It was sometime in October 2017. The change of season in Delhi—winter was about to set in—coincided with winds of change blowing strongly across the India operations of Italian confectionery major Perfetti Van Melle. Over 200 staff, gathered at a hurriedly-called town hall in a five-star hotel in south Delhi, had a whiff of what was coming. The buzzword was transformation. While the employees were on the edge, the top management had its task cut out.
Perfetti, the maker of Happydent, Center fruit and Center fresh chewing gum brands, had seen muted growth over the last three years, with sales crawling from fiscal 2015; in 2017 they stood at ₹1,700 crore, just ₹10 crore more than the number in 2015. This was in stark contrast to the double digit growth rates Perfetti was accustomed to since its India debut in 1994. However, a deadly cocktail of demonetisation, tepid rural demand, a slowing economy and rising commodity prices was taking a toll. The company needed a reboot.
The immediate task for Rajesh Ramakrishnan, who was shifted from Bangladesh to India as chief transformation officer in August 2017, was to ease the nerves. “It was a growth-oriented strategy, not a cost-cutting one,” recounts Ramakrishnan, who was elevated as India managing director (MD) last July.
Bu hikaye Forbes India dergisinin December 20, 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Forbes India dergisinin December 20, 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet
