The ability of a leader is judged by his action and the effect it has on people. Yes, R. S. Sharma - Chairman & Managing Director, ONGC is one of those natural leaders whose foresight have benevolently affected all and sundry within and outside their organisations. An undisputed guru of strategies, Sharma's elevation to the top post was largely the result of his policy making prowess. In fact, it was he who successfully put together a comprehensive insurance policy for the company's onshore and offshore assets.

If praising one's erstwhile boss calls for sheer selflessness, then treating his legacy as invaluable asset takes an even greater heart. Sharma epitomizes these virtues as he promises to continue the rich legacy of Subir Raha, whom he replaced at the topmost rung.

Sharma joined ONGC in 1988 as Joint Director (Finance) and held various posts in project and corporate finance affairs of the company. Before taking charge as the Director (Finance), he also functioned as Director (Finance) of ONGC Videsh Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of ONGC. In fact, he is also in the board of OVL which is the biggest transnational corporation of India, operating in 13 countries.

A man known for his varied experiences, Sharma is also in the board of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) which is another ONGC subsidiary, ONGC Mittal Energy Services Ltd. (OMESL) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC). Prior to joining ONGC, Sharma had worked in finance, banking and credit appraisal, including an overseas posting as regional finance head of a public sector construction company.

Renowned for his financial stewardship, the company under Sharma bagged many laurels in financial management. The company under him also emerged as the Most Valuable Indian Corporate, in terms of market capitalization, net profits and net worth.

It was Sharma's hard work and his contribution to the industry that he was recently conferred with India CFO Award for 2005 for excellence in finance by International Market Assessment (IMA), in association with BNP Paribas, Sun Micro Systems and CNBC TV 18.

In fact, Sharma has proved himself to be an expert when it comes to crisis management. He emerged as the prime saviour during the Mumbai High fire in 2005. His abilities came to the fore when he coordinated rescue operations at the time of Mumbai floods. Sharma has also been highly praised for his contribution in making the flood-hit Hazira gas unit work in less than two weeks time.

During these entire crisis situations, Sharma came on the top. They say that the real character of a leader is known only during crisis and Sharma has proved, more than once, that he is the man crises are scared to come face-to-face.