Adi Godrej, the third Chairman of the Godrej Group, has spent his time at the company

restructuring the Godrej empire and putting new processes and systems in place. Now, he
has passed on the spirit of innovation that has become synonymous with the Godrej name to
his oldest daughter,
Tanya Dubash.
Dubash, a Harvard Business School graduate, joined the family business in 1993 and took
charge of marketing and product development in 2004. For over 15 years, Dubash has
worked toward revamping brand Godrej so
as to connect with a younger India. Here, she tells us about the group’s succession strategy.
Shereen bhan (SB): It has been almost 15 years since you joined the Godrej
group. How different is the company now as compared to 1993?
Tanya Dubash (TD): Radically different. Physically, the place is the same green Vikhroli
[office] that it used to be. Culturally, too, we still hold many of our old values such as
integrity and trust, which we strongly believe in. However, I think we have clearly moved
with—if not ahead of—the times. So in those terms, I think we have radically changed.
SB: Your father, Adi Godrej, says you’ve brought a certain emotional
intelligence to Godrej. When the company had done a 360 degree evaluation,
he realized he wasn’t a very good listener. He thinks that’s how you are
different: you are more open to feedback and a better listener.
TD: I think that is correct, but [my father] has completely changed since then. He is leading
the change in the company. He is an extremely good listener now; he’s always open to new
ideas and opportunities. I think that’s how we are now, as an organization. I think we are
very open, we are very consumer-centric, we want to innovate and deliver on our promise of
brighter living to all our stakeholders today.
Perhaps I would count listening as one of my strong skills. I do feel that we have brought a
little more emotional quotient into the organization.

SB: There have been three group chairmen in the 110 years of Godrej’s history,
your father being one of them. The CEOs continue to be non-family members.
So how is your role expected to change post the succession plan?
TD: I think time evolves us. We are very proud of the fact that we are very professionally
run. All our companies have industry veterans as CEOs, and we want to continue operating
like that. So, we have a strong succession planning system in place.
When you talk about family, I think succession planning comes within the broader family
business governance fold—and it is just one element of that.
We are working with many people and we are working as a family to set up structures and
plans as to how our family should be governed in the future. And succession planning is one
important part of that.
SB: So when will we actually see this succession plan in operation? There is
you, your sister, your brother and your cousin—all part of your generation.
TD: We are a cousin consortium. We are going to work very effectively together. We don’t
really need to choose one [successor]. We think pooling our minds together in an innovative
system would be the best way forward.
SB: Your brother is involved with Godrej Properties. Your sister works pretty
much across the group, as do you. But for the first couple of years, you were by
yourself. So what’s it like to have them around you at work?
TD: It’s great to have them here. It is just that much a bigger pool of ideas. We all work
together very well, and there is a lot of space for everyone to contribute and to do a lot.
SB: I believe that there are family council meetings held, too.
TD: Yes. Our family council meetings include all family members above a certain age. We
discuss all sorts of issues that are important to family governance.
SB: How do you manage your day between what you do here and your family
commitments?
TD: It’s quite a juggle, but a lot of fun. I cannot wait to run back to my boys. It has changed
me—it has softened me.
SB: Let me talk to you about the re-branding exercise—your baby, in a sense.
According to the brand evaluation you had done, a brand like even Cinthol had
a gap of about Rs. 1,300 crore between where it stood and where it potentially
could be. How has that panned out for you now?
TD: It has panned out beautifully. We have to sort of step back, though. Our re-branding
exercise is one of the broader ambitions we have. We are aiming for a 25-30 percent
sustainable profit going forward, and we have several strategic levers for achieving that—
managing the brand more effectively is clearly one of them. We have this huge asset, as you
have pointed out, in the Godrej brand; other brands like Cinthol and Good Night have
perhaps have been under-utilized. The Godrej brand has not been strategically managed
before.

SB: So, what is phase II for Godrej?

