Senthil Arul: Fostering Creative Excellence & Sustainable Innovation
Senthil Arul
Chief Innovation Officer
In the early stages of his career, Senthil focused on establishing technical mastery and execution. His primary goal was to build strong problem-solving skills while maintaining technical depth and expanding his knowledge in adjacent areas. A key challenge during this phase was effectively communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
As he transitioned into mid-career, Senthil took on leadership roles that required translating business objectives into technical execution. He developed and executed strategic plans for product development and technology roadmaps, considering business objectives and revenue targets. During this period, he faced challenges in shifting from execution to delegation, aligning cross functional teams, and managing conflicting priorities among top management, business units, marketing, sales, and service teams.
In his senior career, Senthil has embraced executive leadership, focusing on crafting and steering long term product strategies aligned with the organization strategy, technology trend and user empathy. He drives cultural and organizational transformation by fostering innovation and nurturing a culture of curiosity within the organization. His challenges now include managing complexity and ambiguity in a dynamic environment and ensuring effective communication with diverse stakeholders.
Senthil Arul's extensive experience and strategic vision continues to play a crucial role in shaping Livpure's innovation landscape, driving growth, and ensuring market relevance. Let’s
hear more from him in this one on one interaction.
Can you tell us about your leadership approach? What guidelines or methodologies do you follow as a leader?
I draw inspiration from Authentic Leadership and Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, which I believe complement each other to form a powerful leadership style. Keyelements such as self-awareness, transparency, trust, empathy, compassion, resilience, and adaptability are central to my approach. By blending these two leadership philosophies, I foster a well-rounded, empathetic, and principled leadership style that promotes understanding and motivation within the team. This combination creates a positive, productive work environment where team members feel valued and empowered to perform at their best.
How do you foster an innovative culture within your team, and help them extract valuable insights from the market?
Fostering a culture of innovation begins by creating an environment where great ideas can thrive. I adhere to four core principles to nurture this culture. First, I cultivate curiosity and ensure a safe space for experimentation. This encourages team members to explore new ideas without fear of failure. Second, I focus on empowering and trusting my team, allowing them the autonomy to innovate. Third, I ensure the team has access to the resources they need and recognize their innovative efforts. Lastly, I promote a 'fail fast, learn fast' mentality, encouraging quick iteration and learning from mistakes.
When it comes to staying informed about technology trends, I emphasize the importance of long-term, impactful trends over fleeting ones. By focusing on major trends and their associated technologies, I help the team connect the dots and define a future roadmap that aligns with both technological advances and market shifts. This strategic approach ensures we remain ahead of the curve.
Tell us about the innovative tools and methods that you have implemented to help your teams innovate more quickly?
In my view, innovation is a skill that can be developed through the right processes. I've found that using systematic innovation and lateral thinking methods has been highly effective. For systematic innovation, I use tools such as TRIZ and SCAMPER, which help structure the problem-solving approach. For lateral thinking, I incorporate tools like Six Thinking Hats, Design Thinking, and Mind Mapping, which encourage creative exploration and broaden the team's perspective. These methods have significantly
Can you tell us about your leadership approach? What guidelines or methodologies do you follow as a leader?
I draw inspiration from Authentic Leadership and Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, which I believe complement each other to form a powerful leadership style. Keyelements such as self-awareness, transparency, trust, empathy, compassion, resilience, and adaptability are central to my approach. By blending these two leadership philosophies, I foster a well-rounded, empathetic, and principled leadership style that promotes understanding and motivation within the team. This combination creates a positive, productive work environment where team members feel valued and empowered to perform at their best.
Fostering a culture of innovation begins by creating an environment where great ideas can thrive
How do you foster an innovative culture within your team, and help them extract valuable insights from the market?
Fostering a culture of innovation begins by creating an environment where great ideas can thrive. I adhere to four core principles to nurture this culture. First, I cultivate curiosity and ensure a safe space for experimentation. This encourages team members to explore new ideas without fear of failure. Second, I focus on empowering and trusting my team, allowing them the autonomy to innovate. Third, I ensure the team has access to the resources they need and recognize their innovative efforts. Lastly, I promote a 'fail fast, learn fast' mentality, encouraging quick iteration and learning from mistakes.
When it comes to staying informed about technology trends, I emphasize the importance of long-term, impactful trends over fleeting ones. By focusing on major trends and their associated technologies, I help the team connect the dots and define a future roadmap that aligns with both technological advances and market shifts. This strategic approach ensures we remain ahead of the curve.
