Lakshmi Venu

About

In the macho, burly world of tractors and farm equipment, Lakshmi Venu’s mother, Mallika Srinivasan, is something of an icon. Perhaps that’s why Venu wasn’t surprised when it was time for her to step into the family business. Venu is the vice chairman of the 66-year-old family-run tractor behemoth, TAFE, India’s second-largest tractor maker. Last year, the mother-daughter duo took on U.S.-based AGCO in a fierce legal battle that culminated in the American multinational agreeing to allow TAFE to use the Massey Ferguson brand in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. TAFE is the single-largest shareholder in AGCO. “We want to become a farm-solutions company,” says Venu. “The whole range of mechanisation, not just tractors. We are open to collaborations and acquisitions because it is an ecosystem. In our industry, nobody can do everything on their own. It’s about how you partner.”