Having clout is cool

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Apul informs me that Fortune Magazine has released a list of what it considers the 50 most influential people of color.  The real name of the list is, Diversity 2005: People with the most clout.  Why such a wishy-washy title?  Anyways there are three Indians that made the cut:

Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A. Knopf Publishers

Mehta is arguably the most admired editor in book publishing. In his stable: Michael Crichton and Toni Morrison. Also helped President Clinton’s My Life break nonfiction sales records. [Link]

Vyomesh Joshi, EVP of the Imaging and Printing Group at Hewlett-Packard

Restructuring aside, Joshi is still the straw that stirs the drink. Despite rival Dell’s push into printers, his unit alone would rank No. 79 on the Fortune 500. [Link]

and Indra Nooyi, President and CFO of PepsiCo

The executive is known as a skilled strategist. She has engineered tens of billions of dollars in acquisition deals. [Link]

Who do I have to sleep with to make this list next year?

25 thoughts on “Having clout is cool”

  2. 3 out of 61 isn’t bad for browns IMO. if minorities are around 30% of the population, and browns are around 1% of the population (probably a bit less), than we are overrepresented in this list.

  4. 8-17-2005 [1750]

    Abhi: Vyomesh Joshi graduated from Gujarat University (My Alma Mater). He was atleast six years junior to me, as I came to USA in 1967 and he came probably in 1974. His brother is a well known docter in Ahmedabad, and just last month he was in our hometown and visiting local library when someone spotted him, and was interviewed by “Gujarat Samachar”, where I read this story. He is very simple and unassuming, and down to earth. A true “Brahmin” – just like me !! Ha Ha !! Love…Dad

  5. Laptop for writing a blog entry – $1000 Domain name for blog – $55 Rent for North Dakota HQ – $500 Having your dad come and check out a post where your last line reads, “Who do I have to sleep with to make this list [Forbes 50 most influential people of color] next year?” – Pricless

    There are some things money can buy. For everything else there is Sepia Mutiny.

  7. Especially when it should read: Who*M* do I have to sleep with…

    Ha Ha. 🙂 Perhaps the lack of an attractive English teacher in my past explains my current inadequacies.

  8. Abhi,

    You should create a Sepia list of the 50 most up-and-coming desis :). Then you can make yourself #1.

  9. You should create a Sepia list of the 50 most up-and-coming desis :). Then you can make yourself #1.

    Yes, yes. I have thought about seizing power here at our North Dakota HQ and having my way with things. History tends to repeat though and I can envision myself saying, “Et tu Manish? Then die Abhi,” as I get clubbed to death by the keyboards of my co-bloggers 🙂

    No, I’d prefer to remain a humble plebian.

  10. ruckus where u been living ?? Your prices are all wrong

    My calculation Laptop for writing a blog entry – $500 or less Domain name for blog – $8…courtesy where the ghetto dogs go to shop Rent for North Dakota HQ – $500…North where ?? 🙂

    Having your dad come and check out a post where your last line reads, “Who do I have to sleep with to make this list [Forbes 50 most influential people of color] next year?” – Pricless…this i agree

    There are some things money can buy. For everything else there is Sepia Mutiny…..Har har Mahadev !! Bharat Maata Ki Jay !!

  13. Thanks Ruckus, I was hoping that if nobody pointed it out it would just go away 🙂

    Just to clarify my laptop cost more than a $1000 and our North Dakota HQ rent is free. We own the land.

  16. than we are overrepresented in this list.

    Yeah, but this is the ghetto “diversity” list, like the Special Olympics. For example, Steve Jobs isn’t on here as an “Arab” quota filler…because he’s influential in absolute terms, and doesn’t need a race-normed consolation prize.

    For the real gangstas, check out the recent Businessweek piece on China and India.

  17. Indra Nooyi, by the way, was the PR genius who told a graduating class that America was “the middle finger of the world”.

    Brilliant work. I mean, we’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel here with her…guess true players like Vinod Khosla, KB Chandrashekhar, Narayana Murthy, etc. were all in meetings when this list went to press.

  19. Is Mr Vyomesh Joshi wearing too much makeup? The SM mainpage photo is very shiny and powdery.

  22. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs

    Born to Joanne Simpson and an Egyptian Arab father (name unknown) in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Steven Paul was adopted soon after birth by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California. His biological sister is the novelist Mona Simpson.

  23. Born to Joanne Simpson and an Egyptian Arab father (name unknown) in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Steven Paul was adopted soon after birth by Paul and Clara Jobs

    GREEN BAY?!?!?! swoon

    Once again, along with Harry Houdini, Willem Dafoe and Tony Shalhoub, Wisconsin steps forward in its evil plan of World Domination. Muahahaha!

    (Tony Shalhoub is Lebanese-American, BTW.)