Business Leaders in Indian Textile Industry

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The Indian textiles sector has been one of the mainstays of the Indian economy. The sector contributes roughly five per cent to India’s GDP and is also the second largest employer, after agriculture. However, quite strangely, for an industry of its size and importance, it seems to keep a rather low profile. Recently I quizzed some of my friends from the corporate world on the most popular business leaders in India. It was a well-informed group and almost immediately started rattling off names such as Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra, Narayanamurthy, Sunil Mittal, and so on. What was surprising was that none of them seemed to even know any business leader from the Indian textile industry. This set me thinking. Now, here is an industry which is being largely driven by entrepreneurs, some of whom have made huge investments in manufacturing and achieved global name and fame in specific product segments, and yet there is very little that is known about these business leaders and their contribution to economic development.

It is in this backdrop that we at The Textile Magazine took an initiative to present key business leaders in the Indian textile industry and their achievements and contributions to the economy and the society at large. We will be featuring one prominent business leader each in our forthcoming editions since it’s well-nigh impossible to cover everyone in a single issue. We will try and cover as many business leaders as possible over the next few months. We hope you will enjoy reading about them as much as we do writing about them. Do write to us if you know of anyone who can be featured in our edition.

Ramasubramenya Rajha

Chairman, Ramco Group

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Mr. Ramasubramenya Rajha is the Chairman of the $1 billion Ramco Group of Companies, a diversified business house with presence in varied sectors including, textiles, cement, software and education. He has diligently built the Ramco Group on the strong foundation laid by the Group’s founder; his illustrious father, the late P.A.C. Ramasamy Raja. The remarkable business acumen and visionary zeal of Mr. Ramasubramaneya Rajha has taken the Group to new heights.

While the Ramco Group presently employing over seven thousand employees has diversified presence in different sectors, it was in the textile industry that Mr. Ramasubramenya Rajha first cut his professional teeth. After completing his Bachelor of Science (Physics) from the prestigious Loyala College, Madras, he began his career as an ordinary worker in B&C Mills, Madras. Subsequently he was trained as an officer in Harveys Mills, Madurai.

The modernization of the Group’s textile division consisting of the flagship company – Rajapalayam Mills Ltd. and many other spinning mills was taken up by Mr. Ramasubramenya Rajha once he took over charge from his father in 1955. He is considered a trendsetter in the textile industry having introduced modern technologies for producing high quality cotton yarn. The pioneer in introducing Open End Yarn in India, Mr. Ramasubramenya Rajha also established the first export oriented spinning mill unit in entire South India. The group’s textile division has been exporting high quality yarn to Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan, for the last 20 years, with the value of exports now being nearly Rs. 75 crores per year. The total turnover of the group’s textile division has under his leadership touched about Rs. 1,400 crores in recent times.

Well known across the country for his humility, clarity and daring dexterity in challenging environments, his leadership qualities have been instrumental in making the Group’s textile division counted among the top in what is a highly competitive industry. A staunch advocate of professional management and strict adherence to highest quality standards, Mr. Ramasubramenya Rajha’s steadfastness has seen him become one of the foremost figures in the country’s textile industry.

Ramco Cements has also grown on to become a most preferred choice of the construction industry under the able leadership of Mr. Ramasubramenya Rajha. The company is the first in South India to convert to dry process technology. It had installed what was then the biggest kiln in India, having an annual clinkerization capacity of 4.5 lakh tonnes way back in 1975 itself. His pioneering efforts and concern towards the environment saw the company produce blended cement using fly ash as far back in 1975. Ramco Cements is counted among the topmost cement brands in the country.

Right from the time of its inception the Ramco Group has been known for its CSR initiatives. Services aimed at social development have always been one of the group’s core principle objectives. The CSR focus got further fillip under the leadership of Mr. Ramasubramaneya Rajha. The group runs several educational institutions to impart better education to all sections of the society, especially the underprivileged children. The group is promoting many prominent charitable foundations including the Raja Charity Trust, P.A.C. Ramasamy Raja Educational Trust and the P.A.C.R. Sethurammal Charities, to mention only some. The group has established a tribal welfare hostel named ‘Jayanth Tribal Students Hostel’ in the year 2005. Ramco Medical Care Centre was established in the year 2007 under the auspices of P.A.C. Ramasamy Raja Centenary Trust, to render quality medical treatment to the down-trodden in the society at affordable cost. The medical centre boasts of modern facilities complete with the latest equipment such as CT scan, 3D Ultra Sound & Doppler, fully equipped lab, ccomputerized X-ray, etc. This apart, Mr. Ramasubramaneya Rajha also contributes generously to the Government Hospital, Rajapalayam, which is incidentally named after his late father, P.A.C. Ramasamy Raja.

