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That prompted a yearlong boycott of Cobra, during which we had to close our UK depots and lay off employees. Eventually, however, with a lot of hard work, we persuaded the restaurants that we would never want to harm them, and they lifted their ban. The second crisis came in By this stage Cobra was a much larger company, and we needed significant investment to pursue our global growth plans. But its management suddenly got cold feet and pulled out. Thankfully, I had a plan B: financing from an Indian bank.
We secured the loan—just two weeks before Lehman Brothers collapsed. That bought us some time, but within a year we were confronting the third existential threat: A financial backer that had suffered badly in the global downturn called in its loan and ordered us to sell the company in the worst possible climate. That was very painful. In March of Molson Coors expressed interest in a joint venture: It would take We persuaded Molson Coors to come back to the table with us and put in a joint bid.
It did, and we saved the company, ensuring that one-third of our employees could move to the joint venture and that those made redundant would be paid out in full, along with some remaining shareholders. When I reflect on how we managed to survive each of those scenarios, I seize on the elements I mentioned at the start of this story.
First, my vision for the company never wavered. I wanted to create the finest Indian beer and sell it everywhere. With determination, my team and I turned Cobra into a household name in Britain, and that strength of brand helped us through tough times; during none of the crises did our sales decline.
Another key element of our success has been integrity. Throughout the life of Cobra, I have been surrounded by loyal partners, employees, and family—especially my wife, whom I met one year after I started the business.
They stuck with me and the company through thick and thin, and I am immensely grateful. As a group we have also always adhered to strong moral principles.
Cobra has won gold medals at the Monde Selection competition over the years, and we now export to nearly every European Union country, along with Japan, Canada, and Australia. Although a large company can be bureaucratic, I still push for innovation, adaptation, and a fast pace.
It comes from a complex, top-fermented recipe, and it took us two years to deliver. But we got there in the end, and now Cobra has the whole Molson Coors machine—finance, marketing, and distribution—behind it.
I continue to focus on building strong, trusting relationships across the company. Because Arjun and I spent the early years of Cobra doing everything, from setting up production to negotiating with restaurants to hiring employees, I can visit every part of this American-Canadian-British-Indian business and identify with what people are doing.
I have served as deputy lieutenant of Greater London, and in I was named an independent crossbench life peer in the House of Lords. We are better off remaining in the European Union. This is yet another situation outside the world of music and art that calls for vision, creativity, and integrity. But I believe that I, my team, and my adopted country are up to the challenge. You have 1 free article s left this month.
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