CEO Insights Magazine

The vision of Sudarshan is “To be amongst the top three pigment players in the world”. Supporting its vision, its mission is, “To be a world class global solution provider with a vibrant and innovative culture”.Steve Jobs once said, “Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them”. A 70 year old global colour and effect pigment manufacturing organization Sudarshan Chemical industries Limited [SCIL] began its operations with a similar belief that if they learn how to prioritize the intersection of technology and people, they will be able to create revolutionary changes in the world and achieve great success at a global level.

Today, seven decades forward the foundation is standing strong on its five pillars of values [SCCRT] Seva (Serve), Courage, Commitment & Passion, Respect, Trust, and the most important element of business success people. The organization’s commitment to innovation, world class products, and high standards of excellence in infrastructure has won several accreditations in the past and it aspires to receive many more awards in the future. Shivalika Harish Patil, the Head of People Practices at Sudarshan Chemical Industries, is helping the organization to move beyond the vision mission and values and empowering the workforce towards its Larger Purpose which is “Growing Together by being Spiritually Fulfilled, Socially Just, and Environmentally Sustainable”. With its robust product portfolio, Sudarshan aims to become one of the top three pigment players in the global industry and is skilfully aligning its HR processes to this Larger Purpose.

Let’s hear it from Shivalika as she elaborates on the company’s People Management strategies.

What makes Sudarshan Chemical Industries different from other competitors?
We are a technology driven organization this is our main

differentiator compared to other competitors in the market. We have a best-in class R&D team that is coached by some of the best experts in the industry. In terms of sustainability, we have the best effluent treatment plant and we treat our effluent to go beyond the legal limits. We are focused on using green energy and also invest in the community around our plants and creating a better living standard & environment for ourselves and the people around us. We believe in continuous improvement in culture, and cost leadership on the foundation of technology and processes. Moreover, we have a global team; unlike other Asian companies, we have not exported Indians from here but have hired the best local talent there.

Tell us about the technology environment the employees get to work in.
The value proposition for any individual who joins Sudarshan Chemical is primarily based on our ‘Sudarshan Wholesome Leadership Model’ whose 3 building blocks are – Skills and Competencies, Global Values and Culture & our Larger Purpose Growing Together. Since we are continuously upgrading our technology, our product line, and our whole manufacturing setup, we make sure that employees'skills and competencies are aligned with industry best practices. We define our Global culture as PCe2 where ‘P’ stands for People first in a joyful environment, the ‘C’ is all about Collaboration & Teamwork, and ‘e2’ is Execution Excellence and Agility and Embracing Change for Transformation. There is a huge opportunity available for people to implement our Larger Purpose in a real sense. Every employee is encouraged to be Spiritually centred and is supported with a 3-day workshop partnered with Apex Body of Art of Living. For Global values & culture, a separate workshop is conducted followed by reinforcement through employees sharing living Sudarshan values & culture stories. We practice ‘Socially Just’, through our corporate sustainability arm called Sudha [Sudarshan Holistic Aspiration]. Our employees participate in SUDHA through several programs, the covenanted one is SUDHA SITARA a girl child adoption program for education and Career guidance.

The Company’s aspirations include carefully curated goals and are part of its entire ESG strategy. The multifaceted sustainability strategy of Sudarshan integrates Environmental, Social, and Governance(ESG) considerations to produce longterm benefits for all stakeholders. It constantly strives to implement measures to reduce its ecological footprint and contribute towards societal wellbeing. We are an inclusive organization and the only one in the whole of Raigad district where we have women on shop floor working across 3 shifts. This has helped women in the community to change their entire way of living and status in society.

What are the ways of recognizing top talents and rewarding great performances within the organization?
At Sudarshan Chemical, great performances are rewarded on a regular basis. We have our online portal called ‘Suda Shine’ where employees are rewarded for their good job through virtual GJD cards. Employees have opportunities to move across different functions and grow up to the leadership level. One of our directors is such homegrown talent. Other than that, we have Shop Floor awards in SMT (Self Managed Team) - Best Crew award, Best Crew Leader award, and more, where people at the lowest cadre of shop floor are recognized. Managerial Recognition is through the Manager of the Year Award, Leader of the Year Award, and Specialist of the year award. Good-performing employees are engaged in strategic projects. Towards employees living Global values & culture recognition happens through value cards. Leaders are recognized with Value Leader Award through a 360-degree feedback mechanism.

Shivalika Harish Patil, Head of People Practices, S udarshan Chemical Industries
An extremely skilled and enthusiastic HR mentor, Shivalika has been with Sudarshan Chemical Industries for over a decade at the Pune Global Head Office and is working on People Practices toward building engaged cultures in line with Strategic Business Goals.

•Awards & Recognition: Golden Peacock HR Excellence Award, CII National HR Excellence Award, Great Place to Work Certified Organization, Global HR Excellence Award for Innovative HR practices, People-First HR Excellence Award for Women on shop floor Initiative, Best Corporate HR Practice Award for Industrial Relations- IR Ninja Practice, Mahatma Award 2020 & 2021 in CSR Excellence, Golden Peacock award for CSR