CEO Insights India

Albert Einstein once said, “The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity… out of discord, harmony… and out of difficulty, opportunity.” The saying perfectly embodies the personality of Dr. Girish Rao, the CEO of HARTING India. The qualities like passion, compassion, consistency, realistic optimism, out-of-the-box thinking, and strategic decision-making make him a professional leading by example. His inspiring journey is all about moving fast, taking risks, seizing opportunities, understanding engineering concepts, mastering product knowledge and understanding competitors well. Moreover, his ability to create the next line of leaders is highly remarkable. He goes beyond the convictions and steers his team to the success ladder. “We can work alone, but we need a professionally skilled & quality team to execute our strategy,” he says. In short, the quintessence of his leadership lies in People, Innovations and Profits.

Dr. Girish Rao is a seasoned electrical engineer, MBA (Marketing & Finance) graduate and a Ph.D. holder. He comes with over 28 years of experience with expertise in setting up a business from scratch with proven leadership roles across various industry verticals.

The following excerpt is an exclusive conversation between Dr. Girish Rao and CEO Insights, that briefs his journey, leadership role, and his strategies that drive the business.

What inspired you to get into the hardware industry and join HARTING?
I joined HARTING India in 2012. The mandate, was to grow our company to become a market leader in Electrical / Electronic hardware & network components, which our group had to offer to Indian customers. We are a premium brand and the challenges of selling premium products in the price-

sensitive Indian market were immense, which I saw as an opportunity.

What are the challenges you encountered during your professional journey?
When I joined HARTING India, it was a very small company primarily engaged in trading activity. By trading I mean we were importing our own products from our overseas plants and selling them in India. Revenue was small and the company was not making money in India. We put our heads together and devised an aggressive growth strategy of turning our company into a ‘Solution Selling Company’, from a Component selling company. The company was totally transformed. During this time, many thoughts got into shape. The first one was opening a warehouse in SEZ and the opening of a Greenfield factory in Chennai.

What are the key drivers that you take to ensure that the operations of the company are used appropriately to meet its short or longterm needs?
We keep things pretty simple. We are known for our high-quality products in the market and we ensured that there were no shortcuts taken when it comes to producing local engineered solutions from India. Of course, we follow our strategic objectives in-line with that of our parent company, but our focus is always on our ‘Customer’. We are a fast-agile company with the nimble foot to adapt to the ever-changing market dynamics.

Tell us about your most challenging projects till now? What are the key strategies you adopted to execute it?
Over the years we have executed many challenging projects but our very first project was a really challenging one, where we got an order in hand without any know-how at the local level and executing this project meant huge losses for an already bleeding HARTING India.

This project was doomed from starting! To cut a long story short, while executing this project, we grew overnight as a person, with tremendous learning for everyone involved and we made profits as well. Since then, there was no turning back.

In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
My professional journey so far as a CEO has never followed a linear curve. I have had my share of ups & downs but more of ups. When I reflect back, I find it to be a very fulfilling and rewarding one. As I had mentioned earlier, I consider myself an expert on setting up business from scratch. Here in HARTING India, it was very satisfying to set up new warehouses and establishing a Greenfield factory for HARTING.

Are there any mentors you look up to for inspiration? What are the major factors behind the success of your professional career?
I never had any particular mentor, but my biggest inspiration and support came from my parents. Whatever I’m today, is just because of them. I personally admire the ethos of players like Roger Federer and Rahul Dravid.

I’m a keen observer and study my surroundings a lot. I look at positive things in life and keep my emotions in control. I never lose - either I win or I learn. Also, what separates me from some people is my appetite to take calculated risks.

What will be your advice for upcoming young aspirants who are eager to build their careers across this domain?
The present generation of kids are quite smart, but they want overnight success. If success comes overnight, there are high chances that it will vanish overnight. I give huge respect to hard work & experience. No amount of education can replace experience.

Dr.Girish Rao, CEO, HARTING India
•Hobby:Reading, Reading & Reading
•Favorite Cuisine:Thai
•Favorite Book:The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
•Travel Destination:Swiss Alps
•Awards & Recognition: Six Sigma Black Belt,
Best Sales Engineer in Schneider Electric (global award) in 2000, and Award for Best Sales growth in EMEA in TE Connectivity in 2006.