General V. P. Malik was Chief of the Indian Army from October 01, 1997 to September 30, 2000. Concurrently, he was also the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee of India. As Army Chief, General Malik had dual responsibility of being an advisor to the government as well as commander of the over 1.2 million strong Army. The latter responsibility included management of strategic, operational and fiscal planning and human resource development. He planned, coordinated and oversaw execution of Operation Vijay to successfully defeat Pakistan’s attempted intrusion in Kargil Sector in 1999. After retirement, he was nominated member of the National Security Advisory Board for two terms. General Malik was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Param Vishisht Seva Medal. The General has also received Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute of Directors, ‘Excellence in Leadership’ award by Atur Foundation (Pune), ‘Pride of the Nation’ award by Doon Citizens’ Council, and the ‘Punjab Rattan’ award. Since 2003, he has been an independent director/advisor on the board of some well-known private sector companies. In 2007, he was nominated on the judges’ panel to select and rank Top Companies for Leaders in Asia Pacific Region by Hewitt Associates, who undertook this exercise in collaboration with Fortune Magazine and The RBL Group. General Malik has authored ‘Kargil: From Surprise to Victory’ and “India’s Military Conflicts and Diplomacy: An Inside View of Decision Making” and written several papers on strategic planning and security issues. He is a frequent speaker with civil and military institutions, think tanks and corporate organizations on strategy, security, leadership and motivational issues.