Tell us about the innovative tools and methods that you have implemented to help your teams innovate more quickly?
In my view, innovation is a skill that can be developed through the right processes. I've found that using systematic innovation and lateral thinking methods has been highly effective. For systematic innovation, I use tools such as TRIZ and SCAMPER, which help structure the problem-solving approach. For lateral thinking, I incorporate tools like Six Thinking Hats, Design Thinking, and Mind Mapping, which encourage creative exploration and broaden the team's perspective. These methods have significantly
accelerated our innovation process.
How do you prioritize and decide on investments in developing new ideas and shaping R&D projects?
Investment decisions are aligned with the company's long term strategy and business plan, typically looking ahead three to five years. Our business plan includes a balance of both organic and inorganic growth strategies. R&D investments are prioritized based on how well a new idea can contribute to supporting inorganic growth, ensuring that the funds are directed toward initiatives that align with strategic business objectives.
Where do you see yourself in the long-term future of your professional journey?
Whether in the short or long term, just aiming the designation or revenue is immaterial. My ultimate goals are to design solutions to genuinely delight the consumer, and to ensure that the team I lead is continually motivated and thrilled to work with me. I want those who invest in my work to feel a sense of pride. If we achieve these three goals, everything else will naturally fall into place.
Could you share a piece of advice for leaders in this field, based on your experience?
Leaders in innovation and R&D should avoid becoming emotionally attached to a particular concept or design. It's crucial to validate ideas through user empathy, technological feasibility, and business viability. For an idea to succeed, it should address the pain points of a broad user base, not just a niche market. While creating simple designs can be more challenging than complex ones, focusing on minimalist approaches often leads to significant results. Additionally, collaborating with a cross-functional team accelerates progress, and taking calculated risks ensures long-term sustainability. The key to success is finding a balance between an organization's strategy and visionary thinking.
Senthil Arul, Chief Innovation Officer, Livpure
Senthil Arul is a seasoned leader in innovation and R&D, focusing on user-centric solutions and technological advancements. He emphasizes collaboration, simplicity in design, and a balance between creativity and engineering. Passionate about lateral thinking and systematic innovation, it enables him to develop impactful and market able innovative products.
•Hobbies:Travel and Exploring the new skill
•Favorite Cuisine:Indian Cui- sine, Mexican Cuisine and Mediterranean Cuisine
•Favorite Book:The Power of your Subconscious Mind
•Favorite Travel Destination: Hill Station
Awards & Recognition:
•BRACE Award for Effective Team Building
•Innovation Leader Award from World Innovation Congress
How do you prioritize and decide on investments in developing new ideas and shaping R&D projects?
Investment decisions are aligned with the company's long term strategy and business plan, typically looking ahead three to five years. Our business plan includes a balance of both organic and inorganic growth strategies. R&D investments are prioritized based on how well a new idea can contribute to supporting inorganic growth, ensuring that the funds are directed toward initiatives that align with strategic business objectives.
Where do you see yourself in the long-term future of your professional journey?
Whether in the short or long term, just aiming the designation or revenue is immaterial. My ultimate goals are to design solutions to genuinely delight the consumer, and to ensure that the team I lead is continually motivated and thrilled to work with me. I want those who invest in my work to feel a sense of pride. If we achieve these three goals, everything else will naturally fall into place.
Could you share a piece of advice for leaders in this field, based on your experience?
Leaders in innovation and R&D should avoid becoming emotionally attached to a particular concept or design. It's crucial to validate ideas through user empathy, technological feasibility, and business viability. For an idea to succeed, it should address the pain points of a broad user base, not just a niche market. While creating simple designs can be more challenging than complex ones, focusing on minimalist approaches often leads to significant results. Additionally, collaborating with a cross-functional team accelerates progress, and taking calculated risks ensures long-term sustainability. The key to success is finding a balance between an organization's strategy and visionary thinking.
Senthil Arul, Chief Innovation Officer, Livpure
Senthil Arul is a seasoned leader in innovation and R&D, focusing on user-centric solutions and technological advancements. He emphasizes collaboration, simplicity in design, and a balance between creativity and engineering. Passionate about lateral thinking and systematic innovation, it enables him to develop impactful and market able innovative products.
•Hobbies:Travel and Exploring the new skill
•Favorite Cuisine:Indian Cui- sine, Mexican Cuisine and Mediterranean Cuisine
•Favorite Book:The Power of your Subconscious Mind
•Favorite Travel Destination: Hill Station
Awards & Recognition:
•BRACE Award for Effective Team Building
•Innovation Leader Award from World Innovation Congress