TD: I think one important aspect is the company’s umbrella idea, which is to become more
relevant, more contemporary and to appeal to a younger mindset. We need to have a more
consumer-focused culture. What we have set out to do, essentially, is to create a younger,
more aspirational lifestyle brand. We are repositioning our brand around the promise of
brighter living.
In a narrow sense, this is a brand promise; but in a broader, corporate sense, it is a Godrej
promise that we make to all our stakeholders—consumers, employees and society. Going
forward, that is what we want to do. We have to have a better understanding of our
consumers. We have proprietary research techniques that will help us achieve this. and put
the consumer at the center of our business planning.
SB: You have already made some acquisitions in personal grooming. Will the
next few acquisitions also be in this space?
TD: Yes, we have made a few acquisitions in this space already. But clearly, there are more
opportunities there, which we are looking at.
‘You Should be Willing to Experiment’
By Adi B. Godrej
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‘Entrepreneurship has driven India to newer heights since independence, although there is
still scope for more.’
Entrepreneurship in India has been through a very interesting journey. From the socialist
days of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and then subsequently through the days of liberalization till
today, India’s entrepreneurs thrived and provided employment to millions. We found
opportunities even in an economy that was pretty much inward-looking, with stronger focus
on meeting domestic demands. It has come in as a strong point for Indian entrepreneurs in
many ways as well.
Considering these, I feel that entrepreneurship has a strong future in the country and many
more should be willing to take the entrepreneurial path.
This apart, when you look at entrepreneurship in India, you can see our entrepreneurs
globally competing in almost all the fields—be it telecom, power, technology, biotech or
manufacturing. We are also seeing substantial activities in the social sector. Today, one is
also witnessing an improvement in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. A conducive
ecosystem is essential for the success of entrepreneurship in India. Now there are angel
investors who are willing to bet their money on young entrepreneurs, a concept new to
India.
This apart, there are a lot of incubation centers that have come up in a number of
technology schools and management institutes. We know what such a move had done in the
U.S. Successful entrepreneurial zones developed alongwith some of the major universities in
the U.S. In India too, we need to see such instances.
There are a few things an entrepreneur should keep in mind while venturing into this area.
First of all, not everything you do will be successful. You should be willing to experiment,
and restart if you fail. An entrepreneur must be very clear about the idea he has and the key
differentiator which distinguishes his idea from those of existing businesses. You should
also be willing to sacrifice. An entrepreneurial journey is not an easy one. There will be lot of
ups and downs and you should be willing to weather the storm and go forward at all times.
ADI GODREJ, the Chairman of the Godrej Group, is a prominent industrialist who shaped
the growth of several industries in India through his leadership. He also serves on the
Board of the Indian School of Business (ISB).

Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 5:51 am    Post subject: Adi Godrej - A gr8 Entrepreneur

Achievements: Chairman of Godrej Group 

Adi Godrej is one of the icons of Indian Industry. He is the chairman of Godrej Group. .Adi Godrej was born in a
business family. His father's name was Burjorji Godrej and his mother's name was Jai Godrej. More than a century
age, the Godrej's were into manufacturing locks and vegetable-based soaps. The Godrej products were among the
first indigenously manufactured products to displace entrenched foreign brands. 

Adi Godrej left India at the age of 17 to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Though he planned to
study mechanical engineering but he later on switched to management. After his return to India, Adi Godrej joined the
family business. He modernized and systematized management structures and implemented process improvements.
Adi Godrej took the Godrej Group to great height during controlled economy era. 

After the liberalization process, Adi Godrej restructured company's policies to meet the challenges of globalisation. In
the early 2000s, the Group completed a 10-year restructuring process through which each business became a stand-
alone company with a CEO/COO from outside the Godrej family. 

Under Adi Godrej's leadership, the group is also involved in philanthropic activities. Godrej is major supporter of the
World Wildlife Fund in India, it has developed a green business campus in the Vikhroli township of Mumbai, which
includes a 150-acre mangrove forest and a school for the children of company employees.

Entrepreneurship in India has been through a very interesting journey. From the socialist days of the ’60s,
’70s and ’80s and then subsequently through the days of liberalization till today, India’s entrepreneurs
thrived and provided employment to millions.
We found opportunities even in an economy that was pretty much inward-looking, with stronger focus on
meeting domestic demands. It has come in as a strong point for Indian entrepreneurs in many ways as
well. Considering these, I feel that entrepreneurship has got a strong future in the country and many more
should be willing to take the entrepreneurial path.
This apart, when you look at entrepreneurship in India, you can see our entrepreneurs globally competing
in almost all the fields—be it telecom, power, technology, biotech or manufacturing. In the recent days, we
are also seeing substantial activities in the social sector as well.
Today, one is also witnessing an improvement in the entrepreneurial eco-system in India. A conducive
eco-system is essential for the success of entrepreneurship in India. Now there are angel investors who
are willing to bet their money on young entrepreneurs, a concept new to India.
This apart, there are a lot of incubation centers that have come up in a number of technology schools and
management institutes. We know what such a move had done in the U.S. Successful entrepreneurial
zones developed alongwith some of the major universities in the U.S. In India too, we need to see such
instances.
There are a few things an entrepreneur should keep in mind while venturing into this area. First of all, not
everything you do will be successful. You should be willing to experiment, and restart if you fail.
An entrepreneur must be very clear about the idea he has and the key differentiator from the existing
businesses. You need to be innovative and strive for success.
Another pointer that I would want to give to all aspiring entrepreneurs is that you should be willing to
sacrifice. An entrepreneurial journey is not an easy one. There will be a lot of ups and downs and you
should be willing weather the storm and go forward.