Preservation of the rich Indian cultural legacy is another aspect high on the agenda of the group’s social initiatives. It has established the P.A.C. Ramasamy Raja Memorial Music School in Rajapalayam in 1962 towards this objective. It is also running successfully a ‘Veda Patasala’ in Rajapalayam.

Given his vast repertoires of industry knowhow it comes as no surprise that Mr. Ramasubramenya Rajha is part of several prestigious industrial bodies and organizations. He is the Member of Special Task Force for Industrial Development, Government of Tamil Nadu, Non-officio Member of Advisory Committee of Tamil Nadu – HR & CE and the President – Rajapalayam Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

With his path breaking ideas, infectious enthusiasm and ceaseless toil, this outstanding personality continues to drive the destiny of the Ramco Group of Companies towards greater glory.

 Chandra Shekhar Nopany

Chairman, Sutlej Textiles & Industries Ltd.

Sutlej-Nopany-pic An industrialist with vast industrial experience in diverse fields like sugar, shipping, textiles and fertilizers, Mr. Chandra Shekhar Nopany is the Chairman of Sutlej Textiles & Industries Ltd. and Chairman & Managing Director of Oudh Sugar Mills Ltd. of the K. K. Birla Group of Sugar Companies. He is also the Chairman of New India Retailing & Investment Ltd. and SIL Investments Ltd., and is on the Board of Upper Ganges Sugar & Industries Ltd. Having contributed significantly to the growth of the group, he continues to lead as a new-generation entrepreneur with concerted focus on efficiency and growth.

Mr. Nopany is one of the promoters and a member on the Board of several other companies promoted by Dr. K.K. Birla, such as Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd., CFCL Technologies Ltd. and Indo Maroc Phosphore SA, Morocco. He has also the distinction of being the former President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata, and the Indian Sugar Mills Association.

Mr. Nopany is a Chartered Accountant and Master of Science in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.                           

J.L. Oswal

Chairman and MD, Oswal Woollen Mills Ltd.

 Nahar-JL-Oswal-picMr. J.L. Oswal’s courage of conviction to experiment with something new every time, and his firm resolve to stand out emit odds has taken the Nahar Group of Companies thus far. His being most unassuming throughout is behind the success of his career. Through his vigorous efforts, he catapulted the Nahar Group of Companies to one of the most reputed industrial houses. He always believes in the ethics of sharing his fortunes through strong corporate social responsibility.

Success is tradition and growth is imperative. With this philosophy Oswal Woollen Mills Ltd. (OWM) was started by his father, the late Vidya Sagar Oswal, in 1949. He turned a small hosiery unit into a big corporate entity whose product brands have been widely acclaimed and appreciated. His business has always been guided by the concept “High Quality & Value Addition”.

The fact that the Nahar Group is today amongst the most respected industrial houses in the country has only been possible due to decades of hard work put in by Mr. Oswal. His burning desire has always been to evolve, grow and eventually position the Nahar Group as a responsible and reputed corporate entity, playing his role in improving people’s quality of life through products and services.

Having put Ludhiana on the international fashion map, Mr. Oswal has revolutionized the entire apparel segment across the country. The Nahar Group is a proud owner of Monte Carlo, the leading fashion brand of India.

Owing to his visionary endeavours as its Chairman, the Nahar Group is surging ahead with a vide-ranging portfolio in textiles (i.e., cotton yarn, cotton fabrics, denim fabrics, woollen yarn, knitting yarn, hosiery, garments, and retail business with brands like Monte Carlo and Platine on pan-India basis), sugar, packaging material, renewable power generation and infrastructure development. The group has more than 35,000 employees and an annual turnover of above Rs. 5,000 crores with manufacturing facilities & businesses located in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, besides branded garments business at an all-India level.

Industry recognition

A highly pleasing personality, Mr. Oswal’s sincere efforts have been recognized well by industry by offering respectable and responsible positions in various capacities to him. Functioning in different capacities all along, he has done his best to serve the industry.

Mr. Oswal was Chairman of the Wool & Woollen Export Promotion Council for three terms, and of the Hosiery Export Organization from 1975 to 1985, Director of Punjab National Bank from 1982 to 1985, the Punjab State Hosiery & Knitwear Development Corporation, Punjab Planning Board, the Textile Committee and of the high level standing committee of the Punjab Government.

He was conferred the “Punjab Rattan Anand” at the all-India Intellectual Conference 2003, and the “Udyog Ratna Award” by the Punjab Government in 2005 for his outstanding performance for promotion of industry in the State. He was also honored with the Life Time Achievement Award for best entrepreneur by the Ludhiana Management Association in 2013.

Today, while Mr. Oswal steers the destiny of the country’s most high-profile textile enterprise, he is all praise for the present generation of the family which is taking the group to newer altitudes. His knowledge of business and learning acquired over the years is passed on to his two brilliant sons – Mr. Kamal Oswal and Mr. Dinesh Oswal – who are helping him to take the group to greater heights.

Kamal Oswal

Vice Chairman & MD, Nahar Industrial Enterprises

 Nahar-KamalOswal-picMr. Kamal Oswal is an industrialist with an experience of more than 30 years in the textile industry. He is presently the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Nahar Industrial Enterprises Ltd. and Joint Managing Director of Oswal Woollen Mills Ltd.

Mr. Oswal has in the past held various positions in the Nahar Group and is presently acting as an ‘Industrial Advisor’ to the Punjab Chief Minister, with a rank equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister.

He used to interact with people specialising in different fields for acquiring skills. His basic philosophy of ‘Vision is the key’ is based on his belief that without vision there can be no mission and no agenda to roadmap the future. His main thrust is on product quality and value-added products.                                

Dinesh Oswal

Managing Director, NSML and NCFSL

Nahar-DineshOswal-pic Mr. Dinesh Oswal is an industrialist with extensive experience of more than 29 years in the textile industry. Presently the Managing Director of both NSML and NCFSL, he has served the Nahar Group of Companies in different capacities.

He is a firm believer in globalization as it offers exciting challenges that can be converted into rewarding opportunities only if one fully realises the ground realities pertaining to business and industry. At the end of the day, only performance counts.

 

Rajinder Gupta

Founder-Chairman, Trident Ltd.

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Mr. Rajinder Gupta is the founder-Chairman of Trident Ltd., the flagship company of the $1 billion Trident Group with diversified presence in textiles and paper. A first-generation entrepreneur, he possesses rich and varied exposure of promoting industrial ventures in diverse areas over the last three decades.

Under his leadership, the company has scaled new heights and has become one of the fastest growing companies in India with a compound annual growth rate of more than 30 per cent, successfully executed projects worth Rs. 36,000 million over the last five years, and is continually adding value to the exchequer with exports of around Rs. 20,000 million across six continents.

Today Mr. Gupta leads an enterprise that provides direct employment to more than 12,000 families and is credited to be the world’s largest terry towel manufacturer and the largest manufacturer of wheat straw based paper. The company’s product portfolio has been consistently expanding with varieties of agro-based paper, yarn and terry towels, with bed linen being the latest entrant.

Trident Ltd., in its present form, is the result of the establishment of state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and systems coupled with appropriate human capital and credentials. Trident has frequently received accolades and awards from its patrons in recognition for delivering high quality standards and for its customer-centric approach. The business zeal of Mr. Rajinder Gupta is blended with ethics and good governance. This led the way for Trident being awarded three times as one of the Best Governed Companies by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. He took his first steps into his entrepreneurial journey in 1985 and in the same year he was presented the Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Dr. Manmohan Singh for outstanding performance as well as Exceptional and Practical Entrepreneurial Ability. The Yuva Shakti Puruskar in the International Youth Year for outstanding performance in the field of entrepreneurship also came his way in the very same year. Mr. Gupta has been awarded with the “Padmashree” in 2007, one of the highest civilian awards bestowed by the Government, for his exemplary work in the field of Trade and Industry.

