Business executives who have led corporations, tend to be drawn into overtly describing the technicalities of their domain of work in narrating their autobiographies, be it a Lee Iacocca of Ford, Andrew S Grove of Intel and many others.

What elevates the CEO's Brew by Sanjiv Mehta a cut above many in this genre of corporate autobiographies, is the ability to present himself not only as a successful corporate czar increasing market share and driving business growth, but as a well-rounded holistic regular human being who cherishes a family with his wife and two daughters, while living across multiple countries and cultures, balancing school sessions of his daughters and his wife's work. Sanjeev Mehta narrates his memoirs from the perspective of a husband, father, team player and a well-rounded leader. The Family Man seems to be an alternative title that one could have perhaps thought for this book.

The primary learning point for the readers, specifically for those in early career at corporates, is the clarity of vision Sanjeev Mehta possessed even in his very initial days. As a qualified CA working at Union Carbide, he had denied a role at HUL in Accounts since he had envisioned to build a career in Corporate Finance. Later the same Levers offered him a role in Corporate Finance at UAE. He had complete clarity of what he wanted to do in life, coming from an understanding of one's own worth and value. This is the hallmark of a successful professional.

The book offers its readers a first-hand account of the life of an expatriate corporate executive. Through the experiences across countries the book shows how the culture, traditions and religion of different lands mould the perception of expatriate corporate executives and their families to be respectful towards all, and hence be a truly global citizen.

A plethora of insights is offered about the history and culture of the different countries, and how they shape consumer behaviour, buying patterns, trade channel dynamics and mindset of bureaucracy. It is heartening to note Sanjeev's passion for knowing the culture and history of new lands as he transitioned from being a finance professional to a business leader.

The book is replete with golden nuggets of wisdom about running FMCG business be it in channel management, distribution, pricing, promotion, new product development, insights (market, consumer, trade) and much more.

His writing style is free flowing, eloquent and occasionally poetic, but well balanced with the objectivity required in business reading. Candid disclosures like 'it was the first time many of us got to drink Blue Label', sharing successes with his numerous team members, acknowledging the guidance of his mentors and colleagues, respect for his rivals, are what makes this book endearing.

Finally, the entire plot of the book is set within the larger ecosystem of the Unilever corporate, be it in the events or in the value system that has guided the decisions of the various protagonists.

In all, this book is a wonderful guide and storehouse of wisdom for running businesses in a manner such that they touch human lives and not only achieve business milestones, a huge necessity in today's corporate world.