Sandeep Chennakeshu

Your Company Is Your Castle

SANDEEP CHENNAKESHU

Building resilient businesses across the globe

“Hi, I’m Sandeep Chennakeshu”

Author, Business Transformation Veteran, Technologist

I am a lifelong student and aspiring teacher whose heart is in technology and mind is in business. My education culminated with a postgraduate diploma in industrial management from the Indian Institute of Science and a PhD in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University.

After graduation, I entered the electronics industry and led the development and launches of technology used by billions via many generations of cellphones, semiconductors, and software for mission critical applications. Along this 35 year journey, I was entrusted to run multinational businesses that grew profitably, thanks to my incredible teams. Today, I am a Life Fellow of the IEEE, and a named inventor on 251 patents.

My passion is to help entrepreneurs and executives build successful businesses.

WINNER OF 2023 GOODY BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS
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Your Company is Your Castle

Companies emerge from smart people with clever ideas. However, vision alone is not enough as only one out of three companies lasts ten years.
It takes a systematic approach to making a company sustainably successful. In Your Company Is Your Castle, Sandeep Chennakeshu, a business transformation veteran, compares building a company to that of a medieval castle that has withstood the test of time, having weathered natures elements and hordes of invaders.
Sandeep ties eight structural elements of such castles to eight essential elements that make a company thrive. He describes how to assess and systematically build a company’s business model, financial health, strategy, culture, products, sales channels, execution, and stakeholder confidence to make the company formidable.
Your Company Is Your Castle equips you with critical insights and principles to build strong businesses and in turn build yourself into a strong leader. Using evocative examples from diverse companies and stories from his thirty-year career of transforming companies and launching trailblazing products globally, Sandeep gives entrepreneurs and managers at all levels and all disciplines in a company a blueprint and recipe book needed for not only building a lasting company, but defending, protecting, and expanding it.
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What readers say

Sandeep has had an exceptional career in the technology industry.

This book distills three decades of his hands-on learning; it is a brilliant guide filled with valuable insights.

A. Paulraj

Professor Emeritus Stanford University, IEEE Bell Medal, and Marconi Prize Winner

This book is a comprehensive guide on operational leadership. Filled with real-world examples and analogies that translate sophisticated business strategies into tangible actions.

Your Company is Your Castle is one of those rare books that ties strategy, culture, and execution with clarity to deliver results.

Swamy Kotagiri

CEO Magna International

Sharp insights, deep business wisdom and excellent storytelling rolled into one. Anyone with the desire to get into business management should get their hands on this book fast – and you don’t need to be a CEO to read this!

No matter what stage you are in your career, this book will help you understand the fundamentals of how companies run and how you can help to make it a success. I only wish this gem of a book was available earlier on in my career.

Melissa Di Donato

Chair and CEO Kyriba, Supervisory Board Porsche AG

“Your Company is Your Castle” is that rare book that bridges both strong academic principles and the real operating world, written by someone that has actually made it happen for more than 30 years.

As a former CEO and currently a business school professor, I highly recommend this to all students and practitioners that desire to build a great company to last.

Harry M Jansen Kraemer, Jr.

Professor Northwestern University’s Kellogg’ School of Management, Former Chairman and CEO, Baxter International

When reading this book a quote from Albert Einstein comes instinctively to my mind “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” This is precisely what this engaging book does. It breaks down building and running a business into insightful recipes and nous that makes a very compelling read. Well done!

Karl-Henrik Sundstrom

Chairman Boliden AB, Chairman Tax Delegation for Swedish Business and Commerce, Former CEO Stora Enso, Former CFO Ericsson

I read this book with great interest and am inspired a lot. Many business cases Sandeep has written  in the book are close to my experience, and each example had a real feel to it. I thought that this book is a unique book compared to other management strategy books out there. Many of the authors of books on management strategy that are circulating around the world  draw conclusions by researching the actual conditions of many companies and comparing them.

But in this book, Sandeep translates everything based on his own experience, and as such it is much more applicable and persuasive in the real business field. The examples cited explain the problems that any organization faces. In that sense, I think it’s a perfect book for students at business schools and for middle to senior management of companies.

Katsumi Ihara

Chairperson of the Board, Hitachi Ltd.

“Company Is Your Castle” is a very well written book. The analogy of using the elements of a castle to describe the structure of a company is brilliant. What stands out is the clarity of the theme, excellent storytelling, and examples across many industries.

The personal stories and experiences add to the
book’s authenticity. The last chapter was especially inspiring.  I am sure this book will be very well received and benefit many aspiring minds.

Prof. Vijay Mahajan

John P. Harbin Centennial Chair Professor in Business, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas

In the Media

Thrive Beyond Comfort: Keys to Success and Resilience
Thrive Beyond Comfort: Keys to Success and Resilience
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Strategy Skills: How to build a Resilient and Lasting Business
Strategy Skills: How to build a Resilient and Lasting Business
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Leaving a Legacy with a Book – Sandeep Chennakeshu Talks
Leaving a Legacy with a Book – Sandeep Chennakeshu Talks
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Featured Articles

Seven Beliefs To Take On Your Leadership Journey
Seven Beliefs To Take On Your Leadership Journey
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Prune the Yellow Leaves: Interview with Sandeep Chennakeshu
Prune the Yellow Leaves: Interview with Sandeep Chennakeshu
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Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Startup
Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Startup
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