Mr. Gupta also presently holds the office of Vice Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board in the rank of Cabinet Minister, and is also attached with the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab for advising on matters related to Government Reforms, Employment, Skill Development, Technical Education, Industrial Investment & Infrastructure. He is also a representative of Trade, Industry & Commerce on the Board of Governors of the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion and is Chairman of the Advisory Council of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, and of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

He is determined to make a difference in the society through his work. With this vision he has set up Takshashila, a Centre for Excellence that imparts training to youth, thus improving their employability and contributing to a secure and sustainable future. Majority of the Takshashila graduates are absorbed into the business itself.

Mr. Gupta has also pioneered the establishment of “Asmita”, a Women Empowerment Forum, which was launched in October 2008. This initiative has helped enhance the earnability and, in turn, improve health, hygiene, welfare, education and basic amenities at the work place. Asmita also focuses on development of entrepreneurship.

From an entrepreneurial start to building small teams to developing an organization, the group steered a diversified profile under the able leadership of Mr. Gupta. His core values of integrity and commitment and his dynamic leadership have inspired the Trident Group to scale greater heights of success and enabled it to emerge as a world class organization.                                        

S.P. Oswal

Chairman, Vardhman Group

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Mr. S.P. Oswal is the Chairman of the Vardhman Group comprising Vardhman Textiles Ltd., Vardhman Acrylics Ltd., Vardhman Yarns & Threads Ltd., and VMT Spinning Company Ltd., which is one of the largest textile business houses in India. He started with a modest capacity of 14,000 spindles in 1966 at Ludhiana with a turnover of just Rs. 1 crore and achieved a turnover of $1.1 billion in 2013-14 with clear focus on textiles by building capacities in spinning, weaving and finishing of fabrics and sewing threads.

The success achieved by the group led to huge expansion of the textile industry in North and Central India. Professional management was the core value for Mr. Oswal. Notwithstanding many odds faced because of the location of his business in Ludhiana in the beginning, he has been able to create and foster an atmosphere of professional management in the area. He also played a key role in working with the Textile Ministry for carrying out reforms to make the textile industry more internationally competitive. He was Co-Chairman of Working Group – I (Textile Inputs-Physical Framework) at TEXSUMMIT – 2007, which was attended by the then Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Born in 1942 at Ludhiana, Mr. Oswal passed his Masters Degree in Commerce with Gold Medal from Panjab University. He joined his family business in 1966 in Ludhiana, and today the group has textile business in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. At present, it has three joint ventures, two with the Japanese and the third with a US partner.

He served as member of the Board of Management of Punjab Agricultural University during 1979-86 and was associated with several committees of the Board of the University. He was founder-President and Director of the Ludhiana Stock Exchange and remained its President from 1983 to 1987. He served as the Chairman of the National Committee of Textiles of CII from 2001 to 2009, and was President of Ludhiana Management Association from 1988 to 1991.

Mr. Oswal took the challenge of raising the yield of cotton in 2003 by adopting the Village Cluster Scheme, at a time when the farmers were losing interest in cotton cultivation due to pests attack causing heavy damage to the crop, successively in 1999, 2001 and 2002. The scheme turned out to be very successful, so much so that the then President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, included this project as a ‘great technological event which has the potential to penetrate into our everyday lives’ in his national address on “Technology Day”. The President also visited one of the adopted villages in 2005 named Gehri Buttar.

Mr. Oswal has also implemented, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nimbua Greenfield (Punjab) Ltd., the project of Solid Waste Management in Punjab. This is a private public partnership where the Central Government gave a grant of Rs. 13 crores, and Punjab Government provided a 22-acre land near Dera Bassi in the State.

Mr. Oswal has been inspired by the philosophy and writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He has set up a trust by name of Sri Aurobindo Socio Economic and Management Research Institute and, under this trust he set up a college, Sri Aurobindo College of Commerce & Management, providing education in commerce as Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Business Administration. Besides, he has set up two schools – one in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, and the other at Budhni, Madhya Pradesh, funded by another trust of the family.

Mr. Oswal has a passion for education and has been associated with a number of educational institutions. He has been a member on the Board of Governors of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, from 2006 to 2009, and has been the Chairman, Board of Management of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Deemed University under the HRD Ministry.

The Textiles Ministry had appointed Mr. Oswal as the Chairman of the Textiles Committee which is engaged in a variety of activities for facilitating the growth of the textiles trade and industry.

