Titan is an inspiring story of what India or Indians can do with the right kind of leadership that believes in its people, said TK Balaji, Chairman, Lucas-TVS, a leading auto electrical firm of TVS Group.
“There are, of course, many companies like Titan in India. We have seen such successful companies in the software sector. Also, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) where ordinary people empowered with great leadership, motivation and respect rise to great levels,” he said at a meeting organised by the Madras Management Association for the launch of a book
‘Perfect example’
Balaji pointed out that Tatas, Mahindras and the TVS Group had shown many examples of how to establish excellence in new fields. “Core competence is important, but one should not be constrained by that. Titan was a perfect example where it exhibited excellence beyond its core competence,” said Balaji, who is also an independent director on the board of Titan. Giving an overview of his journey in Titan, Bhaskar Bhat, Managing Director, Titan Company Ltd, noted that the blazing successes that the company achieved had always been preceded by significant failures and doubts. “The jewellery business was a disaster in the first seven years despite our attempts to apply the successful tools of our watch business. But we had the belief that things will change and we would succeed,” he added.
Bhat recalled the immense contributions of his predecessor, Xerxes Desai, the first managing director of Titan who took the company to great heights, and highlighted that Desai’s inspiring leadership spawned successful leaders/managers across the company’s verticals.
B Santhanam, President & Managing Director, Flat Glass South Asia, Saint-Gobain India, said the success story of Titan was all about extraordinary individuals coming together to create magic.
“Trust, empowerment, collaboration, attention to detail and innovation across the value chain made Titan a unique company,” he added.