Leadership perspectives: A conversation with Ireena Vittal, independent director
CEO & Board of Directors

Leadership perspectives: A conversation with Ireena Vittal, independent director

Heidrick & Struggles’ Suresh Raina speaks with Ireena Vittal, an independent director currently serving on multiple boards.
November 17, 2025
22m to watch
Ireena Vittal
About the interviewee
Ireena Vittal
Independent director

Ireena serves as an independent director on several major company boards, including Asian Paints, Godrej Consumer Products, Wipro, Diageo, Compass Group and others. She was earlier a partner at McKinsey for 16 years, advising global and Indian consumer facing companies on entry strategy, portfolio turnaround, organizational redesign, mergers and scaling.

Heidrick & Struggles’ Suresh Raina speaks with Ireena Vittal, an independent director currently serving on multiple boards. Drawing on her extensive experience advising and governing both global and Indian organizations, Vittal shares the core traits that distinguish thriving leaders. She explores the key elements of achieving continuous growth, building a trusted circle of advisors to strengthen decision-making, fostering an organizational culture that drives performance, and maintaining a commitment to lifelong learning. 

Throughout the conversation, she highlights intellectual humility, growth-oriented leadership, and the importance of leaders staying true to their authentic selves.

Discover more

India Snapshot: Route to the Top 2025 [PDF]

This snapshot offers key insights shaping succession planning practices among India’s board members, why some boards aren’t moving more intentionally and other observations we’re seeing about the future of CEO succession planning.

Why board effectiveness is crucial for Indian companies [PDF]

At the end of 2023, Heidrick & Struggles surveyed EDs (managing directors and executive directors), NEDs (non-executive and nominee directors), and IDs (independent directors) to understand how they perceive ‘The Great Board Refresh’ and what keeps them up at night.

Stay connected

Stay connected to our expert insights, thought leadership, and event information.

Leadership Podcast

Explore the latest episodes of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast.