN978-0670089895.
—; Banerjee, Ranjan (2018). The made-in-India manager. Hachette India. ISBN978-9351952510.
— (2019). Crash : lessons from the entry and exit of CEOs. India: Penguin. ISBN978-0670090778.