“How do you meet for an ‘departure’ interview?” Yes, we can schedule on April 1; That is an appropriate day, “he replies, with a wink emoji! Since he retires after a 45 -year race with the French floating float manufacturer and the construction products of construction products, a conversation with Santhanam in the wide sweep or the pulmonary race that takes as MD at 39 and is an apartment in the country, it is fascinating.
Duration of a conversation of more than two, Santhanam, an Iit-Madras and Iim-Ahmedabad postgraduate engineer, remembers how the business and brand was built, since it was called “Santh Gobind” in the north in its early days, to the iconic salvation of the advertising campaign with float glass in India. Now that he is retiring, “I’m full of nervous emotion,” he says.
Apart from playing a Catalytic Role in Various Boards, He’s now Busy Commissioning Artworks for His Lovely Home On The Picturesque East Road, Built With A Lot of Glass, Of Course, As Well As Oher Saint-Gobain Solutions, Gypsoofsum Cazings, Gypsum Cazings, GyPSOFSUM CAZINGS, GYPSOFSUM CAZINGS, GYPSOFSUM CAZINGINGS, GYPSOFSUM CAZINGS, CAZINGS GYPSOFSUM, GYPSOF, ISTUSTING, GYPSOF, GYPSOF, GYPSOF, GYPSOFSUM; Surrounded by a profusion of vegetation, the house sacrifices impressive views of the sea in the distance. “Art will have Tamil Nadu in its nucleus, reflecting our traditions, based on mathematics, technology, expressed through traditional Indian crafts in copper, enamel, tickets, metal works,” he explains. After retirement, he plans mentor, train, teach and share his experiences. Experiences of a conversation.
Forty-five years in Saint-Gobain. How do you look back in your period?
Three words of anchor maintained my motivation, commitment and high energy levels in the last 45 years. They are trust, empowerment and collaboration. Whether Grindwell Norton in the first 16 years or in the last 29 years in Saint-Gobain, I was empowered, reliable for my ideas, capabilities, allowed to take risks measured and supported by a multicultural and multinational team of collaborators.
WWould you say the ups and downs and the inflection points in your career?
There were many challenging periods, but never a bass. There could be six periods or 1-2 years of low business cycles, in these 45 years, which presented challenges, some internal and mostly external. But I had this conviction that if it was difficult for us, then it is even more for our competitors. You just needed the competitive spirit and resistance to get stronger, through the application of the mind and the collaboration with the teams. The turning point in my career was when I was nominated as MD for the great Greenfield project in 1996.
And, of course, have you empowered your wheel and equipment?
I guess, in the first phase of my career, it was more prescriptive, using my left brain. However, over the years I developed an inclusive and democratic leadership style that allowed me to obtain the best of my creamleages. In my career, there were many mentors who had a lasting impact on me; Two key mentors sponsored the progress of my career; An influential boss opened my right brain, helped me develop ideas about markets, competition; Another leader helped me develop a global mentality; A top SG leader trusted my instincts, approved many investments before the curve; And many tolerated my irreverent approach.
However, they are colleagues, many of them informing me, who made a dramatic difference. At the beginning of my career, I was influenced by a HBR Article on the construction of a team that is complemented instead of reflecting the strengths of one. The team today, many of them, are different from me in their makeup, the way of doing things and their solution approach, but collectively we are super strong. I am lucky to identify and develop the appropriate leadership team.
Once I have a great team, I use what I mean ‘Triple to Process’.
I work with them to establish our collective aspiration High and, often, far beyond our current capacity, capacity and competence. In a rapid market, our aspiration must far exceed our reach. The second A is the alignment around our purpose of making the world a better home, inspiring them with the vision of being the leader in light and sustainable construction, administering multiple businesses, maintaining their autonomy while guaranteeing alignment; Independence complemented by interdependence, specificity but leveraging group synergy.
The third A is the acceleration. While aspiration is an orbital change, acceleration must bathe, understand the market, technology, competition and economic trends. We did that remarkable covid well. We survive the initial phase, we relive our spirit and, for the duration, the resurgence stage. Triple A is how I see and say our future. What is our collective aspiration? How well are we aligned? And when can we accelerate and be ready for orbital change? Staying where you are, even if you are very successful, I don’t think it’s an option.
It is surprising that you have not made your head on the way to another company, given your experience.
For some reason I was not. I can only speculate. Maybe because I was a little ahead of the curve in my career, in terms of roles, responsibilities and recognition: I became a regional manager in five years, head of sales and marketing in 11 years, nominated as managing director in 16 years. When that happens, they exclude you because people think we may not have a good enough role that it is motivating for him. I knew I prospered when I was given freedom and empowered to act without looking on my shoulders. Since I got that of the SG group, I never looked around.
Do you have the objectives you establish for Saint-Gobain?
Yes, more than I expected. In India, we had around ₹ 7.5 billion rupees in 2019. In 2025 we should be ₹ 17,000 million rupees. And that also with Covid by impacting the economy for more than 18 months. We were at ₹ 1.3 billion pbt rupees [profit before tax]And this year it would be ₹ 3.4 billion pbt rupees, that is, 2.25x in revenue and 2.6x in PBT. We follow the correct steps, invested during the period of economic turbulence, or before the competition, not only in physical assets but also in people, processes, productivity and performance. Today we are number one in glass, in plaster, isolation, construction chemicals, abrasive and ceramic. It is a solid base and, given the economic opportunities that India offers, only the beginning!
Is it also the fact that the entire business environment for the products in which it is located, such as housing or cars, has you seen growth? What helped?
For more than six years, as of 2019, India’s GDP is expected to grow 36 percent in constant prices, while we will grow by 120 percent in nominal terms. We grew faster than the market, we gain market share in all our businesses, largely investing before the market, we rummage to our Saint-Gobain Research Center in Chennai to stay ahead of innovation, undertake digital transformation and make the correct acquisitions.
We are shaping that market, whether green buildings, light and sustainable construction, our value chain or the skills ecosystem that is needed. While in each of our businesses we have strong competitors, collectively there is no one who has the scale, scope, structure, skills, systems and solutions that we contribute to the construction and construction market. Then, in relation to competition, in terms of aspiration and investment to meet these aspirations, either in innovation or in market formation, we have a good leg.
What child’s child are now for floating glass?
Today we have something like 1.4 million tons. When we started in 2000, it was 180,000 tons, an 8x capacity in capacity. When we started there were six players. Our logical market share would have a bone of 15 percent. Today we have almost 50 percent or the production of India. In the plaster we have more than 50 percent or the capacity of India.
In the floating glass you added another line in Chennai, right?
Correct. We have six plants: three in Chennai, two in Bhiwadi and one in Gujarat; We will build our seventh in Chennai and, in the next 5-6 years, we will add at least four more in thesis locations; We have land available for expansion. We are happy with Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Gujarat and can establish with confidence that all governments, whether state or central, have supported our growth and development.
But are you receiving enough tickets like the sand?
It is always a challenge because, by nature, the sand is driven by regulations, government intervention and local challenges. It is a constant effort to ensure that we obtain the correct quantity and quality at optimal costs.
What is the role played by its research center in the Iit-Madras Research Park in its expansion?
In our Chennai R&D center, this year we will invest about ₹ 180 million rupees in 2025, we have presented more than 150 patents, introduced more than 100 new products in the last five years. Including the work we do in our global laboratories, our R&D expense is more than 2 percent of our income. And this will only accelerate as we aspire to double the accumulated patents presented in the next four years, developing solutions for warm and humid climates that combine performance and sustainability.