In addition, Mr. Oswal has been Member, Senate, Punjab University, Chandigarh; Chairman, National Committee on Textiles, Confederation of Indian Industry; the Director, Exim Bank of India; Member, Industrial Advisory Council, Government of Madhya Pradesh; Member – Chief Minister of Punjab’s Advisory Committee on Industrial Growth & Infrastructure Development; Member – Industrial Advisory Council, Government of Punjab; President (1993-95) – Northern India Textile Mill’s Association; and the Director of UTI Trustee Company Pvt. Ltd.

Sanjay Lalbhai

Chairman and Managing Director, Arvind Ltd.

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Mr. Sanjay Lalbhai, the Chairman and Managing Director of Arvind Ltd., a flagship company of the $1.2 billion Lalbhai Group, is indeed a leader in the Indian textile and apparel industry. It is under his leadership that Arvind reinvented itself. From being a traditional ethnic fabric manufacturer, it transformed itself into a dynamic company that professionalized its management, pioneered denim manufacturing in India, and then went on to become one among the largest denim manufacturers in the world. It has also become one of India’s largest manufacturers of other woven fabrics, vertically integrated into garment manufacturing, and built one of India’s most impressive apparel brand portfolios.

Many of Arvind’s pioneering achievements in the apparel brands and retail space were accomplished under Mr. Lalbhai’s guidance: the acquisition of India’s first denim brand – Flying Machine – in 1981; the penetration of denim into the hinterland of India through introduction of the Ruf n Tuf brand; India’s first international apparel brand (Arrow, 1993); and India’s first factory outlet (Megamart, 1995).

Today Mr. Lalbhai is working on creating the future growth engines for Arvind and setting it on the road to achieving the goal of becoming a $2 billion company in sales.

Mr. Lalbhai is actively involved in shaping Arvind’s engagement with society at large. Two such initiatives have flourished under his supervision. The first involves Arvind working with over 7,000 farmers to grow sustainable cotton across 60,000 acres of impoverished areas in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Through this project, Arvind, one of the large buyers of cotton in India, is attempting to build a business model that ensures socio-economic benefits to farmers, a greener textile supply chain and financial benefits to industry.

The second initiative involves Arvind working with the municipal school system of Ahmedabad to build an education intervention model that helps impoverished students progress through the system and access opportunities for employment. Currently this project benefits approximately 1,000 students each year.

Mr. Lalbhai currently holds several positions of responsibility. He serves on the Board of Torrent Pharma, as also on the board of several premier educational and research institutes. He is the President of the Ahmedabad Education Society and Ahmedabad University, and is a member on the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Further, he is the Chairman of the Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association, a member of the Council of Management of the Physical Research Laboratory, and is also the Chairman of CEPT University. He is also a member on the Governing Body of the Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management.

Punit Lalbhai

Executive Director, Arvind Ltd.

PunitLalbhai-pic Mr. Punit Lalbhai, 33, is an MBA from INSEAD (France) specializing in Strategy and General Management, along with Post-Graduate degree in Masters of Environmental Science from Yale University, and a Bachelors degree in Science (Conservation Biology) from University of California.

He has won several awards and honors during his career, including Research Grants, Presidential Fellowship Grant, J.M. Long-Endowed Scholarship and inclusion in Dean’s Lists for consistent Academic Excellence.

He is passionate about nature conservation and sustainability, and has served as a Board member for Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Council member for Better Cotton Initiative (Geneva) and as member of CII for Family Business Network.

Kulin Lalbhai

Executive Director, Arvind Ltd.

 Arvind-KulinLalbhai-picMr. Kulin Lalbhai, 29, is an MBA from Harvard Business School, along with a Bachelors degree in Science (Electrical Engineering) from Stanford University, USA. This, coupled with his years of hands-on experience at Arvind Ltd., makes him a worthy contender in the domains of both retail and e-commerce. It was only a matter of time before Mr. Kulin decided to bring in a new and more radical retail model to the established company.

He has held several leadership positions during his academic role, including serving as Co-President of the Family Business Club at Harvard, Associate Director for Stanford Asia Technology Initiative, and also serving as Conference Co-Chair for the Harvard-India Conference. He is passionate about retail industry and B2C businesses and has researched extensively on Disruptive Business Models and Online space.                                                

 Balkrishan Goenka

Chairman, Welspun Group

Welspun-BalkrishanGoenka-picMr. Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group, is one of India’s most dynamic businessmen and the Founding Chairman of the Welspun Group. Fondly known as BKG, he has pioneered the $3.5 billion multinational conglomerate. Under his astute leadership, it has grown exponentially, to become one of the most notable corporate leaders at the global level.

