A Marine Captain with Salt in his Blood and Passion for Life
With the mission of absorbing everything that comes in life and inspired by thoughts from his father’s teaching “In life, it is not always necessary to do what you like, but you must like what you do”, Capt. Mohit Batra, hailing from a family of seafarers, has come as far as becoming one of the most admired global Indians. Having always been fascinated by men in unform, he was on the crossroads of either going out to sea or joining the Indian Air Force. With a tough decision to make, Capt. Mohit decided to follow his father, Mr. Suraj Prakash Batra’s footsteps as a sailor and joined the Merchant Navy at the early age of seventeen.
After acquiring all professional qualifications, this man with sailor’s salt in his blood set off on a career spanning twelve years at sea, rising to be in command of large tankers. However, he soon realized he had the hunger to learn more and in order to come ashore he needed to adapt and realign his qualifications. Capt. Mohit pursued an MBA degree from Oxford, after which he gained a diverse and rich experience working at different senior-level positions within the industry.
In 2008, Capt. Mohit moved to Singapore, now his home, and several projects, a transfer to Shanghai and back, and a bucketload of experience later, he inaugurated the Singapore Maritime Network (SMN), a company focused on three verticals – Safety equipment, management consulting, and network events. But a learning opportunity, boosting experience, and a launchpad for his business is not the only thing that Capt. Batra discovered during his MBA.
During those years of his MBA, this achiever also met his beautiful wife, Inessa from Moscow, Russia. The happily married couple are parents to two lovely girls, Stefaniya (14) and Anushka (9), studying at an International School in Singapore. Forever grateful for their support and inspired by his mother Mrs. Pushpa Batra’s teachings to create memorable moments rather than regret about missed occasions, Capt. Mohit ensures he spends his weekends with his wonderful family.
Strong communication skills and networking abilities are his strengths, which he also applies as a business strategy. Adding more about his company policies, he says, “We founded our company (SMN), guided by the four basic principles that we believe in and consistently uphold, viz: Efficiency, Reliability, Cost Effectiveness and Simplicity. Our business motto is ‘Your safety is our Business.’ Most of our supply is to the shipping industry, which is responsible for almost 80% of the global trade.”
Capt. Mohit believes that every small achievement and failure is an opportunity to grow, and success awaits those who can endure the initial resistance. Even without a business background, he created a successful company that recently won the prestigious award of SME 500 Singapore Company and an honorable mention at the international Go Global awards. Despite the effect of the pandemic on his business, his vision and conviction were strong to weather the rough period and he was able to expand his business further.
A family man, speaker, golfer, an educator, a co-editor of business journals, and now a writer in the making, Capt. Mohit Batra is a realist with a hint of optimism. His family is his source of motivation, and he doesn’t shy from accepting and correcting his mistakes. He vouches for a balanced life, a hunger for growth, an ability to take calculated risks, the courage to face any outcome, and an alternate strategy to mitigate risks. Over these years, he’s lived by the mantra, “Don’t stress over what you can’t control, rather focus your positivity on what you can change.”
Over the past three decades, Capt. Mohit has been invited to chair and speak at numerous high-level industry events, invited as a visiting faculty at business and maritime schools globally, and his views have been published in leading journals and newspapers. “None of this compares to the respect and admiration I receive from my team, peers, ex-colleagues, and industry friends.”
With a passion for life, Capt Mohit encourages everyone to applaud their efforts, learn from failures and celebrate their success. In the hopes that the world will soon return to normalcy, Capt Mohit Batra proposes to stay strong and live safely while taking all necessary precautions. Whether it is to be a responsible employer, a dedicated family person, a prosperous entrepreneur, or an optimistic human being, this global Indian reflects it all.
