CEO INTERVIEW: RECKITT BENCKISER (INDIA) LTD. Power Branding At RB India Chander M. Sethi (Chairman and MD, Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd.) talks to Aditi Sharma about how the core values of achievement, entrepreneurship, ownership and team spirit have helped create one of the largest and fastest growing companies in India |
 Beginning his stint as Branch Manager at Reckitt Benckiser (RB) India (then Reckitt & Colman of India Ltd.) in 1984, Mr. Chander Mohan Sethi proved his capabilities to finally head the company’s operations in India as Chairman and MD in 2002. He began his career as a Management Trainee at GlaxoSmithKline, and holds an MBA from the Motilal Institute of Business Management, Allahabad University. His career journey, he says, has been very satisfying and rewarding, adding, “At times, there has been a bit of anguish and question. But on the whole, very balanced.” In this exclusive interview with The Human Factor, he talks further about spearheading RB business growth across Nigeria, West Africa, India and South Asia, as well as the focus given to HR in one of India’s largest companies. Q. How important is India in the larger scheme of things at RB? A. India is part of our Developing Markets (DM) and one amongst the top 10 DM countries. It is central to RB’s growth strategy, with hundreds of employees, six manufacturing facilities and a leading R&D centre. We work towards continuing this trend of double digit growth. Our DM business accounts for almost 20 per cent of our global net revenue and is the fastest growing part of our business, delivering 12 per cent CAGR growth over the last few years. Q. How has the economic slowdown impacted the company? A. To say that 2008 was tough would be an understatement. Input costs have gone up significantly, the competitive landscape has become more challenging, and growth on key categories has been circumspect; but due to the high quality of our brands, we have been able to retain and, in some cases, improve our market shares. For example, the share of Dettol in the bar soaps market stood at an all-time high of more than 6 per cent, while Mortein continued to be the single largest brand in the pest market. Veet attained market leadership in hair removal creams at an all-India level. Following the global trend, the booming Indian economy has also shown signs of slowing down. Having said that, FMCG is one sector wherein the impact has been minimal. RB India has been growing in line with our internal benchmarks in the high teens. |
 Q. Which companies would you say are the closest competitors to RB in India?A. I think the competitors of Reckitt Benckiser in India are the same standard sets of competitors that we have globally. In our case, the company has different competitors for different categories of products. Q. What lies at the core of the HR vision at RB? A. HR at RB is about having the right people for the right job at the right time. It is very clearly communicated to the people what is expected from them and what they should expect from us. There is focus on absolute clarity and transparency. On-the-job coaching is imperative. HR here is not about ‘x’ number of hours per employee on training every year and ‘y’ amount of rupees on every employee. We do not worry about that. Q. How do you integrate RB’s values into the work culture? A. The core values here are achievement, entrepreneurship, ownership and team spirit, and they make up our DNA. The question, then, is not about how to get people to incorporate these core values – these are already inculcated in them. It is about walking the talk. They observe and learn from their colleagues and seniors. Q. Tell us about the RB Management Trainee Programme. A. We recruit from the best B-schools and engineering schools, and this is a combination programme for all functions. The first 6 months involve training on sales and marketing – no matter what function they will finally be placed in. This means that all of our young recruits walk the streets, scan the stores, and see what our products are about. They interface with our customers, and visit not only the metro cities but also the smaller towns. After these six months, they are given assignments depending on their respective functional responsibilities. Q. How strong is the focus on training and development? A. Training and development is greatly focused on. We have across-the-board programmes for general hygiene factors, such as good presentation and communication skills. In the areas of skill and knowledge development, we are very particular about identifying people and their needs, and giving them feedback. Q. Have these HR modules been developed in-house? A. Many have been developed in India, but many have also been developed at the global level by HR experts. At RB, there is a centrally coordinated development programme. The Management Trainee Programme clearly has its genesis in India. It has now been rolled out to nearly all countries with RB presence. Q. How do you ensure that employees are engaged at all times? A. We have a very robust policy of recognising and rewarding talent. If you are good, you will be recognised; and if you are good and you are mobile, you will keep moving forward. It does not matter how old you are or where you are from. The younger the better! Q. After working across Africa and India, what are the key managerial trends you noticed? A. Today, we are living in a ‘global village’. Management styles across the world are not very different. The culture of the organisation is important, which in turn, determines management styles. At RB, we look for entrepreneurial spirit, dynamism, consumer insight and an urge to make things happen. RB also offers international experience to the high performers so that they can effectively contribute in our businesses around the world. |