Inspired by his father, the late Gopi Ram Goenka’s flair for business, BKG began his journey as a global leader at the age of 19. He has been instrumental in building and shaping the future of the Welspun Group, as well as Welspun Corp Ltd., the world’s largest diameter pipe making company, and Welspun India Ltd., a global level home textile manufacturer and supplier.

BKG has received several accolades for his unique leadership. He was nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007 and 2008, and was honored by the Prime Minister of India with the Emerging Company of the Year Award in 2009, instituted by the Economic Times. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization and has been invited by the World Economic Forum for his contributions to public welfare. A philanthropist throughout, BKG has taken several social initiatives to empower women, ensuring health and safety and providing education for poor children.

Describing himself as “a simple merchant on a global scale”, BKG is known as a popular leader endowed with a spirit to build business empires.                                                                                                                                         

Rajesh R. Mandawewala

Managing Director, Welspun Group

Welspun-RajeshRMandawewala-pic Mr. Rajesh R. Mandawewala, Managing Director, Welspun Group, has, as a key business leader and group promoter, enabled the organization’s expansion and global reach in over 50 countries. He is also responsible for driving Welspun India Ltd.’s business to make it the largest producer of terry towels in Asia and the third largest terry towel producer in the world.

A Chartered Accountant by profession, Mr. Mandawewala brings over 25 years’ experience in industries ranging from textiles to SAW pipes. With his result-oriented approach, he was able to strengthen Welspun’s position as one of the most recognizable companies, both domestically and internationally.

A prolific speaker closely associated with leading business councils such as CII, FICCI, IMC, BCC, Texprocil and FIEO, he is a major contributor to the society’s well-being and is known to actively provide support to the underprivileged section of the society through education and various empowerment programs.                                                                                              

K.P. Ramasamy

Founder, Mentor & Chairman, KPR Mill Ltd.

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Mr. K.P. Ramasamy, popularly known as ‘KPR’, is the Founder, Mentor and Chairman of KPR Mill Ltd., which today is one of the outstanding textile conglomerates in India serving its stakeholders & customers around the globe. It is one of the largest vertically integrated apparel manufacturing companies with 3,53,088 spindles of 90,000 MT of yarn manufacturing capacity; a facility to produce 27,000 MT of fabrics and 47 million pieces of readymade knitted apparels per annum; a state-of-the-art processing facility to handle 23 MT of fabric per day; and 66 wind mills with a total greenpower generation capacity of 61.92 MW for captive consumption. The group has a workforce of over 12,000 employees.

From a humble beginning, his journey commenced with production of woven fabric and stretched to cotton yarn, hosiery fabric, dyeing of fabric and knitted apparel, which led to creation of a textile empire built on fabulous values. Bearing in mind the Social Cause, whenever the production capacity was expanded, it was well equipped with green power resources. For instance, the use of wind mills to entail captive power energy in order to meet the power requirements. Aiming at alternate green energy, it diversified into establishment of a co-gen-cum-sugar plant in Karnataka. Subsequently, it set up a high-end motor car showroom in Coimbatore. Quality is the watchword, be it the products KPR Group turns out or the service it provides.

Beyond being a very successful entrepreneur, all through strenuous and enduring efforts, the brilliance of the man is in contributing to the society from what he has earned. With an intention to serve the society, especially the female fraternity of India who were once highly dependent on the male, he not only employed and offered work to thousands of downtrodden women but provided them safe shelters, nutritious food, hygienic working conditions and enormous facilities for a comfortable living and, more than all, a ‘feel at home atmosphere’. To further ensure a bright and prosperous life ahead of each and every employee at the KPR Group, he decided to offer them free higher education.

There are many who, while joining the group, had the basic education of a secondary school. KPR helped them write their destiny, and many of them have successfully completed their Vocational, Bachelors & Master’s Degrees. So far, 10,000 employees have benefited by availing higher education facilities offered at KPR, with its tie-ups with leading universities. The masterpiece of his service towards education is the establishment of ‘KPR IAS Academy’ that offers ‘free’ coaching for IAS, IPS, UPSC and TNPSC exams. Many of its aspirants have cleared the exam under various categories, which were once considered as inaccessible career. Making best use of the educational facilities, several employees have excelled in Government examinations.

