<h1>ET Businesswoman of the Year: Mallika Srinivasan</h1>
There couldnt have been a more appropriate setting to interview ET’s Businesswoman of the Year: under the shade of a century-old banyan tree. This tree, at one corner of the lush green lawns of Tractors and Farm Equipment (Tafes) Sembiyam factory, seems to embody the philosophy of Mallika Srinivasan: reach for the skies but ensure that you are firmly rooted to the ground.
At another level, a 100-year-old banyan tree in the vicinity of a state-of-the-art factory also seems rather anachronistic. Quite like a woman in the driver’s seat of a seemingly macho business like tractors. But it is this ability to rise above such stereotypes which makes Ms Srinivasan such a compelling individual and businessperson. Says Akhila Srinivasan, MD, Shriram Life Insurance, “Women do well in the service industry that’s an accepted fact. But in manufacturing, building such a big enterprise and creating an almost leadership position is an outstanding achievement.”
We wonder if it’s tough being a woman in what is even today seen as a man’s business. Have there been moments when she wished she were a man? “There is no point in wishing ‘if only things were different’,” points out Ms Srinivasan. And things might well have been had it not been for her father’s insistence that she join and manage the family concern.
“I had the freedom of choice in a lot of other things, but not in choosing the line of business,” she says, “he believed that I could learn a lot here.”
In the initial years, she often leaned on her father to guide her. “It was nice to have somebody to go to when there was a problem,” she says, “and while my father is a man of few words, but his advice always helped me to put things in perspective,” she said.
And learn a lot she did. Take a look at what she has done over the years. When Ms Srinivasan joined the company in 1986, its turnover was Rs 85 crore, and today Tafe and its allied companies earn revenues of Rs 2,900 crore. The goal is to crash into the elite $1bn league within the next three years. She has masterminded and overseen the acquisition of Eicher group’s business in early ’05 and is today inches away from the leader in terms of market share.
However, she believes that end alone cannot reflect the true success of an organisation but that the means to the end are just as important. In her view, it is important that ethics be blended into business and companies strive for a broader social purpose with profit making. Says Ms Srinivasan, “There might be different perspectives, opinions and ways of doing the same thing. But when it comes to ethics, there can be no two ways of looking at it.” She goes on to add, “Profits are important, but only for sustaining a business. You don’t need to love money to run a business. You have to have a dream to build an institution, to build centres of excellence, to create a great team. Business has a larger purpose. And return on capital employed is important to serve that larger purpose.”
So it’s no surprise that Tafe also runs hospitals and schools, but Ms Srinivasan doesn’t see these as acts of charity. “Business can operate well only in the social context of educated and healthy people. So, it is a mix of charity and business sense,” she said.
A serious votary of woman power, Ms Srinivasan says, women’s contribution to society has often been underestimated. “I think the role women play in the corporate world is too narrow a parameter to judge their growing strength or their contribution to society and nation. The role they play in educating their children, itself, should not be underestimated,” she said.
Her husband — automobile tycoon Venu Srinivasan, CMD of TVS Motors — who has been a pillar of support through the years, said, “I am proud of Mallika getting the award. The highest recognition in the business world today is The ET Award. It is a significant milestone in anyone’s business career.”
Says Ms Srinivasan, who a couple of years after her marriage in 1982 and less than a year after her daughter was born went to Wharton to pursue her MBA, “It would not have happened but for a lot of support from my mother and Venu.”
Ms Srinivasan herself said she felt a sense of satisfaction for having been chosen by a jury whose members have such distinguished profiles. “I didn’t quite expect the number of calls that I got for two days after the awards were announced. That so many people read ET came as a surprise,” she said.
Given her inclusive approach to business and life it is hardly surprising to hear her acknowledge the employees of Tafe. “They are all so happy, because they knew the award is for the whole team,” she says.
As we were getting ready for the photo shoot she tells us yet again that one has to accept what one gets in life. “You take up some roles, and some roles are thrust upon you, like this one,” pointing out the task of posing for photographs. “I am not an actress. I am not from Bollywood,” she protests.
Actress or not, she is definitely going to be a heroine who inspires many
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2030315.cms
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