CEO Insights Magazine

Agriculture industry plays an important role in the process of transforming economic development along with achieving other essential development goals like ensuring food security and improving nutrition in a country. Hence, it has become a necessity to redevelop strategies to end hunger and under nutrition while accelerating economic growth. Venkatram Vasantavada, Managing Director & CEO, SeedWorks International, joined hands with the 23 years old business firm to be a part of the economic transformation and accelerate growth within the industry. He firmly believes that economic development is a process of structural transformation, and agriculture is the critical engine to jumpstart the process. Venkatram has a strong professional experience of more than 25 years and has been playing an active role in the agriculture industry by understanding the pain areas of marginalized farmers and their buying behavior towards Agriculture inputs, especially Seeds. Being fascinated about the industry’s structural transformations, Venkatram has been leading research to understand and guide the market towards Hybrid Seeds. He aims to harness technology and innovation to create value for all the industry stakeholders in a sustainable manner.

"I Achieved Sustainable Business Outcomes In Terms Of Revenue, Profit ability, Organization Size, And Geographical Expansion In My Tenures Because Of The People And Rallying Them To A Cause"

As much as the veteran leader believes in doing things the right way and on time, he also supports holistic work culture in the organization. He says, “Life is all about balance, too much or too little of it can be destructive”. With such philosophy as his vision, he encourages work-life balance among his team members, which helps in building work force

relationships. He believes when employees enjoy flexibility and a non formal work environment, they tend to create a positive impact, deliver business value and help increase resiliency in the day-to-day work of the organization. With such a tremendous ability to understand workplace psychology, Venkatram has often been referred to as the perfect friend philosopher guide by his team. Apart from his busy work schedule, he loves spending time with his family, follows a fitness regime which includes running & cycling and participates in Industry and Community related activities which gives him immense satisfaction. Below is an excerpt of the CEO Insights’ exclusive interview with Venkatram.

What was the inspiration that led you to venture into the farming segment?
I have been associated with the Agri

culture sector for the past two decades. The Agriculture industry serves a noble cause of addressing the fundamental needs of human beings in the form of food security.It also engages a large workforce and the majority of the population is dependent on agriculture and allied fields. Therefore, it addresses both economic as well as social issues. No other industry allows engaging with the consumer so closely. This has been my major inspiration behind stepping into the Agriculture industry.

Talk about SeedWorks International as an organization and its unique proposition. Also, what is its position in the market and what strategy has the company observed to maintain it?
SeedWorks is engaged in research, production, processing, and marketing hybrid seeds of different types of crops. We participate in and develop sustainable seed solutions benefiting all our stakeholders. We are a robust people centric company with trans parency, collaboration and databased decision making at the center of everything we do. We have been consistently recognized among the top 50 Great MidSize workplaces in India by GPTW for the last two years. We have been growing at double digits in revenue and profitability over the last five years. Our ahead of time investments in digital space are showing promising results. We are committed to addressing the issues confronting the agriculture space and Indianfarmers with a combination of digital and plant breeding technologies demonstrating environmentally sustainable practices.

What are the principles the company standsby and how is it making a difference in the society? What are the impacts that you
We at SeedWorks remain committed to doing things the right way. We follow the right way to build a business with excellence, speed, simplicity, purpose and focus. We engage in the right way to conduct a
business with uncompromising integrity, mindfulness of the environment & society and transparencyin building relationships. We also make sure to follow the right way to partner in business with teamwork,
respect and believing people are fair in their conduct with an underlying emphasis on safety.

The impacts of doing things the right way is not easy. There would be obstacles and one needs to make tough decisions. But on the other hand the tremendous satisfaction of building a socially responsible and sustainable business is beyond comparison. We are seeing a lot of trust andconfidence which every stake holder has in SeedWorks right from our farmers, employees,business partners, bankers investors and vendors.

How has been your professional journey so far and what are the greatest insights that you have gained out of it?
The journey has been very enriching and a great learning experience.I firmly believe that while technology is the answer for all the problems, the creators, builders, and enablers

of the same are human beings. Humbleness empathy, collaborative, participation, and respect for others are what I have learnt from many leaders. I achieved sustainable business outcomes in terms of revenue profitability, organization size, and geographical expansion in my tenures because of the people and rallying them to a cause. As an entrepreneur, one needs to endure the differentiating factors such as purpose, values, and demonstrate people centricity in every situation.

What have the wide experiences taught you and how do you apply them in your current role?
Trust and openness are two fundamental concepts in all relationships, and the same holds true in the organization. One important thing this long professional journey has taught me is that one cannot do everything alone, both at individual as well as at organizational level. Collaboration brings in the multiplier effect, optimizes resources, brings efficiency and gears up speed in business. Collaborative models can be across diverse stakeholders. I believe in following the broad principle of a mutual win. Every partner needs to be respected and valued for what they bring-in as a contribution.

What changes in the market behavior would be witnessed and what are the opportunities that would flourish in the near future?
Agriculture globally is at an influx point. Digital revolution coupled with advanced technologies in plant breeding and mechanization will fundamentally change how agriculture is being done. Climate change will have a significant impact on agriculture, and we will see sustainable practices being a hygiene factor in the way agriculture is done. The end customer will demand traceability and transparency and he will have many more choices to make, with nutrition and alternate farming choices making inroads. Farmers will get connected directly to global and domestic consumers and agriculture would be demand driven than supply driven.

In the light of your strong experience in the Agri input industry, what advice would you give to the budding entre preneurs?
I would suggest the budding entrepreneurs to build a company on solid value systems, embrace environmentally sustainable practices, stay the course and be patient. There are no shortcuts to success. Opportunity is vast, and there are many problems for which solutions need to be found. Fortunately, access to technology and capital is not a big problem if there is a good idea. Entrepreneurism is the way ahead. Strive to be a job creator rather than a job seeker.

Venkatram Vasantavada, Managing Director & CEO, SeedWorks International
Venkatram has worked across Asian and African markets successfully building strategic alliances and collaborative relationships towards agriculture inputs with marginal farmers.

Hobbies:Running and Cycling
Favorite Cuisine:I am a foodie and I enjoy cuisine from all parts of India
Favorite Book:Many around Leader ship, Navigating personal and professional careers
Favorite Travel Destination: Karnataka in India and Europe Inter nationally

Awards:
•CEO of the year Award,2021 by Corporate Guru World
•HMA Entrepreneur of the year-2019
•Featured twice as the 50 Most admired Rural marketing professionals in India