KPR was instrumental in planting numerous trees in the villages around and at all the units; recycling waste water at the plants by using it for productive purposes; producing bio-gas from human waste, thereby reducing usage of LPG; and installation of a massive effluent treatment plant with zero discharge system at its processing facility. Furthermore, he himself recently led the ‘Swachch Bharat’ (Clean India) Campaign’ at various villages with the support of his employees.

In all his endeavours, KPR was ably supported by his younger brothers, Mr. KPD Sigamani, and Mr. P. Nataraj, Chartered Accountant. Their unstinted support and co-operation unified the overall team efforts. All this encouraged the company employees to imbibe the spirit to achieve and excel.

He also founded ‘KPR Charities’, a public trust which imparts high quality education through the institutions like, viz., K.P.R. Institute of Engineering & Technology and K.P.R. School of Business in Coimbatore.

His son, Mr. CR. Anandakrishnan, MBA (Philadelphia), is the Executive Director of the group, looking after its Processing Division, co-gen-cum-sugar unit and a few spinning units. He is an active rotarian and has sponsored several projects for the welfare of the society, like providing basic amenities at villages, dedicating classrooms for schools, donating books to rural school children, etc.

O.P. Lohia

Chairman & Managing Director, Indo Rama Synthetics

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Indo Rama Synthetics (India) Ltd. has been a leading manufacturer and supplier in India’s fast growing polyester sector since last two decades and is today India’s second largest dedicated polyester manufacturer having carved a niche for itself in the market place for its unmatched quality offerings. The company’s world-class integrated polyester plant at Butibori (Nagpur) is one of the finest in the country with an annual capacity of more than six lakh tonnes of polyester staple fibre, partially oriented yarn, fully drawn yarn, draw texturized yarn and polyester chips. Driven by a passion to seek new challenges, the company has recently forayed into the energy sector and has an installed generation capacity of 82.5 mw.

Mr. O.P. Lohia is the Chairman and Managing Director of Indo Rama Synthetics. After completing his graduation from Calcutta University, he joined the family business of textiles and got the best of exposure in all disciplines of business management.

Mr. Lohia distinguished himself with his remarkable vision and outstanding leadership demonstrated by his choosing polyester over viscose in the mid-1980s when the latter offered better margins. He clearly foresaw that the eventual crumbling of the high tariff barriers would ultimately make polyester the “fabric of the masses”. This was accompanied by his correct prediction that future success was based on cost-competitiveness from scale economies and raising entry barriers. Hence, while others in the field set up medium-sized manufacturing units, Mr. Lohia decided to put up a 250,000-tonne per annum polyester complex.

He was fully convinced of the future of polyester business, especially during the trying times of the Asian currency crisis. His positive outlook is characterized by his eagerness to experiment with new ideas in modern management practices and advances in technology.

As the Chairman of the FICCI Task Force on Textiles, he steered clear of impediments to growth and took the textile industry to a more competitive level. He is regarded as a thought leader because of his business acumen and forecast of the global trends and his understanding of macro-economics of the world market.

Mr. Lohia’s contribution to the Indian economy and industry was well recognised with the ‘Udyog Ratna Award’ from the Madhya Pradesh Government and an ‘Outstanding Personalities Award’ from the Karnataka Employers’ Association. The SMART Manager has chosen him as “one of the top 25 managers of India” for taking Indo Rama to greater heights.

He is the past President of the All India Organisation of Employers (AIOE) and has represented India at the ILO conference in Geneva. The Honorary Consul in India of the Republic of Lithuania and an active Rotarian, Mr. Lohia has always been extending active support for community development, education, sports, etc.

Riju Jhunjhunwala

Joint Managing Director, RSWM Ltd.

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Mr. Riju Jhunjhunwala graduated in Business Management Studies from the University of Bradford, UK, in 2000 and immediately became actively involved in the management of the LNJ Bhilwara Group, a Rs. 6,500-crore business conglomerate having presence in textiles, graphite electrode, power generation and IT services.

