'Global uncertainties will lead to business models changing'

Harsh Goenka, Chairman of RPG Enterprises, shares his views on diversification, M&As, happiness and how companies can deal with uncertainty

With companies such as KEC, CEAT, Zensar Technologies, and RPG Life Sciences in its fold, the Harsh Goenka-led RPG group had a cumulative turnover of over ₹30,000 crore in FY22. One of the oldest entities in the country and known to have made some daring buyouts, the group’s focus now is on technology, digital, and getting ready for an unpredictable but fascinating future. In an interview, with Business Today’s Krishna Gopalan, the 64-year-old Chairman of RPG Enterprises highlights how each of his businesses is at an interesting stage and what is being done to bolster revenue and profitability in a post-pandemic world. Edited excerpts:

Q: How have you adapted the group’s businesses in a changing environment? In that backdrop, what is being done to make them nimble-footed?

A: At the outset, we look at ourselves as a global group with a footprint in over 100 countries. Today, 45 per cent of our revenue comes from international operations. I would like to bring up an example to elaborate on the point of being nimble-footed. An issue we had, at one point, was that we could not get the best talent to run our R&D function. There were a few [potential candidates from other countries] who changed their minds after seeing the state of infrastructure in India. We lost a precious two years in the process and it was time to take a big decision and that was to move the business elsewhere. Today, our R&D headquarters are in Frankfurt.