WHY SHE MATTERS

She is leading the revival of Parle Agro amid stiff competition from MNCs

became the CEO in 2006. “I never joined the business for becoming rich. I wanted to make a difference to the people who work at Parle Agro.” She believes that her confidence came from her parents.

Parle Agro has 14 beverage and 48 Bailley packaged drinking water manufacturing plants. Schauna travels a fair amount, along with her technical and quality team, visiting the manufacturing units spread across the country.

A major challenge for Saluja, she says, is developing a robust leadership pipeline in the company. “It's relatively easier to identify and assess experts in specific functional or technical arenas. But it is difficult to determine whether they have the required people skills, leadership capabilities, business breadth and global diversity sensibilities,” she says.

Saluja sees competition as healthy. “The competition drives companies to cut costs and focus on innovations.” It's also important to learn from your failures, she says. “Remember to stand up again and reroute your path.”

According to the latest data available, Parle Agro Pvt Ltd had registered a revenue of `1,260.99 crore in the financial year ended in March 2015, up 26 per cent over the previous financial year. The net profit rose to `107 crore from a loss of ` 66 lakh in the same period.

Meanwhile, it's all in the family for Prakash Chauhan. Saluja's sister Nadia is the Joint Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Parle Agro. “When we are stuck on something and neither of us would like to compromise, our father’s decision is final,” says Saluja.

She already has plans to pass the baton on to her son Jahaan in the future. She will consider herself successful if the transition is seamless, Saluja says. ~