Upon completion of his extensive training, Mr. Riju was given the first assignment in the flagship company of the group, Rajasthan Spinning & Weaving Mills Ltd. (RSWM), in the exports marketing division. The company was poised towards building a strong customer base in the exports market, which gradually started accounting for 50 per cent of the company revenues.

Subsequently he was involved in Malana Power Company Ltd., as Senior Vice President, where he was in charge of execution of power projects and operations of the company. He spearheaded the group’s foray into the IT services sector through Bhilwara Infotech Ltd. and Bhilwara Scribe Ltd. Later, Bhilwara Infotechnology Ltd. carved out a profitable niche market for itself and is the preferred business partner with renowned IT companies.

Mr. Riju Jhunjhunwala was appointed Joint Managing Director of RSWM Ltd. on October 23, 2003. As part of its growth strategy, modernization and expansion of textile capacities were undertaken across the business: spinning, weaving and fabric processing.

Mr. Riju then identified denim as an opportunity area for RSWM in the near future. His vision led to the creation of a world-class integrated denim plant, from spinning to processed denim fabric, by taking advantage of cheap and ready availability of cotton. He also focused on growth in an inorganic way through acquisition of Jaipur Polyspin Ltd. and Cheslind Textiles Ltd.

Mr. Riju had been a visionary enough to identify the need for switching over from oil-based captive power plants to coal-based captive power plant. Anticipating a rise in fuel prices, he has been instrumental in ensuring that the work on the 46 mw coal-based thermal power plant was taken up on a war footing with strict time schedules. Today the power plant is fully operational and is providing the desired impact to the company’s bottomline.

While being deeply involved in the traditional business of the group, Mr. Riju is also spearheading the third major business area, namely, power. Encompassing his power vision, the LNJ Bhilwara Group has consolidated its core strengths into the power sector, by incorporating Bhilwara Energy Ltd. (BEL) in 2006.

BEL is the principal holding company for all the power ventures of the group, and its formation of BEL reinforces the group’s incisive focus on the power sector and its determination to attain expansion of its power generation capacity, aimed at reaching 2000 mw by 2017 in the renewable energy sector. The company currently has its 278 mw project in Himachal Pradesh.

Owing to his keen interest in textile businesses, Mr. Riju was reappointed Joint Managing Director of RSWM Ltd. with effect from May 1, 2013.

Besides his new-assignments at RSWM, he continues to be the Managing Director of Bhilwara Energy Ltd. and Non-Executive Director on the Boards of HEG Ltd., BSL Ltd., Bhilwara Infotechnology Ltd., Bhilwara Technical Textiles Ltd. and Cheslind Textiles Ltd.

Vayu Garware

Chairman & Managing Director, Garware Wall Ropes

Garware-VayuGarware-pic Mr. Vayu Garware, Chairman and Managing Director, Garware Wall Ropes Ltd., joined the company in December of 1995 as a Director. Under his able stewardship, the company has expanded its product geographies to cover more than 75 countries globally.

Mr. Vayu has been intimately involved in the growth of the company and is responsible for its transformation from cordage focused into a prominent technical textile company. Delivering innovative application-focused solutions to customers has been ingrained as part of the DNA of the company, and its R&D centres at Pune and Wai are recognized by the Government.

A firm believer in systemized processes to drive operational excellence in delivering value to customers, processes like TPM, Kaizen, 8D, etc., have been institutionalized during his tenure.

Elevated as Chairman and Managing Director in November 2011, Garware Wall Ropes has diversified into new business segments in line with the objective of delivering innovative solutions worldwide.

A philanthropist, the company, under his guidance focuses on social engineering through skill development initiatives and education for under-privileged children.

Mr. Vayu’s vision is to make the company a leading player in the technical textile space at the global level.                             

Deepak Chiripal

CEO, Nandan Denim

Chiripal-DeepakChiripal-pic Mr. Deepak Chiripal, a second-generation entrepreneur from the Chiripal family, has been involved with Nandan Denim Ltd. since its inception in 2004. He began his career with other group companies to understand the detailing of the textile operations before anchoring the group’s foray into the denim industry.

Aged 36, he has done his Masters from Thunderbird University, USA, in Finance after his graduation from Gujarat University with majors in Finance before joining the family business.

He brings with him a mixture of wisdom from the family and dynamism of a youthful entrepreneur. Keen to learn more and better things, he is a workaholic with a passion for reading and travelling.