Keeping People at the Heart of a Tech-led Approach

Counted amongst the leading companies in the Indian industry, Godfrey Phillips India (GPI) has always put people first. They continue to honour this legacy in their futuristic vision. GPI’s Chairperson and Managing Director, Dr. Bina Modi gives insight into the company’s growth drivers and future plans in an exclusive interview.

GPI has a rich legacy. You have been recently appointed as the Chairperson of GPI. How are you contributing to the company’s people first values?

A. It is both a privilege and an immense responsibility. I have been involved with GPI since a long time now. In 2014, I was incorporated as a Board Member, and also became part of the Executive Committee, actively participating in strategic business decisions, reconstruction of business processes, and strengthening our business portfolio. For me, reinforcing the human factor is as important as strategizing for building business. I believe, companies are as good as their people and people deliver their best when they are heard, respected and happy. I take forward GPI’s late Chairman, Mr. KK Modi’s legacy of always keeping people first. It is a matter of great pride for me that despite the diverse nature of our workforce, we are united by the people first culture at GPI, which we call the OneGPI spirit.

Since the pandemic, employees around the world continue to face uncertain times. What makes GPI a Great Place to Work?

A. The pandemic was a test of our leadership’s strength. Our values served us well. Our employees feel secure. That is the key to building trust between a company and its people. We encourage them to push the envelope and take risks. Our senior management has an open door and open mind policy. Hence, our workforce feels confident to share their ideas and feedback with them. Of course, there are some failures, but we always come out stronger. Retaining the trust of the employees is the key reason behind the company’s quick recovery after the pandemic and continued growth. The technological innovations and unconventional business growth ideas are a result of the faith we put in our people. Being recognized as a Great Place to Work for four years in a row is a wonderful validation that has been great for everyone’s morale.

How do you see the next 5 to 10 years for GPI? What will be the drivers of growth?

A. GPI is one big family. That is why we have always placed great value on responsibility and care. In the coming years, we will be strengthening our existing portfolio and entering new avenues as well. Mr. Modi’s vision was to achieve

USD 5 billion in market capitalization and we are on the path to achieve this target by 2030. Along with growing domestic markets, we will also be exploring more sectors for international expansion. For all our future plans, the key focus will always remain on talent management and investing in building sustainable future-ready practices. Along with innovating, we will also upskill our people to stay abreast with the latest technology. We have a strong leadership team, headed by our CEO,

Mr. Sharad Aggarwal. As I continue to prioritize a healthy and secure work culture for the workforce, Sharad adds value by bringing in latest technology to fortify the company’s growth.

Tell us about GPI’s CSR initiatives.

A. The pandemic was a wake-up call for the corporate sector across the world. At GPI, we have resolved to be even more mindful of the environment, cognizant of sustainability and committed to ensuring the wellbeing and prosperity of our farmers and people who contribute to our growth. We are working towards the common purpose of sustainability and wellbeing for all our stakeholders, which include farmers, suppliers, employees, investors and business associates across India. We are constantly studying and analyzing the needs of our farmer community and evolving our solutions to fit their changing needs. Our focus ranges from meeting the basic objectives of providing clean drinking water, sanitation, primary medical care for their families, access to better educational facilities, livelihood opportunities, to enabling a larger purpose of mitigating risk of climate change impact, ensuring water, soil and environment conservation. For us, CSR is not about checking a box. We are committed to creating a better and sustainable world.

You are one of the handful women Chairpersons in Fortune India 500 companies. What have been some of your biggest challenges and lessons learnt thus far?

A. From being the daughter-in-law of a traditional family, to becoming the Chairperson of a leading business group in India, my journey has been very interesting. I was fortunate to have the support of my husband, Mr. KK Modi who recognized my entrepreneurial spirit. Having built successful businesses in the restaurant, travel and fashion industry, I had faced a fair share of challenges even before my association with GPI. But I learnt that if you prepare well, are not afraid of asking questions, and are open to learning, it always reaps benefits for your personal and professional growth. The tobacco industry is a male dominated bastion. I believe my patience, resilience and a strong will to learn were key to establish myself as a leader and make an impact. I also respect GPI’s entire leadership team for evolving with the times and recognizing talent for their skills, and not their age, race, or gender. As a country, we are making excellent headway when it comes to gender parity. The road ahead is long, but hopefully not as difficult for future women leaders.

Sharad Aggarwal, at 50, is the Chief Executive Officer at Godfrey Phillips India. As the primary harmonizer of people, processes and technology, he is leading GPI to the next level of sustainable growth and profitability.

How do you see GPI’s growth in the near future and what are the company’s levers of growth?

We are seeing stability in the category after several years and the pandemic. Our own brands and new products are performing as desired. The new markets are also helping our portfolio with healthy growth numbers. As an organization, we are focusing on the core and hence, we divested the non-core business of mouth fresheners. 

Full potential realization and productivity maximization are the two core engines of growth for us. Everyone at GPI, including our plans and processes are aligned to derive maximum from them. In addition, we are using data and technology to prioritize brands and markets that will deliver assured growth for us.

We are in the era of artificial intelligence and digital revolution. How do you think it will affect your business and your employees?

I don’t believe in waiting for the future. At GPI, we are ringing in the future through our technological advancements, innovations, state-of-the-art manufacturing units, and integration of big data in our processes. We are working towards having minimal lag in market data and our actions. Technology as an enabler is fast pacing our market levers and speed to connect. We are deploying technology across the value chain to realize full potential of every element of our business model.

To stay in step with the latest tech and for its multi-level integration, we have diverse programs to upskill our employees. For instance, through our initiative LEAP, we have digitalized our end-to-end supply chain processes, from demand forecasting to despatch planning. It requires continued cross-functionality of all departments in the organization. For the project to be a success, we undertook intense training of our workforce to ensure they can utilize the new technology to its complete potential. This upskilling reaps benefits for the company and also helps our people become better professionals.

Furthermore, I believe that discussions about evolving business processes and digitalization should be inclusive. Our employees are our stakeholders. Their opinions and ideas matter to us. By keeping them involved right from the beginning and giving them responsibility, we make them partners in GPI’s growth story.

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